Research Summary 

Title: The nature, correlates, and conditions of parental advocacy in special education  

Purpose: Little is known about which parents are most likely to advocate for their children. Further, it is important to understand the conditions under which parents advocate. In this study, we: examined the parent, student, and parent-school correlates of advocacy and compared conditions among parents who advocated frequently (versus infrequently).   

Method: We conducted a national web-based survey with parents of school-aged children with disabilities. Altogether, 1,087 participants completed the study.    

Findings:  

• Participants with worse family-school partnerships were more likely to advocate.  
• Participants who were dissatisfied with services were more likely to advocate.  
• Participants who had enacted their procedural safeguards (e.g., due process, mediation) were more likely to advocate.  
• Parents of older (versus younger) children were more likely to advocate.  
• Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder were more likely to advocate.  
• Parents who advocated frequently reported: the school refused to provide an evaluation or services; the school lacked professional training; the school engaged in disingenuous behavior; there was poor parent-school communication, and instances of child abuse and restraint.  
• Parents who advocated infrequently reported: early identification and access to services; a caring IEP team; the public school does the best it can; and the school professionals were open and responsive.  
• Notably, there was a subgroup of parents of children with disabilities who advocated infrequently but reported negative experiences with the school.  

For more information, see:  

Burke, M.M. & Hodapp, R.M. (2016). The nature, correlates, and conditions of  

advocacy in special education. Exceptionality, 24, DOI: 

10.1080/09362835.2015.1064412