It is never too early for parents to start teaching children how they can advocate for themselves. Like many other important life skills, self-advocacy is a critical tool children need in order to achieve goals, increase self-sufficiency, and become successful young adults. It is a life long process that begins with children learning by watching their parents being good advocates. Self-advocacy means taking responsibility for communicating one's needs and desires in a straight-forward manner. It is an acquired set of life skills that includes: (1) Speaking up for yourself; (2) Communicating your strengths, needs, and wishes; (3) Having a sense of self-respect; (4) Taking responsibility for yourself; (5) Knowing your rights; and (6) Knowing where to get help or who to go to with a question. One of the best places to start teaching children about self-advocacy, is in their Individualized Education Program (IEP) Meetings. Including students in the IEP meeting provides them with an opportunity to learn and practice important life skills. Some advantages students may gain by being actively involved in the IEP process include: (1) learning about the impact of his or her disability; (2) practicing goal setting; (3) building teamwork skills; (4) developing an ability to speak up for himself or herself; (5) participating in a process of resolving differences; (6) gaining an understanding of his or her strengths and needs; and (7) learning how to ask for and accept help from others.