How does communication affect family satisfaction?
Bea and Jack’s son, Tony, just started kindergarten. They recently discovered he has a developmental delay and may need speech therapy. Tony’s teacher put them in touch with Child Find, and they are starting the special education process. They don’t really know how the process works, and are relying on guidance from the school. They had the evaluation done and got a notice for the IEP eligibility meeting.
At the meeting, they were stressed because Bea had to take off work. They didn’t understand the evaluation report or how the school decided on the goals and services in the draft IEP. It didn’t address Tony’s social skills, which are one of their big concerns. But they were intimidated by the specialists sitting around the table, so they didn’t ask questions and signed the IEP.
Right off the bat, they felt confused and powerless. They’re now wary of the school’s intentions. Tony is not getting all the services Bea and Jack think he needs, and as time goes by they are starting to feel resentful. The family leaves messages for the school team, but are not finding the answers they need. When Tony starts acting up in class and fails to make progress, they are informed about it, but no one asks them for their input. They don’t feel very welcomed, or empowered to speak up. So they disengage. This, of course, helps no one.
You probably know many families who have experienced versions of this. In many cases, things ramp up and they feel angry at the school. The school is also frustrated. They don’t know how to manage the child’s needs, and resent that the parents are not engaged.
Ultimately, if the family feels the school continues to ignore their concerns, they are more likely to start an informal or formal complaint process. Complaints take up everyone’s time and don’t resolve the problem anytime soon.
What can health care teach us about communication?
I used to work in the health field, helping providers communicate more clearly and helping patients understand complicated but critical messaging about their health. Now I see so many similarities to communication in special education.
Most of us have had an experience much like Bea and Jack’s, but maybe in a different context. Have you ever sat in a doctor’s exam room and felt like really important information was flying over your head? Maybe you thought you should understand what they were saying, so you didn’t ask the many questions you had.
Special Education has a lot of these same dynamics.
The medical field has been embracing clear communication and plain language for years now. They realize that many bad outcomes – some leading to legal action– could have been avoided by simply communicating important information in a way the patient understood. They’re also discovering that good care requires building a relationship built on trust, where everyone feels that their input is welcomed and valued. And good care leads to good outcomes.
For schools working with families of kids in special education, building trust like this can lead to fewer complaints and better compliance. And clear communication can build this trust.
Clear communication in special education helps everyone involved work together for better outcomes
The SPED process is complicated. There are a lot of negotiations, high emotions, and opportunities for miscommunication. Complaints and disputes happen more when the relationship is strained.
So, it helps to prevent contentious relationships and build positive ones. How does communication help? Communication starts with making families feel welcome. Do you make it clear who they can call for answers? Are you responsive to their questions? Are you explicit about wanting their opinion and learning about their child from them?
Clear communication that helps families feel welcome builds a foundation for strong relationships that protect everyone when things get difficult. It can help break down power dynamics and encourage families to be more engaged in their child’s education.
If families have a good relationship with the school, they are more likely to share important information that can help the IEP team support their child. Is a parent out of town? Did the child skip breakfast? What strategies at home help the child calm down if emotions get high?
Decades of research show that being open and working together in this way improves learning outcomes, school culture, teacher satisfaction, and many other benefits to parents, children and schools.
Use Plain Language for Clear Communication
Think about the information you send home to parents. Or how you describe the results of an evaluation. Put yourself in the parents’ shoes. It’s possible they don’t understand what you are saying, how the process works, or what to expect. They feel burdened and don’t think you care about whether they understand.
Plain language writing is the antidote to this experience.
Plain language is writing designed for people to understand the first time they read it. It means using simple, conversational language and short sentences. You avoid jargon and define acronyms. You state your main point up front, and it’s clear what action you want the family to take.
Plain language can be like a gift rather than a burden. It reduces the amount of effort it takes to absorb complicated writing or language: what you may know as cognitive load. And this effort is indeed a burden, especially when a parent is busy, stressed, and emotional!
Consider this: The average reading level of U.S. adults is between 7th and 8th grade. A study reported in the Journal of Special Education found that the average reading level of Procedural Safeguards from all states is 16th grade level. Yup, that’s graduate school!
But if the message is clear and the language is easy to understand, this immediately sets you all up for a smooth relationship. Families will notice that you made an effort to make it easier for them, and that helps them trust that you’re on their side.
From Louisiana’s Procedural Safeguards:
“If, at any time subsequent to the initial provision of special education and related services, you revoke consent in writing for the continued provision of special education and related services, the LEA may not continue to provide these services to the student, but must provide prior written notice before ceasing the services. The LEA may not use mediation or due process hearing procedures in order to obtain agreement or a ruling that the services may be provided to the student.”
Plain Language version:
You can take back your consent for special education services at any time. If you put this in writing and send it to the special education team, the school will not be allowed to continue services for your child. The school cannot get permission through any other process.
More tips for clear, respectful communication
Share information that will help them with the process:
Let’s go back to Bea and Jack, who we talked about before. The school did send them the Procedural Safeguards so they would know their rights, the process and the timeline. But it was too intimidating and they stuck it in a folder, unread. So they didn’t know their rights and how the process is supposed to work.
At the IEP meeting, they felt blindsided and confused. They were resentful that none of this was decided with their input. Right from the start, they didn’t trust the school district, and now they push back at everything.
The school could have included some clear simple information to tell them some key things. Maybe a bulleted list of the main points to go with the long text-heavy Safeguards. For example, their rights to change the meeting time. Or their rights to ask for an advance copy of the report and draft IEP. If they knew this up front, they would have been more prepared and less likely to have complaints.
Make sure the details are clear:
The timelines can be really confusing. Sure, you can tell a parent that there’s a 30-day timeline between their consent and the evaluation. But they may not know that this count only includes school days.
My friend started this process in the spring and didn’t know that this timeline didn’t include the summer. Her family went through June and July getting more and more frustrated that everything was taking so long. By the time they had their meeting in the fall, they already had their guard up. They felt the school was not following the rules and holding up their end of the bargain. This mistrust took a long time to get over.
If details like this are clear and easy to understand, you can prevent this early buildup of mistrust. And how do you know if they understand? Ask them!
You probably know the common misunderstandings that come up. Anticipate these and be clear and specific with families.
Be friendly and welcoming:
It also helps to add some welcoming language to help make them feel comfortable and valued. “We’re really looking forward to working with you and Tony! We know that you know him best, and we hope to learn more about him from you.”
Keep telling them–and showing them–throughout the process that you want their input and will use it to help their child. This can go a long way towards a good relationship!
The bottom line: Plain Language and clear communication can prevent complaints and keep things running smoothly
- If someone doesn’t understand the communication, they may feel blindsided when things don’t work out. Key actions are not done. Expectations are not met. This leads to frustration and anger.
- Confusing, difficult communication is frustrating to slog through. It puts a lot of pressure on the parent while they’re already stressed. This can lead a parent to feel that the school is not really on their side.
- Communicating more kindly, and making people know that you’re listening can get a relationship off to a great start! Then everyone is more willing to work together.
You know that working as a team can help schools and families get better outcomes for students. And to be a good teammate, you have to understand each other. When you communicate clearly, simply and respectfully, you’re not just ensuring understanding, you’re doing them a kindness. Isn’t that the best way to build a good relationship?
Learn More:
- Using Plain Language for Effective Communication with Parents
- Connecting with Special Education Families: Building Meaningful Relationships Through Partnership
- Plain language examples before and after: Great communication with your Special Ed families
- Building a school climate that welcomes families of children with disabilities
- How can schools avoid legal trouble in Special Education? Build trust with families
