Self-Advocacy in Primary Schools
What is Self-Advocacy and why is it important? Self-advocacy is a person’s ability to tell other people about their diagnosis and/or communication skills, and to know what they need to say to someone to get the help they need, rather than someone else speaking for them.
This is a really important skill for independence and developing self-esteem and self-identity. The ultimate goal is to empower children and give them the skills they will need for the future, to be able to advocate for their own needs at college, university, work, and in their wider community.
Developing self-advocacy skills is a gradual process but it’s never too early to start working on them!
Skills to support children to develop include:
- Identifying and expressing their strengths.
- Identifying and expressing their needs.
- Making requests for something they want or need.
- Refusing something they do not want or need.
- Making a choice.
- Asking for help.
- Problem solving.
- Expressing their thoughts and opinions.
Reduce language demands and use a Total Communication Approach
Difficulties communicating wants and needs can be highly distressing and frustrating. If children are not emotionally regulated, they may have less capacity to understand and process what others are saying and communicate what they want and need.
It is important for adults, particularly in these moments, to simplify their language when communicating with children and to use the language and communication methods that are accessible to the child.
A total communication approach means using different forms of communication to help children understand what adults are saying to and provide opportunities for them to communicate and advocate for themselves in a way that is accessible to them e.g.:
The amount of detail you go into will depend on you child’s level of understanding. Some children might be able to have a spoken conversation about their strengths and needs, whereas others may benefit from the use of visuals and simplified language to support their understanding.
Supporting children to identify their strengths:
- Provide specific praise and have open discussions with children about their strengths.
- Use talking mats (see below) to facilitate conversations with visual support if needed.
- Add children’ strengths to their communication passport (see below)
Supporting children to understand and express their needs:
- Ensure that all staff create a safe and supportive environment for children to express their needs, by responding to any attempts they make to communicate (verbally and non-verbally).
- Have open discussions with children about what they think helps them to feel successful and comfortable at school e.g., using talking mats (see below).
- Model ways children can express their needs using any form of communication e.g., pictures, objects and/or signing.
Supporting children to ask for help:
- Model ways for children to ask for help using any communication method.
- Respond to any attempts children make to ask for help.
- Praise children for attempts they make to ask for help.
- Visuals, such as traffic light systems and asking for help prompt cards (see below), can help children ask for help in the classroom.
Making requests:
- Frequently offer choices between objects and activities using pictures and/or objects to support children’s understanding e.g. ask children do you want an or (showing fruit) at snack time
- Respond to any attempts children make to communicate e.g., looking at the object they want, reaching and/or saying the word after an adult model.
- Support children to request more of an object or activity they want by modelling communication methods such as spoken words, visuals, gestures (e.g. nodding your head) and Makaton signs.
- Support children to make requests for activities to end by modelling communication methods in the moment e.g., words, visuals, gestures (e.g., shaking your head) and Makaton signs.
Supporting children to communicate their thoughts, opinions and information important to them:
Talking Mats
Talking mats can support children to identify and communicate their thoughts and opinions by sorting pictures into categories.
Examples of categories to sort pictures into:
- Likes and dislikes.
- Subjects or activities the child finds easy or difficult.
- Strategies they find helpful or unhelpful.
- Situations they feel confident or not confident in.
Communication passports
A communication passport shares lots of information about a person. It can be put together with the child and/or people that know them well. It can include information about
- Likes and dislikes.
- Strengths.
- areas of difficulty.
- how a person best communicates..
- strategies that can facilitate their communication.
- strategies that are helpful to them.
Supporting children to understand their diagnosis and/ or neurodiversity:
Neurodiversity is a term used to explain that everybody’s brain is different and variations in the way people think is natural and can have many benefits. Learning about neurodiversity can be empowering for children, helping them to develop their self-esteem. It is also important for staff to be aware of neurodiversity and create environments which are inclusive for all children.
Staff can help children to understand their diagnosis with parents’ consent. Understanding a diagnosis can be very empowering for children and help them to develop their self-identity. Children may wish to share their diagnosis and/or strengths and needs with others so they better understand and know how to support them. This can also help to build an inclusive environment. Some services such as the Bridge Outreach offer advice on sharing a diagnosis with children and class members. There are also many resources to support children to understand their diagnosis such as:
- DLD and Me - this book has a chapter of activities specifically to support children and young people with Developmental Language Disorder to develop their self-advocacy skills.
- The Selective Mutism Resource Manual (Maggie Johnson): This resource provides advice on how adults can address anxieties around talking with children.
- National Autistic Society website (autism.org.uk): contains advice on supporting children and young people to understand their diagnosis and self-identity.
Last updated12 Mar 2025