I have begun to put together some chapters that I will soon have available on this site - beginning with the IEP process. Believe it or not, I actually enjoy IEP meetings (what does that say about me??). Well, I was never a fan of my own child's IEP's, but I definitely get a buzz as I work through an IEP, knowing that the final document will be a vast improvement over what is presently in place. A well written IEP takes the pressure off everyone involved!! Clear goals, expectations, and ease of assessment mean that the team can focus their attention where it is needed most - on the student, not the data sheets!!

I have rarely found incompetence in a teacher - but that does not mean that he/she knows how to deal with a particular student! Personalities do clash and can make a working relationship impossible - but that is indeed rare. Most times, communication has broken down and what is needed is someone to help re-unite the team and ensure that everyone is on the same page and is supported. And that includes the parents!!!!

I am trained in mediation (Alternative Dispute Resolution), and that is also my nature. I have the skills necessary to work WITH an IEP team, so that the correct assessments are done, and the best goals and objectives are written. Parents are amazed at how an IEP team that they have viewed as contentious and unwelcoming can become the opposite through my interventions and abilities.

I work hard, also, to teach parents how to advocate for their child themselves. But I also understand, from first hand experience, just how difficult a job that is when the emotions are running high. It truly does become almost impossible to think!! And that's when it is VERY RIGHT for a parent to hire an advocate, thus taking the pressure off him/herself.