Advocacy Mistake #1: Being overly dramatic. Your advocate should focus on your case with factual information rather than dramatic outbursts that waste time and destroy credibility in your case.
Advocacy Mistake #2:Being unnecessarily offensive. Some advocates mistakenly believe that bullying and insulting school staff will help their case. Not so. If anything, it just creates a negative climate for your child and makes the school assume a defensive stance rather than a helpful attitude.
Advocacy Mistake #3:Exaggerating. In most cases, investigators will uncover evidence that tells them when someone is exaggerating or being untruthful. When they do, this may make them less likely to take you seriously. Focus instead on the evidence you have that shows how the school violated your child's rights.
Advocacy Mistake #3: Making accusations that are false or that you cannot prove. If you cannot prove your case, it is unlikely that investigators can rule in your favor, regardless of how passionately you plead your case.
Advocacy Mistake #4: Making excessive and unnecessary demands for communication. Some advocates flood the school with constant communication and demands that go well beyond what is necessary to ensure your child's program is implemented. No staff could keep up in those conditions. Eventually, someone misses something, fails to respond, or makes a mistake. If anything, this strategy just stresses the already limited resources available to your child and results in poor relationships with your child's school.
Advocacy Mistake #5: Pushing for services your child does not qualify for. You may or may not get what you ask for, but for every child who gets something he doesn't really need, there is a child who doesn't get what he needs.
