IEP meetings are often stressful. A special education advocate can help alleviate some pressure by targeting areas where your child needs additional supports or services. Is it more advantageous to bring an advocate or lawyer? It depends on your individual situation, but most families can resolve their child’s IEP with an advocate.
What does a special education advocate do?
An advocate is able to directly support you throughout meetings and processes. One of your advocate’s goals should be to help you feel more confident in your meetings and help bolster your child’s IEP document. A special education advocate often supports your family by creating (or mending) a relationship with your child’s school while helping to get the right supports for your child. A special education lawyer is almost always seen as a confrontational way to support your child.
Special education advocates work with your family on a very personal level to help support your child’s education and success in school. An advocate is able to look at all of the different factors that may influence why a school district is doing something and find a way to work collaboratively to ensure your child is given the necessary support. Special education advocates will also be able to hear your specific concerns and desires for your child’s educational career and be able to communicate that to the school district in a way that they understand and will be more likely to agree with.
A special education attorney supports your family by identifying any state or federal guidelines that the school has broken and then pushing for these to be rectified through the legal process. However, bringing a lawyer to an IEP meeting—or “going legal” as we often call it—puts a tremendous amount of strain on your relationship with your child’s school district. Special education lawyers are necessary at times, and well-trained special education advocates can help diffuse tense situations, obtain services and supports tailored to your child’s needs, and potentially save you money in the long term.
For help at your child’s next IEP meeting, more information about our special education advocacy services, or for a FREE 20-minute consultation to see if we are a good fit for you, call or email today!
As parents, we understand. As advocates, we can help.