When do you need the services of a Special Education Advocate?
If you need someone that can speak on your behalf and monitor the IEP Meeting.
Parents are often overwhelmed, confused and/or intimidated by the whole IEP Process. Having someone who is knowledgeable and experienced in special education who can speak on your child’s behalf can ease this process. An experienced Advocate can also be more effective in obtaining desired outcomes. If you feel that you have not been given meaningful participation in the IEP process, an Advocate will ensure you have a voice at your child’s next IEP.
When you feel that your child is not in an appropriate School Placement.
Does your child seem to be the highest functioning student is his/her Special Day Class? Do you feel that he/she should be in a Regular Education Classroom? Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) is often debated in special education and you may need data to support your claim that your child is not in the LRE. In addition, districts are often reluctant to place a special education child into a regular education classroom because they sometimes require supports and services that they perceive as costly.
When you feel that your district is not providing your child with the appropriate services that he/she needs.
When you believe that your child is not receiving appropriate services and the district is refusing to provide them, what can you as a parent do? Suppose your child is in need of Behavior Services and your district is refusing to provide them? An advocate can give you step-by-step advice on how to proceed.
When your district is refusing to evaluate your child for eligibility.
Eligibility is among the most challenging of issues faced by parents. Depending on the disability category, parents often find it difficult to show that their child in fact qualifies for special education and related services. A Special Education Advocate can assist you in making the case for why your child needs special education supports and services to benefit from his/her education.
When your child has a Section 504 and you believe that he/she should qualify for an IEP.
Many parents mistakenly believe that because their child does not have a severe disability that they do not qualify for an IEP when in fact there are various children with learning disabilities who do. In fact, there are many children with ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia or other Specific Learning Disabilities who qualify for an IEP under these eligibility categories.
When your district is not complying with your child’s current IEP.
One common complaint that parents have is that even when their child’s IEP is appropriate, their district is not complying with it. Having an advocate on your side can help you find ways to get the district to provide the services that are specified in the IEP. For example, your daughter’s IEP states that she should be receiving (2) 30 minute Speech and Language Services per week, but the district is only providing her with (1) 30 minute session per week. How do you get them to comply? An Advocate can help.
If you are told by your district that your child no longer needs special education or is “aging out” of specific services.
What kind of data would you need to make your case that your child should continue in his/her current program? An Advocate could help you determine what you would need to show that your child continues to need his/her current program to benefit from his/her education.
Most often, however, parents are not even aware that their child’s special education program is not appropriate. Advocates have knowledge of special education programs and can help determine if your special education student is not receiving appropriate placement or services.
How do you know that your child’s placement and services are what he/she needs to benefit from his/her education? How do you know that his/her goals are appropriate? Has he/she received appropriate evaluations? Could he/she benefit from Assistive Technology? Where can you look to find these answers? Look to a Special Education Advocate to conduct a complete IEP Review and Case Analysis.
These are areas where a Special Education Advocate can assist you. Teresa Baro is an advocate who is experienced and knowledgeable and can help you navigate the Special Education Maze.