Carrie was at risk of school failure. By 4th grade she was a non-reader. She was starting to dislike school. Carrie was suffering from embarrassment of not being able to read and not keeping up with her peers. Carrie’s mom was a single mom and was not certain how to help her daughter. Carrie had dyslexia, but the school was not willing to conduct an assessment for special education eligibility “….because her grades were ok”. Mom was uncertain how to get the school to help her daughter, so she reached out to CASE Advocates. Not only were we able to get the school to conduct an evaluation that identified the dyslexia, we were able to get her the appropriate intervention services to address her disability. Carrie is now a young adult graduated who has from college and is working on her teaching credential. She wants to become a teacher and help other students as she was helped.

Jimmy, who was in high school when parents got us involved. His grades were suffering, he was at risk of failing 9th grade. His parents knew that he struggled but could not figure out why. Jimmy was a bright child, but just did not do well in school. The District conducted an assessment and offered resource support, but this was not enough for Jimmy because he had dyslexia. Slowing down the curriculum does not remediate dyslexia. We requested the District to provide an evidence-based reading intervention program designed to remediate dyslexia. Although their program was not a program identified to remediate dyslexia the District promised it would help. Wanting to be collaborative Jimmy’s parents wanted to try their program. Sadly, by the end of 9th grade we learned that what we suspected was true, it did not help Jimmy to read. After allowing the District to implement their intervention we were now set up to get private intervention with a research-based program proven to remediate. After 160 hrs of intensive Lindamood-Bell intervention Jimmy’s reading disorder was remediated. Having found a program that worked for Jimmy we were able to get the District to reimburse the parents for what they paid for the intervention program. Years later I ran into Jimmy. What a surprise is was when he came up to me and thanked me for getting him the help he needed. As rewarding as that was, I told him his parents were the real heroes, because they never gave up on him! It is never too late to get the right intervention.

Geo, who was already on an IEP stopped going to his high school classes due to anxiety. Mom was distraught, the District was threatening to report her the School Attendance Review Board (SARB) if she didn’t get her son to school. She begged the school for help her with her son’s anxiety. Her requests fell on deaf ears. A SARB hearing was looming, that is until Consultants and Advocates for Special Education got involved. We called an IEP meeting to discuss strategies. After a few meetings we were able to persuade the District to fund a private school for Geo that could help with his anxiety. After a year of working on his confidence with a program that offered one-to-one instruction Geo was able to return to the public school setting. We are happy to report he is thriving and having a fantastic year.

Marc was a sweet boy in 4th grade. However, his autism was impacting his education. He had such severe sensory problems that he could not sit still. His teacher was frustrated and didn’t know what to do. Marc was continually sent to the principal’s office. On the playground he could not get along with other students, he would lash out when they got too close. He was being suspended on a continual basis. That is when his parents brought us onboard to be a part of his IEP team. We were able to get appropriate Occupational Therapy services to address his sensory needs and a one-to-one ABA trained aide to help with his social skills. Although Marc continues to have challenges with his autism his school experience has much improved. He is a happier little boy that is able to attend to instruction and be with his peers.

Katie was a sweet 6th grader who has Down syndrome. She is liked by her peers, she gets along with everyone. Katie learns appropriate behavior from watching her peers. Her school was concerned that Katie was performing significantly below her class academically. Parents shared that socially she was doing great, academics was not a priority for Katie. The District wanted to remove her from her gen education classroom and place her in a special day class for lower functioning students. Parents wanted full inclusion, District refused. That is until California Special Education Advocacy Group got involved. We are happy to report that our sweet little Katie is fully included in her general education class with modified curriculum. What a great experience for all students to understand that we are all different, but deserve to be treated with respect.