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Well, slap me silly-
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<blockquote data-quote="Martie" data-source="post: 139752" data-attributes="member: 284"><p>There is no licensure for advocates nor formal training for that matter. I have had people ask me "how did I become one?" The answer is, "Call yourself one." I am a professional in the field and have a Ph.D., so it is unlikely that my credentials will be questioned and I have qualified as an expert witness in court which is more difficult. However, <strong>it is knowledge of the law, not credentials</strong> that make a good advocate. There are many parents on this board who have learned enough to be "advocates" for other people's children. by the way, it is easier when the difficult child is not your own. That said, I agree that by age, education, an occupation, I am in a better position to "intimidate" than a young parent. However, a good advocate does not try to intimidate school personnel. A good advocate helps the parent get FAPE for the child and operates in the best interest of the child only.</p><p></p><p>How to find an advocate is also a bit loose: in CA, it's big business with advocates galore in the yellow pages and charging about half as much as attorneys. In MD, it used to be that advocates could not represent parents at Due Process--which is just a bar card turf issue in my opinion--but since the Supreme Court found last June that parents can represent themselves and their child in Federal Court, I think Maryland's law is not going to be enforceable anymore.</p><p></p><p>Speaking personally, I will not represent a family at Due Process. In IL, where I do all of my in-person advocacy, the process is VERY legalized. In IL, a parent needs and attorney to go to DP in my opinion. In other states, DP is more as it was intended: a non-legalized way to settle disputes and keep families and SDs OUT OF COURT. In urban areas, it has not worked out that way. It is also my belief that an advocate can sometimes get a better IEP than an attorney, although I know several attorneys in Chicago who were teachers before they went to law school and they, of course, can write good IEPs also.</p><p></p><p>Bottom line is if you do not know your rights, the SD will walk all over you. The squeaky wheel gets the grease and the purpose of this section of the Board is to help people learn how to squeak effectively. </p><p></p><p>I do not think ANYONE should go to an IEP meeting alone and followed my own advice. I took my husband, who knew nothing about the law, but he too diligent notes, was dressed in a suit, and looked sufficiently intimidating to keep the meeting a bit balanced He was also very good at listening and picking up internal contradictions: person A says one thing and it is contradicted by person B a half an hour later. I always thought that there was a good deal of sexism operating: the SD tended to defer to my husband over me because I handled all the day-to day stuff and was therefore, "just a mom." </p><p></p><p>RE: your situation. I think your SD is grossly violating the law: the distinction between "mental health" and behavior is false. I would call having a "safe place" or a "safe person" a mental health service. I train grad students to provide mental health services in schools. There is NO prohibition vs mental health services UNLESS they are provided by a physician. Medical services may be provided at SD expense ONLY for diagnostic purposes.</p><p></p><p>You should have an IEP that addresses your child's special needs. The purpose of special education is to provide enough support for (most) children to make progress in the Gen Ed curriculum. Further, SpEd is supposed to help students attain independence as adults. That goal is not being met for EBD students very well.</p><p></p><p>I think you need to stop believing what the SD says is the law and find out what the law actually says. Why parents make effective advocates, despite their lack of objectivity about their own child, is BECAUSE NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE CHILD AS MUCH AS THE PARENT.</p><p></p><p>Martie</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Martie, post: 139752, member: 284"] There is no licensure for advocates nor formal training for that matter. I have had people ask me "how did I become one?" The answer is, "Call yourself one." I am a professional in the field and have a Ph.D., so it is unlikely that my credentials will be questioned and I have qualified as an expert witness in court which is more difficult. However, [B]it is knowledge of the law, not credentials[/B] that make a good advocate. There are many parents on this board who have learned enough to be "advocates" for other people's children. by the way, it is easier when the difficult child is not your own. That said, I agree that by age, education, an occupation, I am in a better position to "intimidate" than a young parent. However, a good advocate does not try to intimidate school personnel. A good advocate helps the parent get FAPE for the child and operates in the best interest of the child only. How to find an advocate is also a bit loose: in CA, it's big business with advocates galore in the yellow pages and charging about half as much as attorneys. In MD, it used to be that advocates could not represent parents at Due Process--which is just a bar card turf issue in my opinion--but since the Supreme Court found last June that parents can represent themselves and their child in Federal Court, I think Maryland's law is not going to be enforceable anymore. Speaking personally, I will not represent a family at Due Process. In IL, where I do all of my in-person advocacy, the process is VERY legalized. In IL, a parent needs and attorney to go to DP in my opinion. In other states, DP is more as it was intended: a non-legalized way to settle disputes and keep families and SDs OUT OF COURT. In urban areas, it has not worked out that way. It is also my belief that an advocate can sometimes get a better IEP than an attorney, although I know several attorneys in Chicago who were teachers before they went to law school and they, of course, can write good IEPs also. Bottom line is if you do not know your rights, the SD will walk all over you. The squeaky wheel gets the grease and the purpose of this section of the Board is to help people learn how to squeak effectively. I do not think ANYONE should go to an IEP meeting alone and followed my own advice. I took my husband, who knew nothing about the law, but he too diligent notes, was dressed in a suit, and looked sufficiently intimidating to keep the meeting a bit balanced He was also very good at listening and picking up internal contradictions: person A says one thing and it is contradicted by person B a half an hour later. I always thought that there was a good deal of sexism operating: the SD tended to defer to my husband over me because I handled all the day-to day stuff and was therefore, "just a mom." RE: your situation. I think your SD is grossly violating the law: the distinction between "mental health" and behavior is false. I would call having a "safe place" or a "safe person" a mental health service. I train grad students to provide mental health services in schools. There is NO prohibition vs mental health services UNLESS they are provided by a physician. Medical services may be provided at SD expense ONLY for diagnostic purposes. You should have an IEP that addresses your child's special needs. The purpose of special education is to provide enough support for (most) children to make progress in the Gen Ed curriculum. Further, SpEd is supposed to help students attain independence as adults. That goal is not being met for EBD students very well. I think you need to stop believing what the SD says is the law and find out what the law actually says. Why parents make effective advocates, despite their lack of objectivity about their own child, is BECAUSE NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE CHILD AS MUCH AS THE PARENT. Martie [/QUOTE]
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