10 Tips for the New School Year

As I thought about what a new school year means for parents of a child with special needs, I came up with some ideas to help make this school year the best it can be. My hope is that these reminders and guidelines will lift you up when you need it most!

1. Parents, remember to take care of yourselves so you are able to continue to take care of others. We can only give out what we have inside ourselves and we must be in our greatest balance to be able to take care of our loved ones.

2. Along those same lines, inside yourself you must know that you are always doing an amazingly wonderful job for your son or daughter because you are doing the very best you can with all that you can do and all that you know in the present moment.

3. Remember out loud for yourself, and for and with your child, what you are grateful for. Do it every day. Do it especially every morning and even throughout the day.  Living with an attitude of gratitude will bring more things to be grateful for.

4. Without a vision, the people perish. And, this is one of the greatest truths for your son or daughter. Your greatest vision…yes, your in-your-heart-you-know-what-can-be-for-your-child plan is your guide. You must have a plan that evolves along with your child.

5. You know your child better than anyone. This means that you also have the awesome responsibility that comes with that knowing. Along with all you do for your child, you must recognize it is up to you to convey that information in such a way that you help others know your child, too.

6. How many times have we heard this: Rome was not built in a day? Your child’s development and growth will come a day at a time. And, everything you need to get done, will get done. It will happen… although you may need to make some adjustments to what you expect will happen. Everything comes in time…and not necessarily when or how you wanted it.

7. You are the chosen leader of your child’s team and you get to decide how to lead his/her team. Convey your beliefs, your hopes, your dreams for your child with such enthusiasm that every team member has no choice but to catch it! At the same time, make sure you love and care for every member of your team just as if they are your best employees!

8. With the help of your team, you will be developing a comprehensive and individualized plan for your child. However, sometimes the professionals are not able to work as a team. So, you take the lead yourself or find someone who can. You will pull it all together to create an amazing plan to develop your child personally, socially, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

9. Your child is your priority, of course, but cannot possibly be everyone else’s. And, what is happening for your child is the most important thing to YOU, but/and not necessarily for others. My grandfather used to say: “This cut on my finger hurts more than your broken arm”. It’s how we humans are; focused on ourselves and on our loved ones. Just remember this if you don’t get the reaction or response you’d hoped for.

10. Remember everything ~ yes, everything ~ happens for a reason. We must trust and believe this truth because it is a humble reminder that we don’t know what we don’t know. Perhaps there are reasons beyond our awareness or understanding that must be…and maybe we’ll get to know them in time.

Lynda Sloan Allen, is the owner of Make Your Mark in Life Learning Center in Vero Beach, FL. Lynda is the leader of a team of extraordinary tutors who focus on the whole development of the child by developing cognitive/brain and social/emotional skills along with academics in every tutoring session. Her website is filled with great information: www.makeyourmarklearningcenter.com

Helpful Articles

• Helpful Tools to Start this School Year Off Right!
• Back-To-School Homework Hacks
• How to close out Summer and Prepare for the New School Year
• 7 Apps for Students with Special Needs Back to School Success!
• Start the New School Year on the Right Foot!
• New School Year Should Mean New IEP
• Expectations: How Far Have We Come and What to Expect for the New School Year

This post originally appeared on our September/October 2014 Magazine