Older Kids Can Be Their Own Self Advocates

As teens move through school, it's not always easy for parents to let go and encourage children to take responsibility for their own success. Beverly Baker, co-director of the National Center for Family Professional Partnerships’ KASA project, offers advice on how to approach empowering your maturing child.

As teens move through middle school and high school, it is not always natural or easy for parents to let go and encourage their children to take responsibility for their own school success. It’s a gradual process, of course, but one that it’s best to start sooner rather than later.

Beverly Baker, co-director of the National Center for Family Professional Partnerships’ KASA (Kids as Self Advocates) project, offers a step-by-step breakdown of how to approach letting go and empowering your maturing child.

Step 1: Revisit what’s needed.

Sit down with your kid and make sure he knows what accommodations he needs. Make sure that your child understands that people with different disabilities need different accommodations—and that he shouldn’t ask a teacher for a computer program to help him read just because he sees someone else get it.