Eight years ago I moved my law practice from bankruptcy to special education. I had a personal reason for this. A few years prior to that shift, my second son was diagnosed with Autism. Right after accepting the challenge of the Autism diagnosis, I engulfed myself in discovering everything I could about Autism, special education advocacy, regional center services, and whatever support groups existed. What I learned could fill a publication, but here are the key elements that I think are valuable for parents seeking assistance with special education advocacy.
The most significant thing is to believe that your child is going to be much more capable of achievements than anyone would believe is possible. Set and keep the bar high for your child and make the special education professionals see your son/daughter as a child first, the Autism label should be secondary. This perspective will help you persevere when you are being told there is no funding, classrooms, and/or personnel/services available to help your child. It is the tenacity of parents that provides results in meeting their children