My role as an advocate for children often begins following the assessment process when there is a need to work with the child's school to implement those parts of the treatment plan that require educational or behavioral interventions.

There are a number of ways that I can be helpful to families when they work with their public school personnel to develop individualized educational plans for children who have specific learning disabilities, speech and language impairments, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders or autism spectrum disorders. The following are examples of these activities:

 

	Help parents understand their child's legal rights and how they can best advocate on their child's behalf by using print and web-based resources
	Attend IEP meetings, explain the results of my independent assessment and my recommendations for accommodations or evidence-based remediation strategies
	If a dispute with a school district arises, I can recommend local advocates or attorneys who specialize in educational law
	Attend mediation meetings to ensure that an educational program meets a child's unique educational needs
	Testify regarding my findings as an independent examiner at Fair Hearing proceedings
	Provide expert witness testimony in the area of diagnostic assessment and best practice at Fair Hearing proceedings