Educational Advocacy

Special Education Advocate Massachusetts:

Advocacy for Families Facing Educational Challenges in Massachusetts

My job is to ensure that your child receives the specific resources he or she requires in order to learn and grow.

I bring to the table two decades of experience in negotiating with school districts to achieve successful outcomes for students across Massachusetts for advocacy and include throughout the country for therapeutic consulting.

I have consulted with parents through thousands of IEP meetings. Negotiating with the school district can be anxiety-provoking for parents who simply want what is appropriate for their child. This is where I come in.

  • B.A in Psychology from University of Massachusetts

    Masters of Science in Human Service from The University of Massachusetts.

    Certifications in College Counseling from UCLA and Certification in Mediation from Metrowest Mediation

    Certification from the Federation for Children with Special Needs in Special Education Advocacy.

    Completed several advanced legal trainings in Special Education from Suffolk Law School and Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, (MCLE)

    Completed several Wrightslaw Trainings throughout the years.

    Certified as a Mediator

Professional memberships

Meet the Founder

Founder, Advocate & Placement Consultant

Maureen is a Special Education Advocate Massachusetts with two decades of experience in the Boston area. She is dedicated to ensuring that children with special needs receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education.

Educational Advocate Massachusetts

What to expect

We begin with a one-on-one consultation to evaluate your child’s current performance.

Then we review and examine records, evaluations, assessments, developmental history, current and past education plans, report cards and progress reports.

From there I will recommend appropriate services that will meet your child’s unique profile.

Utilizing my extensive proven network, I match the needs of your child to programs, providers and schools.

We collaborate on designing the right path to best serve your child’s unique needs.

To ensure long-term success, I build an education team based on the unique strengths and challenges of your child.

Maureen Brown: Educational Advocate Massachusetts

I can help as
Special Education Advocate

  • Reviewing current performance and setting measurable goals.

  • IEP consultation and written feedback.

  • Recommendations on placement options.

  • How to build effective working relationships with your child’s team.

  • Representation at meeting(s) to convey highlights history, performance, strengths and weaknesses, vision, and concerns.

  • Drafting effective letters for school and other agencies.Identifying supports and services for students heading into college. (Maureen received an advanced certification from UCLA in College Counseling and is qualified to help support your child with Learning Challenges to successfully transition to college.)

  • Maureen was recommended to me as an Advocate from Dr. Willoughby at Mass General. She was a tremendous resource during the IEP process and having her by my side at the IEP meetings provided a great sense relief as I knew we were in good hands. One of her strengths is that she works very well with the school system and does not make the meetings more confrontational than they need to be. At one point I even had a request from one of the teachers for Maureen’s contact information because she was so impressed with her work, and wanted to pass along her information to a family member. Maureen is a pleasure to work with, I highly recommend her as a Special Education Advocate.

    ~ Katie McCormack Donnelly, Director of Human Resources at Affirmed Networks

  • “We hired Maureen as an educational advocate for my son who has Autism when we lived in the City of Boston. She was organized, professional and personable. I don’t think we could have survived the IEP process in Boston without her. Many advocates won’t even work in Boston but Maureen does so with expertise.”

    ~ Ann Rounseville, Clinical Social Worker at Children’s Hospital Boston

Knowledge is Power.

Know your
child’s rights.

I possess a comprehensive knowledge of federal and state regulations around Special Education law. I believe in the ability of parents and teachers to work together to avoid conflict and confrontation, to design the very best plan to achieve long-term success. In many cases, this can be done without resorting to legal proceedings.

My approach is always to build a case as if we are going to a hearing—with knowledge of the law, attention to detail, and all the necessary testing and documentation to justify the services we are requesting.

Know what’s
out there.

It’s important to know about the different kinds of services that are available. There is an exhaustive list and it is growing all the time. I have successfully advocated for a vast array of services, including but are not limited to:

  • Home based services

  • Parent training

  • Behavioral services

  • Device training

  • Recreational activities

  • Music therapy

Know who
to call.

I build a team around your child comprised of the best professionals in their respective fields. Within my network there are proven specialists including:

  • Neuropsychologists

  • Board Certified Behavioral Analysts (BCBA)

  • Lawyers

  • Assistive Technology Specialists

  • Augmentative Communication Specialists

  • Occupational Therapists, Feeding Specialists

  • Physical Therapists

  • Speech-Language Pathologists

Chat with me

Let’s discuss your child’s needs and how I may be able to help.