The 2025–26 school year has begun, and the “urgent tasks” list seems to need every second you can spare. Especially if your child has to navigate a new school with low vision, try to concentrate with ADHD, or keep up with schoolwork when intellectual disability is a factor.
Nonetheless (and this is a truth that even families with non-disabled children forget), education isn’t all about deadlines and GPAs. It’s about helping children grow into productive members of society, preferably with dreams and love of learning that guide them for decades after graduation. Whether your child is in kindergarten, twelfth grade, or anywhere between, the present is a good time to think about how current school experience is building their long-term futures.
Here are some ideas for turning that thinking into action.
Know Your Child
Take stock:
- What diagnoses has your child received? Do you suspect any other disabilities? What general and individual challenges are involved?
- How does your child best comprehend information: through spoken words, written words, visuals, and/or hands-on activities?
- What motivates your child to start—and finish—projects?
- What are your child’s skills and interests? What school courses and careers are related to these strengths?
Find the Right Assistive Technology
When planning accommodations with your child’s school, include technology that helps develop skills for long-term success. Pay special attention to “executive functioning” skills, which involve goal-setting, human relations, and self-management.
Some executive functioning skills, with technology suggestions:
- Organizing and planning: Choiceworks; BridgingApps Planning and Goal-setting Apps
- Remembering schedules, routines, and useful information: ADHD Memory Cards Therapy Game; Lumosity
- Focusing on immediate tasks: Be Focused; Endel; myNoise; BridgingApps ADHD App List
- Stick-to-it-iveness: Breathe, Think, Do; Finch
- Time management: Time Timer; Fun Time Timer; Awesome Calendar Lite; Calendar; Google Calendar
- Money management: EveryDollar; Greenlight Kids & Teen Banking; Colorado DVR–Money Management & Financial Technology
- Self-control: Freedom; Happify; BridgingApps 5 Best Stress Relief Apps
Helpful hint: When possible, choose apps that accommodate different age levels. It’ll save hunting for new apps whenever your growing child reaches a new stage.
Emphasize Balance in School (and Homework) Environments
For long-term growth, under-stimulation can be as bad as overstimulation. Your student’s “work environments” should be low-stress, true; but they should also encourage trying out new ideas. Does the layout include technology/books/art supplies relevant to your child’s interests?
Remember, also, that an environment includes to-do lists and human interactions. Things to consider:
- When establishing routines, plan for how they’ll be adapted to future life stages and seasons.
- Include “transition routines.” Examples: Winding down each evening before bedtime. Practicing middle-school/high-school/college/employment skills before advancing to that stage.
- Also include plans for dealing with interruptions and unwanted surprises. And find out what pushes your child’s personal buttons: don’t just brush off things that seem “no big deal” to you.
Think Far Ahead
Looking toward young-adult years and beyond:
- Treat “what I’ll be when I grow up” as more than cute kid talk. Encourage your child to discuss why certain jobs interest them, what they think it will take to get there, how they can learn more, and what skills they can practice now.
- As early as possible, get details on financial, education, and employment aid your child might qualify for. And start applying now, however young the child is. It can take literally years to get to the top of some waiting lists.
- Your child’s official education plan should include a “goals and objectives” section. Ask about how the goals connect to future education/career possibilities.
Emphasize Independence
This can’t be stressed enough: whatever challenges a disability poses, assume that your child will grow up to be independent. Just about anyone can turn out “independence-impaired” if raised by adults who are overprotective (“Don’t try that, you’ll get hurt!”), over-efficient (“No, you can’t help, you’ll just slow things down”), or over-indulgent (“Sure you can have that fancy bike, I’ll put it on my credit card”). And while such attitudes exist even in “typical” families, they’re particularly tempting when your “baby” struggles more than the average child.
Don’t fall into the trap. Your child will have a brighter future when encouraged to grow up.
- From early on, get their input on decisions that affect them. Listen to the input: they’ll appreciate your consideration even when you can’t take their advice.
- So long as there’s no danger to the child or to others’ rights, allow freedom for testing even the most outrageous-sounding ideas. (“My child will be frustrated when they hit a dead end” doesn’t count as legitimate danger.)
- Think about your own long-term goals. Do you want to study for an advanced degree? Travel after you retire? Plan a family future where both you and your child flourish.