Empowering Kids with Disabilities: Use Summer to Build Self-Advocacy Skills

Summer is a time to unwind, explore, and recharge, but if you are a parent of a child with disabilities, it can also be a golden opportunity to build one of the most important life skills: self-advocacy.

Self-advocacy is the ability to understand your needs and speak up for yourself. For our kids, it means knowing how to ask for help, make choices, and communicate their preferences with confidence—at school, in the community, and in life. And what better time to practice these skills than the more relaxed, less pressured months of summer?

Why Self-Advocacy Matters

Teaching self-advocacy helps children:

• Feel more confident and capable

• Gain independence in daily routines

• Prepare for success in the classroom and beyond

• Understand and express their rights and needs

Whether your child is verbal, uses AAC, or communicates non-traditionally, every child can learn to express themselves in meaningful ways.

You don’t need a curriculum—just everyday moments. Here are a few simple, real-world ways to help your child build their self-advocacy muscles:

1. Ordering Their Own Food

Next time you go out to eat, help your child order their meal. Practice beforehand:

• “What do you want to eat?”

• “Can you tell the cashier what you’d like?”

• If they use AAC or gestures, help them prep a sentence or choice card.

Even pointing to a menu item or saying, “I want nuggets,” is a huge step!

2. Asking for Help in Public Spaces

Go to the library, grocery store, or park and guide your child in asking for help:

• “Can you ask the librarian to help us find a book?”

• “Let’s find someone to ask where the bathroom is.”

Role-play ahead of time, model the words or signs, and celebrate their effort—no matter how small.

3. Making Choices and Expressing Preferences

At home, encourage your child to:

• Choose what snack to eat

• Pick a movie or activity

• Say “No thank you” or “I need a break”

These little choices build confidence and help your child learn their voice matters.

Support Tips for Parents

• Model self-advocacy in your own life (“I’m asking for what I need right now”).

• Use visuals or scripts if your child needs extra support.

• Celebrate small wins—even making eye contact or pointing is progress.

• Be patient—building confidence takes time.

You are your child’s biggest advocate—but teaching them to advocate for themselves is one of the most powerful gifts you can give.

This summer, let’s turn trips to the ice cream shop or the library into moments of growth. Let’s help our kids speak up, stand tall, and feel seen—because their voice matters, and the world needs to hear it.

Here is a FREE Summer Self-Advocacy Bucket List. Make it a game and HAVE FUN growing together!