Why a Parent’s Guide to Advocacy is Needed

Hi Friend,

I'm so excited that you are taking a listen to the first episode of the Parent’s Guide to Advocacy podcast!

As we get started on this advocacy journey together, I wanted to share a little about my professional experience and my personal story to shed light on why the idea of a parent's guide to advocacy is needed.

Before having my children, I was an elementary teacher and reading specialist. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s in Reading Education. For years, I participated in IEP meetings as a general education teacher. I advocated for my students to receive intervention services and created my own accommodations and modifications to suit their needs. But, I left too many meetings frustrated with the special education team for not meeting service hours or providing appropriate support for a child’s needs. Even when pushing back and insisting that service providers not miss my student’s therapy sessions, there were still days when no one showed up. I kept records and one student didn’t have a single ESL (English as a Second Language) session in over a quarter when it should have been twice a week.

I became frustrated and disillusioned at the lack of accountability in the special education system. While I understand over extended caseloads, there is a systemic problem of cutting corners and not abiding by a child’s rights in IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). However, I learned one very important thing at the IEP table, if you want your student to get what they need, subtly tip off the parent. Why? Because the parent actually has the most power at the table! Yes, that’s right, you have the most power at that table. When you know the special education system, relevant laws, and your and your child’s rights in the IEP process, you hold all the cards.

Always remember, you are the expert on your child. You know details about your child that will take school staff months to learn if ever. As we proceed in our advocacy journey together, I will encourage you to learn as much as possible about your child’s disability. Then, we will explore how it affects your child uniquely.

It’s important to remember that when you’ve met one neurodivergent person you’ve just met one neurodivergent person. No two people are the same. Any diagnosis manifests itself differently in each person. Regardless of being neurodivergent or neurotypical, we are all on the human spectrum. Everyone is uniquely wired and it’s time to embrace each person’s differences and the gifts they contribute to the world.

So, when you use collaborative communication and hold school staff accountable because you have advanced knowledge of the IEP process, you will see big results. I will teach you to ask the questions, that leave staff wondering “How did they know about that?” You have an insider's perspective in your back pocket and now it’s personal. I’ve been at the table as a teacher but I’m in a more important role as Luke’s mom.

Luke’s journey started about 5 years ago when he was missing developmental milestones related to movement. This started the private therapy journey to a diagnosis of Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Luke has been doing intensive speech therapy for 3 years. As he’s gotten older, more behaviors led to an educational diagnosis of Autism and ADHD.

Even though, the special education team at Luke’s school knew I was an educator, they made decisions that were not in compliance with special education law. I was surprised that they would propose ideas and make decisions that directly violated the law. I realized that many of them weren’t well versed in special education law or the parent and child rights themselves. Although this can be infuriating, we have to remember that these teachers are in classrooms focused on educating children dealing with difficult conditions and being underpaid.

The truth is that special education is confusing, overwhelming, and imperfect. We need a parent’s guide to navigate the law, jargon, services, and enforcement of our child’s rights. Most schools and teachers are doing their best with what they have. But, we as parents, have to become actively involved, knowledgeable advocates to ensure our children have access to a free and appropriate public education. We can’t depend on the schools to prioritize the specific needs of our children under the conditions that are present. We have to hold the special education teams at our children’s schools accountable and that starts at the IEP table.

My goal is to equip, empower, and support you to become a fierce advocate for your child’s particular educational needs. In this podcast, we will prepare ourselves to advocate by increasing our knowledge of the special education process through relevant educational resources. We will also discuss collaborative communication and how to present ourselves to be taken seriously in IEP meetings.

You will feel the shift from discouraged to empowered as we intentionally change our mindsets and adopt a neurodivergent affirming perspective. We are going to train ourselves in the executive functioning skills we expect to see in our children. Over time, we will notice that we are more reflective, intentional, and flexible parents. There is freedom in embracing the ability to adjust and adapt without getting fixated on one way of thinking. After all, we don’t have to do things the way they’ve always been done. We can change our routines, structures, and way of living to better suit our child’s or our family’s needs. I’ve found that being open to change has been the antidote to feeling stuck or trapped in a complicated situation.

How do I know that things will improve? Because I’ve lived a journey similar to the one you’re on now. It may never be easy but it can be done. With the right support and teammates by your side, you will be able to take a breath of relief and start seeing your options more clearly.

As we go forward, this podcast will support you with additional resources such as research, special education courses for parents, and personal advocacy coaching calls to reinforce your resilience.

This season in life is hard and it will pass. Plus, a knowledgeable parent holds all the cards.

Until next time,

Ash