Special Education & Behavior
Below are links to resources providing more information on the special education process and addressing behavioral needs.
(ABA) is an approach to understanding behavior.
-
This booklet shared by PaTTAN describes the principles of ABA, how it is used in education, and different educational methods that use the principles of it.
-
The following video provides general information about ABA.
Functional Behavioral Assessment
(FBA) is a team process where schools are looking into challenging behaviors and developing strategies to improve challenging behaviors.
-
This PaTTAN brochure provides information about FBA.
-
This video provides basic information on the FBA
Intermediate Units
​Intermediate units (IUs) are regional educational service agencies created by the PA legislature under Act 102 in 1970. They serve as liaisons between school districts and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and implement programs mandated by the PDE, the State Board of Education, the General Assembly, and the US Department of Education. Some services needed by children, teachers, and administrators cannot be provided as effectively and economically by individual school districts and IUs can consolidate and help meet these needs. There are 29 intermediate units in PA (see map for information on your IU)
-
Allegheny Intermediate Unit (IU3) serves public, non-public, charter, and vo-tech schools. They operate 3 schools for students with disabilities, 10 family centers, and 130 programs.
-
Beaver County Intermediate Unit (IU27) provides services to the 14 school districts, New Horizon School, and charter and non-public schools in Beaver County.
-
Midwestern Intermediate Unit (IU4) serves the 27 school districts and 3 vo-techs in Butler, Lawrence, and Mercer Counties.
-
Pittsburgh-Mt. Oliver (IU2) provides services to schools within the city of Pittsburgh.
-
Washington County (IU1) serves Washington, Fayette, and Green county schools and students.
​
Legislation
Special education services are guided by various pieces of state and federal legislation. Below are links to that legislation.
A guide to help parents understand the Special Education Administrative Complaint in Dispute Resolution Process.
Student Assistance Program
The Student Assistance Program (SAP) originated in 1984 and became a requirement for PA schools in 2005 (SAP Interagency Committee, 2017). SAP consists of a trained team (minimum of four members per building) which could consist of an: administrator, teacher, counselor, psychologist, school social worker, nurse, or other related professional staff. Students may be referred to SAP by an administrator, teacher, non-instructional staff, parent/guardian, peer, PBIS team member, or by the student themselves. Behavioral concerns are the top referral reason to the SAP (PNSAS, 2020). Upon referral, the parents/guardians are contacted and written permission is needed for participation in the SAP process. With permission, the team then collects data, plans intervention(s) or makes recommendations, and provides support and follow-up. Participation in SAP may occur prior to participation in special education. The following video provides general information about SAP.
The Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) provides resources and training to support and promote effective instruction and assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities.  Publications, instructional resources, and on-line professional development are available for teachers, paraprofessionals, parents, and administrators.
Individual Education Programs (IEPs)
Below are links to resources providing more information on Individual Education Programs (IEPs).
There are two great resources that were created by the Center for Parent Information and Resources: Tip Sheet on Virtual IEP Meetings and Ingraphic on Participating in Virtual Meetings.
Closing the Gap
There is a great article from Closing the Gap that talks about how to request assistive technology in the IEP and what to do in response to school district hesitation (see pages 6 and 7).
The webinar, More Than an Invitation: Tips for Ensuring Parents are Partners in Developing and Implementing the IEP, featuring the PROGRESS Center, Center on PBIS and PEAK Parent Center, shares resources and tips to help schools to effectively engage parents as partners in the IEP process.
This resource provided by PaTTAN includes the ABCs of Education, communicating with school staff, parents’ rights, resources for families, the special education evaluation and reevaluation process, and understanding the language of special education.
This is an extensive list of accommodations and modifications that students with an IEP may need for their specially designed instruction.
PA Families, Inc is an organization that provides supports to families of children with disabilities. They created a FAQ to answer questions about special education, who to talk to, what it means, and next steps to take.
The Pennsylvania Training & Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education. PaTTAN supports the Department of Education’s efforts to lead and serve the educational community by offering professional development that builds the capacity of local school districts to meet students’ needs. PaTTAN’s primary focus is special education. However, services are also provided to support Early Intervention, student assessment, tutoring and other partnership efforts, all designed to help students succeed. Their website hosts a wealth of information for parents on IEPs.
-
Best Practices for Crafting IEPs for English Language Learners (ELLs)
-
The Summary of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (SAAFP) is a document that is provided to students and their parents at the conclusion of students’ high school education (see PaTTAN's Informational Guide).
-
PaTTAN created a series of short 1-2 min. videos on the roles of the various IEP team members
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) created a flier on Parent Rights that may be helpful. The PDE Bureau of Special Education sponsors a toll-free Special Education ConsultLine to serve families and advocates who have questions or concerns about their child’s special education program or who are seeking information and resources related to special education. The ConsultLine can be reached via phone (1-800-879-2301), email (consultline@odr-pa.org), or through the Office for Dispute Resolution (ODR) website (https://odr-pa.org/consultline-contact/).
The Parent Education & Advocacy Leadership Center has collected a lot of resources for parents on Individual Education Programs
OSEP has provided many resources and guidance letters around IEPs​
School Liaison Office
Provides Education Services for PreK-12 Students, Families and Educators serving military connected students.
The PASA Eligibility Criteria: Decision Making Companion Tool is a resource provided to individualized education program (IEP) teams in Pennsylvania to assist in determining eligibility for the Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment (PASA). The PASA is appropriate for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who meet all six requirements listed below. Additional considerations are provided that further define the criteria and assist the IEP team in decision making. Factors that the IEP team should not consider in eligibility determination are also identified.
While public schools are required to offer special needs education, private schools aren’t. Public schools provide special needs learners IEPs, whereas private schools may offer learners Service Plans. But what is the difference between the two? This article from The Tech Edvocate can answer that.
The Center for Parent Information and Resources created this guide that can help you learn what you need to know. It explains the basics of the special education process and gives you information on how to be an effective partner with your child’s school