Am I naive to question if we need an educational advocate?

[Anonymous]

We're going from private to MCPS for highschool. My son has an IEP (basically, he goes to a small school and supports are just part of what they all get) and I completed all of the paperwork for MCPS. I keep reading about people hiring educational advocates to get their kids the supports they need but is that really necessary?

[Anonymous]

What supports are you receiving at your current private that you would like to continue receiving?

[Anonymous]

No. The vast majority of families whose kids have IEPs do not hire anyone. My son is a senior in MCPS. He had an IEP from K-11th and then a 504 for this year. We never had to fight for any service or accommodation. 3 reasons:
1. His needs are obvious, and made more so by well written neurospychological reports from the reputable psychology group Stixrud, whose psychologists know how to write in MCPS-speak.
2. We asked for entirely reasonable accommodations, never for something outlandish.
3. We carefully targeted which MCPS schools: moved inbounds for Bethesda ES at first, then requested special placement in a program in the neighboring cluster for middle and high school.

[Anonymous]

He has ADHD and is on the spectrum. So, he is allowed extra time for tests, if he gets overwhelmed, it isn't a big deal for him to step out and go to the bathroom that kind of thing. As he's aged, he doesn't really need these "extras" all that much but he's been in a small environment and a larger MCPS high school could change that...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. The vast majority of families whose kids have IEPs do not hire anyone. My son is a senior in MCPS. He had an IEP from K-11th and then a 504 for this year. We never had to fight for any service or accommodation. 3 reasons:
1. His needs are obvious, and made more so by well written neurospychological reports from the reputable psychology group Stixrud, whose psychologists know how to write in MCPS-speak.
2. We asked for entirely reasonable accommodations, never for something outlandish.
3. We carefully targeted which MCPS schools: moved inbounds for Bethesda ES at first, then requested special placement in a program in the neighboring cluster for middle and high school.

Thank you for this. I found it hard to believe that it was something that was almost required but it often reads as though it is, on DCUM!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. The vast majority of families whose kids have IEPs do not hire anyone. My son is a senior in MCPS. He had an IEP from K-11th and then a 504 for this year. We never had to fight for any service or accommodation. 3 reasons:
1. His needs are obvious, and made more so by well written neurospychological reports from the reputable psychology group Stixrud, whose psychologists know how to write in MCPS-speak.
2. We asked for entirely reasonable accommodations, never for something outlandish.
3. We carefully targeted which MCPS schools: moved inbounds for Bethesda ES at first, then requested special placement in a program in the neighboring cluster for middle and high school.

With all due respect, with the exception of being in FCPS, our situation was exactly the same as yours but we needed an advocate. Our Stixrud report, which I obtained thru an IEE, recommended even more than what we were asking for. Yet, the school team said the knew our son better and disagreed with the recommendations. I had to file a state complaint in order to receive what any reasonable person could see our DS needed. This was in ES.

Prior to the state complaint, we tried for two years to get the support our DS needed - which were not outlandish at all, just not cookie cutter. Just because you experienced no roadblocks doesn't mean other parents were unreasonable. In MS, we no longer needed an advocate because the school team was reasonable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He has ADHD and is on the spectrum. So, he is allowed extra time for tests, if he gets overwhelmed, it isn't a big deal for him to step out and go to the bathroom that kind of thing. As he's aged, he doesn't really need these "extras" all that much but he's been in a small environment and a larger MCPS high school could change that...

Those needs would be met by a 504. An IEP requires a need for specialized instruction as well as supports and accommodations. In MCPS, the accommodation of stepping out is a flash pass.

[Anonymous]

PP here. We never used an advocate or an attorney. I have two kids that needed IEPs, one of whom was in a non mainstream program. Most people don’t use advocates or attorneys.

[Anonymous]

Agree, our MCPS kid had similar dx and supports, and it was a 504 not an IEP.

Make sure early in freshman year of HS you have counselor apply for extra time to college board (for AP and SAT) and for ACT. The sooner you request, the easier it is to get.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. The vast majority of families whose kids have IEPs do not hire anyone. My son is a senior in MCPS. He had an IEP from K-11th and then a 504 for this year. We never had to fight for any service or accommodation. 3 reasons:
1. His needs are obvious, and made more so by well written neurospychological reports from the reputable psychology group Stixrud, whose psychologists know how to write in MCPS-speak.
2. We asked for entirely reasonable accommodations, never for something outlandish.
3. We carefully targeted which MCPS schools: moved inbounds for Bethesda ES at first, then requested special placement in a program in the neighboring cluster for middle and high school.

With all due respect, with the exception of being in FCPS, our situation was exactly the same as yours but we needed an advocate. Our Stixrud report, which I obtained thru an IEE, recommended even more than what we were asking for. Yet, the school team said the knew our son better and disagreed with the recommendations. I had to file a state complaint in order to receive what any reasonable person could see our DS needed. This was in ES.

Prior to the state complaint, we tried for two years to get the support our DS needed - which were not outlandish at all, just not cookie cutter. Just because you experienced no roadblocks doesn't mean other parents were unreasonable. In MS, we no longer needed an advocate because the school team was reasonable.

+1 The question isn't really do most people need an advocate. The question is if YOU need one. People have radically different experiences wiht special education, not just within a system but sometimes within the same school. If you belive your child is receiving a FAPE, then you don't need one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. The vast majority of families whose kids have IEPs do not hire anyone. My son is a senior in MCPS. He had an IEP from K-11th and then a 504 for this year. We never had to fight for any service or accommodation. 3 reasons:
1. His needs are obvious, and made more so by well written neurospychological reports from the reputable psychology group Stixrud, whose psychologists know how to write in MCPS-speak.
2. We asked for entirely reasonable accommodations, never for something outlandish.
3. We carefully targeted which MCPS schools: moved inbounds for Bethesda ES at first, then requested special placement in a program in the neighboring cluster for middle and high school.

BUT - you had a Stixrud report.
We started through the report the school provided not realizing that there were differences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. The vast majority of families whose kids have IEPs do not hire anyone. My son is a senior in MCPS. He had an IEP from K-11th and then a 504 for this year. We never had to fight for any service or accommodation. 3 reasons:
1. His needs are obvious, and made more so by well written neurospychological reports from the reputable psychology group Stixrud, whose psychologists know how to write in MCPS-speak.
2. We asked for entirely reasonable accommodations, never for something outlandish.
3. We carefully targeted which MCPS schools: moved inbounds for Bethesda ES at first, then requested special placement in a program in the neighboring cluster for middle and high school.

BUT - you had a Stixrud report.
We started through the report the school provided not realizing that there were differences.

PP you replied to. The IEP was given in K. The first Stixrud report was in 5th grade, to ask for a special program outside of the cluster.
ALL the points I listed were necessary at various times. In K, what helped was moving to be in bounds for Bethesda ES, which has a great reputation for SN, and showing them the Child Find and developmental pediatrician evaluations. This is a kid who had issues from birth, so were was a LONG paper trail that was impossible to ignore.

North Bethesda MS and Walter Johnson HS were great at keeping the IEP until 12th, when they gave him a 504 as a transition towards college. Right now he only needs double time. He has another Stixrud eval due soon to get extended time in college.

Basically we turned our life around for this kid. We would never have paid for Bethesda real estate otherwise!
He has had a great education, is more functional than we ever thought he could become, and is going to a good college, so it was worth it.

[Anonymous]

It's true that most people don't but it's the best money I've spent on my kid as far as ROI. It's an investment at first but once you are up and running the subsequent years are minimal. If you have enough money to have paid for private all those years and are able to there's no downside.

[Anonymous]

You won’t need one as long as you’re familiar with IEP Law.

[Anonymous]

I knew Ed law but couldn’t get one without an advocate.