Power Moms Unite

I have a lot of kids- and a lot of kids with special needs, so this problem may be unique to me, but I struggle to keep track of where I am in the process of raising my children.  There are times that I am very overwhelmed by how many needs they each have or am overcome with worry that I have overlooked an issue.  They are a whole person, but with special needs it is easy to hyper-focus on the educational issues and overlook other aspects of their being- like their spirituality or awareness of themselves.  In the times in which we live, so much information is coming at us, it is easy to suffer with informational saturation and  lose sight of the important bits.  The 6-Sided Survey  is a chart to track your concerns and plans for your child, while also documenting parenting goals and items on which follow-up is required.  My husband and I use it to strategize and make our goals for parenting in the coming month. Similarly, it can be used with nannys and long term sitters.

The 6 Sided Survey provides an outline for assessing a child’s physical, educational, emotional, social, and spiritual development, as well as development of self-awareness.  This survey is designed to be a quick over-view, and used to jog your mind, not for detailed documentation or formal evaluation.  You may find the survey useful to use weekly or it may be more suited for your lifestyle to review your children monthly.   Consider using this with long term help like a nanny, to communicate goals for the coming week, skills you need them to reinforce, or concerns you need to them to follow.

Under the Physical section of the survey, document any medication your child is taking and side effects your child may be experiencing.  Note other concerns you may have, including allergic reactions, sinus complaints, and stomach complaints. Depending on the age of the child, consider where your child is in their physical development, everything from developmental milestones to sexual maturity.

Under the Educational section, document success, including improved homework completion and improved grades.  Assess where you may be along the IEP process.  Does your child need tutoring help- even if it is from a family member?  Document all concerns.

Under the Self-section of the survey, document your child’s talents and self-sense.  Are they aware of their ADHD diagnosis or other diagnoses?  Are they aware of how their diagnoses affect their behavior?  Are they using adaptive strategies?  What coping strategies are successful?  What activities are they doing to develop their talents?

Under the Emotional section, document your child’s overall mood.  Do they have low frustration tolerance?   Are they having tantrums?  How frequent are the tantrums?  How long do they last? Can they self-soothe?  What do they do to manage their stress level?

In the Social section, document whom your child is a friend with?  What do they enjoy doing together?  Do they solve their own differences relatively peacefully? Does your child participate in group activities?  What are the activities and does she feel accepted in the group?  

Spiritual development has more to do with a child’s sense of self and others within a community and within the larger universe, than with a specific religion.  Though parents may want to specifically reference their religion and their child’s education within that religion, it is not necessary.  Does the child feel good about himself and view himself as being a positive moral person, who has value?

The last 2 sections of the survey are for parents and caregivers to set SMART parenting goals as well document areas that require contact with an educational, guidance or medical provider.   Goals should specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.  See my article on goal setting, entitled “Empowering Kids for Life-long Success” for further specifics on SMART goals.