Hi @A MyAutismTeam Member, I was looking for an advocate because the Speech therapist said that our son can only make the goal at 70% by the end of the year. We can not really measure and know if he has the skill if the criteria is less than 80%. We worked it out. Some parents use legal help to obtain the appropriate placement or more minutes. As nice and well meaning as a school team can be, they spend most of the time( from our experience) reading a report that is more like a pep talk about how great the child is and how much progress he is making (sales pitch to the school district) Some parents want an advocate so they can be heard VS talked at. The schools are not always willing to put in the effort that we would like. It is difficult to say anything because we want to keep a nice relationship so that they are motivated to work with our child. They are only human. An advocate can speak up for us when it is difficult or it might strain the relationship.

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A MyAutis...

You are welcome.

Thank you @A MyAutismTeam Member

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A MyAutis...

Hi @A MyAutismTeam Member - this is more of an educational question for me, I hope you don't mind my asking. But I keep seeing parents and autism groups referring to needing attorneys or advocates. Without sharing anything you feel is too private or personal, why do parents of kiddos with ASD generally need to explore hiring them? I'm just not sure if that's something I need to consider as well!

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A MyAutis...