As a parent and advocate for over 25 years, I am often frustrated by how long it takes to successfully advocate for a child (even my own children)! Sometimes it feels like I’m banging my head against the wall (giving myself a concussion), with little to no result. I was recently reminded that advocacy is difficult by its very nature, but even when it seems like I haven’t done much or the parent hasn’t done much, the child can really benefit!
1. You were helping parents in another state with their child’s high school education. Things had gotten very bad at school for the young man, and the school wanted to send him to an alternative school. I immediately began working with her mother and educating her about IDEA 2004 and disciplinary laws. I read letters, helped her write letters, worked on an agreement with the school, and encouraged her to keep fighting despite how bad things were. The situation worsened and the young man dropped out of school, which was frustrating for his parents and me! Imagine my surprise when a few months later I received an email from her mother with a picture of her high school diploma! I am so excited for the young man, and I realized that if his parents and I had not fought for him, he probably never would have graduated! Great result!
2. I advocated for a child with autism for over a year. The young man could not read, he was behind in all academic areas and had developed school phobia. In my defense, I had to educate the school staff a lot about dyslexia; research-based instruction as well as extended school year services. Another problem is that the school district insisted on bringing their attorney to all IEP meetings; even after handing over a copy of the OSEP policy letter to Clinton advising against this practice. After a year, we had made some headway, and the parents (and I) decided they would try it on their own (me helping them on the phone, etc.). After I stopped coming to meetings, the school district stopped having their attorney attend IEP meetings, and the treatment of parents is somewhat better. The young man is learning academically and no longer has a school phobia, amazing!
There are success stories in special education advocacy; And here’s what you can do to increase your child’s chances of success:
1. Assertive and persistent defense for as long as necessary. Sometimes incidence is like a long journey, instead of a short one. Hang in there and you’ll be glad you did!
2. If your child is struggling with reading, it is critical that they find accurate information about dyslexia, to use in their advocacy, and research-based ways to address the disability. Try this link to the International Dyslexia Association (http://www.interdys.org/).
3. Learn about and advocate for best practices in special education for your child’s disability. For example: ABA is still considered best practice for children with autism.
4. Call your state PTIC and ask about free or low-cost training. Not only will you learn a lot, but you will be able to connect with other parents!
5. Consider using a qualified advocate with experience; this can often be of great help to the success of the defense! Make sure the advocate has experience with her state’s dispute resolution processes.
6. If the school continues to deny and/or delay needed services, consider using the dispute resolution processes (due process, mediation, and state complaints).
There are promotion success stories out there and this article has given you some examples. She has also learned some dragon slaying tips to work on her own son’s success story! Good luck!