I have known Mr. Geigerman for many years. I once hired him as a Special Education advocate for my son with Autism (Asperger's back then) at the recommendation of a physician in Houston. I did this because I found the public school special education process new and daunting, didn't understand the jargon and terminology, and just wanted someone experienced and knowledgeable to help me for my son's special education (ARD) committee. Unfortunately, I felt like he neither listened to my concerns nor took into consideration my son's needs. In fact, in my son's meeting, he kept getting my son's name wrong, but at the time I thought it wasn't a real big deal, all I cared about was getting help for my son. He did help to "plow" through the ARD meeting by asking for more and more things, interrupting, pretending to act confused and outraged, and when someone tried to present evidence that my son did not need something, he told them he was going to request an independent evaluation (IEE) at the school's expense, and then implied we would take the school to court. At the time I didn't understand why he was so pushy and not listen to my son's needs, the school's data, or even my concerns. In fact, when the speech therapist and school psychologist showed evidence that my son was not biting himself (self-injurious behavior. Something some autistic children do), he just dismissed the data and said the school needed to do a better job and to have more people test him. My son has never hurt himself, but at the time I felt like at least my son was going to receive "more". Whether or not he really needed it and if I was comfortable with it didn't seem to matter to Louis. He did all the talking. Emphasis on talking. No real listening. The school eventually just gave in to extra speech therapy time and extra "sensory strategies" (I don't know why he was so hung up on it and I still don't know what he meant by that). I was surprised and I actually felt guilty afterwards, as if I had to hire someone to bully the school for 6 or 7 hours so they can give my son mini-breaks throughout the day to wear a weighted vest and jump on a trampoline. My son's only concerns were his social skills, but that didn't matter to Louis. These extra services probably didn't hurt my son but the time could have been better used being in class with his classmates. Fast forward some years later, after I became a special education teacher at Fort Bend ISD, Alvin ISD, and Spring Branch ISD. Now I found myself sitting in ARD meetings as a teacher for the school, helping mostly students with learning disabilities, ADHD, emotional disturbances, and autism just like my son. Of course Louis doesn't remember me. Now I am on the receiving end of this "bully for hire". Of course he still does not have enough knowledge about ADHD, Autism, Intellectual Disabilities - or at least doesn't want to listen to new information. He is only knowledgeable about how to complain, game the system, and get "more" for someone. It was weird to re-live his cookie-cutter recommendations for every kid without him even considering any facts. He is really good at taking a real long time to drag out meetings so principals just give in to every unnecessary assessment and service - if not, he'll threaten to take the school to court (mediation, arbitration, due process, etc), which will actually cost the school more money. Of course it's cheaper to just give in to his bullying because legal fees are expensive. From my first meeting with him as my son's advocate, to my final years as a teacher before retiring, I've heard him talk about many things incorrectly such as: Assistive technology. Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA) and behavior goals occupational therapy and "sensory strategies" Executive functions language IQ testing When confronted with data that points out he is wrong, he will just combine any of the above like a menu at a cheap restaurant. Combine some ingredients from Column A, and some from Column B, and you have a new dish!. Then complain the school did not address that area. I also can't trust anyone with a website full of testimonials like he does. He might as well have a late night infomercial. He also doesn't have a formal licensing or ethics board to keep him in check, so therefore he operates without oversight and doesn't bear any of the consequences for the stuff he pulls off. But he does have some legal training or certification so he knows how to navigate rules and milk the system - one of his redeeming qualities as any good businessman has. He seems like he's a really good marketer, is an active ambulance chaser, and has lots of connections with people in the Medical Center in Houston. That type of advertising is definitely good for business. It's too bad he has such an ego and needs others to think he's smart. If he would just calm down and listen for once, he might actually help our kids with special needs read more

He is probably the least helpful special education advocate I've ever used. I felt like his advice to me was mostly about how to jump around loopholes and looking for "Gotcha!" moments against the school. And then using these details to coerce the school to give my child more of something or else we will report them to some state board of education. He is at least good at 1) public relations, 2) advertising, 3) getting more for children..the only problem is this "more" is often unnecessary and not specific to the child. The former school employee (who I go to church with) said that the school gave in to the services and devices Louis pushed on for my daughter because the school just wanted to shut him up. The other negative reviews about him are spot-on. Check out fellow Yelper, Rayjin Brainer X, for a more thorough (and hilarious) review of him. "Joanna S" has a scathing review that is also worth reading, but for some reason it isn't showing up at the top. All these recent reviews of him show that the emperor truly has no clothes, and I'm glad his one-time customers are finally using a listserv and rallying against him. I've heard parents rave about Geigerman, which was why I once hired him. But if you ever ask anyone who's hired him, they can never give a specific detail about how he helped the family, except that he helped the child receive a "Free and Appropriate Public Education". The only problem is he tries to redefine the meaning of FAPE if the evidence shows that he is wrong. This experience has left me a cynic. If anybody is bold or reckless enough to hire Mr. Geigerman, I would suggest the following: 1) saving up your money ahead of time (he ain't cheap) 2) negotiating your fees very clearly, and give him only a specific amount of time to work, so he doesn't drag out the meetings and bump up his fees 3) be very clear and upfront with about what you are expecting out of him. He will keep recommending random things all because "It will help your son/daughter" even without evidence. 4) be comfortable telling him to "stop". No means no. Listen to me, but more importantly, to my child. read more

Not sure if he knew what he was doing. I got the feeling he was more concerned trying to impress me by showing how antagonistic he could be to school staff. When the school (Fort Bend Walker Station Elementary) had a good response for his pointed questions he asked me to step aside with him for a sidebar conversation. He was obviously in a corner and needed to switch strategies a la bait and switch. If memory serves me correctly, his tactic was first to question something in the special education document, mainly to show them "we mean business", like he was some alpha dog at the top of the mountain and that they needed to bring him their catch for the day. But when this ruse was easily brushed off by their administration, Louis Geigerman told me to say we were misled of the rules of special education, and that we would go to actual court if the school did not accede to the changes we wanted. In the end I chose to ignore Louis's guidance. I don't doubt his sincerity of wanting to help children with special needs, but I just think he goes about it all wrong and in a way harmful to the educators and students he so cares about. As someone familiar with the legal system, it was pretty obvious Louis Geigerman knew only just enough about how to play the lopsided educational system in a way to benefit his narrative. I felt the school was being accommodating (and for some reason even to him) but what Louis tried to do and the sloppy strategies ended up doing greater harm and creating greater waste than necessary. I imagine Louis Geigerman's diddling the reason and cause for much of public schools waste and bloat. There are plenty of other better and well-written reviews of Louis Geigerman I found online on Reddit, Yelp, and Houstonarchitecture.com, so I'll recommend you read those and make up your own mind before hiring him. read more

I used Mr. Geigerman's services from 2014 to 2015 a total of 3 times in one year to help my son's special education needs. I felt at the time that the school wasn't addressing his communication needs. So I did some searching on the internet and I came across Louis's website NARDA. I assumed he was someone schools hired to help them with special education meetings. I had no idea that he was someone parents HIRE to yell FOR parents in ARD meetings and to ask for random things that I never asked for or even feel is necessary for my son. He told the school he demanded more speech therapy for my son. The school said it was not recommended because the day is short and he also needs to be in class, and not speech therapy for a few hours a day. So he said my son made no growth since doing speech therapy with the school for the last 18 months. I don't know what he based this on. He then told the school to test his speech again to prove he was wrong, so the school reluctantly agreed. After testing, I met with the school speech therapist to go over the report. The testing showed pretty good growth over nearly two school years. At the second ARD meeting, Louis disagreed with the report and made the school pay for an independent evaluation called an IEE. So we got MORE testing, this time from a private therapist that he picked. The testing again showed that my son made growth. Then we go back to the third ARD meeting. This time I'm losing patience with Louis because he's wasting so much time. He could have listened to the report the first time and asked me how I felt about it. But in this third meeting, he's asking for more things again, without even consulting me. Fool me once, shame on me. I'm never hiring him again. Wasted so much of my time. Thinking about it makes me want to cry. read more

I hired Mr. Geigerman at the recommendation of several of my friends in the Autism community who raved about him. I went in with high hopes but after a while didn't feel it was a good fit. I'm sure there are some people who find Mr. Geigerman's services useful. I for one, did not. I felt he was immediately and unnecessarily adversarial to my child's school staff, and did not take into consideration my son's needs as well as what I asked. I'm also sure the things he has been known to say (many of which have been noted by fellow Yelpers) might also be useful in some cases, but the problem is that not all children with Autism are the same. I felt like he was more "kids with Autism are X and therefore need Y, even if you show the evidence against it. And if they don't give it to you, you need to report them for violating A, B, and C." My experience made we wonder about my friends and colleagues who recommended him. The pattern is that many of the ones who speak highly of him don't have much of a hard-science background. They're usually English Literature majors, musicians, artists, etc, or they are anti-vaxxers - the ones who usually scour obscure internet message boards. It's no surprise Louis's service appeals to the loudest margins of the internet. I guess I could say Louis would be a good fit if you're a member of the "Alt-Left" and believe is alternative medicine. As for me, I'm an engineer and my husband is a physician, and we didn't see his recommendations or approach to be in line with our empirical philosophy. You Yelpers can message me if you have any specific questions about this business. I would be more than happy to answer your questions and concerns! =) read more

First of all, this man needs to calm down. Second, he needs to listen to facts. Third, he needs to pay attention to the actual concerns and welfare for his clients. Fourth, he needs to think about how he comes across to parents. Finally, Louis needs to disclose every conflict of interest he has. My experience with Louis is fraught with disaster and awkwardness. What started off as my intent to double check my son's IEP goals blew up into long back and forth discussion, where Louis kept arguing to provide extra help and services that I felt were uncalled for. He inserted himself into every comment and discussion and explicitly said I was a bad parent and needs extra supports at home, parent training, and to have a teacher come to my house and teach me how to raise my boys. I think he wanted to help, but underestimated me as a parent. Either way, it just felt uncomfortable and awkward. It was weird that he kept recommending other evaluators to come in and do more assessments for my son so we can get the diagnosis that we want. Some of these clinicians he recommended are also his friends and podcast guests. If he only spent half as much time reading a book about Autism and practicing listening skills as he does looking for "gotcha" moments and swindling schools, I might have actually given him more than one star. The best advice I can give to his future and returning customers is to at the very least make sure you are clear about your intent for him and how many hours you will allow him to drag the meetings on. read more

1) Wasted lots of time and made lots of scripted demands. Even when the school showed me the evidence that my kid would not benefit from a specific intervention, Louis STILL said it would and demanded the school give it to my son. 2) Everything he said he prefaced with "it would help your son, ma'am". Of course he had no evidence to prove that. In fact, some of those things he recommended would have caused more harm. 3) "shotgun approach". These other reviews on Yelp are correct. And the BINGO game seemed like a joke at first, but he really does do all these things. The real joke is Louis's "career". 4) too loose with the law. School districts are obligated to provide a "Free and Appropriate Public Education". Louis thinks everything is a violation of FAPE, even in the face of evidence. 5) everyone must listen to him or he will demand an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) from a private clinician, which again, is at the school's expense. He usually asks for clinicians who he is friends with and are as loose with the facts as he is. In sum, I regret spending my hard earned money on this madman. But I also regret wasting my son's time. On a positive note, Louie knows how to game the system. The teacher even told me (she was retiring soon and felt she could say anything) that they gave in to some of his demands because it was cheaper to do so than fight us in court. read more

Let's face it, folks. Having a child in special education can be a daunting thing. Lots of new terminology and confusing tests. I thought I could hire Louis to make that easier. Honest opinion here: All I got was an angry man who complained for the sake of complaining (ego?), and telling me the complaining will get me more things for my son, like music therapy...even though he hates music... Lots of requests for "IEEs" for assistive technology, occupational therapy, speech therapy, FBA, and executive functions, and so on and so on. It was good reading more evaluations about these areas, although these clinicians (who are Geigerman's friends) all told me it was unnecessary. Furthermore, I don't think these evaluations gave me much in terms of information to help my baby. Maybe padded Gayle Evans and Laura Eskridge's pocketebook). I hear that these mass-produced Geigerman requests are pretty typical and in fact there was a BINGO game about him floating around somewhere. Would have loved to have seen that caricature. In sum, all he really does is ask for IEEs for assistive technology, occupational therapy, FBAs, and speech therapy. Then complain and ask for more stuff that I don't want: "You are denying this child a Free and Appropriate Public Education"; if you gave him more accommodations then he could be like Helen Keller". I kid you not. He actually said that. read more

Perhaps my problem was I had high expectations for this advocate based on his shiny website, his presentations in Houston hospitals, and his podcast (yes, he's one of THOSE guys!). Unfortunately the reality is Louis Geigerman was a complete let down. What he lacked in facts and data he made up with hyperbole and analogies. To paraphrase for instance, he said that my daughter could be like Temple Grandin if she were given the right accommodations and a voice output device. I think this is an inappropriate analogy, especially since my daughter has Down Syndrome and is severely cognitive impaired. I felt the urge to yell at him for taking advantage of Temple Grandin to satisfy his ideology. Maybe he was resting his laurels on my vulnerability as a parent, trying to capitalize on my emotions, or maybe he was just trying to ooze his way into my purse. Regardless, he was an affront too all my sensibilities as a parent. He didn't have the sensitivity you would expect to work on behalf of children. It would be an understatement to say he lacked neither the knowledge, nor the basic competency to understand how to help children. I felt he was trying to take advantage of the school, me, and my child. This gentleman needs to apologize to me, my child, Temple Grandin, and everybody with Down Syndrome and their families. read more

I normally don't use Yelp. In fact, I am only creating this account because I felt the urge to comment about Louis Geigerman and NARDA's services. He is the most offensive and aggressive person I have ever met. He's helpful when talking on the phone and giving me advice via email. But his behavior during ARDs is atrocious. He is rude to my child's teacher and the staff. In fact, the teacher told me afterwards that she ended up switching schools at the end of the school year because she did not want to put up with his false accusations, lies, abuse, and terrorist-like demands. If your goal is to upset the schools and to make enemies, then hiring Louis Geigerman in ARDs is the right way to go. If you want to help your son and build a working relationship with your staff then Louis Geigerman is the worst choice you can ever make. Also, ignore everything he says in his podcast (yes, he's that kind of guy). He's had plenty of people on there talk about my case and lied about the school and about my son. If you ever want to have a competent professional sit in your child's ARD meeting then ask their private speech therapist or counselor to consult with the school. This is much more helpful and professional. Ignore all these other positive reviews of Louis on Yelp or at least try to understand the context. read more

Mr. Geigerman was unable to provide an action plan that met my needs. I got the feeling he had lots of past experience trying to railroad school districts because disagreeing with him is more expensive. But unfortunately the schools giving in to his egregious demands does not help the student. He seems to think he can also find other so-called independent evaluators to give him what he wants. A simple review of such providers also indicates they are not as independent as their title suggests. It's a rather unfortunate relationship he has with these people, which is a shame because they could be doing so much better with better oversight and accountability. It's also a shame Mr. Geigerman doesn't use his reputation, relationship with the media (Greg Groogan, Fox news, etc) and well-known social media status to promote the well-being of students - I mean, he's knowledgeable enough to actually help kids but he devotes much of his attention trying to convince others that he's in it for the children. A simple conversation with him clearly shows he wants to be a bully and wants to boost his sense of self importance. A bit of advice is after he speaks, imagine he says "And that is why I'm important and powerful" and his actions will all make sense. read more

I initially hired Mr. Geigerman to attend my neurotypical child's IEP meeting. I didn't think it was necessary, but could not be too sure, especially because I'm new to this realm of acronyms and laws, and in case there were special education service errors for my neurotypical child. To my chagrin, what should have been a simple and basic IEP meeting turned into Mr. Geigerman's long drawn out fishing expedition. He obsessed on typos and misspellings in my child's report, intentionally misinterpreting and misreading the reports and draft special education documents. Then he asked for one of his friends and business partners to conduct an Independent Educational Evaluation. Disappointed in hiring Mr. Geigerman. I did not want to believe any of the 1-2 star reviews, and wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. To my amazement, where he lacked in basic special education law and procedural knowledge, he made up by confidently and loudly alleging procedural violations. In response, the general counsel of the school easily and calmly addressed Mr. Geigerman's allegations. I won't be hiring this non-attorney advocate again. read more

My wife was in charge of my son's ARD stuff for years. She raved about Louis. But then she got sick one time and I decided to sit in the ARD meetings with Louis. I will say that after what I saw, I will no longer hire and pay this man. I don't think he knew what he was talking about. He kept using analogies that did not apply (how dare he compare my son to Helen Keller), and implying my son would be cured of his asd if he had the right accommodations. Then he pulled me aside and told me that if the school says something, then to feign being upset and telling the school they are violating FAPE...all for the sake of getting more for my child. This felt inappropriate. It spoke to how easy the school would give in just to avoid a lawsuit, but it felt wrong and antagonistic. He reminds me of a white Quanell X. Constantly "outraged" for the sake of getting free (and inappropriate) stuff. Needless to say, my wife and I had a talk afterwards. We won't be hiring this man again. Save your time and avoid using Louis, anyone at NARDA, and any of his devoted sycophants at the ARC. read more

Liana R. reviewer said: "I don't take any stock in people who review on Yelp only 1 time. As an Elite Yelper, I review customer service, whether it's a restaurant, a retail store or any other customer service, particularly when I'm paying money for it. Mr. Geigerman costs money." We provide reviews of Louis Geigerman because we are so outraged by the services of Louis Geigerman, and we feel that we have very limited outlets to express our grief. Yes, our GRIEF caused by Louis Geigerman - real, psychological grief/PTSD. We never before felt the need to tell others how outrageous, and even criminal, the services of a person may be. Your review likely has more value on Yelp since you already have provided many reviews on Yelp. We, the regular citizens who do not obsessively review on Yelp, do not normally feel the need to provide reviews. What Louis Giegerman does, in any licensed profession, would be held as criminal. He is an ABUSER! And I would honestly be frightened for the safety of myself and family, if I confronted him about this. He has stalked people. I am serious about this. read more

We are incredibly grateful for Mr. Geigerman's outstanding advocacy and support as our son's IEP Advocate. From the very first conversation, it was clear that we were working with a consummate professional--someone who not only understands the ins and outs of special education law but also genuinely cares about the success and well-being of the students he serves. Mr. Geigerman brought clarity, confidence, and compassion to what can often feel like an overwhelming process. His guidance was thorough, thoughtful, and always student-focused. He listened carefully to our concerns, reviewed our son's educational records in detail, and helped us navigate complex IEP meetings with skill and precision. Thanks to his expertise and advocacy, we feel empowered and confident that our son is now receiving the support he truly needs. If you're looking for a knowledgeable, respectful, and passionate advocate who will fight for your child's rights while maintaining a collaborative and professional approach with school staff--Mr. Geigerman is the one. We can't recommend him highly enough. read more

I'm unsure what to say about Louis. He's been at this for quite some time and should know better about IEP goals. He's not the best at making recommendations. He does know how to look for things to complain about. Often they are minuscule things that don't facilitate much towards understanding children. He seems like a nice guy and probably does care about kids, but his "by any means necessary" approach (which includes taking liberties with data, selectively choosing what to hear, using false analogies, yelling, screaming, taking emails out of context, and in some cases straight up making lies) doesn't do him and my kids any real good. If you are going to hire him, then my advice is to set firm boundaries with him and tell him ahead of time what you would allow him to do. Also, disregard any of those false reviews on Yelp that are written by him, his staff at NARDA, and any fake reviews that say anything to the effect of "the tone of the ARD changed once he showed up". Those are clearly written by his staff member. read more

Kind of on the pricey side without any actual results for ARD meetings. He made lots of accusations, which were then quickly dispatched by the administrator and clarified. Seemed like Geigerman wanted to spend more time throwing a monkey wrench into the system instead of explaining how special education works. He spent too much time trying to nitpick special education records and paperwork. Lots of talk about testing and interventions which he does not have any background in. Tried to toss in lots of legalities and loopholes. The last time I checked he is not a lawyer (he was a paralegal I think), so I'm not sure why he tries to act like one. I guess this is what he means with all his advertisements about how he can "level the playing field". Truth is I never saw any imbalance in the first place except for the one he was trying to create in his own favor. On the plus side, he was punctual and quick to respond to my emails, so two stars for him. read more

He does not demonstrate any real competency with IEP goals, PLAAFPs, behavior intervention plans, classroom discipline, and how to conduct himself in a professional collaborative manner. In fact, I don't think he's ever taught in a school. His brother's a lawyer, so I wonder if Louis thinks by osmosis that makes him one as well. He appeared to be more about railroading and trying to show me what cool additional things he could get for my child, as opposed to actually serving in our interest. Furthermore, he does not accept any constructive feedback, no matter how sound the advice. Instead, he relies on trying to "win", which I guess is the way he tries to get repeat business. But if he really wanted to help, he would actually listen instead of pretending he knows anything. Louis Geigerman does not serve me or my family - only himself. The $1000 deposit did not lead to anything of substance, and I'm ashamed to have wasted my child's time. read more

This man is the most corrupt, conniving, sleaziest person I've ever met. He is smart enough to know when he is wrong, but will never admit it and keep trying to take advantage of the legal system to make himself look like he cares to inflate his ego. One example is the Asher Brown case where the child committed suicide. Louis Geigerman took advantage of a grieving mother to convince her to sue to school because he was "bullied" at school. The evidence turned out to be made up. Non-existent. It ended up costing the taxpayers of Cy-Fair ISD $200,000, not to mention to financial and emotional toll it took on Asher's family. But of course rather than listening to reason, Louis simply pushed the family to keep suing. He has his own agenda, and that's to make himself look important, even if this comes at the pain and grief of a bereaved parent. read more