What is an ‘All about me’ student profile?
An ‘All about me’ student profile is a snapshot of your child.
If your child has disability or ADHD, is autistic, or has other additional needs, an ‘All about me’ profile might include information about:
- your child’s strengths, likes, dislikes and interests
- your child’s disability or health condition
- ways that other children can include your child in activities.
If you need help to get started, you can use our ‘All about me’ template. Download the Word version of the template for completing with a computer, or print the PDF version of the template to complete by hand.
Why it’s good to create an ‘All about me’ profile for your child
An ‘All about me’ profile can help other preschool or school parents:
- get to know your child as a person
- learn about your child’s strengths
- understand your child’s needs
- talk with their children about your child in a positive way
- feel confident about arranging playdates and supporting friendships.
A profile of your child can be helpful during times of transition. For example, this might be when your child is starting preschool or primary school or moving to a new school or class.
How to structure the profile
Title
Use a title – for example, ‘All about Ali’.
Headings and sections
It’s useful to include headings to break the information into sections. This makes the profile easier to read.
Here are headings and sections to include:
- a brief introduction to your child
- your child’s strengths
- your child’s disability or condition and how it affects them
- the best ways to include your child in activities.
It’s important to involve your child in creating their profile. This gives them the chance to choose the information they share with others. It also helps to ensure that your child’s profile reflects their sense of who they are and helps them feel good about themselves.
How to introduce your child
This is a brief description of your child that presents them as a whole person – for example, age, family, family pet, favourite TV shows and so on.
Example
‘Introducing Xiaoyun
‘Xiaoyun is 4 years old. She lives with her dad Stanley, big sister Mei and cocker spaniel Rusty. She loves dinosaurs, Paw Patrol, outdoor play, all kinds of games, and much more. Xiaoyun is also autistic.’
How to write about your child’s strengths
It’s a good idea to include information about your child’s strengths early in your child’s profile. This presents your child in a positive way.
Your child’s strengths might include their positive qualities and the things they like doing or do well. You could present your child’s disability or condition as a strength.
Examples
- ‘Rowan gives great smiles and fist bumps!’
- ‘I love life and will try anything new. I love to learn and always try hard.’
- ‘Yash is creative and enjoys making colourful paintings.’
- ‘As a person with ADHD, I often think of exciting ideas.’
You can write the profile in the first person (using ‘I’ or ‘my’) or in the third person (using your child’s name and ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘they’). The first person might help people focus on your child as a person, rather than on their disability or condition. You could ask your child what they prefer.
How to write about your child’s disability or condition
This section covers your child’s disability or condition. It’s important to ask your child whether it’s OK to share this information, although it might be important for your child’s safety for people to know. It’s also good to think about where to place this information in the profile.
What to say about your child’s disability or condition
Provide a brief description of the disability or condition in language that’s easy to understand. A link to a trusted website can help you keep the information concise. Our guide to disabilities might be useful.
It’s also a good idea to describe how the disability or condition affects your child. For example, you could write about how your child:
- communicates
- eats and drinks
- moves
- manages their emotions.
Examples
- ‘Ridley has cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a condition that affects a person’s ability to control their movements. For Ridley, cerebral palsy makes the muscles on his left side stiff, weak and hard to move.’
- ‘I am autistic. Autism is a natural variation in the way the brain develops and the way it processes information. My autism means that I communicate with body language, facial expressions and gestures.’
- ‘Matilda has osteogenesis imperfecta. People with OI have bones that break easily and often. Matilda often has casts on her legs and sometimes uses a wheelchair.’
- ‘I have ADHD. This means I sometimes need extra help remembering things and staying organised – for example, when I’m getting dressed or doing my homework. My visual schedule helps me stay focused.’
You could ask your child whether they’d like their profile to use person-first or identity-first language. Examples of person-first language are ‘a child with autism’ or ‘I have hearing loss’. Examples of identity-first language are ‘an autistic child’ or ‘I am a Deaf person’.
How to write about including your child in play and activities
In this section, you can describe how your child likes to be included or what makes your child happy. It can help to say what other children can do to include your child and how this makes your child feel.
Examples
- ‘I love it when you say hello and talk to me. Watch my face and eyes. This will help you understand me.’
- ‘Saarim’s favourite game is to sit on the floor and push the ball backwards and forwards with other kids.’
- ‘Jordan feels good and thinks better when they walk back and forth for a bit. Other children can walk with them, if they’d like to.’
You could emphasise that your child is like other children in all the important ways. This can send the message that it’s easy to include your child. For example, ‘Desi is just like your child. He loves to play, talk and explore. He also loves to be active, independent and involved. For Desi, this means giving him a little bit of extra space and time.’
How to adapt your child’s profile for other audiences
You can adapt an ‘All about me’ profile for teachers and other school staff like teacher aides or support workers.
For these audiences, you could include information on things like:
- how your child learns, communicates or plays
- how to provide personal care like eating, drinking and toileting
- how to support your child’s social interactions and behaviour.
Tips for developing and writing your child’s profile
- Gather information about your child’s strengths, interests and personality from different sources – for example, family members, friends, educators, teachers, doctors and other professionals.
- If your child has an education and care plan, a behaviour support plan or a medical management plan, look at these for ideas about what to include in the profile.
- Use simple words and short sentences. This will make the profile easier for other parents and carers to understand. It also makes it easier for them to share the information with their children.
- Include photos and drawings to catch people’s attention and help them understand and remember the information.
- Ask your child’s disability professionals whether they can help you write the profile. Occupational therapists, psychologists and speech pathologists often have experience in this area.
- Ask a friend or family member who knows your child well to help.