Special education and Section 504 advocates for Waco ISD families in Waco.
4 based in Texas · 3 virtual advocates who work with Texas schools
An advocate is a paid professional who reads the evaluation reports, drafts your concerns, sits beside you at the IEP table, and follows up on whatever the school agreed to do.
Parents in Waco usually start looking for an advocate when a meeting is already on the calendar.
Before the meeting an advocate reads the current IEP against the evaluation reports, pulls the progress data to see whether the goals are actually being met, writes your concerns into one page, and sends it to the team in advance.
Waco ISD keeps progress data on every goal in the plan. Ask for it as a table of dates and numbers rather than a paragraph.
No advocate in this directory lists Waco as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of Texas, and each card names the city.
Based in Austin, TX
Special Education Advocate
Hi, My name is David Gonzales. Living in Austin, TX, but originally from Los Angeles, CA. I carry a masters degree in special education and currently practice as a sped teacher.
Based in Midland, TX
Special Education Advocate
Kate Keenan is a special education advocate serving families in Midland, TX.
Based in San Antonio, TX
FamilyADDventures.com
Nicole Santiago is a learning specialist and an advocate (IEP coach). She is a member of COPAA.org and ensures special education students receive the most appropriate educational services possible.
Based in Katy, TX
Special Education Advocate
Besides being a parent of a neurodivergent son, I have been a special education teacher, diagnostician, and advocate for the past 30 years. I am a true hands-on, walk in your shoes type of advocate.
These advocates are not based in Texas. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Lamar, CO · works with Texas schools
Special Education Advocate
I’ve been a science teacher, a Director of Financial Aid, and a Dean of Students at a rural community college — always at the table with students and families navigating systems not built for them.
Virtual · based in San Diego, CA · works with Texas 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 Hialeah, FL · works with Texas 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.
Waco ISD takes most Waco addresses, but not all of them. Check yours before you send a letter, because a request that lands in the wrong district office does not start the evaluation clock at all.
Charter and magnet enrollment changes who owes the service. Ask which agency is responsible before the first meeting.
Confirm your child's district by address. Waco addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
A written request for an evaluation starts a second clock in Texas, and the district has to answer inside 15 school days.
Keep every email. Most of what an advocate does with a Waco file is date-stamping what the school already told you.
Texas gives a school district 45 school days to finish an initial special education evaluation. A written request for an evaluation has to be answered inside 15 school days. Missed deadlines are handled by the Texas Education Agency, Office of Special Populations and Student Supports, which takes written state complaints from parents.
Attorneys are licensed. Advocates hold no license, and the difference matters most when a case gets close to a hearing, which is the point where the Waco district starts talking to its own lawyer.
A certificate says nothing about Waco ISD. Ask instead what the advocate has filed there and what came back.
Advocates are not attorneys. No advocate in Waco can file a lawsuit for you or give you legal advice about the case.
What worked for a family in McAllen may not fit yours. Ask the advocate what is different about your file before you copy anyone.
Video is normal now. 21 of the advocates listed for Waco work with families by phone or video instead of driving to the school.
Read a profile for what the advocate actually did, not for what the profile claims. Case detail is the tell.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Waco, Texas, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
How much does an IEP advocate cost in Waco?
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.
At what point do parents usually call an advocate?
Most parents call after a school says no to testing, after goals repeat unchanged for a year, or a week before an annual review. Earlier is cheaper. An advocate hired the night before a meeting can only read so much.
Can an advocate join an IEP meeting by video?
Yes. IDEA, the federal special education law, requires parent participation in IEP meetings and allows alternative means such as video or phone when you and the school agree. Your advocate does not have to live nearby.
Which school district serves Waco, Texas?
Most Waco families work with Waco ISD. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
Do advocates handle accommodation plans?
Nearly every advocate on this page takes both. Compare profiles for experience with accommodations, 504 meetings and school compliance, and ask the school in writing before you bring anyone to a 504 meeting.
Official Texas links for parents in Waco.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Texas rules apply in McAllen, Midland, Lewisville, Pasadena and the other cities listed here, or see every Texas advocate.
Print the current IEP and bring it to the first call. Every advocate on the Waco list will ask for it.
Do not sign anything at the first meeting if you are unsure. Consent can wait a day.
