IEP/504 Advocates

Hello, I'm a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Board Certified Advocate in Special Education through National Association of Special Education Teachers (naset.org). I provide training and advocacy for getting services and troubleshooting difficulties. I began this journey because so many of my clients were having difficulties getting the the schools around here to provide support for their children. Call my office at 47-313-5093 or reach out through my company's website at: abaunlimitedllc.com . Darcy

I attended a webinar today where we talked about how you dress for an IEP meeting, specifically if you're an advocate. I'm old school and have always worn a suit to client's school meetings. However based on conversations we had, I'm beginning to rethink my perceived opinion of professionalism. More teachers are wearing tees and jeans at schools now. So maybe wearing a suit is putting the teams I'm trying to collaborate with on the defense. I'm wondering what everyone else thinks. What would you think if your advocate dressed more casually (I'm thinking business casual. I don't think I would ever wear jeans)?

My son is 11 with autism and adhd. The school said he tested out of iep so I requested IEE. It shows he needs help in math,memory, processing speed is slow and he is failing some class. I have meeting tomorrow any advice would be appreciated

I'm looking for advice in the state of Kansas. Let me give you some details..... -Child was enrolled in public school in Kansas -In Pre-K family was promised that his new school could handle his behaviors and elopements. -Now in Kindergarten (young 5 yr old currently) -The first semester he had over 300 elopements plus big behaviors. -Had multiple IEP meetings to try to meet his needs. -Family wants him in behavior school, but the school district does not agree. -School district proposed the SER program. -Family toured 2 buildings -Huge safety concerns due to elopement and was express to school team -Could not agree on placem…

Can a charter school deny ABA for a student if the services are paid for by parents or insurance? I know, by law, regular public schools must allow PIP (private instructional personnel) to deliver ABA but a local charter school is denying this request. If charters are supposed to follow IDEA, wouldn’t they also have to allow PIP to deliver this service?

Hello, The district I am in forcibly retained my child in kindergarten for social/emotional/maturity. There was no testing of any kind, no IEP tests and no discussion an entire year. The decision was made 2 days before a school started, they forced him to repeat Kindergarten. I requested a special education evaulation. They did an IEP and found no disabilities, I requested an IEE and they recommend parameters for the classroom. The district denied the IEP. My son was just evaluated by a psychologist she diagnosed him with ADHD. He does not have social/emotional issues, but ADHD. He is very smart but has slower processing speeds. The psychologist recommends that with …

I'm trying to help a parent in SC find an advocate. If you are one or know of someone, please let me know.

I've been advocating for people with disabilities for almost 20 years. Before my kids were born I worked in student services at a law school and part of my responsibilities was as a disability services coordinator. I found that I genuinely had a passion for it and attended all the conferences and read as many books as I could to try to help my students. Then my oldest son was born with a genetic syndrome that came with many challenges (Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, and more) so I started learning about IDEA , IEPs and everything else that goes along with having a child with disabilities. Over the years I would share my knowledge through online platforms, through …

Our 7th grader who has RAD, BIPOLAR, ADHD, MOOD DISORDER needs an IEP for next year. I am a much older parent & am unsure how to go about this. She refuses to do any work & has pretty much flunked 7th grade. I hope to have something in place by the start of next school year. Can anyone help?

My son has high functioning autism and ADHD. He receives services at his school via an IEP. In his IEP, it states that he struggles with appropriate social communication. He has a goal to work on this, along with an FBA in the works to address behavior in the classroom. His behavior can be disruptive, such as talking back or out of turn. The behavior interventions haven't been followed through with fidelity by all teachers, so some teachers do better with him than others. There are end of the year 5th grade activities planned. The students and parents signed a behavior contract stating that their conduct grade cannot drop below a C and they cannot be referred to th…

I need help and guidance. My child has a severe reading comprehension disability as well anxiety. The school psychologist of our virtual school is strongly advising that our family considers going down the OHI path instead of the SLD one again after IEP reevaluations. There is time to decide, but I believe I will ruin my child’s life with the wrong decision. The advice I have already received is: leave it how it is vs. an OHI will guarantee my child will get all intervention they require to make them successful.

My oldest has also been diagnosed with ADHD (2nd grade), Convergence Insufficiency, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, OCD, ODD, mood disorder, executive function deficits, sensory processing disorder and auditory processing disorder, and suspected Autism Spectrum Disorder. She is now a Sophomore in high school. I have been advocating for an IEP since 2nd grade due to her extreme ADHD and my concern regarding additional challenges but have been repeatedly denied assessments. Due to my inexperience, and the schools legal violations she has suffered and is now facing truancy court and is at high risk of dropout. The school specifically stated in the court documents that t…

Hello, My daughter is 14, has an IEP and uses cochlear implants to hear as she is deaf. We have had 2 CSE meetings and at our last one our request for CART was denied - even though our hearing specialist argued for it, and we had data (functional listening assessment) supporting how she does not have access. We also had multiple examples of times our daughter could not hear what was said in class. We are moving to request a PWN. Does anyone have a sample letter or advice on what to include? I have searched online, but was looking for some additional input. Thank you in advance!

I am a special ed advocate in a small town in northern NY. I have the school principal and the school special ed chair telling parents that they shouldn't bring me in as an advocate to meetings, that "the school has a solid plan, you don't need an advocate to "stir things up"." Has anyone ever dealt with this? Any suggestions for how to address this with the school administration? Thank you in advance, Jennifer

I’ve been working with outside providers to get independent evaluations for my 9year old son since the school’s PPT team has ignored my concerns and other outside evaluators suggestions for specific supports since K due to the fact that he is “on grade level”. Last year the school paid for a Neuropsych eval that endorsed an evaluation to rule out dysgraphia and dyslexia. I immediately put him on waiting lists and that report is coming in next week. Unfortunately, our insurance didn’t cover it. We even asked the provider to change the codes submitted to one the insurance claimed was needed for reimbursement. Would it be within my rights to ask…

Hi I guess I'm kicking this off!! Happy to have a space to connect with other advocates and families. I'm a special education parent advocate based in Oregon, and I also work with families in other states on a case-by-case basis. My story is... school psychologist for 16 years in Illinois, Oregon, and Washington. Started making an exit plan from public service a few years ago, and mulled over what I might like to do next. I realized I always really loved connecting with families and helping them to understand what was going on with our school plans. I've been a 504 case manager, general ed behavior intervention guru, and of course spent many years doing psychoed…

I am a special education advocate accepting clients throughout Missouri and Kansas. I specialize in Learning Disabilities, but handle IEP's and 504 Plans for all types of disabilities.

Hello, I was wondering what the main differences are between the 2 programs: "Don't IEP Alone" and "Become a Professional Advocate" ?

Can someone please refer me to a good advocate to help me with my 15 year old son’s IEP assessment result . My IEP meeting is this Friday, 12/19. I just need help understanding the evaluation results and coach me so I will be better in advocating for my son. Preferably someone with experience on ED designation ( I am hoping to have it changed to OHI), school refusal and ERMHS . I am in Glendale, Ca . This is our initial IEP. Thank you so much !

I am a COPAA trained, non-attorney special education advocate based out of Austin, Texas that also works remotely in Virginia, Montana, and Arizona. I speak Spanish and am experienced with Specific Learning Disabilities (dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia), Speech Language Impairments, ADHD, Autism, Autoimmune Diseases, behavior, restraint and seclusion, twice exceptional, universal design for learning, bullying, etc. To schedule a free consult, please visit my website at http://Www.children need heroes.com

My name is Allison Meyerson and I am a recently retired teacher who taught for over 30 years with Clarkstown Central School District located in Rockland County, NY. I dedicated the last 15 years of my career as a Literacy Specialist providing intensive interventions to students with reading difficulties, primarily those diagnosed with dyslexia. I am acutely aware that parents need professional support when navigating the inner workings of school districts, which inspired me to become an educational advocate. I completed the esteemed Counsel of Parent, Attorneys, and Advocates Special Education and Advocacy Training, known as SEAT 1.0. Currently, I am enrolled in th…

Hello, Looking for an advocate for a child in public school in Montgomery county. Somebody to review IEP, goals and progress. Thank you

I am offering advocacy services for Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. I specialize in Learning Differences, IEPs and parent supports. COPAA Member & PEAC Parent Consultant Sharon Marzocco Special Education Advocate [email protected]

I am a Mom to triplet boys; 2 of which have active IEPs. I have been successfully advocating for them for 9+ years. My passion lies with supporting and empowering parents and guardians to equip children with all they need to be successful. I am laser focused on addressing and meeting the needs of the total child--academic, physical and social / emotional. I have been in my client's shoes. I have walked the road. It's that simple. I am committed to providing others with the resources I wish I had when I first started out. My background has provided me the foundation for this path. MA Education Administration from Grand Canyon University Professional C…

We are Rachel Ford, Amber Decker, and Jenn Choi. Just like you, we are parents to children with disabilities. We understand the frustrations and challenges you face because we face them, too. Our goal is to empower parents with strategies to help their children access special education services, disability-specific community resources, benefits and entitlements, social events, wellness and recovery activities, self-help sessions, and mental health services. Ultimately, we want parents to emerge from this process confident to advocate on their own. While we encourage parents to take the lead, please know we are always here to negotiate with school and other age…