Parents are a child’s best and longest lasting advocates. Parents with good communication skills can be even more effective advocates for their children.
- Advocating for Your Child Fact Sheet – English Family Matters
- Advocating for Your Child Fact Sheet – Arabic Family Matters
- Advocating for Your Child Fact Sheet – Spanish Family Matters
Being able to effectively communicate your child’s needs is another way for you to help your child develop and learn.
Parent and professional communication and effective partnerships do not “just happen.” It takes time, energy, and effort to build skills to communicate clearly and collaborate effectively. You can decide to become a more effective advocate for your child and then take the necessary steps to achieve this goal.
Clear and effective communication allows you to be intentional in your advocacy. Starting the discussion focused on your family or child’s needs allows the IFSP team to have a collaborative conversation about how to best meet the needs.
Listening can be your most effective advocacy skill. Listen to understand the perspective of the speaker, even if you disagree. Listening for understanding can help focus your advocacy efforts, revealing information you had not heard before and opening the conversation to different ideas. Listening also allows you to determine if the information is someone’s opinion or based in data. Decisions should be based upon objective data.
There are several online resources available to learn collaborative techniques.
Understanding Your Child’s Disability
When you’re told your child has a disability or you suspect a developmental delay, it can be overwhelming. As parents, we want to learn everything we can to help our children. Understanding your child’s disability is important to advocate for their needs. There are many ways to learn more about your child’s disability:
- Disability specific organizations can provide important information on your child’s disability and how it affects them. Do not forget that each child is unique and how their disability may impact them is individualized.
- Books, audiobooks, and reputable websites on your child’s disability can be a great way to learn more. You want to be sure that the information is accurate and verifiable.
- Parent groups, whether in person or online, can allow you to connect with parents whose children have a similar disability to share ideas, successes, and challenges.
- Professionals working with your infant or toddler are there to help. If you think of questions, write them down so you can ask at your next appointment. You can take brief videos or photos that might be helpful when trying to explain what you are seeing.
You can’t have an IFSP without Family
Family involvement is central to Early On because parents know their child best and guide every step of their development. Families set priorities and outcomes in the IFSP, ensuring that services align with what matters most in their daily lives. The family voice shapes the goals and decisions, making support both meaningful and effective. Parents are the child’s best and longest-lasting advocates!
CHILD OUTCOMES
Child outcomes are used by early intervention and early childhood special education programs to measure young children’s progress. While Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) outcomes and Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals are written specifically for your child, these three child outcomes are the same for everyone.
- Gaining positive social emotional skills, including social relationships. This outcome measures how children interact and play with their family, other adults, and other children.
- Learning and using new knowledge and skills. This outcome measures how children learn and use basic language and communication skills such as counting and problem-solving that will prepare them to be successful in kindergarten.
- Using appropriate behaviors to meet their needs. This outcome measures how children gradually become more independent by learning how to move from place to place, feed themselves, and take care of basic needs.
Know Who Is Who
It is crucial to understand how, when, and where to discuss your questions or concerns. Establishing the best means of communication for your family and service providers will be helpful if you have questions or concerns.
If you do have a question or concern, it is a good idea to start with the person closest to the situation since they can typically solve the question or problem the quickest. For infants and toddlers, this is typically the Early On Service Coordinator. Your Early On Service Coordinator can:
- Help you understand information given to you
- Inform you of your rights within the Early On Program
- Get the evaluations and assessments your child needs
- Let you know what services are available and how to get them
- Coordinate and assist in the development and review of the IFSP
- Make sure you receive the services outlined within your IFSP
- Help you access support services, such as parent groups
- Assist in the development and implementation of a transition plan
- Refer you to other services, such as childcare, health or family support services
- Help you become your child’s best advocate
While in Early On, you may also communicate with:
- Early On Coordinator is the person who oversees Early On throughout a geographic area – usually the boundaries of an Intermediate School District
- Service Provider is the person providing a direct service to a family or child. This could be a Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Nurse, Social Worker, or a Teacher. Because the IFSP is individualized to meet the needs of each family and child, the service providers will vary for each family and child.
KNOW HOW TO Disagree
An important right for parents is the ability to disagree. Maybe you’re not being heard, or the plan isn’t being followed, or you don’t agree with decisions that have been made. Parents have Dispute resolution options available to them.
Parent Leadership
Parent leadership opportunities in early childhood give families a platform to share their experiences and strengthen the system for all children. When parents step into leadership roles, they not only advocate for their own child but also bring the perspectives of many families to decision-making tables. These roles can build confidence, create networks of support, and ensure that family voice is truly embedded in early intervention.
Opportunities might include serving on local or state advisory committees, sharing stories at trainings or conferences, helping to develop family-friendly resources, or leading support groups for other parents.
