Public schools have many great resources for children with special needs and, let’s be honest, public school educators are some of the most hard working and caring professionals out there. But what happens when you feel like your child’s needs are not being met? To answer that question, we invited Suzanne Flax to one of our “Lunch and Learns” to talk to us about her work as a Special Education Advocate and Consultant.

Suzanne is a speech-language pathologist with over 30 years of experience advocating for children with special needs in the public school system. She has worked with many families in both suburban and urban school systems. In this role, she works closely with families to help them ensure that their child’s needs are being met by their school.

When a family contacts Suzanne, she becomes their ally, confidant and superhero sidekick. She begins by meeting them, listening to their concerns, and building trust. She then accompanies them to all meetings with the school, where she acts as a mediator and translator, providing a clear and open dialogue between the family and the school. She summarizes every meeting and states what the child’s services should look like.

So when is an education advocate needed?

When: Parents do not understand their rights/Feel like their voice is not being heard

When: The educational program does not meet the child’s needs

When: Aspects of the IEP are not being met

The child is: not progressing the same as his/her peers

The child is: not getting the support he/she needs to access the curriculum

The child is: facing suspension

Suzanne’s work is so important to children’s success. Her goal is to help children get the support they need to access the curriculum, while maintaining a positive relationship between parents and the school.

You can contact Suzanne Flax, MS, CCC at 617-962-2154 or sflaxslp@gmail.com