At Autism Achievement Advocacy, our mission is to help families collaborate successfully with school districts to develop and successfully implement comprehensive, individualized educational programs for students with autism. We coach families to strengthen their own advocacy skills by guiding them through each step of the special education planning process, and our goal is to enable families to take their rightful place as informed and equal members of their child’s IEP team.
Advocacy Services
Below is a list of the advocacy services we often provide, though it is not comprehensive and your specific needs may require additional or different services to be discussed. Each child, each family, and each situation is unique, so we thoughtfully individualize our services according to your specific needs in order to help you achieve your goals. Services may include:
- Comprehensive review of records: typically includes current and prior IEPs, 504 plans, school evaluations and private evaluations, progress reports & report cards, data sheets, parent/teacher/school communications, etc. Includes a meeting to explain findings and recommend possible educational and/or clinical areas to investigate based on the unique needs of your student
- Draft IEP meeting documents; e.g. parent agenda, detailed parent concerns statements for your student's IEP, detailed and thoughtful vision statements, follow-up communications with team members, etc.
- Represent families via in-person and remote meetings, email and/or phone meetings with parents, school staff, outside agency providers, evaluators, consultants, BSEA staff, and attorneys
- Actively participate alongside families during IEP team meetings, parent/staff clinics, parent/teacher conferences, parent/home programming staff clinics
- Review & analyze proposals for IEPs, 504 Plans, and amendments post-meeting and collaborate with families to develop thoughtful, detailed response to proposals
- Work collaboratively with families and school teams to develop methods to monitor the implementation and effectiveness of your student's IEP once implemented
- Observe your student in their educational settings to inform parent participation in the IEP process
- Schedule, prepare and participate in mediations conducted by the Bureau of Special Education Appeals
- Identify and/or visit potential placement options, when a school district is unable to offer a Free and Appropriate Public Education to your student
- Facilitate relationships with other experts to build an effective "home team" for your student (sometimes these are already established; often I help families develop these important relationships by collaborating with other professionals in my extensive network)
Please contact us to schedule a consultation in order to discuss your advocacy needs.
