What you should know about hiring an advocate

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What you should know about hiring an advocate

By Joan Celebi, Ed.M., CLC

Have you ever wondered about hiring an advocate? You're not alone. A

growing number of parents of children with special needs are turning

to advocates to help them navigate the often complex world of IEP's

and special education.

I recently had a long and fascinating conversation with Nadine Briggs,

an advocate here in Massachusetts. Nadine shared her expertise and

insights on a number of questions that are often on the minds of

parents who are wondering whether, when, and how they should involve

an advocate in their quest to secure the educational programs and

services their child needs.

An advocate can help parents in their role as key members of their

child's TEAM: " It's not just 'this is what the school is telling me I

can have for my child,' " says Nadine. " Parents know their children

best, and you absolutely have a say in their educational program as a

member of that Team. " Advocates can be involved in any number of

different ways, from helping you solidify your thoughts and make

decisions, to helping you organize the paperwork and fill out forms,

to actually attending IEP meetings with you and being your spokesperson.

First, Nadine says, before you start talking to advocates, it's

important to craft a clear explanation of what to tell them about your

situation. " Write it down, " she says, " listing your main points and

outlining the issues, " so that when you start making those calls,

you're able to clearly communicate what your challenges are and what

you're looking for in an advocate.

Nadine encourages parents to talk to several advocates before hiring.

" Find an advocate who is a good fit for you, " she says, including your

personality, your purpose in hiring an advocate, and the approach you

want to take with the school system. Nadine urges parents to " make it

very clear what you want from an advocate. " Different advocates have

different styles, she says. Some advocates are very good at the

collaborative, consensus building approach, while others are skilled

in cutting to the chase and making demands for the rights of your child.

As an advocate both for others and for her own daughter, Nadine favors

the collaborative approach. " Building relationships is so important,

whenever possible, " she says. When you have a good relationship with

the teachers and school administrators, she says, " then when there is

a problem at school, the teachers and staff will be much more likely

to listen and respond if that rapport has already been established. "

" Offer to help if you can, in as many ways as you can. " Nadine

suggests. " Make noise about the good things that happen for your child

at school, not just the bad. Write thank you notes to teachers and cc

the principal and superintendent when a teacher has gone above and

beyond. " In other words, she says, " bank the good stuff. That way, if

something goes wrong, you'll have a history of acknowledging a job

well done and of being supportive of the school. You'll have earned

the respect and trust of the school, " thus making it easier to get

things done in the best interests of your child.

But for parents who have made their best efforts at building these

kinds of relationships, only to find themselves feeling as though

they're not getting anywhere with the school, hiring an advocate can

be a wise step in ensuring that their child receives the right

educational services. Your advocate can work with you behind the

scenes, " helping you read and understand test results, the IEP, and

other documents, " Nadine says. " He or she can also coach you on how to

handle TEAM meetings: what to say, how to say it, and what the school

might say. A good advocate will help you understand your rights and

your child's rights under special education law. "

Your advocate can also accompany you to TEAM meetings. " It can be

intimidating for parents to go to a meeting with sometimes 9 or even

up to 12 teachers and administrators in the room, " Nadine says. Often,

parents hesitate to ask questions or voice their opinions during TEAM

meetings. An advocate, if the parents wish, will ask questions and

voice concerns on behalf of the parents in those meetings.

Advocates will also help you prepare for meetings. For example, they

can help you write up parent portions of the IEP, such as the Vision

Statement and the Parent Concerns section. " An advocate will help you

write these in a way that's clear, specific, and effective " well in

advance, so you can type it up, copy it, and hand it out at the meeting. "

Advocates are trained to know when the challenges you're dealing with

fall into the realm of legal action. " An advocate will tell you during

your initial conversation, whether your issues would best be handled

by an advocate or a lawyer. " If a lawyer is what you need, advocates

can often provide you with the names of lawyers who are experienced in

the field of special education law.

So how exactly does one go about finding a good advocate? " If you?re

in Massachusetts, call the Federation for Children with Special Needs

(FCSN), " Nadine says. " They will give you the names of advocates in

your area. Often, you can speak with a trained advocate right then

when you call. " Their website, www.fcsn.org, also has a wealth of

information, including an excellent downloadable brochure on the topic

at http://www.fcsn.org/pti/advocacy/advocacy_brochure.pdf . While some

of the information in the brochure is specific to Massachusetts, the

brochure contains excellent information on advocates and what they do,

as well as some national organizations you can contact for help in

finding an advocate in your area.

Another resource for finding an advocate: http://www.sLaw.com --

click on " Yellow Pages " and you'll find a listing of advocates and

other service providers which you can search by location. Or just go

directly to their Yellow Pages section here:

http://www.yellowpagesforkids.com/

Finally, one of the best ways to find advocates in your area is to ask

other parents who have children in special education. " Networking with

other parents is one of the best things you can do, " Nadine says.

Joining support groups and attending parent meetings are great ways to

connect with other parents. Call local special needs or

disability-related organizations and ask if they can put you in touch

with advocates, or with parents who would be willing to talk with you

about their experiences.

Nadine Briggs is the founder of Social Smart Kids and mother of two

children, one of whom has Down Syndrome. Among the services Nadine

offers are Comprehensive Social Skills Plans, IEP Reviews, and

Advocacy. The Social Smart Kids Website features " Ask an Expert " and

an array of products and services created to educate and support

children with social challenges and their parents. You can contact

Nadine at nbriggs@..., or . Explore her

website at www.SocialSmartKids.com.

2008

Have you ever enlisted the help of an advocate? How did it go? We'd

love to hear about it. Post a comment on the Special Needs Parent Blog!