Advocacy

Wow. This word holds so much more meaning to me now than just a few months ago. According to Dictionary.com it means “the act of pleading for, supporting, or recommending.” Sounds pretty straight forward to me, but for a special needs child it could mean the difference between getting an education or not.

I’m very thankful that my son goes to a school district that embraces special needs children. They’re not perfect but they try damn hard to get kids what they need. The problem that most people have with getting their children help is that there is so much stuff to shift through. It’s very confusing to navigate if you don’t have the knowledge. And let’s face it, most of us don’t. I knew the bare minimum while Jake was in grade school and I thought it was enough. I was wrong.

I have the distinct pleasure of having a good friend who is an advocate for our state. She went to training and has the personal experience to help parents and children navigate the very confusing world of special education. Without her I would have been lost this year. Jr. high has thankfully turned out to be a lot easier for Jake in most ways. He thrives not only on the constant physical motion of his day but also on the mental motion. Academically he’s doing wonderfully. But those darned special needs keep coming back to bite us in the butt.

If you’re child has special needs and you aren’t getting the help you need for them then find someone who will help you. Don’t be afraid. There is a ton of help out there you just have to know where to look for it. You’re state website department of health should have links to get you on the right track. Or simply typing the word special needs advocate into a search engine should start you off too. What it boils down to is don’t stop looking and don’t stop asking for help until you get results. Sometimes it takes a lawyer, but I hope that it doesn’t come to that for most of you.

I hate asking for help but I’m getting better at it. Trust yourself enough to know that you can do what you need to do for your child. For some people it’s easy for others, like me, it’s a struggle. Don’t be afraid to get the answers you need for your child. Don’t be afraid to lean on others to help you with your struggles. It’s part of what makes us human beings and helps us be better people.

Here's some sites that might be of help to you. Your state should have it's own department or some non-profit groups that can help you as well.

http://www.copaa.org/

http://specialeducationadvocacy.org/default.aspx

http://www.ed-center.com/special_education_advocate