Iowa advocates who help with evaluations, IEP goals, Section 504 plans, and school meetings. Rates are listed on each profile.
8 virtual advocates who work with Iowa schools
An IEP advocate sits with you at the table and asks the school for services your child is not getting.
Families across Iowa call for the same two reasons. A school has said no to testing, or a service that used to be in the plan is gone.
Before the meeting an advocate reads the plan against the evaluation and pulls the progress data to see whether the goals actually moved.
Families in Cedar Rapids ask for progress data as a table of dates and numbers rather than a paragraph, because a table shows whether a goal moved and a paragraph does not.
These advocates are not based in Iowa. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Atlanta, GA · works with Iowa schools
School Psychologist & Parent Advocate
I’m a certified School Psychologist, Parent Advocate, and Coach dedicated to helping families navigate special education with confidence.
Virtual · based in Coraopolis, PA · works with Iowa schools
Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Special Education Advocate
Hi there! I'm Brittany, owner and founder of Balanced Behaviors, LLC. I'm a Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Specialist in Pennsylvania with a Master’s in Special Education from Slippery Rock…
Virtual · based in Newcastle, OK · works with Iowa schools
Special Education Advocate - IEP Consultant
Former special education teacher and educational advocate with experience on both sides of the IEP table.
Virtual · based in Hialeah, FL · works with Iowa schools
Advocate
Hello! I look forward to helping families and their students get the crucial support they need. I have varied experience working with families and educators at the state and local levels.
Virtual · based in Leesburg, FL · works with Iowa schools
CEO IEP Advocate Espanol
Evelyn Roman-Santos is a bilingual Special Education Advocate with 30 years of experience as a School Social Worker.
Virtual · based in Bowie, MD · works with Iowa schools
Independent Education Consultant
I am a licensed school counselor with extensive experience supporting students with IEPs and 504 plans, providing academic and career counseling, and guiding families through critical educational…
Virtual · based in San Diego, CA · works with Iowa schools
Special Education Advocate
At the Sanford Autism Advocacy Group (SAAG), we are a small but mighty special education consulting group with an emphasis on Autism and IEPs.
Virtual · based in Austin, TX · works with Iowa schools
Special Education Advocate
David Gonzales is a special education advocate serving families in Austin, TX.
The Iowa Department of Education publishes a complaint form and a mailing address for parents who need one.
Scale is not the point. A district with one experienced case manager often runs better meetings than a district with forty schools.
The clock parents care about starts at consent. In Iowa it runs 60 calendar days.
Ask for the evaluation report before the meeting rather than at it, because nobody reads a long report accurately while the rest of the team waits.
Send the complaint to ideadisputeresolution@iowa.gov, or mail it to the IDEA Complaint Investigation Team, Iowa Department of Education, Grimes State Office Building, 400 E. 14th St., Des Moines, IA 50319-0146. A copy goes to your school district and to your AEA, both of them, at the same time.
Decision timeline
The 60 days do not start on the day the department receives it. Day one is the calendar day after all required parties have the complaint, so a missing copy to the AEA holds the clock.
Certification programs exist and some advocates hold them. None of them is issued by the Iowa Department of Education, Division of Special Education, and none of them is required to sit in an IEP meeting.
Advocates who work Des Moines and Cedar Rapids cases see the same state rules twice a week, and repetition inside one state is the practice worth paying for.
An advocate cannot make a district agree. What moves a district is the record you build, and a good advocate spends more hours on the record than in the room.
What worked for a family in Des Moines may not fit yours, and the first thing worth asking an advocate is what is different about your file.
Rates and openings decide most of this. Anyone who cannot meet before your meeting date is the wrong hire, and the second-best advocate who is free this month beats the best one who is not.
Ask for two references from cases like yours. Somebody who cannot produce one has not worked many.
Remote work is normal in special education now. Documents move by email and the meeting runs on a call.
Ask how the meeting will run before you hire. A school that has never held a video IEP will need lead time.
How it works
Find Parent Advocates is a free directory, not a referral service. You browse profiles, compare rates and reviews, and contact the advocate you choose. We do not assign anyone to you.
Browse
Browse by city or take the statewide list. The rules are the same either way.
Contact
Write to two people rather than six. The first email should carry the district and the meeting date.
Hire
Approve the hours in advance. Most advocates will not bill past an agreed number without asking.
Work together
Keep the timeline updated as things happen. It is the document every later step is built from.
Find Parent Advocates is not a party to your contractual relationship with the advocate. We are not responsible for the fees or services provided.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Iowa, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
How much does an IEP advocate cost in Iowa?
Rates run $75 to $250 per hour. What moves the number is experience, the type of case, and whether anyone has to drive to the meeting. Profiles here show the rate when the advocate publishes one.
How do I know where an advocate actually works from?
No advocate is listed in every town, and each card here says where that person lives. Somebody who knows the state rules and has an opening this month usually beats the nearest name on the list.
Do advocates handle accommodation plans?
Yes. Section 504 work looks the same as IEP work, which is records, a written request and somebody in the room who knows what the school already agreed to.
Is there low cost IEP help anywhere?
No public program assigns you a private advocate. The links under official resources on this page go to the state agency and to the complaint process, and both cost nothing to use.
Should my child have an IEP or a Section 504 plan?
The short version. IEP means the school changes what is taught and how, and Section 504 means the school changes the conditions around it.
Who decides a special education complaint in Iowa?
Three routes stay open when you disagree. Mediation is voluntary for both sides, a written state complaint is decided on the record by the Iowa Department of Education, and a due process hearing takes evidence.
These links connect you to your state education agency and complaint options. Advocates on this page can also explain what each step means for your child.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
