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Deciding on a School
Which school will you send your child with Dwarfism to? You should make the decision just as you would for any other child. Children with dwarfism do not need to attend special schools. Whatever decision you come to, it is necessary for you to be prepared to educate the school on your child's condition. Also, you will want to highly consider working with the school to develop and maintain an IEP of a 504 plan in order to ensure your "child’s educational success and comfort and safety in the classroom" (Campbell & Dorren, 2008).
Helping the School Understand Dwarfism
Letter to the School
As a parent of a child with Dwarfism, you likely have more knowledge than the staff at the school in regards to Dwarfism. In order to help prepare the school best accommodate your child, you should consider sending a letter explaining your child's condition and approach to helping him/her learn best. In the letter, you may want to include the following information:
Little People of America has provided full sample letters to help parents create a letter to send to schools.
504 Plan and Walking Tour
It is extremely important that as a parent of a child with Dwarfism that you share your knowledge with schools. Plan to actively participate in the 504 plan development and walking tour; be prepared to provide possible accommodations that would work best for your child. Keep in mind that you will have far more knowledge and can discuss ideas used at home to propose accommodations that can be used to make the school environment more conducive to learning for your child.
Photo Source: (istockphoto.com)
Which school will you send your child with Dwarfism to? You should make the decision just as you would for any other child. Children with dwarfism do not need to attend special schools. Whatever decision you come to, it is necessary for you to be prepared to educate the school on your child's condition. Also, you will want to highly consider working with the school to develop and maintain an IEP of a 504 plan in order to ensure your "child’s educational success and comfort and safety in the classroom" (Campbell & Dorren, 2008).
Helping the School Understand Dwarfism
Letter to the School
As a parent of a child with Dwarfism, you likely have more knowledge than the staff at the school in regards to Dwarfism. In order to help prepare the school best accommodate your child, you should consider sending a letter explaining your child's condition and approach to helping him/her learn best. In the letter, you may want to include the following information:
- Helpful tips on how to educate other students about Dwarfism - do's and don'ts
- Expectations for independence and inclusion in class
- Medical issues that may arise
- Things that can cause frustration, fear, or that may anger your child
- Statistics and information on Dwarfism
- Terminology
- How to explain to students why a little person is shorter or the comfort of the child explaining his/her condition to others
Little People of America has provided full sample letters to help parents create a letter to send to schools.
504 Plan and Walking Tour
It is extremely important that as a parent of a child with Dwarfism that you share your knowledge with schools. Plan to actively participate in the 504 plan development and walking tour; be prepared to provide possible accommodations that would work best for your child. Keep in mind that you will have far more knowledge and can discuss ideas used at home to propose accommodations that can be used to make the school environment more conducive to learning for your child.
Photo Source: (istockphoto.com)