Child & Family Advocacy
During the early years of a child’s life, it is particularly crucial that the child has the support they need as they work toward developmental milestones and begin their academic journey. The Arc’s Child and Family Advocacy team is dedicated to supporting families with children aged 0-13 who have intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) throughout these formative years.
Addressing Core Challenges and Goals
We understand that navigating disability services and systems can be challenging. Our Child & Family Advocates provide information, guidance, support, and problem-solving to help families confidently navigate systems and community resources, including but not limited to:
- Early Intervention
- Special Education
- Social Security
- Medicaid
- Case Management
- Waiver Programs
Our team works with each family to understand their unique needs and determine the best level and type of support for each circumstance.
Clarifying Who We Serve
IDD is characterized by significant limitations in intellectual and/or adaptive behavior functioning, occurring before the age of 22. To learn more about how IDD is defined, click here.
Our organization is dedicated to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. We focus our programs and resources on meeting the unique needs of this community. As such, our services are not designed to support families of children with conditions outside this scope, such as ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Anxiety, Mood Disorders, or Dyslexia.
If you have any questions or are unsure about eligibility, please feel free to submit an Advocacy Request. Our advocates will work with you to determine the level of advocacy we can provide. If someone contacts us and does not have an IDD, we’ll do our best to help them connect with other helpful resources.
For families of children with all disabilities, we offer numerous online resources:
- Click here for self-guided trainings on the special education process, including related resources, fact sheets, online resources, and referral information for community resources.
- Click here to view an IEP Overview Video
Things to Know
Our services are always free. We don’t want finances to create barriers to support. However, if you’d like to contribute, you’re welcome to make a donation to support our work.
Click here to make a donation!
We do not duplicate services. If you’re already working with a private advocate, another agency, or an attorney, we will clarify each of our roles and identify ways to work collaboratively to avoid confusion or overlap.
We do not serve as Representative Payees, Medical Proxy Decision-Makers, and/or take on new Legal Guardianships.
Ready to Get Started? Advocacy Starts Here!
We’re here to listen, support, and advocate alongside you.
Click here to submit a request for Individual & Family Advocacy or call (203) 555-1234.
