How/where do you find an advocate to help with autism IEP matters?

Question

How much does it cost?

Answer 1

Many school boards hire people to act as advocates for parents in their school district, and it doesn't cost anything, so first check with the school board.

You can also consult an attorney.  There are some who specialize in education law, and your local bar association should be able to give you a referral to someone in your area.

Talk to your child's doctor - they often know about support groups in the area, which can be excellent sources of information.  

In your area is there a CARD office?  This is the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities and they can help, also at no charge.  Many CARD offices cover a wide area, so look in the surrounding cities, too.

In our area there used to be an organization, Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC).  They provided advocates for any child with disabilities, at no charge.  They changed their name because it wasn't politically correct, but you might search for an organization like this - they may be able to steer you in the right direction.

If there's a local university with a special education department, call them and ask if they know of anyone.  Many times the faculty at the college is in the public schools, working with teachers and kids, and they can help or act as advocates themselves.

Be careful when hiring an advocate.  Many of them have had negative experiences with the school system and can make things worse instead of better by being contentious.  Good ones can be a big help navigating through the system, so make sure your advocates' style works for you.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Try the national Autistic society in your area. Call Children's Service Center in your area. You can get this from a help line or telephone book.  If nothing comes of it try your Representative in your area. The school is suppose to do it for you no charge.  To get a faster response I would type out a request and send it to the school superintendent by certified mail, keep a copy and attach the response of the certified mail.

Answer 3

Skip the advocate and learn as much as you can through your state's Parent Training Information Center. If you have real trouble,  hire an attorney.  Advocates are not trained or regulated.  They are held to no standards for their knowledge or behavior.  You are completely taking your chances.  See an earlier question by Miss Behavior regarding unprofessional conduct by an advocate.

I would certainly not use an advocate hired by a school board.  As the cliche goes, a person cannot serve two masters.

Answer 4

There should be advocates in your area that will represent you for free. Put your state name and autism advocates in your search engine.

In addition, Autism Speaks usually can get you connected with an advocate. You might also go to the CARD (Center for Autism and Related Disorders) to find any suggestions that might help you. Finally go to the Wright's Law website that will get you started on how to advocate for your child yourself. The more you know, the better off you will be.

One thing to keep in mind is that the school district is not composed of evil people who are trying to keep your child from getting services. However, they will do the minimum that is possible to serve your child, because IDEA is not fully funded by the federal government (17%) and never has been. This means that dollars are short and they honestly want to serve your child, but have other children to consider.

Nevertheless it is important for every parent to advocate for reasonable services for their child. For children with autism, this means intense speech language service and occupational therapy.

To tell you the truth, ASD children are among the better served of all the disabilities because parents are organized and vocal. Kids with specific learning disabilities really get the shaft because their disabilities are not visual so no one seems to care much about them. Still, you must be alert to the needs of your child.