Going with a friend to her son's IEP Meeting

[TexasMom]

My friend has asked me to go with her to her son's IEP Meeting. Doesn't she need to let them know in advance? What should she call me...friend, advocate? Her son has dyslexia and was homeschooled last year but is back in public school for middle school and is already very frustrated and struggling. Several of the things are the same things I saw with my own son years ago. One of the main struggles is with long, difficult spelling lists and spelling correctly in other subjects, and note taking. With our son, I gave the school the option to actually teach him how to spell or quit requiring him to spell correctly. They chose to only require correct spelling on final copies of papers (like reports). There were a few other things we discussed that are similar and we thought that if I were at the meeting with her then I could maybe make some suggestions that could help him and not have to reconvene another meeting later to cover those things.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[michellea]

Hi TexasMom!! So glad to "see" you again!

In my state there is no requirement for a parent to notify a school about an invited friend or expert. That said, in the interest of collaboration and mutual respect, I insist that my clients notify the TEAM when I join them. As far as your "role", again I think it is important to be as truthful as possible. In your case, it seems that you are going as a friend (for support) and advisor (because you have some knowledge. How do you feel about Friend/Mentor or Friend/Advisor? I once went to my nephew's IEP as the Aunt. But it was clear from the start that I was not a typical "aunt" and I explained that I had a lot of experience with LD"s via my own children and as an advocate for others. But, in the case of my nephew, I was playing supportive/knowledgable/family member....

[TexasMom]

Good to "see" you again too! Thank you so much for the input!