Special Education Advocacy in Berkeley, California

Comprehensive evaluations and expert IEP advocacy to secure your child's educational rights

Navigating the special education system in Berkeley can feel overwhelming when you know your child needs support but aren't sure how to advocate effectively.

Many parents find themselves lost in complex IEP processes, unclear about their rights, or struggling to secure appropriate services for their child's unique learning needs.

At Mind Matters, we bridge the gap between understanding your child and securing their educational future. Our comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations provide the detailed documentation needed to support your advocacy efforts, while our expert knowledge of IDEA regulations and Berkeley's educational landscape ensures you approach every meeting prepared and confident.

Located in the heart of Berkeley at 3120 Telegraph Avenue, we combine deep clinical expertise with practical advocacy skills to help your family navigate the system successfully. When you understand both your child's profile and your legal rights, you become their most powerful advocate.

Special education advocacy begins with truly understanding your child's learning profile through comprehensive assessment.

Our licensed psychologists conduct thorough psychoeducational evaluations that examine cognitive abilities, academic skills, attention, executive functioning, and social-emotional development. These evaluations provide the detailed documentation necessary to demonstrate your child's need for specialized services and accommodations.

The evaluation process typically spans several sessions, allowing us to observe your child across different tasks and contexts. We assess not just challenges, but also strengths that can be leveraged in educational planning. Our neurodiversity-affirming approach means we view learning differences as variations that come with distinct advantages, not deficits to be fixed.

Following the evaluation, we translate complex test results into clear, actionable recommendations that align with IDEA requirements. We help you understand what services your child is entitled to receive, how to request them effectively, and what constitutes appropriate educational programming. This knowledge becomes the foundation for successful advocacy.

Our support extends beyond the evaluation report. We attend IEP meetings at $300 per hour, serving as your professional advocate to explain results, clarify your child's needs, and ensure the team develops an appropriate plan. We also provide parent education sessions focused on your rights under IDEA, effective communication strategies, and how to prepare for educational meetings.

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Key Benefits

When you walk into an IEP meeting armed with a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation from Mind Matters, you carry credibility that commands attention. Our detailed assessments meet all legal requirements for special education eligibility and provide specific data about your child's learning profile that school teams can immediately translate into educational programming.
Berkeley's educational landscape includes both public schools within Berkeley Unified School District and numerous private institutions, each with varying levels of special education expertise. Our evaluations speak the professional language that resonates across all these settings, whether you're working with seasoned special education coordinators or general education teachers new to accommodation planning.
The thoroughness of our documentation eliminates ambiguity about your child's needs. Instead of vague requests for "help with reading," you can present specific cognitive processing information that justifies explicit, systematic instruction in phonological awareness. This precision transforms IEP discussions from negotiations into collaborative problem-solving sessions focused on implementation rather than eligibility.
IEP meetings can feel intimidating when you're facing a room full of professionals discussing your child's challenges. Our licensed psychologists attend these critical meetings as your advocate, ensuring your child's voice is heard and their needs are properly addressed. At $300 per hour, this investment protects your child's educational future and your family's peace of mind.
Dr. Rebecca Murray-Metzger brings over 20 years of experience to these meetings, including extensive collaboration with Bay Area schools. She understands the dynamics of educational teams, the constraints schools face, and how to work within the system to achieve meaningful outcomes. Her presence shifts the conversation from adversarial to collaborative while maintaining focus on your child's needs.
During meetings, we translate complex psychological concepts into practical educational strategies that teachers can implement. We help teams understand the connection between your child's cognitive profile and their classroom performance, leading to more targeted and effective interventions. This expertise ensures that accommodations and services are truly individualized rather than generic.
Understanding your rights under IDEA transforms you from a worried parent into an informed advocate. Our parent education sessions provide in-depth training on special education law, your child's entitlements, and practical strategies for effective advocacy. This knowledge remains with you throughout your child's educational journey, from elementary through high school transition planning.
Berkeley families often navigate complex educational choices, from traditional public schools to alternative programs to private institutions. Each setting requires different advocacy approaches, and understanding these nuances helps you make informed decisions about your child's placement and services. We teach you how to evaluate programs, ask the right questions, and recognize when your child's needs aren't being met.
Our training covers practical skills like how to document concerns, when to request assessments, how to prepare for meetings, and what to do when you disagree with school recommendations. We also help you understand the timeline requirements, procedural safeguards, and escalation options available when informal resolution isn't successful. This comprehensive knowledge empowers you to advocate confidently at every level.

Traditional educational assessments often focus primarily on deficits, creating a narrative of what's wrong with your child rather than celebrating their unique cognitive profile. Our neurodiversity-affirming approach recognizes that different brain styles bring distinct advantages alongside challenges. This perspective transforms how your child sees themselves and how others understand their potential.
In Berkeley's progressive educational community, this strengths-based philosophy resonates with families and educators who value diverse learning styles. We help identify your child's cognitive strengths and translate these into educational advantages. A child with ADHD might struggle with sustained attention but excel at creative problem-solving. An autistic child might find social situations challenging but demonstrate exceptional attention to detail and systematic thinking.
This approach extends to our recommendations, where we emphasize accommodations and strategies that leverage your child's natural abilities rather than simply compensating for weaknesses. When IEP teams understand your child's strengths, they can design more engaging and effective educational programming that builds confidence while addressing areas of need.
Berkeley's educational environment is unique, encompassing Berkeley Unified School District's innovative programs, numerous private schools with varying special education capabilities, and alternative educational options. Our intimate knowledge of this landscape helps you navigate choices and advocate effectively within your child's specific setting.
Berkeley Unified has implemented progressive policies around restorative justice, social-emotional learning, and inclusive practices, but these initiatives may not automatically translate into appropriate services for your child's specific needs. We help you understand how district policies apply to your situation and how to request services that align with your child's learning profile.
The area's private schools range from those with robust learning support programs to institutions with limited special education resources. Our familiarity with local options helps you evaluate whether your child's current placement is appropriate or if alternative settings might better serve their needs. This knowledge proves invaluable when considering school changes or advocating for specific program modifications.
Special education advocacy isn't a one-time event but an ongoing process that evolves as your child grows and their needs change. Our follow-up services ensure you have continued support for new challenges, annual IEP reviews, and major transitions like middle school or high school placement decisions.
As your child develops, new strengths may emerge while different challenges surface. Academic demands increase, social expectations become more complex, and post-secondary planning requires different types of support. Our ongoing relationship means we understand your child's history and can quickly adapt recommendations to meet changing needs.
We also provide child and teen feedback sessions exclusively for families who have completed evaluations with us. These specialized meetings help your child understand their learning profile in age-appropriate, empowering ways. When children understand how their brain works, they become active participants in their educational planning rather than passive recipients of adult decisions.

Service Categories

Comprehensive Psychoeducational Evaluations

Our most thorough assessment option examines all aspects of your child's learning profile, including cognitive abilities, academic achievement, attention and executive functioning, and social-emotional development. These evaluations provide the detailed documentation needed for special education eligibility and comprehensive educational planning. The process typically requires multiple sessions and results in a detailed report with specific recommendations for school and home interventions.

IEP Meeting Advocacy Services

Professional advocacy during critical educational meetings at $300 per hour. Dr. Murray-Metzger attends IEP meetings to explain evaluation results, clarify your child's learning needs, and advocate for appropriate accommodations and services. This support ensures that your child's voice is represented by someone who understands both their unique profile and special education law requirements.

Parent Rights Education and Training

Comprehensive training sessions focused on your rights under IDEA, effective advocacy strategies, and practical skills for educational meetings. These sessions transform you from a concerned parent into an informed advocate capable of protecting your child's educational interests throughout their school career.

Focused Evaluations for Specific Concerns

Targeted assessments designed to answer specific questions about ADHD, autism, dyslexia, or other learning differences. These streamlined evaluations focus on particular areas of concern while providing sufficient documentation for educational planning and advocacy purposes.

Follow-up Consultation Services

Ongoing support for families who have completed evaluations with Mind Matters. These services include annual IEP review preparation, consultation on new concerns, school meeting preparation, and guidance through educational transitions and placement decisions.

Our Process

1. Initial Consultation and Concern Identification

We begin with a detailed consultation to understand your specific concerns about your child's educational experience and learning profile. During this session, we review your child's educational history, previous assessments, and current challenges. We also explain your rights under IDEA and discuss how comprehensive evaluation can support your advocacy efforts. This foundation session typically lasts 60-90 minutes and helps us design an assessment approach tailored to your child's needs and your advocacy goals.

2. Comprehensive Assessment and Data Collection

The evaluation process spans multiple sessions, allowing us to observe your child across different tasks and contexts while building rapport and trust. We assess cognitive abilities, academic skills, attention and executive functioning, and social-emotional development using current, research-based measures. We also gather information from parents, teachers, and your child themselves to ensure a complete picture of their learning profile and educational needs.

3. Report Development and Interpretation

We translate complex test results into clear, actionable recommendations that align with IDEA requirements and your child's educational setting. Our detailed reports document your child's strengths and challenges while providing specific recommendations for accommodations, services, and instructional strategies. We schedule a comprehensive feedback session to review results, answer questions, and develop your advocacy strategy.

4. Educational Meeting Advocacy and Implementation

We attend IEP meetings as your professional advocate, explaining evaluation results and ensuring your child's needs are properly addressed in their educational plan. Our role includes facilitating communication between family and school, advocating for appropriate services, and helping teams understand the connection between your child's profile and their educational needs.

5. Ongoing Support and Follow-up Services

Our relationship continues beyond the initial evaluation and IEP meeting. We provide follow-up consultations to address new concerns, prepare for annual reviews, and support you through educational transitions. This ongoing support ensures your advocacy skills continue developing while your child receives appropriate services throughout their educational journey.

Our Approach

Our approach to special education advocacy centers on the belief that every child deserves to be truly understood, both in their learning differences and their unique strengths.

This neurodiversity-affirming philosophy guides every aspect of our work, from comprehensive assessment through ongoing advocacy support. We recognize that successful advocacy requires both detailed understanding of your child's learning profile and practical knowledge of educational systems and legal requirements.

Dr. Rebecca Murray-Metzger brings over 20 years of clinical experience combined with extensive collaboration with Bay Area schools, creating a unique perspective that bridges clinical expertise with educational advocacy. Her background includes leading multidisciplinary assessment teams and specialized training in neurodevelopmental evaluation, providing the depth of knowledge necessary for effective advocacy in complex educational situations.

Our assessment methodology is collaborative and family-centered, ensuring that parent concerns, teacher observations, and the child's own perspective are integrated into the evaluation process. We use current, research-based measures while maintaining focus on how test results translate into practical educational strategies. This approach produces evaluations that schools respect and understand, creating a foundation for productive IEP discussions rather than adversarial negotiations.

The Berkeley educational landscape requires sophisticated advocacy skills, given the diversity of educational options and varying levels of special education expertise across different institutions. Our intimate knowledge of local schools, district policies, and alternative educational programs helps families navigate these choices effectively while advocating for appropriate services within their chosen setting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Mind Matters has served Berkeley families since our founding, providing comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations and special education advocacy from our Telegraph Avenue location. Led by Dr. Rebecca Murray-Metzger, our practice specializes in neurodiversity-affirming assessment and collaborative educational advocacy for children with learning differences, ADHD, autism, and other developmental variations.

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IDEA requires comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation demonstrating both disability and educational impact. Our evaluations provide detailed cognitive, academic, and social-emotional assessment data that meets all legal requirements for eligibility determination. We also include specific recommendations for accommodations and services that align with your child's learning profile and educational setting.
Our professional meeting advocacy is $300 per hour and includes pre-meeting preparation, attendance at the IEP meeting, explanation of evaluation results, advocacy for appropriate services, and post-meeting follow-up. Dr. Murray-Metzger serves as your professional representative, ensuring your child's needs are properly addressed and their rights are protected throughout the process.
Yes, we work with families across all educational settings in Berkeley, including private schools with limited special education resources. We help these schools understand your child's needs and develop appropriate accommodations within their existing framework. We also provide consultation on whether alternative placements might better serve your child's educational needs.
Under IDEA, you have the right to an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense if you disagree with the school's assessment. We provide IEEs that meet all legal requirements and help you understand the dispute resolution process, including mediation and due process options. Our comprehensive documentation strengthens your position in any disagreement about services.
Comprehensive evaluation typically takes 2-3 weeks from initial testing to report completion. IEP meetings must be scheduled within 30 days of evaluation completion under IDEA timelines. We work within these legal timeframes while ensuring thorough assessment and preparation. Follow-up advocacy support continues as long as needed throughout your child's educational journey.

Know Your Child's Rights in Berkeley

Expert evaluation and advocacy support for your family