Why a Parent’s Guide to Advocacy is Needed

Parents Guide to Advocacy: Navigating the Special Education System with Confidence

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.

The truth is the 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.