SPED PTA
Does your school district have a Special Education Parent-Teacher Association? Ours did not, until a motivated mom made it happen. I was working with the general PTA at the time, but I agreed to help with the Special Ed PTA also. Specifically, we had learned from a survey that kids were feeling isolated, and parents were hoping for more social options. I felt I could help make a difference in this area.
This journal entry shares one of my SPED PTA social events. We chose a local park that had a paved hiking trail to make it inclusive in case anyone was in a wheelchair or had other mobility issues. We made it open to the special education students K-4 (that was our whole elementary school).
We included some important information on the invitation.
- Siblings are welcome. Lots of families can’t participate if they can’t bring the other kids.
- It is fine to invite a typical friend from your class.
- Parents are expected to stay and supervise their own kids.
- Date and time, location and the fact that the location is good for kids with mobility issues.
- A link to a sign-up genius to bring ingredients for the trail mix bags.
- All are welcome. We noted that the event was sponsored by the SPED PTA, but we wanted a decent-sized group to join us. It needed to be fun and festive.
Inclusion
It isn’t just special needs kids who struggle to make friends. We gave a copy of the flyer to the regular ed classroom teachers. We told them if they had a child who was struggling socially, they were more than welcome to join us.
More on the event itself tomorrow, but I think the main take-away from today’s entry is that you can create social events for your child without having to fund them yourself. We used a free park in our town. Each family brought one ingredient for trail mix if they wanted and were able. The kids hiked, caught frogs and fish, made trail mix, did some swinging on the few swings available at the park. They had a social event on their calendar, one that could be over whenever they were ready to head home.
Don’t underestimate the power of a quick, fun event with pals! It’s good for the soul.
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About the Author
Erica Mauro is a mom to two teenage boys, Will who is neurotypical and Michael with Autism and cognitive delays. She holds a BA in Psychology from Colgate University and a Masters of Psychology in Education from Columbia Teacher’s College. Before staying home with her children, she worked as an elementary school teacher. For five years, she served on the Board of Directors of the Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation, a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of children with special needs. In partnership with her husband Dave, she aspires to parent by using daily life as an opportunity for therapeutic intervention, seizing on real experiences as opportunities to build skills and strategies for Michael in a joyful, loving home environment. On the tougher early days, she just tried to get everyone safely to bedtime and start fresh in the morning. *wink* 
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