Self-Advocacy in Secondary Schools
What is Self-Advocacy and why is it important?
Self-advocacy is a person抯 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 young people 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抯 never too early to start working on them!
Skills to support young people 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.
What is Self-Advocacy and why is it important?
Skills to support young people 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
Reduce language demands and use a Total Communication ApproachDifficulties communicating wants and needs can be highly distressing and frustrating for young people who have language and/or communication needs. If young people 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 young people who have language and/or communication needs and to use the language and communication methods that are accessible to the young person.
A total communication approach means using different forms of communication to help young people understand what adults are saying to them as well as 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 young person抯 level of understanding. Some young people 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.
Last updated01 May 2025