Every Family Deserves an Advocate
AdvocateIQ makes special education advocacy accessible, affordable, and available 24/7 — because understanding your child's IEP shouldn't require a law degree.
Our Story
AdvocateIQ grew out of a simple observation: too many families go into IEP meetings without a clear understanding of whether their child's plan is actually working — and without the tools to push for something better.
DFW Advocacy has been helping Texas families navigate special education since 2018. Through hundreds of IEP reviews, ARD meetings, and parent consultations, one pattern became clear: families consistently received IEPs with vague goals, missing baselines, and services that didn't match their child's actual needs. And most parents had no way to know until it was too late.
We built AdvocateIQ to change that. Our platform gives parents an expert-level review of their child's IEP or 504 Plan — the same analysis a professional advocate would provide — at a fraction of the cost and without waiting weeks for an appointment.
Who We Are
Melissa Griffiths
Founder & Lead Advocate
Melissa founded DFW Advocacy in 2018 after her own experience navigating the special education system as a parent. She has since supported hundreds of Texas families through IEP development, ARD meetings, dispute resolution, and transition planning.
Her training includes:
- COPAA (Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates) — trained in IDEA law and parent advocacy
- Wrightslaw — trained in special education law and advocacy strategies
- Texas Partners in Policymaking — leadership training in disability rights and systems change
Melissa personally reviews and calibrates every analysis standard used by AdvocateIQ. When the platform flags a vague goal or a missing service, it's because Melissa has seen that exact issue in real IEPs and knows what better looks like.
Ben Griffiths
Technical Lead
Ben brings 20 years of digital marketing and technology leadership to AdvocateIQ. As CEO of Betta Advertising and an Adjunct Professor at the University of North Texas, he's spent his career making complex technology accessible to real people.
He built AdvocateIQ's platform, infrastructure, and AI systems — designed from the ground up to protect family privacy while delivering analysis that parents can actually understand and act on.
What We Believe
Parents are the experts on their children. Schools have data. You have your child. An IEP review should help you bring both to the table.
Honesty over reassurance. If an IEP has problems, we say so clearly. We don't sugarcoat findings or manufacture positives that aren't there.
Schools are partners — when they're doing their job. Most educators care deeply about students. But systems fail, corners get cut, and sometimes parents need an independent review to know where things stand.
Advocacy shouldn't be a luxury. Professional IEP reviews typically cost $200–$500. We built AdvocateIQ so every family can afford to know what's in their child's plan.
How AdvocateIQ Works
Upload your child's IEP or 504 Plan. Our AI reviews it against the same standards a professional advocate uses — checking goal measurability, service adequacy, legal compliance, and internal consistency. You get a detailed report with specific findings, severity ratings, and recommended next steps.
Every analysis standard is calibrated by Melissa using custom frameworks, federal IDEA requirements, and Texas-specific procedures. The AI handles the scale; Melissa's expertise sets the bar.
If your review reveals issues that need a human advocate, our advocate matching service connects you with vetted Texas special education advocates for a one-on-one consultation.
Texas First
Texas has over 600,000 students receiving special education services. The ARD process, state assessment accommodations, transition requirements, and dispute resolution procedures are all Texas-specific — and our analysis accounts for that.
We're expanding to serve families in other states, but Texas is home. DFW Advocacy was built here, and AdvocateIQ was built for the families we've been serving since 2018.
Ready to See What's in Your Child's IEP?
Upload your child's IEP or 504 Plan and get a professional-level review in minutes.
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