At the Children's Hospital Primary Care Center site, volunteer advocates are assigned to follow designated ASK patients. Advocates are Harvard University undergraduates who participate in Project Health, a nationwide college-based volunteer service program geared at improving the health of all children.
While learning about child and family issues such as learning disabilities, depression, ADHD and the impacts of poverty on health, student advocates develop leadership skills; they partner with parents to better understand disorders and learn from the ASK team about effective interventions, and how to access them.
Advocates support parents who cope with stressful lives, limited resources and challenging children, while doing legwork to find services that are scarce. Advocates commonly link patients to tutors, mentors, Big Brother programs, swim classes, and art classes.
They write letters requesting CORE evaluations, act as liaisons in challenging relationships between families and school principals, and participate in brainstorming conferences with members of the ASK team.
Many children also require evaluation through the school; advocates help parents to navigate the special education process.
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