ps - I forgot to add one thing - our ds was diagnosed when he was much younger and basically too young to really be able to easily describe how his disabilities impacted him - but as he moved on into middle school, it really helped (or seemed to help) to have him contribute specific descriptions of how his challenges impact him, and to contribute his own ideas for accommodations etc. It helped in two ways - first, it helped because he understands himself better and motivates himself better than I or anyone else ever will, and secondly - for the purposes of advocating at school - the school didn't see him as an over-involved or overly pushy parent, so in some ways his voice had a bit more credibility than mine did.
Best wishes,
polarbear
