Many parents of children with ADHD work with school districts to develop accommodations and modifications to help their child succeed in school. Often, these efforts work well. Whether through an Individualized Educational Program, Section 504 or an informal agreement, parents, teachers and school administration come together on a regular basis and create a plan of action to help children in the classroom and at home.

Sometimes, however, these efforts don’t work out. Parents may be unhappy with accommodations the school is offering or the school may believe the parents are being unreasonable in their requests. In these cases, an educational advocate may be helpful.

An educational advocate works with parents and the students to assist in procuring services and accommodations for the student. Advocates often attend meetings, evaluate what obstacles may be standing in the way of success for the student, suggest strategies parents can use at home, monitor progress and help to hold the school accountable for following the law and maintaining services.

Your school has denied a request for modifications or your school is denying a specific service you had requested.

Although schools do not necessarily need to give in to every request made by parents on behalf of children with special needs, if a service or modification has been denied and you believe it is essential to your child’s success, you may consider discussing the matter with an advocate.

You do not have the time to be your child’s advocate

All of us are busy, we have jobs, families and many other responsibilities in life. Sometimes, these responsibilities and commitments may interfere with our ability to advocate for our child. If this is the case, hiring an advocate to take charge may be a good thing. Having an advocate to complete the research, write up requests, follow up on modifications and complete additional work with your school can save you both time and energy, allowing you to concentrate on other needs of your family.