ADHD and when to tell principal

[Anonymous]

OP here again -- how much time is typically required of an advocate/consultant? I'm just trying to get a handle on the overall annual costs.

[Anonymous]

20:44 here. The initial meetings will be the most expensive. Our consultant/advocate charges $250/hr. She charged us 1 hr to read all the reports/assessments we had and then 0.5 hr to meet with us and our son before the IEP meeting. The first IEP meeting with her was the longest because we had a lousy draft and the skill/knowledge level of some of the staff was low. That meeting was 4.5 hrs long plus travel time to/from the meeting which made the total cost for the first round $1,750. I know you might have some sticker shock but when we signed that IEP, we had appropriate, measurable goals, we got the service hours we wanted and I finally had some peace of mind that my child wasn't going fall through the cracks or fail. The staff were also well aware that our consultant/advocate would continue to work with us and continue to be involved. Also, that $1,750 was still about half of what we paid for in tutoring. The consultant/advocate comes to the annual review meeting with us, she doesn't charge to read any updated reports I have (at least I don't recall that she does) and the meeting are usually less than 2 hours. I don't think we've paid more than $750 since that first meeting. Part of the reason the meetings go so quickly and smoothly is the staff are well prepared ahead of time. The draft IEP is very good, they are well aware of DS's strength's and challenges and they know they're going to have to have appropriate, measurable goals ahead of time so they put a lot of time and thought into them. We also don't have to pay for tutoring anymore. While we feel it's a shame we have to have a consultant/advocate, we feel we've gotten excellent value. I can't tell you how much more peace of mind I have. It's wonderful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here again -- how much time is typically required of an advocate/consultant? I'm just trying to get a handle on the overall annual costs.

I think it's going to vary based on your goals (getting into a private school vs. getting a better IEP), but I think it will easily be upwards of $2 - $3K. That's over many months though, not all at once. And, it includes interviewing, records-review, school observation, testing, etc. I agree with the rate another PP posted, our advocate is $245/hr. As I've said elsewhere, our advocate is worth her weight in gold: not just for what she's done for my child, but for what she has done for my sanity. She changed my life, I literally started sleeping better after she was on our team.

If you're in the market for an advocate, I recommend Dr. Laura Solomon without reservation. You can reach her at: [e-mail].