Do you know how to be a good advocate for your child? As experienced advocates, we always tell parents there is no one “right” way to advocate for their child with special needs. There are some wrong ways like: yelling, threatening, or intimidation; it is very difficult and frustrating to work with non-collaborative school districts.
Parents of children with disabilities work incredibly hard to figure out what kind of support is best for our kids and we put a lot of passion into the process. When the process suddenly goes sideways or the situation stops evolving for the better, we get upset. Developing an effective IEP document requires constant adjustment and negotiating with the school district.
Another step in how to be a good advocate is to keep channels of communication open.
Some weeks it may be harder than others, but it is of the utmost importance that you maintain a cordial, working relationship with your child’s teachers and service providers. If one of those people is less than cooperative, you can enlist the help of someone on the school team that is helpful and possibly have a team meeting to discuss your concerns.
Another way to help facilitate a collaborative relationship is to acknowledge the amount of work that the team devotes to your student. Special education is a time-intensive job with many layers of responsibilities. Talk to the team regularly, either through IEP meetings or just monthly informal meetings. This can help tremendously as a student’s needs can change quickly, especially if there are changes with regards to medication, emotions, anxiety, etc. Keeping the school staff abridged of these changes can help keep a student on track more effectively.
An important note for how to be a good advocate: do not be afraid to ask questions. Ever. It is important 
to know why things are done the way they are. If you don’t understand a process or a service or a goal, ask for more information! Keep asking until you feel fully informed or decide that the item in question needs to change!
How to be a good advocate: be understanding when problems arise
Even when parents attempt to maintain a cordial and open relationship with the school staff, situations can arise when the process gets stuck or shut down. In this instance, a trained, professional advocate can be very helpful. We know how to get things moving again, and to be much more functional with regards to the team approach to meeting a student’s needs.
If you find yourself wondering if any progress has been made in your child’s IEP goals or if the decision making process is shut down, it may be time to contact an advocate.
Hire an advocate. Learn your rights.
https://www.facebook.com/aspireadvocacy
As parents, we understand, As advocates, we can help.