As parents of special needs kids, we understand that our kids need unique guidance and support as they grow and develop. One such skill that may not seem like a priority when they are young is self-determination.
Defined by Webster’s dictionary, self-determination is ‘free choice of one's own acts or states without external compulsion.” Our children need to have opportunities to develop self-determination skills that will help them understand their wants, needs, and dreams for life. In turn, they can use this skill to begin advocating for their needs in therapists’ offices, doctors’ offices and when they are ready IEP meetings.
How do we do this? I use and recommend the AIR Self-Determination assessment. (https://www.ou.edu/education/zarrow/resources/assessments). This assessment is free. There are 3 separate assessments for the parents, educator(s) and student each to complete. Print off the copy for the teacher(s) and at an IEP meeting when the team hands you all the paperwork that they want you to fill out, you can hand them your own. You can use the data from these assessments to begin developing your child’s self-advocacy skills.
There is law that supports your right to expect the IEP team to implement goals that give your child opportunities to develop self-advocacy or self-determination skills: Brown vs Board of Education in 1954, and the legislative precedents established by the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991.
Parents, it is up to us to get our children ready to be appropriate self-advocates and to provide them with strategies and opportunities that foster their ability to develop self-determination skills. Ensuring that the IEP includes self-determination is a gift that your child will use for the rest of their life.
Sources:
AIR Self-Determination Assessment - https://www.ou.edu/education/zarrow/resources/assessments
Ohio Department of Education: Secondary Transition Roadmap for Families with children with Disabilities, ages 3-21