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Self-determination means that I am aware of my personal strengths and weaknesses, my ability to set goals and my ability to make choices. I can be assertive at appropriate times, and interact with others in a socially competent manner.

Self-determination means I am able to make independent decisions based on my ability to use resources, which includes collaborating and networking with others.

Self-determination gives me the ability to realize my potential, to become a productive member of a community, and to obtain my goals without infringing on the rights, responsibilities, and goals of others.

Practicing self-determination skills in school helps prepare students for adult environments (eligibility programs) and engages students in their education, strengthens lifelong skills for various settings, and promotes the self-awareness to respond appropriately in social situations.

There is an expanding base of evidence suggesting that students with enhanced self-determination skills tend to have better educational and adult outcomes, including engagement with transition specialists, positive employment outcomes, active participation in IEP development, improved social skills, enhanced quality of life, and an increased support network.

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Characteristics of a Self-Determined Person

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Characteristics of a Self-Determined Person

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Any person practicing self-determination should be self aware of the following:

personal strengths

personal weaknesses

personal interests

personal dislikes

A person should know how to advocate for themselves and be assertive when it comes to their needs.

They should be determined to make their own goals and learn independence.

For elementary students (specifically for K-2), students can develop self awareness by identifying the following:

their emotions

their body

making choices

learning interests

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-IDEA describes the characteristics of a self-determined person, explain the importance of teaching students to be self-determined, identify the difference between entitlement and eligibility programs, and how self-determination eases this shift.

-IDEA requires that students who are 16 and older should lead their IEP meetings. The intent of this part of IDEA is to encourage students to be active participants and leaders in their transition and IEP meetings. In order to do so, students need adequate preparation in self-determination skills.

-For students K-2 are not required to attend the meetings but they can learn about their goals in simple student language from their teachers and parents.

-Conducting age-appropriate transition assessment is an IDEA requirement and it has implications for student's self-determination.

-Transition assessment is primarily used to identify student preferences, interests, strengths, and needs so that the IEP and transition planning align with those and change as the student gains more self-awareness and competencies.

https://transitioncoalition.org/courses/essentials-of-self-determination/lessons/session-2-a-model-of-self-determination/topic/plan/

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LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Students should be aware of their different supports in different environments. You can do this by teaching them: Who is there to help them? Who should they go to for advice or help? How might this change in different environments, such as at school, at home, in the community, or at work?

People in these different environments have different expectations for them. You can support your child by helping them understand this concept, identify what some of those differences are, and who the people are in the various environments of their lives. You can help students explore how their parents, siblings, friends, teachers, and employers may have different expectations of and for them.

The more knowledge students have of the nuances of their various environments, the better able they will be to be self-determined within those environments. Environmental changes can either encourage or discourage self-determination.

Students’ ability to be self-determined will be strengthened to the degree that all of the key people in their lives support their efforts to learn and practice the knowledge, beliefs, and skills that lead to greater self-determination. Students benefit from many opportunities to make decisions and choices accompanied by the level of support they need to do so. No matter how skilled students are in the knowledge, beliefs, and skills of self-determination, they will be limited in their ability to be self-determined if their environments don’t allow them to use those self-determination skills.

Family support for self-determination helps ensure that students can practice their skills at home as well as at school. Special considerations for involving families in self-determination efforts will be identified next.

The Self-Determination Quality Indicators (Field & Hoffman, 2007) is an instrument for considering the level to which school environments are supportive of student self-determination. It is included in the book Self-Determination Instructional and Assessment Strategies by Wehmeyer & Field (2007).

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Students knowing themselves and their environments provides the foundation for them to learn and correctly practice self-determination skills.

DREAMING

Initially, when students are younger and know less about themselves, it should be expected that they dream big! Expect to see “unrealistic” dreams for younger students or students who haven’t been encouraged to dream before. As students get older and learn more about themselves, they will narrow their dreams to something that fits.

Dreaming is a chance for students to discover what’s important to them.

Dreams may not always come to fruition, but students can use their dreams to set their short- and long-term goals.

You can support your child by conducting an interview using this linked PDF to support career interviews: Elementary School Career Conversations.

EXPLORING STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, NEEDS, AND PREFERENCES

You can use age-appropriate transition assessments, such as informal interviews, picture assessments, and simple personality tests to help your child explore their individuality.

Ensure the assessments are self-reflective and meaningful for them.

This linked guide can help you to support your child to explore Strengths, Weaknesses, Needs, and Preferences: Self Awareness for Kids.

ARTICULATING DISABILITY

One primary aspect of students knowing themselves is knowing their disability. Students should be able to describe how their disability impacts the way they complete tasks, manage their daily routine, and maneuver the world.

Having the knowledge to explain their disabilities to others is critical for students, especially when they are navigating the adult service systems (e.g. service providers, college, and employers).

Often in our society, disability is perceived as a weakness. But it can be a source of strength, too. Helping students explore and recognize the positive aspects of their disability is an important exercise.

This video provides information on how to help your child describe their disability and how it impacts them: How to Help Kids Talk About Their Learning Disabilities.

You can also teach your child to become self aware by engaging in the following activities:

Reflection Activities

Reflection activities provide opportunities for students to think about and analyze their own thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Some reflection activities that can be implemented include:

1. Journaling: Encourage your child to keep a journal where they can write about their experiences, thoughts, and feelings. This allows them to reflect on their day and gain insight into their own emotions and behaviors.

2. Self-Assessment Worksheets: Provide your child with self-assessment worksheets that prompt them to reflect on their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for growth. This helps them develop a better understanding of themselves and their abilities.

Identifying and Expressing Emotions

Helping your child identify and express their emotions is essential for developing self-awareness. Some strategies to facilitate this include:

1. Emotion Recognition Games: Engage your child in games or activities that involve identifying and labeling different emotions. This helps them become more aware of their own emotions and those of others.

2. Role-Playing Scenarios: Create scenarios where your child can practice expressing their emotions in different situations. This allows them to develop the skills needed to communicate their feelings effectively.

Encouraging Self-Reflection

Encouraging your child to engage in self-reflection helps them develop a deeper understanding of themselves. Some ways to encourage self-reflection include:

1. Setting Goals: Guide your in setting personal goals and reflecting on their progress. This helps them develop a sense of self-direction and motivation.

2. Reflecting on Personal Strengths and Weaknesses: Encourage your child to reflect on their own strengths and weaknesses, helping them develop a realistic self-perception and a growth mindset.

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Teaching students to value themselves as individuals is another key foundation to teaching students self-determination skills. This is not something that can be quickly or easily achieved in a two-week lesson. It takes place over time and should be nurtured, supported, and taught throughout a course.

Preschoolers and self-esteem

At this age, children often like to compare themselves with others. They might ask whether they’re the biggest, fastest or best at whatever they’re doing. You can have a big role in nurturing your child's self-esteem and helping them value themselves.

Here are some strategies:

Give your child balanced feedback. This is praising them for giving things a go, doing their best or trying something new – not for being the ‘best’. It encourages them to appreciate other people’s successes too.

Show your child that you value them, regardless of whether they win or lose something. For example, you can ask questions like ‘Did you give it a good try?’ or ‘Did you have fun?’ before you ask ‘Did you win?’

Play simple board games or card games together at home. Turn-taking games like these help children learn how to play cooperatively and get along with others. This can give students skills and confidence in social situations.

Encourage your child to help with classroom chores like putting away toys or setting the table. This shows that you trust them with responsibility, which helps them feel good about themselves.

Primary school-age children and self-esteem

At school, children might compare themselves with their friends and classmates. At this age, self-esteem tends to relate to many things, including how well children learn, how they look, how they do at sport and how easily they make friends.

Challenges at school might seem to dent your child’s self-esteem because your child might feel less capable than others for the first time. But this will help them learn that they don’t need to be perfect at everything to be loved and valued, feel worthwhile and believe in themselves.

Here are strategies to support your child:

Focus on the effort your child puts in and the courage it takes to try new or difficult things. For example, ‘I know you were worried about dancing in the concert, but you were so brave to give it go’.

Encourage your child to try again when things don’t go to plan the first time. You could say, ‘Go on, give it another try – I believe you can do it if you keep trying’. This also builds children's resilience.

Coach your child through social situations. For example, ‘Try giving a big smile when you want to join in. People will want to play with you if you look friendly’. You could try role-playing these situations with them first. This helps your child feel confident about making friends.

Give your child opportunities to try different things. Listening to or playing music, drawing, painting, making things and reading for enjoyment are all ways to help them value their abilities and build self-esteem.

According to Hoffman and Field (2005), the Value Yourself element of the model focuses on helping students accept themselves for who they are and learning to admire their unique qualities. This also includes valuing others.

Knowing yourself and valuing yourself go hand in hand.

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-Learning to plan by taking small steps is critical for students.

-Advanced planning and preparation to take action helps students achieve what they want.

-Learning to set goals should also include teaching students to anticipate possible results. Have them identify positive as well as negative results of their actions, so they see how different actions may affect the results.

-It’s also very important that students have multiple opportunities to practice these skills with support and guidance.

Instruction Strategies:

1. The students age group is k-2, and at this age group the students usually think big and often not aligned with their capabilities or interests. Nevertheless, they should be encouraged to think about what they want to become when they grow up.

2. Students can participate in teacher-led discussion about different profession they can choose when they grow up.

3. Students can do an activity where they make a poster of the profession they choose and put pictures relating to that profession and write few sentences describing the profession and why they chose it.

4. Guest speakers from different professions should be invited to school, to talk to students about themselves and their profession.

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"The more you know, the more you grow!" - Marisa Lascala

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Goals are set, now what? It's time to take action!

It is important that students learn appropriate communication skills. In a K-2 setting, your student may require assistance of one or more of the following to help others understand their needs:

Visual cues

Communication board

Assistive Technology (AAC, Text to Speech)

Role play and practice

Validation from peers and adults

Students may need to learn to implement coping strategies to help them deal with possible conflicts and changes. Resources that may help this include:

Social stories

Deep Breathing

Acceptance with compliance

Making choices that help self regulate

Being a supportive parent is important in encouraging your student to make their own choices and create then achieve their personal goals. Show consistency in support and praise your student for building their confidence and independence!

Review the following reference in learning about how you can help your student be a self advocate!

LaScala, Marisa. “Want to Help Your Child Develop Self-Confidence? Let Them Speak for Themselves.” Good Housekeeping, 2022, www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/parenting/a40151864/kids-self-advocacy/.

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Achieving goals take time, but don't give up!

Students can reflect on what they accomplished and what they could work on moving forward in the process of self determination. Students can continue to adjust existing goals and create new ones to help them thrive in every environment!

What can you do to let your student know that their progress is acknowledged?

Celebrate any progress your student is making! Have discussions on what could be changed for future goals. Use positive reinforcement strategies with your student to show that you are recognizing their achievements.

Students in K-2 might benefit from the following:

Sticker or star chart for positive reinforcement to praise student for progress on their goals daily. This can include communication, behavior, social, and academic skills.

Frequent check ins and praise to let your student know that you are present for support when they need it!

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5 Steps to Achieving Your Goals: A Guide for Kids