Becoming Your Child's Best Advocate (Part 1)

Parents know their children best! But, many parents wish they knew more to help them better advocate for their child at school. Learn tips from the experts in this episode of Thriving Special Families.

Robin Driver
Is a Special Education Advocate and Autism mom. After Robin's son was diagnosed with Autism, she dove deep into all things Autism, including underlying medical issues that her son was going through. Out of everything she was learning, Special Education Law and Advocacy excited Robin the most, because it was a real tangible way to make changes that would lead to progress. She went on to learn more about Special Education Law, by attending the University of San Diego for their Special Education Law Advocacy program, receiving her first Advocacy Certificate in 2012. Robin later went back in 2019 to USD for their updated Special Education Law Advocacy program, and her second Advocacy Certificate. Now, she assists families in Southern California and remotely in Utah currently.

As a parent of a special needs child, Robin knows all too well how it feels when districts try to put your child in a cookie cutter program that is not suited for their individual needs. When working with families, it’s always her goal to teach families their rights, best practices, how to research, etc- as much as possible -during the process, so that if they ever need advocacy again, and don’t have immediate access, they will know where to start on their own. Advocacy is a roadmap to progress, and it is Robin’s biggest passion to share this with other parents. You can contact Robin at rdriveradvocacy@gmail.com


Crystal Sanford, M.Ed., M.A. CCC-SLP
Crystal Sanford is the owner and director of Sanford Autism Consulting (https://www.sdautismhelp.com​), a consulting practice offering IEP advocacy and parent empowerment classes for fellow special needs families throughout the U.S. Crystal specializes in supporting fellow families impacted by Autism, as well as other unique challenges such as learning disabilities and ADHD. To learn more about IEP assistance and help advocating for the special education your child deserves, contact Crystal at info@sdautismhelp.com.

Want to work with Crystal? Here's how: Monthly Conference: California Regional Center families can attend our Crystal Clear IEP Conference, offered monthly on Saturdays. Typically there is no cost to families. Please contact your service coordinator to confirm and register here.

1-1 with Crystal: Schedule a strategic IEP Action Planning meeting with Crystal. Bring your top 1-2 IEP concerns and leave with a comprehensive plan for your success! Mention "TSF show" and receive the special guest rate of only $67. Click here.

IEP Advocacy: Crystal can serve as your personal powerhouse as an advocate in your IEP meetings. Learn more by clicking here.