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Referring a family?
Attorneys, physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, speech therapists, BCBAs, occupational therapists and physical therapists usually see the problem long before the school does. This page is for you.
The gap
At school, your recommendations are only as good as the IEP that carries them.
You write an evaluation, a treatment plan or a set of recommendations. The family takes it to school. Somewhere between your report and the classroom, it gets summarized, reinterpreted, or overlooked in the document that actually governs what happens to that child every day.
That is not usually bad faith. It is a committee under time pressure, with a parent in the room who may not know which questions change an outcome and which ones do not.
Natalie Blakely spent twelve years as a school psychologist inside a large Texas public school district, writing the evaluations and sitting on that committee. She knows how the process is supposed to run. Her role is limited and specific: educational consulting and advocacy, so that the family can carry your work into the meeting and have it land.
At a glance
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School psychologist for twelve years in a large Texas public school district
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COPAA Advocate Member
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Member, Texas Association of School Psychologists
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Richmond, Fort Bend County and the greater Houston area, plus virtual support across Texas
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Free fifteen-minute consultation for every family
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Published fee schedule, so families know the cost before they call
When to refer
Five referrals where an educational advocate changes the outcome.
If a family in your care is in one of these situations, an advocate is usually the right next call.
I do not pay or accept referral fees. Referrals go where they are right for the family.
Natalie Blakely · 936-668-4172 · natalie@blakelyiep.com
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Psychologists. Receiving a diagnosis or private evaluation is often only the beginning. Families may need support informing the school, navigating the school-based evaluation, and advocating for your recommended accommodations to be incorporated.
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Personal injury attorneys. A child has a traumatic brain injury that affects learning, behavior or communication. While you handle the legal claim, the family may also need support with school evaluations, IEP or 504 planning, return-to-school services, and ensuring medical information is meaningfully considered by the educational team.
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BCBAs. When behavioral needs follow a child into a public school classroom, families may need assistance advocating for their child’s needs, incorporating behavioral strategies, and advocating for a Behavior Intervention Plan.
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Speech pathologists. A child receives private speech therapy and their communication needs are affecting learning and behavior in school. Parents may need assistance advocating for your recommended supports, so their child can access education and communicate their needs.
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Pediatricians. Families may receive a diagnosis, developmental evaluation or treatment recommendations and remain unsure how to pursue appropriate educational support.
A note for personal injury attorneys and pediatric rehabilitation
School reintegration after a brain injury.
When a child sustains a traumatic brain injury, the medical side is usually handled thoroughly, while families are often left to navigate changes in learning, attention, memory, behavior, stamina, and school performance without understanding how to obtain appropriate support through Section 504 or special education.
Educational consulting in these cases covers reviewing the educational record, requesting an evaluation and framing it correctly, preparing for and attending the ARD, incorporating and developing appropriate school-based supports, and monitoring as the child’s needs change over the months and years that follow.
This work is limited to educational consulting and advocacy. It does not include medical diagnoses, psychological services, legal opinions, or any opinion on medical causation, and it is not offered as expert testimony.
Typically referred by
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Personal injury attorneys
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Pediatricians and physiatrists (rehabilitation physicians)
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Neuropsychologists and psychologists
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Speech-language pathologists
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Occupational and physical therapists
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Board Certified Behavior Analysts
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Rehabilitation and return-to-school programs
Scope of practice
Where the line sits.
A clear scope is the point. If you are going to put your name to a referral, you should know exactly what the family is and is not getting.
What this service covers
Review of educational records and evaluations, guidance on the IEP and Section 504 processes, evaluation and meeting requests, preparation of the family, attendance at ARD and 504 meetings, direct school advocacy where agreed, and continued monitoring as needs change.
What it does not cover
No legal advice or legal representation. No psychological services, evaluations, diagnoses or treatment. No opinion on medical causation and no expert testimony. Natalie is not an attorney, and she is not acting as a psychologist or school psychologist in this practice.
Making a referral
Send the family, or send an introduction.
Families can book a free fifteen-minute call themselves. If you would rather introduce Natalie directly, or talk through whether a case is a fit before you mention her name, call or email and she will make time.