Parents/Family

If you look across the whole landscape of students with a significant cognitive disabilities’ school career, often the most constant aspect in their lives are their families. As students grow and progress through school, they will be taught by a variety of adults. They will meet new classmates and develop different friendships. But throughout, parents and families remain their children’s first teachers who know them in different ways across more environments than educators do. Parents are core members of inclusive instructional teams and key to helping navigate and problem solve instructional options throughout the course of the school career. 

Materials for Parents and Families

This section contains information and resources for parents, families and siblings related to the inclusion of students with the significant cognitive disabilities.

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  Supporting the AAC User in the Classroom

  How can we effectively include learners with complex communication needs in general education with their classroom peers? What does it look like to support emerging communication skills embedded into school and classroom routines? Cross-disciplinary team (e.g. general education teachers, special education teachers, related service providers, family members) collaboration is key for planning and supporting success. Learn how an Ohio team collaborated to support a student who uses AAC in general education and how they included his voice in the process.

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  TIP #30: Behavior is Communication

  Behavior is often an attempt to communicate. Behaviors that are challenging often result from communication failure. Reframing what is viewed as an interfering behavior to be a student’s attempt to communicate, provides more positive options for intervening by teaching the student more effective means to communicate their wants and needs. This TIP includes an animated short video that demonstrates this concept.

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  TIP #28: Social Support for AAC Users

  Students with complex communication needs who are using or are beginning to use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) benefit from social support from peers and adults. This TIP describes circles of social support and the many communication strategies that the AAC communicator might use with partners who know them best. It also describes strategies that the AAC communicator may use with less familiar communication partners. Being able to use a variety of strategies helps the student communicate in many types of situations for different purposes.

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  TIP #24: Learners with Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) and Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC)

  Students with Cerebral/Cortical Vision Impairment (CVI) may have difficulty processing the images their eyes see, which can affect many areas of basic visual functions. This TIP focuses on students with CVI and how it relates to learners with significant cognitive disabilities who use Alternative and Augmentative Communication or AAC, with a particular focus on inclusive environments.

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  TIP #25: Preparing the AAC User for the Next Grade

  For students who are non-speaking and communicate using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), it is important to support their communication needs during grade level transitions to ensure that the academic, social, and communication gains continue into the next grade. This TIP provides concrete ideas to plan for successful grade level transitions for ACC Users.

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  Standards-Based Instruction for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

  What are alternate achievement standards and general education academic standards? How do they align and differ? What should instruction look like for students with significant cognitive disabilities? This short video provides key information that clearly illustrates these concepts and their uses in instruction.  

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  Communication Supports for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: What Parents Need to Know (TIES Center Brief #9)

  This Brief describes how families and other members of Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams can help students get the supports they need to build their communicative competence in inclusive classrooms.

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  Debunking Myths about Inclusive Education for Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities (TIES Center Brief #8)

  There are many myths about including students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in general education classrooms. This Brief debunks six of them. 

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  PI #4: Providing Specially Designed Instruction with Considerations from Distance Learning

  Through distance, hybrid and in-person learning, collaboration has remained a vital part of providing Specially Designed Instruction (SDI). This article provides key strategies for consideration when planning SDI.

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  The Power of Peers: Peer Engagement Implementation Guides

  We invited leading experts to share their expertise on implementing these nine educational interventions to promote meaningful engagement and relationships among students with and without disabilities. They created short, practical implementation guides based on their extensive experience working with local schools.

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  PI #3: A Collaborative Start to Behavioral Supports When Returning to the School Building

  Positive and consistent behavioral supports are needed by all students, and for some students, they are absolutely vital for meaningful engagement to be achieved. During distance learning it was important to know what behaviors could be supported through collaborating with families. When returning to school, it remains important to intentionally identify, collaboratively communicate, and consistently follow through on the identified supports for students with significant cognitive disabilities.

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  Understanding the Role of Paraprofessionals in Your Child’s Education in Inclusive Classrooms (TIES Center Brief #7)

  It is important for parents to know what paraprofessionals should be expected to do in inclusive classrooms. Parents should also know what qualities paraprofessionals should have, and what supports and training they need to be successful in their role. The purpose of this Brief is to address these points. It also pro-vides examples of appropriate use of paraprofessionals in inclusive classrooms and some red flags that might indicate a need to adjust paraprofessional support or training.

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  PI #2: 5 Back to School Positive Behavior Strategies

  Now that we are back to school, it is important to remember how to positively support behavior. It is especially important to consider those students who might need more support after being away from the school building last year. 

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  Creating Communities of Belonging for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

  Everyone wants to be valued and have a sense of belonging in their community.  The need for valued belonging is true for students in a school community as well.  Although belonging is equally important for all students, students with significant cognitive disabilities are less likely to experience a deep sense of belonging.

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  PI #1: Planning for Students Transitioning Back to School - Three Important Components

  As teams manage various scenarios for when and how-to students will return to schools, proactive thinking about what needs to be considered to successfully transition students back to school is of utmost importance. This article will  facilitate this transition for school teams, students, and their families.

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  Pivot to In-Person Instruction: An Overview Framework

  The TIES Distance Learning Series provides multiple strategies for supporting students with significant cognitive disabilities during distance and hybrid learning. The Pivot to In-Person Instruction Series applies the same principles, as most students are returning to in-person instruction. However, we expect that some schools will need to pivot between the various instruction models given the changing nature of the COVID-19 virus.

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  Comprehensive Inclusive Education: General Education and the Inclusive IEP

  This resource is intended to guide IEP teams in a comprehensive inclusive education planning process based on the expectation that each student can actively participate, belong, contribute, and learn in the school and larger community. 

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  Helping Your Child by Checking Progress at Home

  This video describes easy ways for parents to check on their child's progress in academics and behavior while learning at home

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  Helping Your Child with Writing at Home

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  TIP #17: What is Communicative Competence for and with Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Users?

  This TIP provides information about what competence in communication means for all students, but also the additional competencies required of students who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices.

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  Helping Your Child with Math While at Home

  In this video, we’ll discuss three key points to consider in order to help your child with math at home. This video is part of the Parent Video Series: Supporting the Learning of Children with Significant Cognitive Disabilities at Home​.

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  Helping Your Child with Reading at Home

  In this video, we’ll discuss three key points to consider in order to help your child with reading at home. This video is part of the Parent Video Series: Supporting the Learning of Children with Significant Cognitive Disabilities at Home​.​

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  Helping Your Child with the Foundations of Math While at Home

  In this video, we’ll discuss three key points to consider in order to help your child with the foundations of math while at home. This video is part of the Parent Video Series: Supporting the Learning of Children with Significant Cognitive Disabilities at Home​.

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  Helping Your Child with the Foundations of Reading at Home

  In this video, we’ll discuss three key points to consider in order to help your child with Foundations of Reading at home. This video is part of the Parent Video Series: Supporting the Learning of Children with Significant Cognitive Disabilities at Home​.

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  DL #30: An Example of UDL and Online Collaboration

  What does it look like has always been one of the biggest questions about including students with significant cognitive disabilities. This post is one example of how a middle school in Carroll County, MD moved their UDL lesson planning process online as a result of COVID. It includes the process and examples of the actual work. 

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  TIES Brief 6: Grading My Child with Significant Cognitive Disabilities in an Inclusive Classroom

  Grades are assigned and report cards given in inclusive classrooms. It is important that thought has been given to how work from students with significant cognitive disabilities will be graded and what will be in the report card. The purpose of this parent Brief is to (a) identify the IEP team’s role in grading and report cards, (b) provide ideas for how to talk to teachers about grades and their meaning, and (c) suggest what to do if the school or district has not yet identified grading and report card considerations for students with significant cognitive disabilities in inclusive classrooms.

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  DL #23: Pivoting Between Paraprofessional Support in Inclusive Schools and Distance Learning

  Paraprofessionals are central to the success of educating students with disabilities in general education contexts, especially students with significant cognitive disabilities. Distance learning is pushing the field to consider how paraprofessionals can fulfill their roles in new and creative ways, particularly with the use of technology. Apply the Learning Components framework to clarify paraprofessional roles and how they can be carried out whether instruction is in-school or during distance learning. 

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  Helping Your Child with Academics

  This video addresses ways for parents to help their school-age child with a significant cognitive disability with academics when the child is learning at home.

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  Helping Your Child with Communication at Home

  This video describes ways for parents to enhance existing communication skills for their school-age child with a significant cognitive disability when the child is learning at home.

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  Helping Your Child with Routines at Home

  This video describes ways that parents of school-age children with significant cognitive disabilities can develop home routines that support learning and behavior when the child is at home. 

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  Helping Your Child with the Foundations of Communication at Home

   This video describes ways for parents to support emerging communication skills for their school-age child with a significant cognitive disability when the child is learning at home.

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  TIES Distance Learning #22: Grading Considerations for Inclusive Classrooms in an Online Environment

  Grading students with significant cognitive disabilities through distance learning requires carefulthought into what grades really mean and how to quantify student learning in a way that isenriching for all students.

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  TIES Brief 5: The General Education Curriculum–Not an Alternate Curriculum!

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  TIES Brief 4: Providing Meaningful General Education Curriculum Access to Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

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  Tip #11: Grading for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities in Inclusive Classrooms

  Teachers in inclusive classrooms must carefully consider the grading process to provide fair and equitable grades for all students in their class, including students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. This TIP shares grading considerations and potential adaptations. 

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  Tip #12: Standards-based Grading and Report Cards in Inclusive Elementary and Middle Schools Article

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  Tip #13: Talking About Grading with Parents or Guardians and Students for Inclusive Classrooms Article

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  TIES Distance Learning #17: Planning for Instruction both at School and Distance Learning: The 5C Process

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  TIES Distance Learning #13: Distance Learning is Emotional Work: Tips for Parents and Caregivers

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  TIES Distance Learning #11: Embedding Instruction at Home

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  TIES Distance Learning #9: Start Now to Plan for Students Transitioning Back to School

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  TIES Distance Learning #8: Time Management During Distance Learning

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  TIES Distance Learning #7: Self-determined Schedule Making

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  TIES Distance Learning #6: Getting "Unstuck:" Tips to help your child if they get stuck with their remote learning

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  TIES Distance Learning #5: Reflections About Individualizing Supports for Children and Families: Olivia’s Story

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  TIES Distance Learning #4: Dealing with Uncertainty: A Plea for Thoughtful Plans and Patient Collaboration

  Systems change is always a challenge. During a pandemic it is a huge and unexpected change for everyone, including districts, teachers and families. None of us are experts in this area...yet. That will come, but in the meantime we need to allow the space and patience for each of us and ourselves to grow.

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  TIES Distance Learning #2: A Collaborative Start to Behavioral Supports

  TIES DIstance Learning #2: A Collaborative Start to Behavioral Supports

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  TIES Distance Learning #1: Morning Meetings

  TIES Distance Learning #1: Morning Meetings

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  TIES Distance Learning Overview

  TIES Distance Learning Overview

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  Developing IEPs that Support Inclusive Education for Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities (TIES Center Brief #3)

  This Parent Brief focuses on developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) that support inclusive education for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.