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As parents struggle to navigate the balance of fostering their child’s autonomy, versus being actively involved, the timeliness and appropriateness of meeting with a child’s teachers is highly dependent upon a child’s age, his or her behavior, and potential special needs. Whether a child is gifted, struggling, or displaying average abilities play a large factor in determining when to intervene and meet with school leaders.

This video offers an example of a parent-teacher conference.

When to Meet with a Teacher

• Collaborating Insights

If you have serious and pressing concerns about your child’s behavior, his or her academic progress, or other specific or general concerns, teachers can provide a great deal of insight into your child’s behavior. According to Terri Mauro, the author of The Everything Parent’s Guide, “If you have a pressing concern that needs to be addressed right away, don't delay in requesting a meeting yourself.”

Surprisingly, teachers may actually see your child at more constant time frames throughout the day than most parents; once kids are at home, they may play with friends away from supervision, or they may play in their rooms with the door closed. As a result, meeting with a teacher to find out his/her observations about your child’s behavior can help ameliorate concerns, and bring problems to the forefront, while working to brainstorm solutions for success.

• Early Communication to Foster Success

According to the Child Development Institute, “The

As public schools are working to make classrooms fully inclusive, where all children are treated equally, many parents are concerned that their gifted child may not be faced with the appropriate educational environment that fosters challenging learning.

Carol Bainbridge, a board member of the Indiana Association for the Gifted, explains: “To be a gifted child is to demonstrate an exceptional talent in a particular area.” This exceptional talent includes high IQ levels and abilities that can be a predictor and indicator of adult achievement. As schools are implementing increasingly orthodox practices across curriculum areas, many gifted children may be left behind instead of pushed ahead.

Gifted Children

• What Qualifies as “Gifted”?

There are various ranges of “gifted abilities,” ranging from “Mildly Gifted,” all the way to “Profoundly Gifted.” In a standard bell curve, most average learners fall between a range of 85 and 115, with 100 being the absolute norm. According to Carol Bainbridge, “the farther away from the absolute norm of 100 a child is, the greater the need for special educational accommodations, regardless of whether the distance is on the left or right of 100.”

• Lacking a Challenge

While gifted children may possess exceptional abilities, they are not always high achievers. As Bainbridge continues, “even when they don't achieve good grades, they tend to score high on achievement tests, most often in the 95-99 percentile range. They love to learn and their love of learning, good memories, and ability to learn quickly and easily enable them

According to the Autistic Society's research, approximately fifty children are diagnosed with autism in the United States every day. With increasing number of autistic students across the country, public schools are implementing plans to foster family support and student success.

Since federal law requires that schools provide children with the "least restrictive" environment possible, full inclusion in regular class sizes is often a beneficial pathway for children with autism.

As Abramson of the National Public Radio indicates, there are cases of children with autism who are unable to speak as they are entering early elementary school; however, with the development of inclusive programs in public schools, teachers are reporting that children often overcome social problems, speech problems, and behavioral issues while working with teachers, peers, and parental support.

While autistic students need extra help and assistance, progress is evident in public school programs across the country. Ultimately, according to Abramson, research demonstrates that the earlier children receive help with their autism, the higher the probability that they will develop effective communication skills.

The Early Signs of Autism

With currently half a million children diagnosed with autism in the United States, parents are looking to find out more about symptoms and signs of autistic behavior. However, since the development of each child is unique and variant, some professionals often may try to delay a diagnosis until signs are clear and consistent with a child's behavior to ensure the

Affecting 8% to 10% of all school-aged children in the United States, ADHD is a common behavioral disorder that often results in a child's struggle to focus his or her attention both in and outside of school.

While all kids act disruptively at times, ADHD symptoms will persist over an extended period of time, while occurring in a variety of settings. As the Nemours Foundations indicates, ADHD impairs “a child's ability to function socially, academically, and at home." With this rising trend, schools are implementing plans to support students and families to achieve both social and academic success.

This video features psychologists from the Center for Management of ADHD at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia discussing the influence of ADHD on school performance.

Public Schools: Plans for Success with ADHD Students

• Federal Requirements and Individual Education Plans

As required by federal law, all public schools must make certain accommodations for any child struggling with a learning or developmental disability—including children diagnosed with ADHD. In some cases, a child may benefit from an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), which would require the child, parents, and teachers to work together in planned meetings to set appropriate goals, discuss strategies for success, and implement appropriate accommodations.

While these options are available, there are still steps that must be taken prior to the implementation of any IEP or education plan. According to Doctor David Rabiner, in his article "Obtaining