An advocate is a professional who helps parents of special needs students obtain special education services. An advocate is usually not a lawyer but rather someone who has learned through personal experience how the IEP process is supposed to work. For parents struggling to get their child special education services, an advocate can be a first step before hiring a lawyer. The advocate may sit in on IEP meetings with the parents.
See more special education terms, or click the links at the top for a full list of education terms.