On the road to meeting their child’s special needs, families often go through an exhaustive process with school officials involving complicated policies, convoluted lingo, and numerous documents. Parents trying to navigate this process may benefit from the help of a special education advocate—a trained professional who can help educate and advise parents seeking support for their child(ren). Special education advocates play a vital role in helping families to understand their child’s rights and work with the school system to secure the appropriate services and accommodations that will allow their children to succeed.

Special education advocates help parents make sure a child’s special needs are met. They help parents understand available services, interpret test results, and work with schools to plan individualized education programs (IEPs).

For a student with special needs, learning concerns can take many forms. A special education advocate helps families address previously identified learning challenges, as well as pinpoint overlooked factors that may be affecting a child’s ability to learn. These include chronic illness, traumatic brain injury, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, vision and hearing impairments, speech and language disorders, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, behavioral and emotional disorder, and physical disabilities, among others.

To empower families and give a voice to students, special education advocates perform the following duties:

- Advising parents about services, programs, and accommodations that meet their children’s individual needs

- Helping parents interpret reports and evaluations, as well as explaining their implications

- Drafting requests, responses, and complaints to schools

- Assisting parents with submitting written requests

- Preparing parents for IEP and 504 meetings (meetings that outline the services and accommodations students will receive and how schools will remove barriers to learning, such as providing a talking calculator to students with dyscalculia), which may include suggesting support materials or prioritizing goals and objectives

- Checking special education documents for accuracy and completion both before and after IEP and 504 meetings

- Accompanying parents to IEP and 504 meetings to offer advice and assistance

- Advising parents about the strength of their cases before review and offering referrals to special education attorneys when appropriate

HOW SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVOCATES HELP FAMILIES

A complex system of federal, state, and local laws, plus policies and regulations, oversees special education. These laws, policies, and regulations detail students’ eligibility for special services, parents’ rights and protections regarding participation in their children’s education, and services and accommodations available.

Each of these aspects of special education involves a process, and each process is governed by rules and regulations. Special education advocates help families navigate not only the laws but also the processes by which schools implement legislation. An advocate’s expertise gives parents a chance to participate in shaping their children’s education.

Parents often lack knowledge of these systems, laws, and best practices. Furthermore, schools use a litany of terms and abbreviations that can leave parents struggling to keep up in discussions about their children’s special needs. Special education advocates fill in parental knowledge gaps.

Additionally, parents often display sensitivity when dealing with issues regarding their children. Advocates assist parents who may feel emotionally overwhelmed.

Advocates also help parents gauge their children’s progress. In situations when parents believe their children may be stalling or even regressing, special education advocates guide parents through the steps to address the situation.