New Jersey Special Education Advocate
FOR ALL OF NEW JERSEY
Are you ready to get your child the help they need?
We help you navigate through the special education maze.
Get us on your team!
Contact us for a free call to determine suitability.
Find our more: Your Child
YOUR CHILD
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I’ve been there.
As a parent, parent group leader, and advocate.
As a parent, parent group leader, and advocate.
I’ve seen otherwise happy kids come home from school frustrated or upset (see warning signs).
Avoiding reading or homework. Getting into trouble. Leaving class. Acting “sick”.
Avoiding reading or homework. Getting into trouble. Leaving class. Acting “sick”.
At first my wife handled it. She grew exasperated.
She begged me to come to a school meeting.
We requested a formal evaluation, but were denied.
She begged me to come to a school meeting.
We requested a formal evaluation, but were denied.
Like you, I did the research. On the internet. Talked to other parents.
The terminology was confusing. The process – exhausting.
Once we got the evals (Difficulty/Diagnosis), they were difficult to understand.
The more I learned, the more I need to know.
The terminology was confusing. The process – exhausting.
Once we got the evals (Difficulty/Diagnosis), they were difficult to understand.
The more I learned, the more I need to know.
We heard lots of explanations why everything was fine – but it wasn’t.
“Every child is different”. “They’ll catch up”. “They’ll grow out of it”. “We’re providing lots of support”.
Unfortunately, my kids were not getting what they needed.
“Every child is different”. “They’ll catch up”. “They’ll grow out of it”. “We’re providing lots of support”.
Unfortunately, my kids were not getting what they needed.
When they actually got what they needed, it was magic.
With the right interventions, my frustrated kids closed the gap, built skills and gained confidence.
I sought help from a professional advocate so I could help my kids.
Now, I’ll help you and your kids.
With the right interventions, my frustrated kids closed the gap, built skills and gained confidence.
I sought help from a professional advocate so I could help my kids.
Now, I’ll help you and your kids.
WARNING SIGNS
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The most common reasons parents (we’re including guardians including grandparents) seek help for their child, by age:
Items in italics require urgent attention. Contact us immediately.
Any Age
Your child is unable to pay attention, especially during remote or hybrid learning.
Your child is not benefiting from remote learning, e.g. won’t log-in or logs-in but “tunes out."
The District is not complying with the child's 504 or IEP plan.
You don’t trust what the District is telling you.
You are concerned with accuracy, credibility or completeness of what you are being told by professionals.
Teacher(s) and/or private tutors have expressed concern about your child’s progress.
Your child has been referred for evaluation or to, or is in an intervention program, including I&RS (Intervention and Referral Services), BSI/ASP/RTI (Basic Skills, Academic Support or Response to Intervention programs), 504 Plan, IHP (individual Health Plan), or IEP (Individualized Education Plan).
You've requested an evaluation, BSI/I&RS plan, IEP or 504 plan and no meeting has been scheduled or the request was denied.
You don't feel your child has made meaningful progress in one or more areas, including academic, social or emotional learning, small or gross motor skills, speech and language.
Your child is being unfairly excluded from classes or events including school sports.
Your child is or has been suspended, received many detentions, or is being expelled.
Your child has been denied a program or services that you feel you are entitled to.
You want to file complaint or lawsuit against the school staff or District
The school has filed a complaint (including CP&P, formerly DYFS) or a due process petition against you.
You or your child has been discriminated against, bullying/harassed, intimidated or retaliated against by other students or District personnel. Bullying or harassment can include verbal and/or physical abuse.
Your child has been removed from school, told not to return to school, without due process and no clear path for return.
You have been required to get a mental health (psychiatric) clearance for your child, or you've been forced to pay for the mental health clearance, your child has been refused to allow to return to school after being cleared, or you child has been placed on home instruction.
Home Instruction was not provided or refused, not provided for all subjects and related services in a 504 plan or IEP, is being provided less than 10 hours/week, does not include related services in their IEP like speech/O-T/P-T/counseling/ABA, does not include a proper Home Instruction Plan (IPP), is not being provided by special education teachers for areas designated by the IEP, or didn't start within 5 days of the school receiving a home instruction request signed by an MD or an IEP with designating home instruction.
Your child has had unexcused absences for 10 or more days in a school year, not including vacation.
You have had a truancy threatened or filed by the school against you or your child.
Your child is being excessively restrained, secluded, or is coming home with bruises or unexplained physical injuries.
You've disagree with an IEP recently issued that contains, e.g. a reduction in services or move to a more restrictive environment (e.g. home instruction, out of district school, self-contained classes) than you feel is necessary.
Age 0-3
Your child is not developing per standard milestones, e.g. delayed speech
Your child has been diagnosed with one or more disability, e.g. by a M.D., learning consultant or psychologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, or speech pathologist.
Your child is in or recently exited an Early Intervention Program (EIP).
Age 3-5 (Pre-school and Kindergarten)
Your child is displaying unusual behavior in or around school, e.g. anxious/crying, withdrawn, eloping (leaving class), doing poorly, lacks friends, inattentive, hyperactive, aggressive/acting out.
Age 6-21 (Grade School, Middle School and High School, Grades 1-12)
Any of the items above
Your child is not keeping up with peers, e.g. poor class or standardized (e.g. PARCC/NJSLA, Linkit, STAR) test scores, below average reading levels, unusual behavior with homework or home, a drop of at least one letter grade over two or more semesters in one or more subjects.
In-class or other interventions, e.g. Tutoring, I&RS (Intervention & Referral Services), BSI (Basic Skills Instruction), IHP (Individual Health Plan), IEP (Individual Education Plan) do not seem to be effective.
Your child has been diagnosed with one or more disabilities or is “classified”.
Your child is being graduated despite lack of skills to continue into post-secondary education, get a job, live independently, or your child needs an age 18-21 transition or life skills program.
Your Age 14+ child has an inappropriate or meaningless transition plan.
DIFFICULTY/ DIAGNOSIS
More than 20% of children are estimated to have some sort of difficulty or learning difference that interferes with their academic, social or emotional progress in school. Sometimes the difficulty is not diagnosed or may be minimized (e.g. “every child is different”, “your child will grow out of it”).
Some difficulties qualify as a “disability” due to their nature or severity. While many parents don’t like the term, if your child has a disability, he/she may be eligible for extra assistance from the school that can help them academically, emotionally or socially.
We’ll help you understand how to get a correct diagnosis, understand the criteria for assistance and figure out how they apply to your child. While your child will not “grow out “ of a true disability, effective accommodations and services help the child access the school’s program.
The most common difficulties are “hidden,” meaning they not obvious by looking at the child for a short time. Often children exhibit one or more of these (“co-morbid”):
ADHD: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (includes ADD). Child has difficulty focusing or concentrating especially on more demanding tasks (inattentive type), has signs of being “Hyper” (can’t sit still, excessive motion) or both (combined type).
Autism Spectrum Disorder: (ASD, includes Asperger’s Syndrome): Child has ongoing social weaknesses, including difficulty interacting with others including maintaining eye contact; repetitive behaviors, limited and often intense interests; sensory issues (unusual reaction to stimuli) and one or more of the other difficulties on this page.
Emotional: Child exhibits emotional or behavioral symptoms e.g. of anxiety (including school refusal, social anxiety, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), oppositional or defiant (ODD), obsessive or compulsive (OCD)., depression including suicidal ideation or attempts .
Language: Child may separately have delayed or limited expressive language (talking), receptive language (understanding spoken language) or pragmatic language (use of language in social situations, e.g. “getting the joke”, body language and tone).
Learning Disability: Child has difficulty with reading, writing or arithmetic/math, including dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia. In New Jersey, schools often use a severe discrepancy (between intelligence as measured by IQ and academic achievement) for the child to be made eligible for special education (“classified”) for this condition.
Speech: Speech is sometimes used interchangeability with language (see above), because they are both usually treated with speech/language therapy. Child may not be speaking or has limited or delayed speech (including apraxia), is not fluent, does not produce speech sounds correctly/hard to understand (articulation), talks too loud or too softly, or stutters.
Social Skills: Child has difficulty interacting or communicating with others, e.g. relating to other children, playing or working in groups, lacks friends.
Twice Exceptional (or 2E). A child that has one or more of the difficulties on this page but is also gifted in one or more areas, and may have an above average or even genius IQ.
Some difficulties are more “physical” and therefore sometimes more apparent:
Hearing/Auditory Processing: Child could be hard of hearing in one or both ears, deaf, or may have difficulty distinguishing voices in a noisy environment (including decoding audio processing disorder-DAPD).
Small or Gross Motor Skills: Child may have difficulty in drawing, writing or other small motor skills (or receiving Occupational Therapy) or gross motor skills (e.g. walking, sitting, standing) that inhabit participation in school activities including gym and extra-curricular activities like sports.
Other difficulties: include poor vision (including blindness) or visual tracking, development disabilities (e.g. Fragile X Syndrome, Down syndrome, Pervasive Development disorders (PDD), Fetal Alcohol syndrome, Cerebral Palsy (CP), Intellectual Disability; Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI); Tourette’s Syndrome, Body Disymorphic Disorder (BDD), Gender Dysphoria, Hearing Loss.
YOU
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Raising a typical child is hard enough; you are probably spending extra time, money and effort helping a child who has more than typical difficulties. Sometimes the child needs so much extra time that it becomes stressful, and may affect your health, earnings, job, or relationship with your spouse and other children.
Parents frequently are concerned with one or more of the following:
Lost wages or jobs. One or both parents often spend an inordinate amount of time and money on resolving their children's educational concerns. often parents lost paid hours of work, are under pressure from their employers to spend less time on their child's education, have to downgrade their jobs to part-time or quit their jobs in order to care for their child. We can help you reduce the time you spend on ensuring your child receives an appropriate education.
Lost wages or jobs. One or both parents often spend an inordinate amount of time and money on resolving their children's educational concerns. often parents lost paid hours of work, are under pressure from their employers to spend less time on their child's education, have to downgrade their jobs to part-time or quit their jobs in order to care for their child. We can help you reduce the time you spend on ensuring your child receives an appropriate education.
Cost of private services. Parents often spend signifiant, sometimes enormous expense to handle what the school should be provding. This includes evaluations, tutoring or private schools, related services (speech services, occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling) . We can help you reduce and sometimes recover these expenses and get the school to pay for some or all of these going forward
Expense of Advocacy. Parents are concerned about spending money on education advocacy without proportional results. We help you prioritize and take effective action within your means and capacity.. We help you economically get your child the accommodations & services they need to become more confident, keep up with their peers, interact with adults and other children more effectively, stay or become willing to go to participate and go school. We strive to do this in the most economical way consistent with a reasonable probability of getting the results you want. We would love to educate you on how to properly advocate for your child so you can reduce and/or eliminate our services.
Stigma. Parents and their children are often concerned with the emotional and social effect on their cihld of being pulled from classes with their friends and peers. We help you learn to how to deal with your (and for older children, their child’s) concern that your child will be identified, teased, etc. if they get extra help.
Getting Along. Parents are concerned that the presence of an advocate will cause conflict with the school, often believing that they have a "good relationship" even though their child is not getting the programs, services, accommoations that they need. Sometimes they are told that advocates will hurt their relatinship with the school, that the school will be forced to bring their attorney to meetings and other nonsenset. We help you assertively advocate for your and your child’s rights and collaborate to improve your relationship with your school and District while getting what's needed for your child.
Guilt. Parents often are lead to believe, or feel guilty that they are not being good Moms or Dad's or have failed their children. We help you overcome doubts in order to effectively advocate for your child.
Confusion, Intimidation and Frustration: Parents are often overwhelmed with the process and terminology for 504, IEP, IHP, Disciplinary Action and feel like the learning curve is steep and endless. We patiently educate you with the process and terminology for handling a child with a disability, the 504 and special education process including how to deal with meetings with ½ dozen or more school personnel.
Stigma. Parents and their children are often concerned with the emotional and social effect on their cihld of being pulled from classes with their friends and peers. We help you learn to how to deal with your (and for older children, their child’s) concern that your child will be identified, teased, etc. if they get extra help.
Getting Along. Parents are concerned that the presence of an advocate will cause conflict with the school, often believing that they have a "good relationship" even though their child is not getting the programs, services, accommoations that they need. Sometimes they are told that advocates will hurt their relatinship with the school, that the school will be forced to bring their attorney to meetings and other nonsenset. We help you assertively advocate for your and your child’s rights and collaborate to improve your relationship with your school and District while getting what's needed for your child.
Guilt. Parents often are lead to believe, or feel guilty that they are not being good Moms or Dad's or have failed their children. We help you overcome doubts in order to effectively advocate for your child.
Confusion, Intimidation and Frustration: Parents are often overwhelmed with the process and terminology for 504, IEP, IHP, Disciplinary Action and feel like the learning curve is steep and endless. We patiently educate you with the process and terminology for handling a child with a disability, the 504 and special education process including how to deal with meetings with ½ dozen or more school personnel.
US
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Michael Flom
Your Child is Exceptional. So are we.
Michael Flom is an award-winning special education advocate, quoted in local, regional and national publications.
Compassionate. We understand what you’re going through because we’ve been there. We help you make the special education process more understandable and productive to reduce anxiety.
Responsive. We know that your child’s welfare is critical to you. We listen carefully to your needs and preferences, and respond rapidly. We can work in the background advising you or by attending meetings with your school. You and your child are important to us.
Economical. We know you have limited time and funds. We offer free initial consultations to qualified parents, competitive rates, and will apply creativity based on your ability to pay when possible. We’ll suggest free or lower cost strategies and resources, and help you choose. We work with you to minimize our time and cost. We recommend attorneys and other experts where needed and cost-effective. We cannot offer legal advice but can perform certain tasks more economically than an attorney.
Educated. We invest in extensive, continuing education – Wrightslaw, NJPA, NAMI, LDANJ, College of William and Mary Law School Special Education Institute, VLJ Student Discipline Guidance, Council of Parent Advocates and Attorneys (COPAA) to keep our skills sharp and up to date.
Experienced. We have more than 10 years successful experience in dealing with hundreds of students and Districts.
Effective. We continue to get results in a wide variety of challenging, situations, disabilities and school Districts. If your case needs more specialized expertise than we can offer, we’ll refer you. We’ve headed or participated in parent support and advocacy groups at the District, State and National levels.
Contact us for a free call to determine suitability.
Click or press to learn more about our services or process or results.
RESULTS
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Below is a small sampling of what we’ve accomplished for parents, grandparents and their children.
As a parent of children with disabilities, we recognize the emotional stress, worry and sometimes heartbreak that comes from the extra demands of raising such children.
You don’t need the stress of dealing with a district that may be blaming you, using indecipherable jargon and red tape, being unresponsive, or difficult as you attempt to address your child’s needs.
We also understand that you probably have limited funds to make things right.
Our goal is to provide your child with an appropriate education at the least cost and stress to you.
We are Out of District/Private School placement specialists.
We have secured numerous commitments, mediation and settlement agreements from Districts to place students with Anxiety, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Depression, Down Syndrome, Learning Disability, LLD), school refusal and other conditions in specialty private (therapeutic, autism, multiply disabled) schools in as little as one IEP meeting.
These placements and related transportation are costly for Districts. The effort required will vary based on your District.
Normally, settlments and/or Court Orders are for only one year. However, we've secured placements up to three years that would have cost the parents about $500,000 (with transportation/bussing).
Some schools ignore or minimize the difficulties of children with common but so called “hidden” disabilities like ADHD, Dyslexia or Anxiety, refusing to identify or evaluate them, holding them back in grade, providing minimal interventions or refusing to make them eligible for special education when required.
We routinely ensure that these students are properly identified, evaluated, and receive appropriate services.
We frequently get students full individualized education programs (IEP’s) with in-class support/resource with special education teachers, small resource room classes and/or small group or 1:1 pull-outs for specialized instruction, e.g. reading.
Many parents come to us with complaints about minimal support for students, especially those with common conditions like ADHD, dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities, speech articulation or language issues.
Sometimes schools don’t provide effective or sufficiently intense interventions, or provide inadequately trained instructors who have the skills to help students progress meaningfully according to ambitious goals in light of their child’s circumstances.
We’ve secured IEP’s for these students with in-class (collaborative) support, aides, small group instruction, and pullouts by certified instructors, as appropriate, or secured reimbursement for parents for services provided at home.
A common problem that started in 2020 is children with Autism, ADHD or undiagnosed difficulties that can’t pay attention to fully remote learning and the distance part of hybrid learning therefore can’t access the instruction. These students aren’t progressing or are regressing in behavior or learning.
We are getting these students in-person instruction and related services like Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Speech and Language Services, Occupational Therapy (O/T).
Schools sometimes place students in programs they have or want, rather than what's approriate for the child.
We’ve secured a child's return to school in general education classes with just an aide and an IEP when the school removed him for months and insisted that he be placed in an out of District school.
We've secured in-District placement with an appropriate IEP when the school wanted the student moved to an out of District school.
IEP’s often have inadequate transition programs (required for students in the school year where they reach 14 years old) from high school to adult life, including further education like college, employment, or independent living. Districts have an obligation to provide services, where appropriate, to age 21.
We’ve secured proper transition plans and private out of District transition placements for such students.
We’ve made sure Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) charges, suspensions and detentions against students and truancy charges reversed or terminated.
We’ve also dealt effectively with students and parents who have been harassed, retaliated, intimidated or discriminated against by teachers and administration, including getting their children transferred to a different school.
Contact us for a free call to determine suitability.
Click or press to learn more about our process.
OUR SERVICES
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Our services include:
Securing student records (e.g. under N.J.A.C., FERPA, OPRA).
Review and interpretation of student records including evaluations and plans (e.g. I&RS, BSI, 504, IHP, IEP, report cards, disciplinary reports, standardized tests, medical, psychological assessments, transition plans)
Securing District and District-paid or parent-supplied Independent Evaluations (IEE’s) and other third party evaluations.
Getting your child eligible for special education ("classified") or a 504 and in an appropriate placement, including out of district placements.
Getting your child an appropriate plan, e.g. 504, IEP, Transition, ESY (Extended School Year) with Specific, Meaningful, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Based (S.M.A.R.T.) Goals and Objectives, Appropriate Services, Parent Training, Accommodations, and Modifications,
Reviewing progress and determining the need for updates to plans.
Preparing or helping prepare, requesting or filing or participating in observations, formal requests, resolution meetings, mediations, due process, board of ed (including HIB), state (complaint investigations, Commissioner Complaints), US DOE or US DOJ OCR, ADA, Federal District Court, NJ LAD and OPRA complaints as required. Some activities require that we work under or refer you to an attorney.
Referrals to evaluators, teachers, agencies, tutors & attorneys where required.
Getting disciplinary actions including removals, suspensions or HIB (as perpetrator) charges shortened, reduced or reversed;
Managing discrimination, harassment, intimidation and retaliation incuding HIB complaints under various laws
Developing and advocating common (systemic) parents concerns or issues through Superintendent’s and Boards of Education or helping with the formation or operation of parents groups (support, PTA/PTO, Special Education Parent Advisory Committees/Parent Teacher Groups (SEPAC’s, SEPTA’s, SEPTO’s).
Contact us for a free call to determine suitability.
Click or press to learn more about our process.
OUR PROCESS
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Our Process
Our process is customized for your and your child’s situation. Key elements of a typical process include:
We can do almost everything an attorney can do at a fraction of the price. However, we are non-attorney advocates. We cannot provide legal advice, but if needed we can recommend those that do.
Initial Consultation. This no charge, brief meeting helps us understand your child’s situation. We determine whether we are a mutual fit. Services after initial meeting, or for an extended meeting, are availablefor a reasonable hourly fee.
We are professional advocates. If you cannot afford a professional, or if you are looking for free advice, please let us know and we will refer you.
Intake. We request and review key documentation and a statement of your and your child issues, and concerns. We develop and share with you an analysis of our findings, a suggested list of objectievs, a strategy to achieve them, and as appropriate, an action plan and estimate for the next steps
Requests and Responses. We draft or help you write requests and responses to the school as appropriate, e.g. for evaluations, IEP’s, complaints or other actions.
Meetings: We assist or lead and represent you at all school District meetings. To eliminate travel time, we can meet anywhere in NJ via audio or video conference.
Follow-up. Follow-up is critical to help ensure continued results. We check with you as needed, e.g. every semester or annually, to make sure your child is getting the services he or she needs to succeed.
DISTRICTS
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We serve all New Jersey Districts
Remote audio and video conferencing is available to eliminate travel costs.
Zoom in (e.g. reverse pinch) to see your town/District
CONTACT US NOW
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After you fill out the form below, we’ll text or email you back to setup a time to talk. Filling out the form below enables the fastest results. Alternately, you can call (201) 374-0930. When leaving voicemail or text, be sure to provide the information in the Contact Us form below.