Family Factors in Special Education

Students that require special education often need increased involvement by their parents or guardians. The website SERC states, "While family engagement confers benefits on all students, those with disabilities often require a greater degree of parental involvement and advocacy than their peers without disabilities in order to be assured of receiving the same level of instruction as the general student population". Parent involvement is essential so that students with disabilities can receive the best education, can have someone to advocate for them, and to ensure a good home life. Students who are supported by their parents/guardians then they perform significantly better in the classroom. If a parent is involved then they can work more closely with their child's teacher. When teachers and parents work as a team, then the student will have a more positive learning experience. 

In high school I interned in a special education classroom. Doing so, I became close friends with several students to the point where I would hang out with them outside of school. I started noticing a pattern; their home life was not always the best. Couples that have a child with a disability have a much higher divorce rate than couples that do not. I saw this and the effect it had on those students. It left them distracted, feeling sad, feeling depressed, and confused. I quickly learned which parents were involved and which were not. The students with parents that were not involved struggled in different areas. However, I do not want to point fingers. In my experience, students with supportive parents perform better in the classroom and do better in general. Having increased parent involvement does not just help students with disabilities, but it also helps students in the general education classroom. Increased parent support is essential to guarantee student success.