Parental Involvement As a Positive Factor in Development For Special Education

Parents can be a big part of their child’s development if they are involved in it. Involvement improves academic performance as well as student behavior. For example, children who get more parental attention tend to read more and have better reading fluency. Parents who communicate with their children’s teachers are also more likely to be involved with their child’s education. Parents’ involvement in education can help children reach their potential in school and at home.

Parents who were less involved were also associated with lower reading scores. In addition, the higher the level of involvement, the higher the score in academic achievement. For example, children with more involvement at home had higher average scores in math, reading, and vocabulary than those with lower involvement. Interestingly, male children had lower average achievement scores than females, and they scored lower in vocabulary and math than did their female counterparts.

Parents should participate in the educational process by attending individualized education plan meetings. They should model the attitudes and behaviors they want their child to display. They should learn about the benefits of participating in school and ask for information about it. Parents from diverse cultural backgrounds may experience barriers in the process due to cultural and linguistic differences. Parents should seek out all resources available to them in order to understand the benefits of parent involvement.

Parents should also know that their involvement in school correlates with student achievement. Parents who are more involved in the classroom had lower truancy rates and higher academic performance. This is good news for parents who want to improve their child’s development. But how can they get involved? Here are some ways. All parents should stay involved with their child’s education, from preschool to high school. The benefits are substantial.

Parents’ attitudes and expectations about school have the strongest association with achievement. But the current study only surveyed parents’ attitudes about education, which may be too general to detect a change in achievement. Parents’ involvement may be positive overall, but may not promote achievement in any one domain. But it may have a positive impact on development for special education, as parents are often motivated to help their child learn.

Parents’ participation in IEP meetings was limited in some cases, as school personnel did not have the knowledge needed to provide appropriate education. Parents also indicated that they were not comfortable participating in IEP meetings because they felt obligated to sign papers. Yet, they wanted to be more involved in their child’s educational decision-making. Parents of children with disabilities argued that this approach would lead to better outcomes for their children.

While parental involvement may be beneficial, too much involvement by parents can be detrimental. Over-involved parents may impart their anxieties to their children. Children need to be safe in school. This way, parents can support their child’s education and ensure that their child feels comfortable there. And teachers can help parents do this by providing them with resources and information about the process. The benefits of parental involvement in special education can last a lifetime.

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