You are your child’s best advocate. Effective advocacy is a learned skill and one that can make a
positive difference in services for your child with special needs. Effective advocacy involves these
seven skills:
1. Taking care of yourself
2. Learning about your child’s special needs
3. Learning about systems and laws that support families
4. Preparing, organizing and planning for meetings
5. Building your communication skills
6. Understanding yourself and others by getting perspective
7. Contributing to creative problem solving