While there are schools that have adopted a “no excuses” educational model in which small student infractions are met with significant disciplinary actions, there are many K-12 institutions that use practical, positive techniques to make schools safe and create calm, successful learning environments. These instructional strategies are focused on ensuring that students feel respected and have educational choices, contributing to greater motivation.

For many children with disabilities, large groups can be stressful, resulting in disruptive behavior that may emerge unintentionally. These students are often not able to express their needs or wants appropriately when they feel overwhelmed. Giving children with disabilities a number of choices can help them manage an environment that may feel uncontrollable. This practice also enables them to develop skills to solve their own problems within defined limits, in turn strengthening their self-esteem, independence, and motivation.

It’s important for parents to understand that children with disabilities — just like all kids — need opportunities to take risks and make decisions within controlled and enforced boundaries. The difference is that those with special needs may not be provided with sufficient experiences to develop these skills at school. Offering your child choices at home and respecting the decisions she makes will enable her to experience the consequences of such risk-taking — both positive and negative — in a supportive, safe environment. This, in turn, provides an opportunity to discuss the factors that contribute to successful decision-making and demonstrate that you appreciate her efforts to learn and grow. And these experiences can help your child gain the confidence to take greater chances in the classroom as well.

# 5. Preferential Seating

Where a student is seated in a classroom can greatly support her individual needs. Some children attend to instruction better when seated nearest to the teacher, while others work better when their place is far from the classroom door and out of direct sight of a classroom window. Or, it may be that being too close to the computers or the block area is distracting for a child.

Students with disabilities often have difficulty controlling their impulses, in part because it is exhausting to filter out the other distractors in their classroom. Providing these children with preferential seating can remove them from many of the attentional challenges they contend with in their learning environment, enabling them to focus on their work or the instruction.

Understanding the effect that distractions may have on your child can help you reassess the spaces where she works at home. She may benefit from a separate area free from distractors or extra stimuli, one that is comfortable and soothing after an already-exhausting day at school. For many children with special needs, the calming effect that such spaces foster is essential for them to focus effectively on their schoolwork. Indeed, this setting can serve as the area where you work side-by-side with your child.

# 6. Recognizing Effort

Teachers often use a variety of rewards to reinforce children’s efforts to meet the performance standards set for each of them. Tangible rewards are not always necessary, as symbolic recognition can motivate a student just as successfully. Effective teachers are welcoming and respectful when they acknowledge how a student met expectations; they encourage children to share their ideas and thoughts, and build on the individual abilities and learning styles that they use to reach their goals.

In addition, the feedback these educators give when they reinforce a student’s effort is highly specific. Simply stating “Great job!” does not provide a child with insight into the exact actions she took that enabled her to succeed. Rather, a teacher will praise the steps a student took by saying, for example, “I really appreciate how you immediately began working quietly at your desk when you came back into the classroom. That is exactly what you were asked to do!”

As a parent, you can implement these strategies by allowing your child to share her schoolwork, express her thoughts and opinions on the work that she did in the classroom, and explain how she believes her unique strengths helped her accomplish these tasks. In addition, using descriptive praise will help your child understand the desired actions or behavior she is practicing. For instance, shifting from a simple “thank you,” which may not convey what you are thankful for, try “I really appreciate that you put away your laundry without me having to remind you” or “Thank you for beginning your homework at 5 p.m. as we agreed.”

Ask the Teachers

Supporting student achievement requires the participation of educators and parents alike. Teachers can be a remarkable resource, with seemingly small strategies that have an outsized effect on helping children attain their learning goals. These six practices are a great start, but ask your child’s teacher for others — she’s almost certainly got a trove of suggestions she’ll share.