Re: how many people out there just cant afford an advocate ?

[Guest guest]

so no one has this problem ?

thats a new one on me.

>

> it amazes me. in a country that has the american govermnent giving money to

anyone that asks for it (including multi million dollar studies to find out if a

sperm whale farts !).

> why wouldnt they put aside (or offer) a fund to people that just cant afford

an advocate to get their child what our government says they are entitled to to

begin with (according to the no child left behind laws)?

> my wife and i have done all of our own advocating (and im sure everyone out

there that has done the same knows its no picnic)

>

> and secondly, i would love to know why schools are not fined or forced to

reimburse the people that had to hire an advocate if the school system knows

they are supposed to provide something for an aspie student, but dont ?

>

> trust me.

> my wife and i have caught our school system " skimping " or just plain hiding

the fact that they know they are supposed to provide certain programs for my

daughter but just dont.

>

> we even know a teacher that has left my daughters school because she said she

was " discusted " when she was told by the pricipal of the school to " not say

anything to a parent about their child if they suspect the child has special

needs " . not because of legal aspects, but because the school system gets a

certain amount of money to use for programs for these children " BUT " if they

dont have to use the money for " those " children " they can use it for something

else ! "

>

> my wife found out " purely by accident " that in 1st grade, my daughter was

being sent to the pricipals office an average of 2-3 days a week because of her

behavior.

>

> we were acually informed by this ex-teacher that it was happening.

> and we were finally told that we should have my daughter brought to a

neurologist to be tested " only after " we approached the school (who originally

denied it was happening, until we brought the ex-teacher to confront them about

it in front of us.

>

> i want ot know " why " the schools are " not " held accountable for this ?

>

[Guest guest]

He he.....I don't think it's that no one has this problem.......it's that we all agree sooo much and wonder the same thing, that there's really nothing to say. he he.

Generally,,,,,I don't think schools are help "accountable" because they are a part of a HUGE "association". Small strides are made, which are wonderful, but for the most part, schools are run by "high up" people who haven't a clue........sad.

Robin

From: video228 <video228@...>Subject: ( ) Re: how many people out there "just cant afford an advocate ?" Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 4:23 PM

so no one has this problem ?thats a new one on me.>> it amazes me. in a country that has the american govermnent giving money to anyone that asks for it (including multi million dollar studies to find out if a sperm whale farts !).> why wouldnt they put aside (or offer) a fund to people that just cant afford an advocate to get their child what our government says they are entitled to to begin with (according to the no child left behind laws)?> my wife and i have done all of our own advocating (and im sure everyone out there that has done the same knows its no picnic)> > and secondly, i would love to know why schools are not fined or forced to

reimburse the people that had to hire an advocate if the school system knows they are supposed to provide something for an aspie student, but dont ?> > trust me.> my wife and i have caught our school system "skimping" or just plain hiding the fact that they know they are supposed to provide certain programs for my daughter but just dont.> > we even know a teacher that has left my daughters school because she said she was "discusted" when she was told by the pricipal of the school to "not say anything to a parent about their child if they suspect the child has special needs". not because of legal aspects, but because the school system gets a certain amount of money to use for programs for these children "BUT" if they dont have to use the money for "those" children "they can use it for something else !"> > my wife found out "purely by accident" that in 1st grade, my daughter was being sent to the pricipals

office an average of 2-3 days a week because of her behavior.> > we were acually informed by this ex-teacher that it was happening.> and we were finally told that we should have my daughter brought to a neurologist to be tested "only after" we approached the school (who originally denied it was happening, until we brought the ex-teacher to confront them about it in front of us.> > i want ot know "why" the schools are "not" held accountable for this ?>

[Guest guest]

Schools are a bureaucracy. This is what you get with a government run

program, lol.

Roxanna

" The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do

nothing. " E. Burke

( ) Re: how many people out there " just cant

afford an advocate ? "

so no one has this problem ?

thats a new one on me.

>

> it amazes me. in a country that has the american govermnent giving

money to anyone that asks for it (including multi million dollar

studies to find out if a sperm whale farts !).

> why wouldnt they put aside (or offer) a fund to people that just cant

afford an advocate to get their child what our government says they are

entitled to to begin with (according to the no child left behind laws)?

> my wife and i have done all of our own advocating (and im sure

everyone out there that has done the same knows its no picnic)

>

> and secondly, i would love to know why schools are not fined or

forced to reimburse the people that had to hire an advocate if the

school system knows they are supposed to provide something for an aspie

student, but dont ?

>

> trust me.

> my wife and i have caught our school system " skimping " or just plain

hiding the fact that they know they are supposed to provide certain

programs for my daughter but just dont.

>

> we even know a teacher that has left my daughters school because she

said she was " discusted " when she was told by the pricipal of the

school to " not say anything to a parent about their child if they

suspect the child has special needs " . not because of legal aspects, but

because the school system gets a certain amount of money to use for

programs for these children " BUT " if they dont have to use the money

for " those " children " they can use it for something else ! "

>

> my wife found out " purely by accident " that in 1st grade, my daughter

was being sent to the pricipals office an average of 2-3 days a week

because of her behavior.

>

> we were acually informed by this ex-teacher that it was happening.

> and we were finally told that we should have my daughter brought to a

neurologist to be tested " only after " we approached the school (who

originally denied it was happening, until we brought the ex-teacher to

confront them about it in front of us.

>

> i want ot know " why " the schools are " not " held accountable for this ?

>

[Guest guest]

You are absolutely right about the school districts holding back on spending the

money that they get for special needs kids so they can use it for something else

in the budget. You may also want to look into the percentage of kids in your

school district that actually get special ed services. I read somewhere that the

national average is 19%. At an IEP meeting I attended in the past, one of the

Special Ed people boasted that they only provide services for 3% of the student

population, and that the lawyers said that was just enough to keep the school

district out of trouble. So while my school district is pocketing 97% of the

special ed funds, other people in the district are hiring consultants and

spending big bucks to figure out why our district has such a high drop out rate

and why so many kids don't go on to college. Go figure.

[Guest guest]

I too think it is so unfair the way the system is set up for

kids with special needs. It is very timeconsuming and

emotionally upsetting.

I think the direction we should go in as a group is

to get " some " social curriculum required for our kids and

a curriculum for teaching them the executive function skills

they need. They should not be punished in the way most schools

do it. There should be a positive reinforcement plan in place.

If this can be agreed upon as standard school interventions then the advocacy

will be easier. I am hopeful that autism/asperger

parent groups can advance these educational standards. I just

don't see any other group stepping up to this and we

all have the vested interested in at least helping others

that follow our kids in school.

And perhaps for some AS kids they will need to be taught in small school

settings where they can also get the emotional help they need.

Although it seems some kids in our group do manage well in

public schools.

Pam

>

> it amazes me. in a country that has the american govermnent giving money to

anyone that asks for it (including multi million dollar studies to find out if a

sperm whale farts !).

> why wouldnt they put aside (or offer) a fund to people that just cant afford

an advocate to get their child what our government says they are entitled to to

begin with (according to the no child left behind laws)?

> my wife and i have done all of our own advocating (and im sure everyone out

there that has done the same knows its no picnic)

>

> and secondly, i would love to know why schools are not fined or forced to

reimburse the people that had to hire an advocate if the school system knows

they are supposed to provide something for an aspie student, but dont ?

>

> trust me.

> my wife and i have caught our school system " skimping " or just plain hiding

the fact that they know they are supposed to provide certain programs for my

daughter but just dont.

>

> we even know a teacher that has left my daughters school because she said she

was " discusted " when she was told by the pricipal of the school to " not say

anything to a parent about their child if they suspect the child has special

needs " . not because of legal aspects, but because the school system gets a

certain amount of money to use for programs for these children " BUT " if they

dont have to use the money for " those " children " they can use it for something

else ! "

>

> my wife found out " purely by accident " that in 1st grade, my daughter was

being sent to the pricipals office an average of 2-3 days a week because of her

behavior.

>

> we were acually informed by this ex-teacher that it was happening.

> and we were finally told that we should have my daughter brought to a

neurologist to be tested " only after " we approached the school (who originally

denied it was happening, until we brought the ex-teacher to confront them about

it in front of us.

>

> i want ot know " why " the schools are " not " held accountable for this ?

>

[Guest guest]

Does anyone know how to find out how much of the money designated for a special

needs child is actually being used for that child (versus being used for

something else the school district would like)? Also, how much money does a

school receive for each special needs child?

You know, I can understand that with all the budget cuts often directed at

schools (versus sperm whale research!), the schools might feel a bit desperate

and money they deem 'available' they use for other things they feel the school

system needs. However, when there are needs not being met and they rationalize

things and still tell themselves (and us) that there's money available for other

things, but is really meant for special needs kids--that's stealing. Sorry if

that sounds harsh. I realise they may not see it this way due to a variety of

reasons, but isn't that what it really amounts to?

Hope you could follow this...I tend to ramble sometimes!

-Kari

>

> You are absolutely right about the school districts holding back on spending

the money that they get for special needs kids so they can use it for something

else in the budget. You may also want to look into the percentage of kids in

your school district that actually get special ed services. I read somewhere

that the national average is 19%. At an IEP meeting I attended in the past, one

of the Special Ed people boasted that they only provide services for 3% of the

student population, and that the lawyers said that was just enough to keep the

school district out of trouble. So while my school district is pocketing 97% of

the special ed funds, other people in the district are hiring consultants and

spending big bucks to figure out why our district has such a high drop out rate

and why so many kids don't go on to college. Go figure.

>

[Guest guest]

thank God someone responded !

for a moment there i thought i was the only one that felt that way.

we know that ther are other children in our towns school system that have A.S.

as mine does.

we have asked for a list so we can get a group together (hopefully for support

purposes), but the school system says because of " the privacy act " they cant so

that. so then we asked " if we leave a flier at each school can the school get

them to the parent that they know does have an A.S. child. they said they cant

so that.

to me , the school system is hiding behind these rules to keep parents from

speaking to each other tokeep them from being able to compare horror stories.

you know the old term " DIVIDE AND CONQUER " .

Rob.

>

> You are absolutely right about the school districts holding back on spending

the money that they get for special needs kids so they can use it for something

else in the budget. You may also want to look into the percentage of kids in

your school district that actually get special ed services. I read somewhere

that the national average is 19%. At an IEP meeting I attended in the past, one

of the Special Ed people boasted that they only provide services for 3% of the

student population, and that the lawyers said that was just enough to keep the

school district out of trouble. So while my school district is pocketing 97% of

the special ed funds, other people in the district are hiring consultants and

spending big bucks to figure out why our district has such a high drop out rate

and why so many kids don't go on to college. Go figure.

>

[Guest guest]

Form you own group...post it in the newspaper...put a flyer on the store bulletin board...spead it by word of mouth...post it at your local library....maybe even meet there....there are all kinds of ways of getting to know other parents. Post a notice at your church, local college....I could go on and on and on

Parents are out there....and you can find them...there are many ways...just go around the school....ha ha!

From: video228 <video228@...> Sent: Fri, November 20, 2009 8:15:58 PMSubject: ( ) Re: how many people out there "just cant afford an advocate ?"

thank God someone responded !for a moment there i thought i was the only one that felt that way.we know that ther are other children in our towns school system that have A.S. as mine does.we have asked for a list so we can get a group together (hopefully for support purposes), but the school system says because of "the privacy act" they cant so that. so then we asked "if we leave a flier at each school can the school get them to the parent that they know does have an A.S. child. they said they cant so that.to me , the school system is hiding behind these rules to keep parents from speaking to each other tokeep them from being able to compare horror stories.you know the old term "DIVIDE AND CONQUER".Rob.>> You are absolutely right about the school districts holding back on spending the money that they get for special needs kids so they can use it for something else in the budget. You may also want to look into the percentage of kids in your school district that actually get special ed services. I read somewhere that the national average is 19%. At an IEP meeting I attended in the past, one of the Special Ed people boasted that they only provide services for 3% of the student population, and that the lawyers said that was just enough to keep the school district out of trouble. So while my school district is pocketing 97% of the special ed funds, other people in the district are hiring consultants and spending big bucks to figure out why our district has such a high drop out rate and why so many kids don't go on to college. Go figure.>

[Guest guest]

Lots of us have this issue, I'm sure. We're already paying for therapies of all

sorts that our kids need. Many of us with kids on the mild end of the spectrum

don't qualify for any regional center or publicly funded help, so whatever

OT/ST/social skills help they get comes directly out of our pockets.

You've got a really good point about schools reimbursing those that do have to

use an advocate to get the help that the schools were already mandated to give

in the first place. But it will likely never happen.

> >

> > You are absolutely right about the school districts holding back on spending

the money that they get for special needs kids so they can use it for something

else in the budget. You may also want to look into the percentage of kids in

your school district that actually get special ed services. I read somewhere

that the national average is 19%. At an IEP meeting I attended in the past, one

of the Special Ed people boasted that they only provide services for 3% of the

student population, and that the lawyers said that was just enough to keep the

school district out of trouble. So while my school district is pocketing 97% of

the special ed funds, other people in the district are hiring consultants and

spending big bucks to figure out why our district has such a high drop out rate

and why so many kids don't go on to college. Go figure.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

That is really sad to hear. I used to read about conferences that were

held to tell people how to get out of providing expensive services

without getting caught. It's a business.

Roxanna

" The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do

nothing. " E. Burke

( ) Re: how many people out there " just cant

afford an advocate ? "

You are absolutely right about the school districts holding back on

spending the money that they get for special needs kids so they can use

it for something else in the budget. You may also want to look into the

percentage of kids in your school district that actually get special ed

services. I read somewhere that the national average is 19%. At an IEP

meeting I attended in the past, one of the Special Ed people boasted

that they only provide services for 3% of the student population, and

that the lawyers said that was just enough to keep the school district

out of trouble. So while my school district is pocketing 97% of the

special ed funds, other people in the district are hiring consultants

and spending big bucks to figure out why our district has such a high

drop out rate and why so many kids don't go on to college. Go figure.

[Guest guest]

In the past, when I have tried to gather people together for our common

causes, it never has worked well. There were two or three people who

were always there to learn and help. But most people would deal with

their own situation and be done with it. Nobody really cared about the

bigger picture or I should say, the people I was working with were like

that. It was disheartening. I had the idea that if even one of our

kids was having a hard time, then our system was not good! But I was

told so many times by other people that the system in place worked

great for them, so it was kind of like, " get lost " to me. Also, the

people who could afford it would just take their kids out of the

situation and put them in private programs, leaving the rest of us to

deal with it. If you couldn't afford that, you could take them out and

homeschool them, which many did as well. My school system wins awards

in teaching kids with AS/HFA but not from me, or from any of the many

kids who have left the system because they couldn't or wouldn't deal

with it correctly. So I often think how ironic it is when the school

wins these awards because all the kids who had problems are gone. It's

not hard to be great at teaching kids who have no real major issues

going on. That is what they have left now. Of all the people I knew

years back, only one stayed in the public school. The rest took their

kids to some other kind of program or homeschool. I think that shows a

major flaw. But it was just me and my opinion....And so you have one

gov't run agency giving awards to another gov't run agency. Proof

positive it's working, lol.

I was the big " radical " wanting to make sure that all our kids got what

they needed but was always out-voiced on this, as if I was a trouble

maker, by people whose kids were " doing just great. " I finally gave up

and our group folded. At the last meeting, I spoke about my ds who had

to leave school and be tutored due to their incompetence. Another

parent was pulling her kid out to homeschool because he kept having

problems in the cafeteria and the school was calling the police on him

and threatening to put him in a juvenile facility instead of figuring

out what the problem was. Another parent could not get any services

for her kid at all - the school was denying there was even a problem

and she had no access to any of the " wonderful programming " they boast

of having. After these three examples, a mother yelled at me because I

said the school was not doing a good job and she wanted to let me know

that they are doing a WONDERFUL job for her kid. I was so upset -

well, if it's wonderful for her kid, then we should all be ashamed at

our complaining, right? lol. Ugh. I still can get upset at what

happened. But you can't make people see the problem and most people

don't want to rock the boat, even if it's leaking.

Roxanna

" The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do

nothing. " E. Burke

( ) Re: how many people out there " just cant

afford an advocate ? "

I too think it is so unfair the way the system is set up for

kids with special needs. It is very timeconsuming and

emotionally upsetting.

I think the direction we should go in as a group is

to get " some " social curriculum required for our kids and

a curriculum for teaching them the executive function skills

they need. They should not be punished in the way most schools

do it. There should be a positive reinforcement plan in place.

If this can be agreed upon as standard school interventions then the

advocacy will be easier. I am hopeful that autism/asperger

parent groups can advance these educational standards. I just

don't see any other group stepping up to this and we

all have the vested interested in at least helping others

that follow our kids in school.

And perhaps for some AS kids they will need to be taught in small

school settings where they can also get the emotional help they need.

Although it seems some kids in our group do manage well in

public schools.

Pam

>

> it amazes me. in a country that has the american govermnent giving

money to anyone that asks for it (including multi million dollar

studies to find out if a sperm whale farts !).

> why wouldnt they put aside (or offer) a fund to people that just cant

afford an advocate to get their child what our government says they are

entitled to to begin with (according to the no child left behind laws)?

> my wife and i have done all of our own advocating (and im sure

everyone out there that has done the same knows its no picnic)

>

> and secondly, i would love to know why schools are not fined or

forced to reimburse the people that had to hire an advocate if the

school system knows they are supposed to provide something for an aspie

student, but dont ?

>

> trust me.

> my wife and i have caught our school system " skimping " or just plain

hiding the fact that they know they are supposed to provide certain

programs for my daughter but just dont.

>

> we even know a teacher that has left my daughters school because she

said she was " discusted " when she was told by the pricipal of the

school to " not say anything to a parent about their child if they

suspect the child has special needs " . not because of legal aspects, but

because the school system gets a certain amount of money to use for

programs for these children " BUT " if they dont have to use the money

for " those " children " they can use it for something else ! "

>

> my wife found out " purely by accident " that in 1st grade, my daughter

was being sent to the pricipals office an average of 2-3 days a week

because of her behavior.

>

> we were acually informed by this ex-teacher that it was happening.

> and we were finally told that we should have my daughter brought to a

neurologist to be tested " only after " we approached the school (who

originally denied it was happening, until we brought the ex-teacher to

confront them about it in front of us.

>

> i want ot know " why " the schools are " not " held accountable for this ?

>

[Guest guest]

There is no reason for them to not give your flier to people except

that they are afraid when parents unite for a common cause. You need

to go to the board of education or superintendent and ask for the

criteria for having a flier distributed. We have faced this kind of

discrimination before as well and it is simply a matter of finding out

what procedure they require and then they have no choice but to

cooperate. Another idea is to go to the superintendent and director of

sped in your district and work with them. Ok, it doesn't always sound

right to say it like that. lol. But seriously, we did this. We got

the school to cooperate in helping organize the sped parents. This is

because there are several school supported groups in place for other

groups of people - gifted parents, etc. So they couldn't deny it to

us. We also found out that as long as we filled out a form, they would

hand all our paperwork out to people. So it's often just a matter of

finding out the process and following it.

Roxanna

" The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do

nothing. " E. Burke

( ) Re: how many people out there " just cant

afford an advocate ? "

thank God someone responded !

for a moment there i thought i was the only one that felt that way.

we know that ther are other children in our towns school system that

have A.S. as mine does.

we have asked for a list so we can get a group together (hopefully for

support purposes), but the school system says because of " the privacy

act " they cant so that. so then we asked " if we leave a flier at each

school can the school get them to the parent that they know does have

an A.S. child. they said they cant so that.

to me , the school system is hiding behind these rules to keep parents

from speaking to each other tokeep them from being able to compare

horror stories.

you know the old term " DIVIDE AND CONQUER " .

Rob.

>

> You are absolutely right about the school districts holding back on

spending the money that they get for special needs kids so they can use

it for something else in the budget. You may also want to look into the

percentage of kids in your school district that actually get special ed

services. I read somewhere that the national average is 19%. At an IEP

meeting I attended in the past, one of the Special Ed people boasted

that they only provide services for 3% of the student population, and

that the lawyers said that was just enough to keep the school district

out of trouble. So while my school district is pocketing 97% of the

special ed funds, other people in the district are hiring consultants

and spending big bucks to figure out why our district has such a high

drop out rate and why so many kids don't go on to college. Go figure.

>

[Guest guest]

these are all excellent points and suggestions.

i thank you all for the responses.

i guess sometimes i just need to vent. and knowing that there are people out

there such as yourselves is such a GOD send.

> >

> > it amazes me. in a country that has the american govermnent giving

> money to anyone that asks for it (including multi million dollar

> studies to find out if a sperm whale farts !).

> > why wouldnt they put aside (or offer) a fund to people that just cant

> afford an advocate to get their child what our government says they are

> entitled to to begin with (according to the no child left behind laws)?

> > my wife and i have done all of our own advocating (and im sure

> everyone out there that has done the same knows its no picnic)

> >

> > and secondly, i would love to know why schools are not fined or

> forced to reimburse the people that had to hire an advocate if the

> school system knows they are supposed to provide something for an aspie

> student, but dont ?

> >

> > trust me.

> > my wife and i have caught our school system " skimping " or just plain

> hiding the fact that they know they are supposed to provide certain

> programs for my daughter but just dont.

> >

> > we even know a teacher that has left my daughters school because she

> said she was " discusted " when she was told by the pricipal of the

> school to " not say anything to a parent about their child if they

> suspect the child has special needs " . not because of legal aspects, but

> because the school system gets a certain amount of money to use for

> programs for these children " BUT " if they dont have to use the money

> for " those " children " they can use it for something else ! "

> >

> > my wife found out " purely by accident " that in 1st grade, my daughter

> was being sent to the pricipals office an average of 2-3 days a week

> because of her behavior.

> >

> > we were acually informed by this ex-teacher that it was happening.

> > and we were finally told that we should have my daughter brought to a

> neurologist to be tested " only after " we approached the school (who

> originally denied it was happening, until we brought the ex-teacher to

> confront them about it in front of us.

> >

> > i want ot know " why " the schools are " not " held accountable for this ?

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I consider the money I spent on an advocate & a lawyer money well spent because

the end result was that my son finally got the services he needed and his entire

life changed for the better. Although it did cause me to rack up a huge credit

card bill.

I found the advocate and then the lawyer thru a recommendation at a local

support group. I've since found a state agency that will provide excellent free

advocacy services. If you need an advocate, but can't afford one, ask around. If

you can't find help from a state agency or a charity, maybe you can ask a parent

with an older child with special needs to sit in the IEP meetings with you. I

have learned so much from the parents who have been there and have done that

already. In my experience, just having a third party attend the meeting,

especially with a tape recorder, seemed to bring up the level of professionalism

at the meetings. It really helped that my advocate was friendly, but also firm.

[Guest guest]

Our school district can't pass out flyers like that either. I think if it is

not school related, they aren't allowed. Now that my sons are out of school

(age) I can't recall the reason. But do recall at some point they began this

and stated the reason/rule. You might see if they have some type bulletin

board located in the school that you can put one up; however, of course, that

means unless a parent is IN the school, won't see. As someone said, your local

public library, newspaper, maybe even Wal-Mart, might let you put something up

there. And another thought, if your child is getting any services from a

provider, perhaps their agency would let you put some flyers there for other

parents to see.

>

> thank God someone responded !

> for a moment there i thought i was the only one that felt that way.

>

> we know that ther are other children in our towns school system that have A.S.

as mine does.

>

> we have asked for a list so we can get a group together (hopefully for support

purposes), but the school system says because of " the privacy act " they cant so

that. so then we asked " if we leave a flier

[Guest guest]

i love your idea about bringing another parent with experience as a third party.

as for spending money on an advocate or attorney being well spent. i would never

argue with that. i feel they work very hard for our children. through our local

autism support group we were also given the opportunity to speak to an advocate

that was more than willing to give us info for amunition dring the IEP for no

cost. we just plain couldnt afford either the advocate or the attorney.

there arent any harities that cover this in our area, and get this ! the

attorneys for the state that we contacted " WORK TO PROTECT THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS

!!! " . how do you like that one ? we do have a state agency that gives us info so

we can educate ourselves, but there is soooo much to learn and the school

administrators are shrewd.

they know how to work around what we are really supposed to get.

i am a sales manager by career, so i know when im being snowed.

i have been trained all of my life to read peoples emotions and actions.

im not stupid , and i know when im being lied to or brushed off.

and when we have our IEP's i feel like standing up and saying " dont pee down my

back and tell me its raining ! " .

but thank you for the info. i deffinitely agree it would be money well spent if

it were available.

>

> I consider the money I spent on an advocate & a lawyer money well spent

because the end result was that my son finally got the services he needed and

his entire life changed for the better. Although it did cause me to rack up a

huge credit card bill.

>

> I found the advocate and then the lawyer thru a recommendation at a local

support group. I've since found a state agency that will provide excellent free

advocacy services. If you need an advocate, but can't afford one, ask around. If

you can't find help from a state agency or a charity, maybe you can ask a parent

with an older child with special needs to sit in the IEP meetings with you. I

have learned so much from the parents who have been there and have done that

already. In my experience, just having a third party attend the meeting,

especially with a tape recorder, seemed to bring up the level of professionalism

at the meetings. It really helped that my advocate was friendly, but also firm.

>

[Guest guest]

I guess we are lucky in this sense in South Dakota. The state has advocates for

individuals with disabilities..and the service is " free " (ie I pay for it with

my real estate taxes!)

So far they have been good.

> >

> > I consider the money I spent on an advocate & a lawyer money well spent

because the end result was that my son finally got the services he needed and

his entire life changed for the better. Although it did cause me to rack up a

huge credit card bill.

> >

> > I found the advocate and then the lawyer thru a recommendation at a local

support group. I've since found a state agency that will provide excellent free

advocacy services. If you need an advocate, but can't afford one, ask around. If

you can't find help from a state agency or a charity, maybe you can ask a parent

with an older child with special needs to sit in the IEP meetings with you. I

have learned so much from the parents who have been there and have done that

already. In my experience, just having a third party attend the meeting,

especially with a tape recorder, seemed to bring up the level of professionalism

at the meetings. It really helped that my advocate was friendly, but also firm.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

that is lucky. im glad to see that south dakota has progressed to help these

kids. were still a little thick in the head here in new england (no matter how

liberal everyone pretends to be).

it still comes down to the almighty buck, and i pay real estate taxes too.

> > >

> > > I consider the money I spent on an advocate & a lawyer money well spent

because the end result was that my son finally got the services he needed and

his entire life changed for the better. Although it did cause me to rack up a

huge credit card bill.

> > >

> > > I found the advocate and then the lawyer thru a recommendation at a local

support group. I've since found a state agency that will provide excellent free

advocacy services. If you need an advocate, but can't afford one, ask around. If

you can't find help from a state agency or a charity, maybe you can ask a parent

with an older child with special needs to sit in the IEP meetings with you. I

have learned so much from the parents who have been there and have done that

already. In my experience, just having a third party attend the meeting,

especially with a tape recorder, seemed to bring up the level of professionalism

at the meetings. It really helped that my advocate was friendly, but also firm.

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

you don't need to hire an advocate you can connect with psychologists that work

through school boards that can guide you through the process of how and what to

put in your IEP to help you.

That is how I did it and he has been a huge help and for the years I have spent

running around getting IEP meetings orchestrated and googled how to write an

effective IEP this was the best. Ask the guidance department for tutors to help

out.. You can also post up at a school for community service hours in exchange

for tutoring help if needed for your child.

Google special education advisory committee and see where your state is and they

have a resource section for all parents. This is the best one I have found.

Here is one for your area

http://doe.sd.gov/oess/specialed/news/Advisory/index.asp

Hope this helps

> > > >

> > > > I consider the money I spent on an advocate & a lawyer money well spent

because the end result was that my son finally got the services he needed and

his entire life changed for the better. Although it did cause me to rack up a

huge credit card bill.

> > > >

> > > > I found the advocate and then the lawyer thru a recommendation at a

local support group. I've since found a state agency that will provide excellent

free advocacy services. If you need an advocate, but can't afford one, ask

around. If you can't find help from a state agency or a charity, maybe you can

ask a parent with an older child with special needs to sit in the IEP meetings

with you. I have learned so much from the parents who have been there and have

done that already. In my experience, just having a third party attend the

meeting, especially with a tape recorder, seemed to bring up the level of

professionalism at the meetings. It really helped that my advocate was friendly,

but also firm.

> > > >

> > >

> >

>