2 Questions To Ask While Researching A Special Needs School For Your Child
As the age approaches when your special needs child will be starting school, you may feel overwhelmed while researching various schools and educational programs trying to find one that you feel will fit your child's needs. As you speak with each school or program, ask the following questions to help with starting your information gathering efforts.
1. What Is the Child-to-teacher Ratio?
One of the first questions you might ask when speaking with the administrator or another representative from a particular school is about the child-to-teacher ratio. Will your child have to share the teacher's attention with a dozen other children? Or, does the school keep groups small, with only a few children in each.
If your child has problems with learning or needs special accommodations for their disability, you do not want to pick a school that will put them in a large classroom with other children who require intense attention. Not only would their education suffer, but your child's emotional and physical needs may not be properly attended to.
Try to narrow down your choices of schools to those that offer small classrooms. This will help ensure that they receive intense attention to every aspect of their education, as well as their other needs.
2. What Types of Specialists Do They Have on Staff?
Along with your child's special learning needs, they may also need help with other aspects of their care. For example, if they have problems with their speech, they may need to have speech therapy to help them improve. Or, if they require medications throughout the day, you need to know how the school handles these.
When speaking with the school, ask about the types of specialists that they keep on staff. Do they have a speech therapist that can work one-on-one with your child? Or, if your child needs help with fine motor schools, do they have an occupational therapist that can help them with these skills?
Along with therapists, ask if they have a full-time nurse at the school. Not only can they administer the medications your child needs but should be able to handle any health-related emergencies that come up while your child is at school.
Choosing the right school for your child ensures that they not only receive the opportunity to learn but also be well taken care of while they are at school. If you are having problems finding a school that meets your child's needs, consider speaking with someone through a child special needs service for further guidance
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