by Amy Wilber

Created on: March 13, 2009

For a special needs child, school can be an overwhelming experience. They are placed into a new place with different people and different activities that they may not be accustomed to at home. Getting your child geared up to be immersed in a learning endeavor to enrich their lives and broaden their horizons may take some extra assistance from you as a parent.

School is a place meant to teach your child many things that will introduce them to different people interactions and activities that broaden their mind in ways that every parent whether they try their hardest or not cannot teach them everything by themselves. Helping your special needs child get the most of their schooling is beneficial not only to the child but also to you as a parent to have another outlet to communicate in a special way with your child.

Explain to your child in the best way you know how of the first step of getting on the bus. Show the child pictures of a bus and get excited when telling them about riding the bus like a big kid. Have your child watch the other buses go by and mention that the bus will take him/her to the school so they are familiar with the sound of the word. If you are enthusiastic about the bus, they will be more inclined to feel more comfortable to take that leap and ride the bus to school.

Your child's teacher is the most important asset to their learning and they should be comfortable around them and their classmates. A good way to ensure your child does not have any fear of going to school is for the parents and child to meet the teacher and get to know them. Bringing your child to the expected classroom will allow the child to become accustomed with the surroundings and people so they do not have any fear of going to a new place without you. They will know where they are and what lies in the building.

Ask your child's teacher what kinds of activities your child will be doing and try to implement those same activities at home to solidify the consistency of what the child is familiar with. You can add your own twist to the activities so the child does not become bored or inattentive. Your child needs to have a steady consistency in all activities during the day and they are comfortable with a schedule. If the bridge between home life and school is not consistent the child may become confused and not know what to do because they are so used to doing certain activities at school.

Keeping communication open with your child's teacher is very important in maintaining

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