Disability is a label; your child has a name.

Whether you’re new to the world of special education, or you’ve been stumbling your way through for a while; we can help.

Through empathy, explanation and empowerment we will help put you and your child on the path to success.

Providing Special Education Advocacy and Consulting

Carol Silva is the founder of Guided IEP Solutions. She is the mother of 2 children, Jake (17), Adeline (15). Carol came to the world of advocacy when her oldest child Jake, was diagnosed with a severe learning disability, NVLD and ADHD at an early age. Following years of research and navigating the IEP process, two things became clear. First, most parents are ill-equipped to navigate the world of special education due to its terminology and complexity. Second, even for the most well-informed, it remains extremely difficult to stay objective while advocating for your own child. After years of learning the ins and outs of advocacy, Carol successfully won an out-of-district placement for her son. In addition to her own children, Tyler, a cousin from Virginia, came to live with Carol and her family in the spring of 2015. After years of struggling with a learning disability and dropping out of high school. Carol was able to successfully secure appropriate services for him, earning him a high school diploma in the spring of 2017.

Originally what started out as her obligation, soon became her passion. She began researching the laws dealing with special education and assisting friends and family as they advocated for their children. After seeing the success her friends and family were having as a result of her advice, she was encouraged to pursue the world of advocacy with more vigor and purpose, in an effort to create success stories for other children in need.

Carol received her formal training from the Federation for Children with Special Needs (FCSN) and ISEA at William and Mary Law School. Immediately following her formal training, she stayed on with FCSN as a regular volunteer, eventually becoming part of the PTIC program until 2020 when she left to pursue a part-time position at Wayside Youth and Family Services as a Family Support Specialist.

As she built her private practice, she remained mindful of the imbalance between the resources of the public schools against the resources of low-income families. As a result she has dedicated a portion of her practice to assisting low income families.

Today she splits her time between running support groups for parents/caregivers of children with mental health/behavioral/ADHD challenges as well as running weekly IEP Clinics for Wayside as well as working privately advocating for families of special needs children.

With the ever changing laws she is continuously participating in continuing education and professional development workshops. She is a current member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPPA) and a former executive board member for Special Needs Advocacy Network (SPaN).

Carol’s personal experience with special needs gives her the compassion and tenacity to be a strong advocate. Her training gives her the know-how. These attributes combined with her natural ability to listen, organize, build and maintain interpersonal skills and, most importantly, her capacity to remain focused and level headed has made her a natural fit for the world of advocacy.

Think you’re alone?

4.4 MILLION CHILDREN SUFFER FROM SOME FORM OF ANXIETY
1 IN 5 PEOPLE ARE IMPACTED BY SOME FORM OF DYSLEXIA
RESEARCH SUGGESTS 2 OUT OF 5 CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES GO UNDIAGNOSED
MORE THAN A HALF A MILLION CHILDREN HAVE AN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY
1 out of 54 CHILDREN ARE DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM
7.3 MILLION CHILDREN ARE RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES. IS YOURS?
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Services

Advocacy is not a one size fits all. Just like no two children are the same, neither is their journey.

MEETINGS

-IEP Meetings
-504 Meetings
-Manifestation meetings
-Mediations
-Facilitated IEP Meetings 
-Neuropsych feedback sessions

RECORD REVIEW

-Complete record review
-IEP review
-Early Intervention review
-Evaluation review
-Neuropsych review

CORRESPONDENCE

-Draft record requests
-Draft formal letters to schools
-Draft IEP responses
-Assist in Parent Concern/Vision Statements
-Act as a liaison between parents and the school district

What they say

Mass Advocates For Children (MAC) https://www.massadvocates.org

Department of Mental Health (DMH)  https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-department-of-mental-health

Federation for Children with Special Needs www.fcsn.org

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education www.doe.mass.edu

Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services (DDS) www.mass.gov/dds

Special Education News www.specialednews.com

Children and Adults with ADHD www.chadd.org

Massachusetts Family Ties www.massfamilyties.org

Learning Disabilities Online www.ldonline.org

Autism Speaks www.autismspeaks.org

AANE (Asperger/Autism Network) www.aane.org

Disclaimer: Guided IEP Solutions services are non-legal and do not constitute legal advice or legal services. If we/you at any time believe you need legal services we will provide you with referrals of Special Education Attorneys and/or organizations that provide legal representation.