If your child has a learning disability, it is critical that you keep records and documentations about your child’s school experience. The first thing that you should save (and file away for future reference) is your child’s report card. You can refer back to previous report cards to help you identify trends. Is your child getting better? Getting worse? Staying the same? Depending on what is happening, you will want to talk to your child’s teacher to adapt your child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) accordingly.
You need to keep track of any medical records related to your child’s disability. Keep a record of the results of a visit to the doctor or assessment from the school counselor. Then, if you have any questions or concerns, you can always go back to review what was reported.
Keep samples of your child’s schoolwork. Save spelling tests, math worksheets, and social studies homework. Keep samples of your child’s penmanship. If it gets worse over time, that could indicate a problem either with the assigned work, relationships with classmates, or with the teacher.
Save all of the standardized test scores for your child. Make sure you also keep information that explains the scores and rankings. You need to know how your child compares with other students in his class, the school, his state, and on national standards.
Ask your child’s teacher to write notes or letters keeping you informed of your child’s behavior or progress. Celebrate the progress and have patience during times of regression.
Many times, children with learning disabilities act up in class. They are the class clown in an effort to hide their learning disability. Sometimes they cause problems and get in trouble at school. You also need to keep record of any notices of disciplinary actions taken because of this misbehavior. This way you will have a record of what happened, when it happened, and the action taken.