How to Advocate for Your Child's Needs in the School System

Advocating for your child’s needs within the school system is a delicate balancing act to ensure your child receives the support and resources they need.

What does appropriate advocacy in the Ontario school system look like?

Understanding Your Child’s Needs

If you are concerned about your child's academic progress, behaviour, or emotional well-being, it’s important to do some groundwork to understand their specific needs before you start to advocate for them.

Pay attention to your child’s behaviour and academic performance and observe how they interact with peers. Ask them about what they find challenging. Note any areas where they seem to struggle or need extra support.

It’s critical to pursue this step before you make any moves to advocate for your child at school. If your child has a specific, diagnosed condition, this is a valuable foundation on which to build better care at school. Everyone can then move forward on the same page with a shared understanding of the condition and how to treat it.

Building a Collaborative Relationship with School Staff

The key to effective advocacy is collaboration. Build positive relationships with the key players in your child’s education, including:

• Teachers

• Administrators

• School psychologists

Here are some strategies to employ to build those all-important allies:

Understand what it means to advocate

Advocating means expressing your concerns and asking questions about your child's education, even if it feels uncomfortable. Showing interest and curiosity and communicating respectfully are effective approaches. School staff are generally working hard and will be more receptive if they feel that parents want to collaborate with them.

Know it’s acceptable to speak up

It might feel like overstepping to get involved in your child’s education, but it's important to remember that your insights and concerns are valuable. Teachers and school staff want children to succeed and appreciate parental involvement when you make meaningful contributions. In this sense, speaking up to share something pertinent from your home life is useful for everyone.

Write down your thoughts

Jot down your thoughts and concerns before meetings. This preparation can help ensure you cover all points and make the conversation more productive. An educator’s time is valuable (as is yours), so it's important to focus your conversations with school stakeholders on what you can collectively do for the benefit of your child. Prepping beforehand can provide that focus.

Ask questions

We touched on this within what it means to advocate, but it warrants its own point. You, as a parent, are not privy to how your child fares at school besides whatever your child may say when they come home. You need to get the other side of the coin and hear from educators. 

Don’t hesitate to ask specific questions about:

• How is your child’s progress?

• What are the school’s current programs?

• How is your child's performance compared to peers? 

• What are the teacher’s instructional practices?

Understanding what is actually going on at school can provide valuable insights.

Ask for extra help

If your child is struggling, the first step is discussing your concerns with the classroom teacher. Ask about available support services within the school. There may be possibilities for extra tutoring or other types of support. 

If the problem persists, the teacher can initiate a discussion with the school team (most schools have access to a multidisciplinary team made up of school psychologists, speech and language pathologists and social workers). Parents are invited to participate in the team’s discussion by sharing their concerns and understanding of the child’s strengths and weaknesses. Based on the shared expertise of the team members, a decision is made about whether further consultation with the school psychologist or other professional, a special education evaluation, or a psychological assessment or intervention is the recommended next step.  

Consultation with the school psychologist can help better understand your child’s needs and can provide recommendations about how to help with regards to any academic, behavioural, social or mental health problem. 

A psychological assessment is a formal evaluation of the child’s strengths and needs in the areas of cognitive (intellectual), academic, behavioural, social, and emotional functioning. The results may lead to a diagnosis (such as a learning disability, ADHD, or a mental health condition), which pinpoints the underlying cause of the child’s difficulties and the required interventions. 

Keep advocating

Advocacy is an ongoing process, so regularly check in on your child’s progress and maintain communication with whoever you’ve been cooperating with. Participate in PTA meetings and other school events to stay informed and involved.

Don’t forget–everyone cares about your child’s development, educators are passionate about helping children succeed.

Developing an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)

An IEP is a written plan that outlines the accommodations your child should receive at school - it is a go-to source that explains the plan for everybody involved.

You play a part in the creation of this document as a parent involved in a collaborative process. 

Here’s how to ensure your child’s IEP meets their needs:

1. Participate Actively in the IEP Process

• Preparation - Review your child’s current performance and any evaluations before the IEP meeting. List your child’s strengths and needs. Also, list any goals you have as part of the process.

• Work with school staff to develop realistic and measurable goals (SMART goals) for your child and ensure the IEP includes specific accommodations and support services.

2. Monitor the IEP’s Progress

• Regular IEP review meetings are scheduled with teachers and other professionals involved, such as school psychologists. This ongoing process allows everybody to give feedback and get a feel for how things are going. Together, you can make adjustments if needed. Ensure that the goals and strategies remain relevant to your child’s needs.

You’re Not Alone - Additional Resources

Don’t feel that you are alone in your pursuit of advocacy for your child, as many other parents are in a similar situation to you. There are plenty of resources out there as parents pool their shared experiences to offer advice and support.

Parent Advocacy Groups

Check out the following organizations that offer specialized advice for parents:

• Parents of Black Children - This organization supports families. It facilitates equitable outcomes for Black children, who are often underserved in school communities. 

• Association of Parent Support Groups in Ontario (APSGO) - APSGO offers support for parents struggling with behavioral issues in their children and helps develop effective strategies.

• People for Education is an independent charity that supports and advances public education through research and policy. Its focus is on public engagement, so get involved!

• Parents Engaged in Education - This group works to improve student achievement by encouraging parent engagement and hosting community events.

• Centre for ADHD Awareness, Canada (CADDAC) - CADDAC provides leadership in awareness and advocacy for ADHD across Canada.

• Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario (LDAO) - This non-profit organization supports individuals with learning disabilities through advocacy, research, education, and services.

Practice Self-Care

We never forget to mention self-care when discussing parental responsibilities. As parents, we are often guilty of abandoning self-care practices. Perhaps parents feel guilty about ever placing themselves first; they see prioritizing their own health as a damning verdict on their parenting skills. 

This is unhelpful framing 

Instead, see parental self-care as the responsible thing to do. You need to be at your best to care for your child and advocate for their needs. And raising a child who is dealing with issues at school is stressful.

What can you do?

• Talk to a counselor

• Join a support group for parents 

• Share experiences and learn about coping strategies through forums

• Speak to your family and friends, too. You may be able to lean on them for emotional and practical support.

• Establish healthy boundaries to ensure that advocating for your child does not deplete all your time and energy. 

• Make time for activities that relax and rejuvenate so you don’t get overwhelmed. 

Advocating for your child should not be an experience that impacts your health. That is yet another reason to rely on effective collaboration from a whole team looking out for your child’s best interests.

Final Thoughts on Advocating for Your Child at School

Advocating for your child relies heavily on collaboration. This is logical since time spent at school is one area you cannot control as a parent. It is an exercise in trust as you allow others - teachers and other professionals - to support your child’s educational journey. 

You’ll also need to learn communication skills and patience since you are part of a team of stakeholders.

Here is a quick recap of the key takeaways. You can ensure your child receives the support they need to thrive at school by:

• Building strong relationships with school staff

• Actively participating in the IEP process

• Utilizing available resources

• Taking care of yourself

For more information and resources, explore the OPA site - there’s plenty of advice and guidance for parents on child and school psychology related topics.