“That’s why advocacy is so important. Without Mary Jo (her advocate and the Director of Educational Advocacy at The Option Group), I would have ended up in therapy with my son, and it wasn’t until Mary Jo was involved that we began to see improvement and resolution. I cannot begin to emphasize the importance of an advocate in my son’s life. I’m a professional, but at the IEP meeting, I’m a parent; I’m emotional. Many parents think they don’t need an advocate, but advocates know things we don’t about the laws and school systems.”