Advocate for IEP meeting - Autism Spectrum Message Board

Joey'smom · 02-03-2005, 12:04 PM

Has anyone ever hired and advocate for an IEP meeting? I always wonder if the school district truly has your childs best interest at heart or are they just recommending the minimum that they have to offer ? One family I know hired an advocate and their child received more speech and ot.

mango2 · 02-03-2005, 02:26 PM

Definitely get help if you're not an expert on all the Federal and State laws regarding education for developmentally disabled people, but be very careful at first to not turn the IEP into an adversarial situation. Take your time and try to work together with them until they try to screw you.

If you're one of those people who can remember all those rules, safeguards, benchmarks, and acronyms, then you can go it alone. That said, I don't know all that stuff and I went without help. I ended up spending thousands of dollars on lawyers and doctors. These days I have a much easier time, but also lower expectations.

findingdx · 02-03-2005, 03:11 PM

Check with you special ed department they should have given you parent advocates as well as (paid by the school district) mediation advocates you can use. These are free of charge and i have used mediation, it levels the playing ground- they tell everyone where to sit all the way threw who can talk when. I also use a state advocate progom that is free of charge. What state do you live in?

IBGECKO · 02-03-2005, 03:33 PM

If you receive services from your local Regional Center, then your service coordinator should go with you, and it won't cost you a dime. I've always had my service coordinator there, and when I began to experience problems with the school, I brought an attorney, though I feel that this can be overkill. If you feel the school is screwing you, it's best to give them lots of rope to hang themselves. They will be on their best behavior if an attorney is present. An advocate, paralegal or Regional Center representative is more than adequate, and far less expensive, or better, free. You are entitled to tape record the meeting, as long as you inform them in writing that you intend to do so. I highly recommend you do this. That way, should you need to get an attorney involved, you can simple turn over the tapes, and it is like they were there! Good luck.

Joey'smom · 02-03-2005, 04:07 PM

So far the school has been great. I just am completely lost on what to expect from them. I tend to just go with what they offer. Joey has made remarkable progress since early childhood preschool. I may use an advocate at his next IEP meeting so I know that Joey is getting the maximum . Thanks for your responses.