I had a mom recently say she had some some "red flags" about a new program her son had begun. She asked how long should she should give it before talking to those in charge? The answer to that question depends on a lot of variables. In my work as a parent advocate, I help parents answer questions like this before advocating to address a particular situation.
There is a process that most schools and services have.
- There is the evaluation. Assessments are at the beginning of any process. Everyone needs to be on the same page of what the needs are and that comes through the evaluation process.
- Interventions are begun. This takes time. There may be new personnel involved if the child has been at the school a long time. Relationships need to be built. The child has to adapt to the new ways his education is going to be delivered. If the program is new, say, beginning therapy at a private center, the child must also adapt to a new environment along with the things listed above.
- Time is given to this adaption period and to see if the intervention is working. (Opinions on this step can vary widely).
- If a family is not 100% satisfied (that's most of the time) then the active advocating for change begins. What does this look like? It depends!
- If the result is less than what the family desires, there are two approaches.
- Keep advocating in the present system
- Withdraw your child from where he is and do something different
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