The Council on Developmental Disabilities Family Outreach & Support 502.584-1239 Twenty Ideas for Better Communication with Professionals 1. Stop saying, “I’m just a parent”. 2. When calling the school, ask people to identify themselves when giving you information. 3. Never send verbal messages by your child to the teacher or other school officials. 4. Being all allowed to take a test alone (vs. with the class) 5. Not having to copy homework off the board (get the as signments from the teacher) 6. Getting a syllabus for the week 7. Help a child feel that they belong and contribute to the class 8. Modify assignments to meet individual student need 9. Divide longer assignments/projects into shorter ones 10. Schedule complex activities in the morning when the student has more energy 11. Call students by name frequently 12. Highlight or underline important directions 13. Provide opportunities for the student to help others 14. Be mindful that some students are particularly sensitive to noise, sound, light, etc., and make the necessary accommodations (e.g., establish a quiet area to work or eat, seat student away from distracting sounds, put student with other children hs/she trust and likes) 15. Allow the student choices when possible 16. Refocus the student to task and reinforce with praise (redirect troublesome behavior – redirect, refocus, reinforce, praise) 17. Monitor frequently the student’s progress (identify areas where the student gets “stuck” and then develp a method of handling such points in the future) 18. Remember that students learn in different ways and that to use a multisensory approach (e.g., oral, visual, tactile, kinesics) 19. Vary methods for assessing knowledge (e.g., oral tests, short quizzes , new reports, interviews, group projects, etc.) 20. Involve students by utilizing role-playing activities