Placement Consultation and College Counseling
Does your child need a higher level of support other than what the school district can provide?
Your Child May Be Entitled to More Than the Public School Is Offering.
When the current placement is not working, Ask the Advocate helps families identify the right level of support, understand what the school district is legally required to provide, and navigate the process of securing it.
What We Do:
At Ask the Advocate, our mission is to identify the most suitable resources and support systems for individuals with unique needs. We work closely with families to:
Assess Needs: Evaluate the specific needs and challenges each individual faces.
Review Existing Supports: Examine the support structures already in place and their effectiveness.
Make Informed Recommendations: Suggest targeted solutions and placements that best address identified needs.
Most families reach this point after months or years of watching their child struggle in a setting that was never built for them.
The school says the current program is appropriate. The progress reports show goals being met.
And still, something is not right.
A student who needs a therapeutic environment, a residential program, or an out-of-district placement may not always access it through the standard IEP process. Districts have every incentive to keep students in-district. Families often do not know what their options are, what the district is legally required to consider, or how to make the case for a different placement.
That is where this work begins.
Placement consultation is not a matching service.
It is advocacy with a specific goal.
Maureen reviews your child's full record, identifies the gaps between what the current program provides and what the documentation shows your child actually needs, and helps you build the case for a placement that reflects that reality.
That work includes:
Reviewing current and prior IEPs, evaluations, assessments, and progress data
Identifying whether the current placement meets the legal standard for a free appropriate public education
Researching appropriate therapeutic programs, residential settings, and out-of-district placements
Building the documentation the district will need to see in order to consider an alternative placement
Attending IEP and placement meetings to present the case directly
Drafting correspondence to the district that creates a legal record
Assessing whether school district funding may be available for a private therapeutic placement
In some cases, a school district may be required to fund or contribute to the cost of a private therapeutic placement when it cannot provide a free appropriate public education in its current setting. Maureen reviews each case individually and gives families an honest read on whether that argument exists.
Professional memberships
Families reach out for placement consultation when:
Their child is not making effective progress in the current placement, and the district is not acknowledging it
The school has recommended a substantially separate program, and the family wants an independent review of whether it is the right one
Their child needs a level of therapeutic support the public school cannot provide
A therapeutic boarding school, residential treatment center, or transitional program is being considered, and the family needs guidance on what the district may be required to fund
A current private placement is in place, and the family wants to understand their rights around district reimbursement
Students served ranged from early elementary through the transition to college. Maureen works with families navigating a wide range of needs, including learning differences, emotional and behavioral challenges, autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, anxiety, school refusal, and complex presentations that cross multiple diagnostic categories.
Types of programs Ask the Advocate works with families to evaluate:
NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS
Outpatient therapy, day treatment, intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, and community-based mentoring and counseling. These programs allow a student to remain at home while receiving a higher level of clinical support than a traditional school setting provides.
THERAPEUTIC BOARDING SCHOOLS
Residential academic programs that integrate therapeutic programming with accredited coursework. Designed for students who need a structured, clinically supported environment to make academic and emotional progress.
RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTERS
Intensive residential programs for students whose needs require a higher level of clinical oversight, including students dealing with significant behavioral, emotional, or neurological challenges. RTCs provide around-the-clock therapeutic and academic support.
TRANSITIONAL INDEPENDENT LIVING
Programs designed to support young adults, typically ages 18 to 22, in developing the skills needed for independent living, employment, and postsecondary education. Appropriate for students who have aged out of traditional school settings but continue to need structured support.
College Counseling for Students with Disabilities
The transition to college looks different for students with an IEP, a 504 plan, or a disability that has shaped their educational experience.
Accommodations do not automatically transfer. The documentation required to access support in a college setting differs from what was required in high school. And for students with more complex needs, finding a program that is actually equipped to support them requires knowing what to look for.
Maureen holds an advanced certification from UCLA in College Counseling and has worked with students with learning challenges through the full arc of the college planning and transition process.
That work includes:
Identifying college programs with strong support structures for students with disabilities
Reviewing and updating documentation to meet college disability services requirements
Guiding families through the transition from an IEP to a college accommodation plan
Supporting students in self-advocacy as they move into a postsecondary setting
Ready to find the right path for your child?
If the current placement is not working and you are not sure what your options are, the right starting point is a 30-minute strategy session. Maureen will review what you have, tell you honestly what she sees, and give you a clear picture of what the next step looks like.