If you see your child struggling to make friends or feel included at school, it’s painful, especially if you’re told that the school just “doesn’t do inclusion” (newsflash: that’s not a thing!). Inclusion is not just a buzzword — it’s the process of making big and small changes to the school environment, processes, and culture to make sure every student can learn, thrive, and belong. And it has SO many social benefits — it gives kids equal opportunity to the same extracurricular opportunities as their peers (like choir, drama, basketball, or a lunch club) and the chance to make friends and socialize with same-aged peers throughout the school day.
— Dr. Mary Falvey
As parents, we can encourage schools to develop all kids’ social skills and foster friendships in a variety of ways. But if your child’s school isn’t on board, where can you start? If they don’t know how to make it work, how can we approach that conversation and have it supported by our children’s IEP?
1: Nurture authentic peer relationships. Guess what that DOESN’T include? Muting all of our kids’ interests in order for them to appear more “like other kids.” Nope! While helping our kids develop social skills and find common interests is important, our goal isn’t to change them but help broaden their perspective.
- Playdates, PTA meetings, lunchtime social clubs, Frozen-themed UNO cards, Dungeons & Dragons clubs, and more — find resources about building meaningful friendships and social opportunities for our kiddos, both within and outside of school, in our article Socialization and Inclusion: Nurturing Authentic Peer Relationships.
2: The impact of school goes far beyond academics. While we often associate school with academic subjects like math, history and English, it’s also where our kids can make friends, practice social skills, join clubs, attend dances, and make meaningful connections. Inclusion in both gen ed classrooms AND extracurricular activities can help your child have more opportunities to socialize with peers and develop important skills.
- Wondering how school teams and IEP goals can help encourage socialization with peers? Read about 4 Ways to Help Our Kids Socialize and Make Friends.
#3: You can write socialization into the IEP. Socialization is a key factor in your child’s school experience, and you can advocate for it in a variety of ways — writing goals into the IEP is just one of those ways!
- Read our article Socialization Goals in the IEP for sample IEP socialization goals for preschool, elementary school, middle school, and high school kiddos.
What opportunities have you found for socialization and inclusion to help your child build meaningful relationships? Have you included social goals in your child’s IEP? We’d love to hear your ideas! Remember: the work schools need to do around socialization and inclusion goes beyond IEPs — and beyond our kids! Transforming a culture to be neurodiversity-affirming means working with the entire school community.
Thanks to expert guidance from an Undivided Navigator paired with our public benefits specialist, a family successfully navigated challenges with their Regional Center. With Undivided support, the client advocated for their rights, resulting in getting the social-recreational services and summer camp they desired. The parent confidently stated that the help they received more than covered their Undivided membership!
Join us on Tuesday, October 10th, at 10:00 AM PDT as we dive into the most common unknowns in our community. Have questions you want answered? Come and ask a Navigator! You’ll have the chance to meet and connect with experienced Undivided Navigators for some insightful discussions about the top things parents miss the most; discover how Undivided can make a positive impact on you and your family; and have the chance to jump on a call with a Navigator right after the chat! This event is exclusively for our Facebook Group members, so join us if you haven’t already. Mark your calendar and invite your friends! See you there!
Getting the Most Out of Self-Determination (don’t give up!)
Did you miss our live event with SDP Program Manager Christine C. Tolbert about Regional Center’s Self-Determination Program (SDP)? No problem! Find the full replay here on our Facebook page!
Undivided Spotlight: Nominate your favorite provider!
It’s time to spotlight a provider for October! Do you have a favorite OT, PT, SLP, behavioral interventionist, or other therapist your kiddo loves to work with? Tell us their name and title, practice name, email, and socials (if you know them!) so we can reach out to them. Submit your nomination by October 11!
Together Is Better Club 21 Walk
Many Undivided families are participating in the Together Is Better Walk & Celebration in Pasadena on October 21! If you want to join us in celebrating individuals with Down syndrome, shout out your team in our Facebook group!
Listen to how one student blossomed in a gen ed setting — and his peers benefited from inclusion too. Watch on YouTube→- We want YOU to feel included in our community of parents! If you haven’t already, come introduce yourself in our private Facebook group →
- Have you talked to your child’s class about their disability to help them feel understood and make friends? Hear tips from Dr. Sarah Pelangka. Check it out on Instagram→
- Are there organizations you’ve seen doing a great job with inclusion? Share them with us on LinkedIn→
- Need help advocating for inclusion at your child’s school? Your 1:1 Navigator is here with support and expert resources. Get started→
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This newsletter was originally sent to our subscribers on 10/5/23. Subscribe to our newsletter to get more resources like this in your inbox, or check out our full library of articles, templates, and videos at undivided.io/resources.
