Developing Self-Advocacy Skills in School and at Home

Jaclyn Baharestani

Special Projects Coordinator, Winston Innovation Lab

Michele Heimbauer

Associate Director, Winston Innovation Lab

Building an Understanding

Self-advocacy can be hard for students with learning disabilities who have trouble with identifying, organizing, and problem-solving. Learning difficulties exacerbate the already arduous task of identifying and accessing needed support. At Winston Prep, teachers help students improve self-advocacy skills by teaching them what self-advocacy means. They also discuss how it supports growth and progress.

Self-advocacy at Winston Prep means students can ask for help in and out of class to represent themselves effectively. The development of this skill helps our students become independent learners. Further, it entails seeking help from an appropriate party when expectations, directions, or content are unclear.

Encouraging students to ask for help when they are confused helps them become more independent learners. It gives them the skills they need to take charge of their own learning. This can lead to greater success in their academic pursuits.

Learning to self-advocate is an act of self-discovery and self-reflection. This helps students understand themselves better as learners and individuals in middle school, high school, and beyond.

Winston Prep's Approach to Self-Advocacy

The dedicated educators and administrators at Winston Preparatory School guide students in developing self-awareness and self-expression to navigate life confidently.

Our students learn to ask for help and find support through modeling, role-playing, and mindful practice. For some students, intentional moments of pause can be helpful. This helps students identify their challenges, whether they are social or academic. It also helps them consider ways they might self-advocate to achieve a more positive outcome.

Winston Prep educators help each student make connections and see the broader perspective. Doing this helps guide them to identify their next steps. This work might involve helping students find the right language to talk to a teacher, classmate, or friend. Other effective strategies for advocacy include using checklists, visuals, and prompts to think about their communication.

We think giving middle and high school students many chances to build their support networks is important. This helps them become more confident and independent learners.

Self-advocacy is important in many situations in life, such as:

Classroom
1:1 Focus sessions
Class trips
Sports
On stage
Internships
and more!

Continuing the Work at Home

As parents (and teachers) we instinctively want to swoop in whenever we notice that our children need help. As parents, guiding children through self-advocacy is tough but important.

It helps them become more independent and able to communicate their needs effectively in the future. When nurturing Self-Advocacy skills at home, parents can provide children with ample opportunities to advocate for their needs.

Here are a few key ideas for developing Self-Advocacy at home:

We want to celebrate and reinforce the small victories in Self-Advocacy. When your child asks for help, acknowledge that as Self-Advocacy.
As a parent, you can model self-advocacy by emphasizing a challenge you encounter with think-aloud phrases. Some examples are:
- "Hmmm, this is a problem that I can't solve on my own"
- "Who can I ask for help?"
- "What should I say, specifically?"
Modeling is powerful. It demonstrates the 'how to' and illuminates that we all need help from time to time - even parents!
Give your child a chance to show and speak about what they are learning, what strategy they are using, and how they are using it. This helps them build awareness of tools that work for them.
Help your child practice self-reflection by discussing times your child has self-advocated successfully.
- What was it about that time that made them able to do it?
- Also, look back at times when they had a difficult time self-advocating. What was difficult about that situation
Encourage your child to anticipate when they will need to self-advocate. Encourage them to think of this as a skill and tell them they will use that skill at that time.
Practice role-playing scenarios with your child. The more they practice how to ask for help, the more comfortable they will become in self-advocating.

Building Independence with Self-Advocacy

Find the balance between guiding and still leaving space for independence and growth. This may require continuous assessment of where your child is in the process of building self-advocacy skills.

When possible, try encouraging your child to explore making choices on their own at home. Frequently reflect on their successes, challenges, and goals.

Talk with your child openly about ways you self-advocate in your own life. This helps them learn about your experiences and the moments that you, yourself, have found to be challenging.

Your child's comfort and ability to self-advocate will become increasingly important as they:

Encounter new experiences in school
Encounter new experiences out of school (with friends, at internships, etc.)
Have increased responsibilities
Become more independent

Struggling to find a supportive environment that meets your child's learning needs? Winston Preparatory School has what you are looking for. Learn more about our eight campuses by clicking here.

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