What does being a good Advocate mean?

As a parent to a Child that needs extra help and support at school, attending IEP meetings to make sure certain supports and services are in place, helping with the school work and homework sent home to be completed...it seems learning to be a good Advocate is looked upon by those very people that are part of our IEP meetings, they look at us as 'confrontational'...now why is that? Isn't being a good Advocate mean you are working to make sure your Child receives or will receive certain supports to be successful at school and beyond? Why would a school professional come out and say, “they want to work with us, but that we are being confrontational” because we are pushing to have our Child receive 'something'...an evaluation that hasn't been done in over 3 years, or a communication device because our Child doesn't have clear speech and most don't understand what they are saying? Why wouldn't 'the IEP team' want to make sure everyone can understand what a student is communicating and then NOT recommend that Child have an articulation evaluation or an Assistive Technology assessment? If a Child needs help with being able to write even their name and they are beyond the typical age to be able to so, why wouldn't Occupational Therapy services be a top priority and be given more than just the minimum of 1 -1/2hr. OT session? If a student can't 'chew food' because they have had a feeding tube for the first 5 years of their life and the students medical doctor writes a letter of recommendation that the school provide some sort of feeding training for the Child since they spend approximately 6 hours a day at school, (eating a breakfast, 2 snack times and a lunch) yet the 'IEP team' say they provide the “'educational vs. medical model for OT, S/L and PT Therapy”. But on the other hand, outside of the IEP meeting we can talk about 'Medicaid Therapy services' being provided while at school and then be denied that too! I don't get all this running in circles to get certain supports and services that are what is needed for our Children to be successful!

Being the parent first off and then trying to advocate for your Child to receive the very supports and services that the schools and programs should be providing and then to have much it denied or only be providing the most minimal of supports...and parents are considered 'confrontational' because they are fighting for what their Child needs? I think parents are rising up and standing up to the IEP team members that are not really working with the parents as a valued IEP team member and saying we're not going to take it anymore, my Child does need this or that!

Parents today are better educated and have more information available to them at their fingertips, thru the internet, support groups and other parents and Advocates walking in the same shoes of trying to get quality IEP documents written up for their Children. Parents are rising up and becoming good Advocates for their Children!  

Parents...sign up for those trainings and get connected to the different support groups and with other families, websites and conferences that are only going to help make you a better and stronger Advocate for YOUR CHILD at that next IEP meeting you attend!