Learning Self-Advocacy Skills
By Dan Coulter
What’s
the most important skill a high school student with Asperger
Syndrome or autism can learn before he or she graduates?
Run a
list of candidate skills through your head. It’s a good exercise.
Was
self-advocacy on your short list? I think I can make a good case
that it should be.
Whether
your student is bound for a job or for college after graduation,
he’s almost certainly entering a much less protected environment.
Many students on the autism spectrum are used to having a lot of
things done for them. A student who hasn’t learned to speak up for
herself in high school isn’t going to magically acquire the ability
when handed a high school diploma.
If your
son gets a job, will he ask the right questions if his boss gives
him a task he doesn’t understand?
If your
daughter goes to college, how will she react if she doesn’t catch
the details of an assignment?
For many
people on the spectrum, it’s especially hard to speak up and ask for
directions or for help. Sometimes that’s because they don’t want to
call attention to themselves -- or look different. And many kids on
the spectrum would be at a loss to explain their challenges and what
accommodations they need to perform well in a job or in a college
class.
At a
recent admissions seminar at High Point University near my home, a
counselor explained a common reason that students with disabilities
appeared before the academic review board after receiving poor
grades. It was almost always the case that the students either
hadn’t asked for accommodations, or hadn’t used the accommodations
that they had been granted.
I’ve
heard a number of accounts where someone on the autism spectrum lost
a job because of problems that started with miscommunication with a
supervisor.
Knowing
this, you can help your kids avoid these pitfalls. Your son or
daughter doesn’t have to disclose his or her condition to everyone,
but when they need and want to, can they –- and will they? By the
way, it’s common for parents to assume that a child on the spectrum
knows more about his condition than he actually does.
So, find
out what your student knows. Sit down with your son or daughter and
talk about the importance of self-advocacy. Ask them what they know
about their condition and about any accommodations they’re receiving
at school. Use what you discover to fill in any gaps in their
knowledge, then plan a program of activities that will continuously
build their ability to explain their condition without embarrassment
and describe what they need in a particular situation. Sometimes,
what they need may turn out only to be detailed instructions on how
an assignment or job needs to be done.
Show them
the benefits of learning self-advocacy by tying their progress to
privileges. The more situations they show you they can handle, the
more independence you give them.
If your child has an Individualized Education
Program at his school, make sure he knows what’s in it. Discuss the
plan with him before school IEP meetings and help him take an active
part in the meetings. Consider making one of your child’s IEP goals
that he develops the ability to explain his condition and describe
his needed accommodations to an employer or instructor. If you need
help with your IEP, there’s an excellent article titled, “Writing
Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for Success” by Barbara D.
Bateman on the “www.wrightslaw.com”
website at:
http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/iep.success.bateman.htm
When your
child has doctor appointments, get her used to talking to the doctor
directly. You may want to explain to the doctor ahead of time, or
at the beginning of the visit, that you’re preparing your student to
manage her own medical care, and that you’ll be mainly an observer
in the examining room.
It’s also
important to develop your child’s ability to explain what he needs
or wants when no mention of his condition is required. In stores,
in restaurants, at events, etc., take every opportunity to have your
student take the lead in interacting with people. Explain what
he’ll need to do in detail beforehand. You can stand by in case
you’re needed, but don’t be too quick to step in and take over when
there’s a problem. You can think of yourself as a lifeguard. You
don’t want to let your charges drown, but everyone swallows a little
water while learning to swim.
Recently,
I interviewed Dorothy Wells, Assistant Director of Disability
Support Services at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. I
asked her the most important things a high school student with
Asperger Syndrome or autism should do to prepare for college. She
said, “It’s simple, start going to your IEP meetings and get
comfortable talking to people about your special need.”
You can
think of self advocacy as a crucial “enabling skill” that allows
your son or daughter to apply the other skills they’ve learned to
succeed in class, in a career and in life.
Self-advocacy may not be the most important skill on your list of
things to teach your high school student. But it may be the most
important skill that’s not on your list – and should be.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dan Coulter is the
writer/producer of the videos, “Asperger Syndrome: Transition to
College and Work” and “Asperger Syndrome: Transition to Work.” You
can read more of his articles at:
www.coultervideo.com.
Copyright 2006 Dan Coulter All Rights Reserved. Used by
Permission.
