Self-advocacy or representing one’s views and interests is not something that is often focused on in teaching. Students are taught how to accomplish tasks and meet their IEP goals, but there is not much emphasis placed on teaching them how to stand up and advocate for themselves.
The reality is that self-advocacy is one of the most important skills we can teach our students. It can make an impact in both big and small ways throughout the student’s life. When you teach a student to self-advocate, you teach them how to consistently make a change in their life for the better.
There are many ways that self-advocacy skills impact a student’s life. Here are some of the most noticeable and notable ways.
When a student can self-advocate they become less reliant on others to provide the push for services that they need. They are able to explain what they need and ask for the accommodations and modifications that will have the biggest impact on their learning.
Having strong self-advocacy skills allows students to navigate through life after they graduate. It gives them the tools to know how to make doctor’s appointments, balance a checkbook, and ask for help when they need it. They learn how to stand up for themselves in all types of situations where others would normally speak for them.
Self-confidence grows when you are able to do something that you could not previously do. Self-advocating can be scary but it pushes students to become more confident in asking for what they need and getting the services and supports needed. The more self-confident they become, the more independence they embrace – because they know they can do it.
Instead of being stuck with what someone else has decided, being able to self-advocate gives students the ability to ask for something different. It opens up options for them in terms of educational support and everyday life.
One way I like to start promoting self-advocacy with the younger students is by having them fill out questionnaires every year letting me know what they like and want to learn more of in the school year. This resources is available when you join The Intentional IEP here or by clicking the image above.
When a student knows how to self-advocate, they learn how to establish boundaries. Those boundaries can be physical, mental, or even academic. If they know they need a break every 20 minutes, being a self-advocate means that they learn how to ask for that. It also prevents people from taking advantage of the student because they learn how to speak their boundaries and enforce them. Everyone deserves to have their boundaries understood and respected and self-advocacy allows for that.
If a student cannot express what they need to help them self-regulate or cope with a situation, the chances of them getting it are slim to none. However, by teaching self-advocacy skills from a young age, you empower students to say what they need (space, time, quiet, a fidget, the calming corner, etc.) and, hopefully, get it. It is a way of teaching them to teach others how to help them.
When students are taught to stand up for themselves and others, they are able to speak out against wrongdoings and bullying. They may be hesitant, but self-advocacy gives them the confidence and control to be able to confront bullying situations and do what is right.
Early teaching of self-advocacy skills is important, but it is never too late to start teaching a child to stand up for themselves. There is power in self-advocacy and you, as the teacher, have the ability to provide that for your students when you teach them to be strong self-advocates.
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