How to Prepare for an Initial Consultation
If you have booked an initial consultation with me or any special education advocate, or you are thinking about it, here is what to expect and how to get the most out of our time together.
Before we meet
If your child has an IEP or a 504 plan, send it over ahead of time. I will pull it up during our call so I can see exactly what is currently in place. That way we are not spending our time together with me asking you what’s in the plan. We can look at the real thing.
How the call works
We meet online, and you are welcome to bring your partner or another family member. A lot of parents find it helpful to have another set of ears in the room, especially if this is a stressful topic.
Once we are on the call, we talk through your situation. I have spent 16 years as a school psychologist and another 6 years advocating for families across Oregon, Washington, and beyond, so at this point I have heard just about everything. Nothing you bring to the call is going to surprise me or feel like too much.
What we focus on
This part is really up to you. Some of the most common things parents want to work through are:
Ideas for improving progress toward IEP goals. If your child is not making the progress you had hoped for, we can talk through what might be getting in the way and what to ask for.
Accommodation ideas for a 504 plan that align with your child's identified needs (I have lots of experience managing 504 plans)
How to communicate more effectively with the school team. A tool like ChatGPT can help you draft something, but working with someone who understands the school system and can help refine the language for your specific situation tends to move things along faster. Wording matters more than most people realize when it comes to getting the school district to act.
What to expect after a new diagnosis. If you are holding a new diagnosis and are not sure what happens next, we can go over the basics of what to expect from the school, how to communicate that information to the team, and how to get clinical recommendations into the plan.
I spent a long time as a public school employee, and that has not left me. I understand what staff are up against right now: overwhelm, being stretched too thin, and the growing needs of kids and families with no other safety net to catch them. Part of what I can offer is context. I can often help explain why things have played out the way they have, always starting from an assumption of positive intent on the part of teachers and staff. But I also want to give you real, practical ways to advocate for your child on your own, regardless of what is happening on the school's side.
What you walk away with
My goal for every consultation is that you leave with action steps you can take on your own, whether or not we ever work together again.
We can also talk about how my direct advocacy services work, in case that is something you are interested in down the line. I want to be upfront that this is not a sales call. That is exactly why I set aside dedicated time for it when you book, and why it comes with a fee. My focus during our call is on you and your child, not on getting you to sign up for something else.
After the call
Once we wrap up, I will send you any resources or referrals we talked about that might be helpful for your family.
I also keep the lines of communication open after that. If you need me again down the road, we can always schedule another consultation. And if you decide you want someone alongside you through the process on an ongoing basis, you can bring me onto your team as your advocate.
If you have not booked your initial consultation yet, I would love to meet you and your family and help you figure out the best next step. Schedule with me here: https://calendly.com/paulette-21/initial-consultation