One of the less-commonly discussed items in special education is when to hire a special education advocate. Most parents call us when they hit a roadblock with their child’s school district. Often the parent is not being heard at an IEP, or their child is not receiving appropriate services. As a result, parents are justifiably not pleased with how things are progressing. This situation is a natural fit for hiring an advocate. Regardless of where you might be in your child’s IEP process, you will want an advocate present.
Many families hire us when things are going well. Why would they do that? Many have children who enter the special education system when the child is young. Even parents who have good working relationships with the school district sometimes wonder:
Did the district assess in ALL areas of suspected disability?
Are these the right goals for my child?
Are the goals SMART – specific, measurable, attainable/appropriate, realistic, time-bound?
Are the baselines accurate?
What are the full range of educational placement options for my child?
Is the district telling me everything I need to know?
Most school districts are staffed with good people who are giving their best effort. We know many passionate, caring educators. Some of the time, these educators do not have the time to completely explain all the options to families. Sometimes they have programs that are completely full, or are facing budgets that are already in the red.
All parents of young children have their hands full. Between coming to term with the news they have a disabled child, learning the service delivery system (schools, regional centers), parenting young children, working, maintaining familial relationships with their immediate family and the other parent, it is difficult to find the extra time to learn your child’s rights in the IEP system.
A professional advocate can take a look at your child’s documents, hear your story, and lay out the options in a way that will make it much clearer what your and your child’s options are, and do it in a way that makes you a partner—or even a leader—in the IEP process.
Hire an advocate. Learn your rights.
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As parents, we understand, As advocates, we can help.