In his early school days, we received daily notes as any parent would. But now that's he's in middle school, his day is very full leaving little down time for his teachers to write copius notes. But to parents of non-verbal kids, the notes are as important as ever.
It's important to have open but structured methods of communication with our children's teacher, therapists and school nurses. I try to make it as easy as possible. I send in an easy-to-use single talker or a weekend-news communicator I designed to share news from home. I provide a notebook to share daily news. Below are some links to pre-made forms that teachers can fill out to provide great info for parents. Many were designed for children with autism but they will likely work for all kids with communication challenges.
Examples: Home-school communication forms
Book: My PECS Home School Communicator
Pre-made forms on Mayer-Johnson's Adapted Learning website
Kit: School Nurse Communication Pack
How can we keep lines of communication open and easy? Any ideas?
What an incredible list of resources! This entry was very educational for me. For someone like me who's never faced this type of challenge, I can honestly admit that I'd never thought about how tough it must be as a parent to not be able to have a dialogue with your child about school. But having these resources, and a cooperative group of teachers willing to help, must be so essential.
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