How to be an Effective Advocate for your Child
You are the greatest advocate for your child and, at times, this can feel like an enormous responsibility. Even if you don’t hire someone to help, there are ways you can prepare to be an effective advocate for your child.
Here are some pointers:
Plan ahead. Be thinking about where you see your child as a young adult. At 14.5, schools in IL are required to develop a transition plan. The purpose of the transition plan is to develop specific goals that will help your child prepare for college, work, and life. The earlier you can start planning, the easier the transition to adulthood will be and the better prepared you will feel.
Request draft paperwork in advance of the meeting. There is nothing wrong with informing your child’s team you would like to review draft paperwork in advance of the meeting. The more you understand the IEP and your child’s disability, the more confident you will feel in driving decisions that will impact your child’s education and future. Components you can ask to review include evaluation results or reports, draft goals (for an annual review), proposed classes, draft transition plan, and/or data that will be used to create the IEP.
Make sure you read the notes prior to leaving the meeting. Any service your child will be receiving should be written in the IEP. If it is not located under accommodations, then make sure it is added to the notes. This includes the time frame it will be accomplished and who is responsible. If it is not written, there is no proof it was discussed and will happen.
At times, emotions can run high during IEP meetings. Cooler heads always prevail. Try to remain calm and don’t criticize individuals. Members become defensive and the problems become more difficult to solve. The more factual and calm you appraoch the situation, the better.
If the meeting is becoming overwhelming and the team is having difficulty resolving an issue, you can always stop and ask to reconvene at a later date. This will give you a chance to reach out to a consultant or advocate to ask questions. You can request an observation of your child within the school setting and/or research more solutions that you can suggest to the team.
If you are looking for assistance with the IEP process, reach out here to set up a consultation. We can give you short-term advice or assist with every step of the process. Your first consult is free!
Warmly,
