Educational advocate recommendations (middle/high school — not for placement)

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

I posted this in the MCPS forum, but someone commented that I may have better luck here. I’m looking for recommendations for an educational advocate familiar with MCPS, but not for school placement.

My son is in 8th grade and was diagnosed with ADHD (combined type) and an anxiety disorder about five years ago. He’s had a 504 plan since then with the typical ADHD/anxiety accommodations, but as the academic and executive functioning demands have increased, he’s been struggling more—especially anything involving writing. He’s starting to get overwhelmed at school, even in his stronger subjects, which sometimes leads to emotional meltdowns.

We just completed a full neuropsych and educational evaluation and are waiting for the final report. We definitely want to keep him in MCPS—moving him away from his friends would be really hard—but we need to figure out how he can be better supported where he is.

Right now, I feel like we don’t even know what’s possible to ask for—whether we can strengthen his 504 with more targeted accommodations or whether we should push for an IEP. I’m hoping to find someone who can walk us through the process, help interpret the testing in the school context, and guide us on what’s reasonable to request.

Most of the advocate names I’ve seen on here seem focused on placement, which isn’t what we’re looking for. If anyone has worked with an advocate who really understands MCPS and can help navigate the 504/IEP process, I’d be so grateful for your recommendations.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Many of the advocates posted on this forum help with more than just placement. Reach out to the Special Kids Company, WEG, Monica Martinez, Michelle Davis, or others who are often recommended.

[Anonymous]

I've seen Liz Capone, Monica Martinez, and WEG mentioned a lot lately on here.

[Anonymous]

I've used Rich Weinfeld (WEG) for 2 quite different kids. He was able to both advocate for IEP and/or 504 services and also be honest with us about what the school was capable of providing (i.e. things they were legally obliged to do, but were basically going to be incompetent at).

You said you're not looking at placement. We didn't ask about placement either, but in the course of working with us, Rich gently changed my perspective on what my kid was capable of (far more than I understood), why it was best to educate to strengths (while also addressing weaknesses) and encouraged moves to 2 quite different types of educational environments for the same child at different time points - a child who has ADHD Inattentive, with some anxiety/mood/frustration, and language processing and dysgraphia issues, so one who sounds a bit similar to your DC.

[Anonymous]

There were some advocates recommended on MCPS board: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1301207.page
Monica Martinez, Liz Capone, Jen Richotte, Michelle Davis