What is Self-Advocacy and Why is Parental Involvement Important?
As educators, we ask students to speak up for themselves. This is especially important in secondary grades; however, we do begin to teach this in elementary. Little do the students know that we are teaching them to self-advocate for themselves. So, what is self-advocacy? Self-advocacy is when students are able to tell adults or others their needs (Lee, n.d.). When students self-advocate for themselves, they have a better life satisfaction (Kleinert et al., 2010; Lachapelle et al., 2005; Wehmeyer et al., 2010; Wehmeyer & Shogren, 2016; as cited in Stansberry Brusnahan et al., 2023). Self-advocacy is important because as students become adults, they will need to tell people what they need, what is wrong, etc. While teachers can teach self-advocacy in school, it is also very important to have parental involvement while teaching this skill. Research shows that when parents are involved in their child's education then the student has better academic success (Sheldon, 2009; as cited in Durisic & Bunijevac, 2017). During the school day, teachers will be showing students how to self-advocate for themselves. However, this can be reinforced by the parents at home. The parents could have their students speak up for what they need or ask questions if they do not understand something. By reinforcing this matter, the parents and school are working together to ensure that the student can self-advocate for themselves when they get older. Below are a few resources that can help parents understand the importance of self-advocacy and how they can help.
Resources
Parenting to Support Self-Advocacy in your Child - Foothills Academy
Self-Advocacy: Strategies for All Ages - Smart Kids (smartkidswithld.org)
References
Brown Rubinstien, M. (n.d.). Self-advocacy: Strategies for all ages. SmartKids Learning
Disabilities. https://www.smartkidswithld.org/getting-help/raising-independent-kids/self-advocacy-strategies-ages/
Center for Parent Information & Resources (2019, March). Best practices in self-advocacy
skill building. https://www.parentcenterhub.org/priority-selfadvocacy/
Durisic, M., & Bunijevac, M. (2017). Parental involvement as a important factor for successful
education. CEPS Journal, 7(3), 137-153. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1156936.pdf
Kleinert, J. O., Harrison, E. M., Fisher, T. L., & Kleinert H. L. (2010). "I can" and "I did"- Self
advocacy for young students with developmental disabilities. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 43(2), 16-26.
Lachapelle, Y., Wehmeyer, M. L., Haelewyck, M. C., Courbois, Y., Keith, K. D., Schalock, R.,
Verdugo, M. A., & Walsh, P. N. (2005). The relationship between quality of life and self-determination: An international study. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 49, 740-744.
Lee, A. M. I. (n.d.). What is self-advocacy?
Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/the-importance-of-self-advocacy
Schreiner, K., & Falardeau, C. (2020, July 8). Parenting to support self-advocacy in
your child. Foothills Academy. https://www.foothillsacademy.org/community/articles/support-self-advocacy
Sheldon, S. B. (2009). In school, family, and community partnerships: Your handbook for
action. (3rd ed.). USA: Corwin Press.
Stansberry Brusnahan, L. L., Harkins Monaco, E. A., Fuller, M., & Dixon, K. (2023). Diversity,
equity, and inclusion: Teaching intersectional self determination skills with a focus on disability, social identity, and culture. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 55(5), 324-336. https://doi.org/10.1177/00400599231155587
Wehmeyer M. L., Shogren, K. A., Zager, D., Smith, T. E. C., & Simpson, R. (2010). Research
based principles and practices for educating students with autism: Self-determination and social interactions. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 45(4), 475-486.
Wehmeyer, M. L., & Shogren, K. A. (2016). Self-determination and choice. In Singh N. (Ed.),
Handbook of evidence-based practices in intellectual and developmental disabilities (pp. 561-584). Springer.
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