Teaching your student or child the social skills necessary to speak up for themselves can help them in a number of ways!
Self-advocacy is the ability to communicate one’s needs and wants to others. This skill can be especially important for individuals with special needs who may not communicate in the same way as others or who may have different needs than their peers.
In our Social Skills Learning Module, we share three parts of self-advocacy to help students learn to speak up for themselves and why this is an important skill to learn.
These three tips are intended for the student to follow along with! Encourage them to answer the questions below:
- Get to Know Yourself: what are your strengths, challenges, and goals; learn about your disability and what you may need in terms of support
- Identify Your Needs: figure out what you need and learn how to ask for help. If you know you need help with math equations, ask your teacher for support. They may have ideas of ways to study or complete equations that can help you!
- Know How to Get What You Need: identify who you can ask for help. Is it a teacher, a parent, or a classmate? Figure out where to learn more information about your disability and how you can bridge the gap between your strengths and your challenges.
Helping your students learn and practice self-advocacy can enable them to be more engaged in their academic and personal growth! Check out the additional resources available to teach your students the social skills needed for self-advocacy!
Author: Andee Morris, M.Ed.
Social Skills Power Point Presentations:
I Can Learn Self-Advocacy Facilitator’s Guide
I Can Learn Self-Advocacy PowerPoint Presentation
Social Skills Resource Materials:
I Can Learn Self-Advocacy Worksheet
I Can Learn Self-Advocacy Outline
I Can Learn Self-Advocacy Parent Note
I Can Learn Self-Advocacy Teacher Note