Individualized Education Programs That Support Self Esteem

Self-esteem has fallen from the pinnacle of academic and scientific practice.  There is not necessarily a direct link between self-esteem and academic success. Resilience is getting a great deal of attention because the culture of coddling children for fear of injuring their self-esteem often discourages them from risk-taking, which has been shown to be related to success in school and life. Still, children with disabilities do need some extra attention paid to activities that will build their ability to take those risks, whether we call that resilience or self-esteem.   Self Esteem and Writing Positive Goals for IEPs The IEP, or Individualized Education Program—the document that defines the students special education program—should attend to ways in which instruction is mediated and success is measured that will enhance a childs self-confidence and lead to further success.   Certainly, these activities need to reinforce the kind of academic behavior you want, while at the same time pairing the childs sense of self-worth to success in school activities. If you are writing an IEP to ensure that your students will be successful, you will want to make sure that your goals are based on the students past performance and that they are stated positively. Goals and statements must be relevant to the students needs. Start slowly, choosing only a couple of behaviors at a time to change. Be sure to involve the student, this enables him/her to take responsibility and be accountable for his/her own modifications. Be sure to provide some time to enable the student to track and or graph his/her successes. Accommodations to Develop and Enhance Self-Esteem: Academic expectations will be reduced to ensure success. Be very specific about the exact curricular expectations that will be omitted or modified. Recognize and reward quality performance.Student strengths will be highlighted by recording and sharing evidence of growth.Honest and appropriate feedback will occur on a regular basis.Opportunities for the student to demonstrate strengths will be maximized as often as is possible. This could include, oral presentation and opportunities for the child to share his responses as long as the child is ready and can be successful.The student will be encouraged to become involved in extracurricular activities that support his/her interests and strengths.The student will use a form of personal expression which will include teacher response/feedback through a journal, one to one, or computer entries. Goal-Writing Tips Write goals that can be measured, be specific as to the duration or the circumstance under which the goal will be implemented and use specific time slots when possible. Remember, once the IEP is written, it is imperative that the student is taught the goals and fully understands what the expectations are. Provide him/her with tracking devices, students need to be accountable for their own changes.