Or What Can An Advocate Do For You… and What Can’t They Do
Special Ed Advocate Guidelines San Jose may help when figuring out how to best utilize an advocate’s expertise
What An Advocate Can Do For You
An advocate is someone trained and experienced in special education rules, regulations, and how things work. Before working with one, learn about about your advocate’s background. Look on their website.
An experienced advocate can help you understand the labyrinth of local and federal rules that apply to your child’s education. S/he can also explain the difference between an educational diagnosis and a medical diagnosis. Most attend IEPs with families, explaining the process real-time during the IEP, answering district objections, and helping parents voice their concerns about their child.
What An Advocate Cannot Do
An advocate cannot force the IEP team to follow all parent requests. We can help persuade the team of the child’s needs. Naturally we are very concerned with parent’s requests as you know your child best.
How Do We Get There
In order for the IEP Team to agree to parent requests, there MUST be documentation that supports the parent’s assertion that the child needs those items to receive a free appropriate public education. These can include data the parents have collected, logs they have kept. Sometimes, reading between the lines of a district assessment, district implies areas of needs but does not do so clearly. By asking careful questions, we can sometimes uncover those needs.
Next Steps?
Other times, you know it is there and we know it is there – and we do not yet have all the evidence we need. That is when we need to plan how we will bring strong supporting evidence to a future meeting. This can include detailed reports from teachers, therapists, or other experts who have recently worked with the child. Start collecting these when you know you are headed towards an IEP. Even if you do not get it done for this meeting, you can be working on it for the next one.
Not Yet
If your only data is the school’s assessment, and those assessments do not support most or all of your requests, your child is not likely to get all of those services at this time.
But Wait!
While it is frustrating that your child does not get what you had hoped at an initial IEP meeting, you will be working with the school system for many years to come. With a careful, deliberate plan to move forward (which, yes, an advocate can help explain), then you can achieve many if not all of your objectives. Meaningful and measurable goals, additional assessments, documenting progress over time. View your child’s education over the long-term, and plan ways to help the IEP Team see the challenges that you see.
An advocate can help with that process, explaining both the short-term and long-term plan. We understand the urgency of getting your child the necessary services now. The good and bad thing about an IEP team is that you have a table full of people thinking about what your child needs to receive a free appropriate public education. That can also be the challenge.
Would you like expert help at your child’s next IEP meeting?
For more information about special education advocacy services, please call (or email via our contact form) for a FREE 30-minute consult to see if we are a good fit.
As parents, we understand, As experienced and trained advocates, we can help.
www.aspireadvocacy.com
