Back-to-School: What Should I Tell My Child’s Teacher? A Free About Me Form for Parents
If your child is starting a new school year, you may have questions about how to help their new teacher get to know them.
What should I tell my child's teacher at the beginning of the school year?
How do I introduce my child to their new teacher?
What information is helpful for a teacher to know?
What should I tell my child's teacher if they have ADHD, Autism, learning concerns or behavioral challenges?
Is there a simple form I can use to share information about my child?
These are common questions I hear from parents, particularly when a child is starting a new school, entering a new grade, or getting a new teacher.
Teachers spend a great deal of time getting to know their students, but parents have information that a teacher may not see during the school day. You know your child's interests, strengths, personality, communication style, and the strategies that help them feel successful.
Sharing some of that information early in the school year can help give your child's teacher a more complete picture of who they are.
What Should I Tell My Child's Teacher at the Beginning of the School Year?
You do not need to provide your child's entire developmental or educational history. Instead, think about the information that would be most useful to their teacher during the school day.
You might share:
Your child's strengths: What does your child do particularly well?
Interests: What topics, activities, or hobbies are especially motivating?
Learning needs: What helps your child understand and remember information?
Communication style: How does your child communicate their thoughts, questions, and needs?
Motivation: What helps your child become engaged in an activity?
Challenges: Are there particular situations, tasks, or transitions that tend to be difficult?
Helpful strategies: What has worked well at home or with previous teachers?
Support needs: Is there anything that helps your child feel comfortable and successful at school?
The goal is not to tell the teacher exactly how to work with your child. Instead, you are giving them information that may help them better understand your child and build a positive relationship.
How Can I Help My Child's Teacher Get to Know Them?
One of the best ways to introduce your child is to share information about who they are—not just where they may struggle.
For example, instead of simply saying:
"My child has trouble paying attention."
You might say:
"My child is very interested in science and can become deeply engaged when a topic captures their attention. They sometimes have difficulty getting started on tasks that feel overwhelming, and breaking larger assignments into smaller steps has been helpful."
This gives the teacher more information about both the challenge and the child.
Similarly, rather than saying:
"My child does not like changes."
You might explain:
"Unexpected changes can be difficult for my child. When possible, giving them advance notice about changes to the routine helps them transition more easily."
These small details can give a teacher valuable context as they get to know your child.
What If My Child Has ADHD, Autism, or Another Learning Difference?
Sharing information with your child's teacher can be especially helpful when your child has ADHD, Autism, a learning difference, anxiety, executive functioning difficulties, or social communication differences.
Some characteristics may not be immediately apparent to a new teacher.
For example, a child with ADHD may:
Have difficulty getting started on assignments
Become distracted during lengthy or multi-step tasks
Have difficulty remembering verbal instructions
Become frustrated when a task feels overwhelming
An Autistic child may:
Become overwhelmed by sensory input
Need additional support with transitions
Have strong interests that can be useful for motivation
Communicate differently when they are overwhelmed or stressed
Of course, every child is different. The most useful information is information about your individual child and what helps them function successfully.
If your child is in public school and has an IEP or 504 Plan, those documents provide important information about their educational needs and formal supports. An About Me form is not intended to replace an IEP or 504 Plan. Instead, it can provide additional information about your child's strengths, interests, personality, and preferences that may not be captured in a formal school plan.
What Is a Student About Me Form?
A student About Me form is a simple questionnaire that allows parents to share information about their child with their teacher.
You may also see these called:
"About Me" forms
"Getting to Know Your Child" forms
"Tell Me About Your Child" forms
Student information forms
Parent-to-teacher introduction forms
These forms can be particularly helpful at the beginning of the school year because they provide teachers with a quick snapshot of the child beyond their grades and academic performance.
Free About Me Form for Parents
To make this process easier, I created My Child at a Glance: An About Me Form for Families to Share with Teachers, along with an email template.
The form is designed to help families share information about their child's:
Strengths and interests
Communication style
Learning needs
Motivators
Challenges
Helpful strategies and supports
Other information they would like their child's teacher to know
Get the Free About Me Form Here
Frequently Asked Questions About Back-to-School and Parent-Teacher Communication
What should I tell my child's teacher at the beginning of the school year?
Share information about your child's strengths, interests, learning preferences, communication style, motivation, challenges, and strategies that have worked well. Focus on information that will help the teacher understand your child and support them during the school day.
How do I introduce my child to their new teacher?
A short email or About Me form can be a helpful way to introduce your child. Consider sharing a few of their strengths and interests along with anything that may help the teacher understand how your child learns, communicates, or responds to challenges.
What questions should I ask my child's teacher at the beginning of the school year?
You might ask:
What are the most important expectations for this school year?
What is the best way for us to communicate?
How can I support my child's learning at home?
What should I do if I have a concern?
How will you let me know if you notice academic, behavioral, social, or emotional concerns?
What should I tell my child's teacher if they have ADHD?
Focus on how ADHD affects your individual child. You might share information about attention, organization, task initiation, transitions, impulse control, emotional regulation, or working memory, along with strategies that have helped your child in the past.
What should I tell my child's teacher if my child is Autistic?
Consider sharing information about your child's communication style, sensory preferences, interests, transitions, social communication, and strategies that help them feel comfortable and successful. Avoid assuming that your child will need the same supports as another Autistic child. Their individual profile is what matters most.
Is an About Me form only for children with ADHD or Autism?
No. An About Me form can be useful for any child. Every student has individual strengths, interests, preferences, and needs that may not be immediately apparent to a new teacher.
When should I give my child's teacher an About Me form?
The beginning of the school year is a natural time, but you can also use an About Me form when your child starts at a new school, gets a new teacher, or when you feel additional information would help their teacher better understand them.
Starting the School Year With a Stronger Parent-Teacher Connection
The beginning of a school year is an opportunity to start building a relationship between your child, their teacher, and your family.
Your child's teacher will learn a great deal about them as the year progresses. But you can provide something valuable from the very beginning: information about the child behind the student.
A few details about your child's strengths, interests, communication style, and what helps them succeed can provide a helpful starting point for that relationship.
If you would like a simple way to share this information, download My Child at a Glance and personalize it for your child.
Get the Free About Me Form Here
Wondering If Your Child Needs More Support?
The My Child at a Glance form is a simple way to help your child's teacher understand who they are, what they enjoy, how they learn, and what helps them feel successful at school.
Sometimes, though, families have questions that go beyond classroom strategies. You may be wondering whether ongoing difficulties with attention, learning, social communication, emotional regulation, or behavior are related to ADHD, Autism, or another developmental or learning difference.
Autism and ADHD Evaluations in Houston, TX
If you have questions about your child's development, learning, attention, or social communication, you do not have to navigate those questions alone.
At Fein Psychology Services, I provide comprehensive Autism evaluations and ADHD evaluations for children, adolescents, and young adults in Houston, TX. As a licensed psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst, I take a thoughtful, evidence-based approach to understanding each child's unique strengths and challenges.
My evaluations are designed to provide more than a diagnosis. They help families understand why their child may be struggling, identify the supports that are likely to make the greatest difference, and provide individualized recommendations for home and school.
If you are considering Autism or ADHD testing in Houston, scheduling a consultation is a great first step. Together, we can talk through your concerns, answer your questions, and determine whether an evaluation is the right next step for your family.
