My motto: “If at first you don’t succeed, perseverate!”

per·sev·er·ate [per-sev-uh-reyt] –verb (used without object), -at·ed, -at·ing.
to repeat something insistently or redundantly: to perseverate in reminding children of their responsibilities.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Perseveration is one of many hallmark characteristics of a child who has an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. If your child has a behavior intervention program, at least one of his/her goals is (or was at some point) likely to reduce the frequency and intensity of perseverative behaviors in an effort to eliminate same.

Upon first glance, it may seem at odds for a special needs advocacy law firm to be promoting perseveration when the programs I secure funding for are promoting its extinction, however, the meaning behind my motto is this:

If your child is denied appropriate intervention services (or assessment/eligibility) from a state or federally funded source, then your child is being denied his or her due process and/or fair hearing rights under the law. In education cases, especially those involving children with autism, time is of the essence, as early intervention is crucial.

Funding sources such as school districts, Regional Centers (CA only) and insurance companies are faced with the same economic downturn as the rest of our nation. It is quite the conundrum: Economic resources are sparse; yet intervention services are costly. While budget cuts may be a reality, so are the state and federal protections that are in place for our children. If and when their rights are infringed upon, it is my duty to ensure that protective laws are complied with and done so in a timely manner. That being said, although there are laws in place, I use the term “protective” lightly. As such, for every inappropriate denial that we receive, we must perseverate until we persevere-our children simply do not have the time to spare.

When I was in college, I worked in a residential/educational facility with developmentally disabled teenaged girls. I went to work one day and found that one of my girls was missing, she had run away. A few days later, I found her outside of my home. She ran away because she was afraid of one of the male staff members and something gravely inappropriate that he did to her.

When I went to report the crime to the local authorities, I was told that they can not take seriously the allegations of this child because she was mentally retarded. When I went to report the crime to the facility she lived at (and I worked at)  they refused to do anything either because she  had run away and therefore they stated it was no longer their responsibility. When I went to the staff member who was responsible for her elopement, he laughed at me and said my threats were idle. Clearly this was not the first allegation nor the first time did he not suffer any consequence for taking advantage of a developmentally disabled child. He looked right in my eyes and said “do whatever you want, no one will believe her word over mine because she is a retard.” He winked at me and walked away.

I decided at that moment that from there on out, I was going to be the voice for these children who could not speak up for themselves and who were not taken seriously, even if they tried. That way, it would be someone’s word against mine.

I finished college at the University of Colorado at Boulder and went on to law school at the University of Denver, College of Law. My legal studies focused on public interest and education. I have been representing children with disabilities since I graduated 10 years ago, both in Colorado in California.

The Law Office of Melanie Segal proudly opened its doors in September 2007. In addition to offering affordable legal services, I consult with various service agencies throughout the state to provide free legal information and answer questions for newly-diagnosed and veteran parent groups.

For a list of venues presented at, please follow this link.

To schedule a speaking engagement for your parent group or organization, please click here.

My mission: to provide a voice to children who can not represent themselves and to provide effective and affordable legal services to their families.