I often get a call, text or e-mail from a parent who would like me to help them advocate for her child at school. Normally, the child attends public school. The scenario goes something like this:
"I was given your contact information and I would like you to help me advocate for my child. I go to his IEP meetings and I don't know what to say or what to ask. They use terms I don't understand and they aren't interested in the reports from professionals that I give them. It all sounds good but my son is making no progress. He is two years behind and the gap is getting bigger."
As the saying goes, if I had a dollar for every time I have heard this, I would be a very rich woman! So how does a parent "take back" the ownership of her child's education. Well, I will say that it won't happen overnight. If you are diligent and stay on top of it, it will take about a year. Let me lay out some of the things I have found helpful in this process.
Request an IEP meeting. As a parent, you can call one anytime you want and as often as you want. It may take a few weeks to coordinate it. Let the team know that you are not comfortable with how things are going and you want to look at other solutions. It is good to keep your reasoning somewhat vague. In the next few weeks as you prepare, you may change directions several times as you think deeply about your child's education. This way, you don't misrepresent what you want to talk about and the school doesn't prepare something based on your initial comments. This first meeting is one for you to articulate calmly your concerns.
In the next few weeks, it is important to prepare what you want to say. I always go to a meeting with an agenda of the topics I want to be included. Sometimes I share the agenda and other times I keep it as a reminder of all the areas that the parents want to discuss. This agenda is detailed so that I can share in the most concise way. It also allows me to stay calm and less emotional.
Next week, the post will cover ways to put together this meeting agenda before the team gets together.
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