A Guide for Parents Seeking Help for Special Children’s Education

Special children’s education can be a touchy subject for parents. Most of the time, parents would be the ones seeking out that needed extra assistance when children begin to show signs of autism. This is not to say that schools are not doing anything to help, when they should. For all we may know, they could be trying to find help but the given circumstances just makes it easier said than done. Reality tells us that the funding for special education is low, its resources are limited, and the waiting lists are long.

This does not mean, however, that all hope is lost. Sometimes, such as in these situations, being squeaky is necessary if it would mean getting the grease. If you are among the parents who are seeking educational help for their special children, here are some advices to get you started:

First, make the first move and start today. Do not rely on your child’s school because, chances are, they will not take in the problem. You might get the attention you want at first, but most often, schools will just dismiss initial concerns at the end of the day. Time is precious here; do not waste it dealing with them. You could complain, and begin your squeaking with them, but what for? It would get you nowhere since the school will not exactly be the one to provide help anyway. Like you, they will just be seeking that help from the higher organizations that focus on special children’s education. Furthermore, unless you know someone on the inside, the school is practically your only means of reaching those organizations. Thus, no matter how frustrating it could be, do not antagonize them. Rather, be friends with them. It could prove to be helpful.

Second, if you can afford to hire professionals to work for your child’s case, being organized is vital. Failure to attend one meeting will already count against you. Be sure to keep every document given to you throughout the entire duration of the case such as notes on meetings, reports and results.

Third, be patient. The testing process will take time so you might need to wait for long. Sadly, many parents who badly need to get the testing over with resort to privately hiring someone to speed up the process. While waiting, do your homework. The more information you can get about the condition of your child, the better it will be for you to get help.

And fourth, know your rights. Do not hesitate to complain to higher authorities if your child’s school is still not doing anything to help your child after you have long communicated your concerns. Special children’s education is not to be taken granted. You have all the right to seek legal assistance so speak up if you have to.

A Classroom Cannot Substitute The Real World

Like most parents, you are probably thinking that a decent school with high standards of teaching is enough to ensure the proper education for your child. This is not true. A good school may and most likely will provide your child sufficient “academic” knowledge, but education is not limited to subjects like history, language, math and the sciences alone. There is more to education than the ability to summarize the life of Julius Caesar, explain the symbolisms used by Shakespeare, calculate limits at infinity, and recite the names of all the constellations of the night sky. In fact, a background on these things is important but in the end, you and I both know that your child will not survive the real world if these were all he knows. Even if schools teach values education subjects, knowing what is “ideal” is not enough when he finally comes across what is “real”.

Learning achieved in school is not enough once your child’s out there in the real world. What one reads in books, no matter how much your child has memorized them, will not help him if he has not been there firsthand. Real education is achieved through experience. Life requires that a person learns and understands certain things—things that cannot be learned inside a classroom. One must experience something in order to understand it. Likewise, the education for your child if he is to become prepared for adulthood, must involve being exposed to what really happens once you are an adult.

The best real examples from whom he can learn are of course, his parents and immediate family, and the community. A child must observe, learn and understand how adults function in order to survive, how one should balance time and handle money responsibly, and how one should act and speak if somebody lost a loved one. He must also experience failure, so that he would know how to stand up if he fails again. He must know and experience how to apologize, express gratitude, forgive, solve problems, and make decisions. He must know how one should behave in parties, how spouses should give and take, how to raise a child well, and how to respect the opinions of other people. These are some examples of the things that make up the real education for your child.

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