Family Information

Supporting a child with a disability through the education process takes a team approach. As a parent, you are an essential partner in your child’s education. You have many partners, including your Local Education Agency (LEA), providing support, resources, trainings, and videos to assist you in learning about specific disabilities and educational initiatives.

Important News for Families

BSE/PaTTAN Webpage Specifically for Families of Students with Complex Needs

Popular PaTTAN Publications for Families
To access publications specific to families of children with disabilities, click on "Resources" in the green box at the bottom of this page.
Click here to access all PaTTAN publications.

Videos
Resources
Consultants

Resources

Families to the MAX Tip Sheet: Behavior

Challenging behavior and intense emotional responses can cause distress for children and adolescents, as well as their families. This tip sheet lists ways to understand children's behavior in order to better support them in the classroom and beyond.

Person Driven Planning

Person Driven Planning is a way of planning for your future that is driven by YOU! As you look for ways to get more involved and lead your plan for your future, you will find that a lot of information exists. This resource was made to highlight a few resources that stand out, and to help you decide which resources make the most sense for you.

Audience: Students and Families

Families to the MAX Tip Sheet: Presuming Competence (Spanish) This tip sheet lists ways to reflect "presuming competence" in the Individualized Education Program. Spanish version.

Also available in English.

Families to the MAX: Access to the General Education Curriculum (Spanish) Regardless of a child’s placement, having access to the general education curriculum is a requirement of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This publication presents ways to provide access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities. Spanish version.

Also available in English.

Families to the MAX: Access to the General Education Curriculum Regardless of a child’s placement, having access to the general education curriculum is a requirement of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This publication presents ways to provide access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities.

Also available in Spanish.

Families to the MAX Tip Sheet: Presuming Competence This tip sheet lists ways to reflect "presuming competence" in the Individualized Education Program.

Also available in Spanish.

What is the Families to the MAX Pennsylvania Statewide Network? This publication provides information about the Families to the MAX Network.

Also available in Spanish.

Special Education Resources for Families Do you have questions about . . .

The special education process or your rights?
Your child’s Evaluation Report (ER), Individualized Education Plan (IEP), or other documents?
Working with your child’s school or IEP team?
Ways that youth with disabilities can participate in their own educational and transition planning?

. . . If so, these free resource organizations can help with answers! These organizations can also assist families whose primary language is not English.

This publication is written in English on one side, and in Spanish on the reverse side.