A Partner in Advocacy for Your Next Steps Ahead

Our mission is to empower families of children and young adults with special needs by providing personalized support, consultation, and connections to resources, ensuring they receive the advocacy they need to thrive.

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A passion for helping others

Explore our personalized services designed to empower families and support children and young adults with special needs on their journey to success.

IEP Consultation / Advocacy

Get expert guidance on navigating the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process, ensuring your child receives the tailored support they need to succeed in school. Full service support at your child’s IEP or coaching prior to your child’s meeting.

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Parent Coaching

Receive one-on-one support to build confidence, reduce stress, and develop practical strategies for advocating effectively and navigating daily challenges with your child.

Transition Services

Smoothly guide your child into adulthood with customized transition planning, focusing on building skills, communicating with regional center, and accessing resources for a successful future.

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Next Step Advocacy Podcast

The Next Step Advocacy Podcast is your go-to resource for parents of children and young adults with special needs. Each episode provides valuable insights through expert interviews, real-life stories, and practical advice, helping families discover new opportunities and resources available for their students. Whether you’re looking for educational support, community services, or guidance on navigating the complexities of advocacy, this podcast offers a supportive space to learn, grow, and take the next step forward.

Empowering Parents in the ABA Journey: Practical Tips for Families with Autism – Next Step Advocacy

In this episode of the Next Step Advocacy Podcast, host Melanie Lieber sits down with Rima Kliore-Frederickson from Kyo ABA to unpack the role parents play in helping their children thrive with autism.From the importance of early connections and family involvement, to understanding generalization and collaborating with teachers and specialists, this conversation is filled with practical insights every parent can use.💡 Whether you’re just beginning your journey with an autism diagnosis or looking for new ways to support your child at home, this episode will leave you feeling informed, empowered, and supported.

Testimonials

“Melanie was absolutely amazing in helping us both be prepared for our annual IEP meeting as well as sitting in on the meeting itself to help us ask the right questions. She recommended additions to our plan based on the conversation and helped us know our rights and what to expect as part of our IEP. Our family would highly recommend Melanie to anyone with a child with an IEP!”

Leah McBride

Parent

Melanie has supported my family on our journey as our concerns grow about our incoming Kindergarten student with a speech delay and current IEP. I am a previous elementary school teacher and feel that the process is something familiar to me and at the same time I am unsure about many things now as a parent. Melanie has helped guide me in the process of requesting a team meeting before the school year starts in August. She has been professional and provided a document for me to fill out and share what was going on with my child. She continues to give me positive advice and reassures me as my child’s parent, that I am their biggest advocate and as much as it could be some extra work and time, my child does deserve to have the support. When Melanie and I had a meeting, she brought a checklist and was very prepared to provide me with steps on how to get a meeting and support my child. I have felt very comfortable talking with her as it is hard to navigate what steps to take. I appreciate her availability, reassurance and knowledge of the special education process.

Shelby Johnson