Getting the
MAXimum out
of your child's education
Special Education Advocate and Educational Coaching
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If you have found this page, chances are you need help getting your child the proper special education accommodations and services they need and deserve. The world of special education can be intimidating, overwhelming, frustrating and downright scary at times. Parents are faced with educational jargon, acronyms and procedures that are daunting and unfamiliar. You have likely emailed your child’s teacher and guidance counselor asking for help and advice for your struggling child only to hear things like “it will just click one day” or “make sure you’re reading with your child every night” or my favorite “they’re just not trying hard enough”.
Unfortunately just simply asking for help from the school won’t get your child the help they need. This is where a professional parent advocate can help and get results. As an advocate, I can assist in navigating the special education process and make sure the school is following the law as specified by IDEA (Individual with Disabilities Education Act). And ensure that they are getting a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).
Reviewing current 504s
and IEPs
Accommodations and goal writing for 504s
and IEPs
Attending eligibility and annual meetings in
person and virtually
Creating 504 and IEP plans IMPROVING
CURRENT IEPS
Educational coaching and mentoring
(for example – is public, private school,
tutoring or homeschooling the best option
for your child?)
Drafting correspondence to school
staff (requesting testing/evals, ensuring
timelines and guidelines
are adhered to)
Special focus on reading, writing,
ADHD and
behavior concerns
Reviewing evaluations by the district and
private providers, school data, diagnostics,
assessments and correspondence
Professionally trained by Pam
Lindemann at The IEP Advocate
Former Guardian Ad Litem for
Seminole County
Member of COPAA (Council of
Parents Attorneys and Advocates)
Member of IDA (International
Dyslexia Association)
Member of The Reading
League
My journey as an advocate began as a frustrated parent for my son in the public school system. Struggling in Kindergarten, and downright flailing in 1st grade, I began to push the school for help. My pleas for help were brushed off and literally denied in some cases. I started talking with other parents and professionals. Familiarizing myself with how neurodiverse children learn. Reading reviews on ELA curriculum used in my district. Reading reports on our public education system. Reviewing data provided by my district on our schools reading proficiency rates(only 35% of our children are reading at a proficient level). Having my child privately evaluated at my expense. Something was wrong and it wasn’t just my son that was falling behind. I discovered my son is dyslexic, dysgraphic and ADHD and received virtually no support from the school. My son needed help and he did not receive support or accommodations until I educated myself and learned the laws and procedures. I trained as an advocate and I was my own first client.
From there I connected with other parents who were struggling with the exact same issues I was. The more I advocated for others, the more passionate I became and the truth became apparent: schools are doing a disservice to children because parents don’t know the “right way” to ask for help.
While I feel the DOE has a very long way to go in helping our neurodiverse children, I believe getting a good 504 or IEP is a crucial step in getting our children the relief they need as soon as possible.
Jana Pochintesta
My inspirations and co-founders, Decker Max and his best friend Henry Max. These two have been best friends since they were babies(they made me include this info) lol. These boys have an unbreakable bond and unshakable love for each other. And they also think it’s pretty cool they have the same name! Both boys are neurodiverse and have some amazing gifts. Henry Max is a state ranked junior swimmer and Decker Max loves running and tennis. They are out of the box thinkers and love building and creating. You should see the forts and homemade slip and slides they make!
They were also my first two “clients”. Decker’s IEP came first followed by Henry’s the next year. I will advocate for all children but these two boys and their educational plans will always hold a special place in my heart. They inspire me to work hard and help every child that needs it.
I provide reasonable rates. $35.00 per hour for all prep and coaching. I don’t believe in charging a flat fee since some prep work is minimal and some can be extensive and take a little more time. I provide my fees upfront right on my website so you know what costs you may incur. No parent wants to make 10-15 calls to different advocates only to realize you can’t afford their services.
As an advocate, I am most effective when I am literally sitting at the table across from the entire school team. I will join you in person at school meetings to advocate and help ensure that your child will be set up for success in their academic journey. Meetings are always in person unless the district isn’t holding in person meetings or I am simply too far away for me to be there in person. I charge $100.00 per hour to attend meetings at your childs school. I serve Seminole, Orange and Volusia Counties for in person meetings. Virtual is an option if you are outside of these counties.
Assistive Technology Class/Special Training-COPAA
TEFOS Executive Functioning Online Summit
2E(Twice exceptional) Nurturing gifted students with ADHD
Assistive Technology Class/Special Training-COPAA
Reading Goals Class- COPAA
Jana is the best in fighting for dyslexic kids rights. She was courteous, knowledgeable, and very helpful figuring out what was best for my 10 year old dyslexic daughter. We had a bad experience at her private school and I was thinking about trying public school again. She helped every step of the way, from telling me the right questions to ask the new school to specifying the important accommodations they should provide for my daughter. She showed me all of my options as well as the pros and cons. I was confused about what would be best for my kid and Jana clarified all of my questions and was 100% available when I still had something to inquire about. I can’t thank her enough and I certainly recommend her services!
When our son M started 2nd grade his teacher alerted my husband, Mike, and I that his testing scores were very low and he was reading at a below kindergarten level. We reached out to our friend and special education advocate Jana Pochintesta at MAX Advocacy for help.. She was instrumental in guiding us through the initial processes when engaging with the administration at our sons school. It was crucial that every interaction be recorded and worded specifically or else the school may not have provided ou son with the resources he so needed. Without Janas help, I am certain that M would not have been awarded all the services he received, Additionally, because of her help, we were able to have the school district pay for M to be tested thoroughly by an independent agency so that we could understand exactly which areas of learning and processing with which M needed help. Many times, Ms. Pochintesta came with my husband and I to our meetings at the school. In those meetings she advocated on behalf of our family. Her knowledge in those meetings helped the team understand that M was going to need lots of extra support. Later, when the school wanted to reduce the level of support services M needed, Jana was able to convince them to keep providing the help he still needs. I am positive that our son would not be in the place he is now without the the help of MAX Advocacy.
