Family Voices Indiana

An initial educational evaluation must be comprehensive and conclusive. Information must be gathered in all areas related to the suspected disability, including information and input from the parent(s). NOTE: Each evaluation report must, for each disability category, include information and analysis in the categories of, if applicable:  • Development,  • Cognition (ability to acquire knowledge),  • Academic achievement,  • Functional performance or adaptive behavior,  • Communication skills,  • Motor skills and sensory responses,  • Social and developmental history, and  • Medical and/or mental health information and any other assessments or information that will help the CCC make its determination. 

If the school agrees to conduct the evaluation, the parent(s) must provide written consent before the school may proceed. This consent is only for the school to conduct an initial educational evaluation; it is not consent for any special education services. There is no deadline by which the parent(s) must provide the school with written consent, but the sooner written consent is provided, the sooner the evaluation can be conducted.  Although parental consent is required for an initial educational evaluation, the school is not required to obtain parental consent to:  • Review existing data as part of an educational evaluation,  • Administer tests or other evaluations administered to all students unless parental consent is required for all students, • Screen students if school personnel is using the information to determine appropriate instructional strategies, or  • Collect progress monitoring data as part of the RTI process.  If the parent(s) refuses to provide written consent

Indiana's Part B Application for FFY 2016 Open for Public Comment To receive federal Part B special education funding from the U.S. Department of Education, the Indiana Department of Education is required to give the public an opportunity to comment on the plan in its Part B Application. Comments will be accepted through May 6, 2016.  •  Part B Application   •  Comment Form (link is external) •  FFY 2016 Proposed Budget

Within 10 school days after the parent(s) makes a request for an educational evaluation, the school must provide the parent(s) with written notice responding to the request, as well as a copy of the Notice of Procedural Safeguards. The parent(s) must receive the written notice no later than 10 school days after making the request to licensed personnel employed by the school corporation of legal settlement.  Written notice must:  • Inform the parent(s) if the school agrees or declines to conduct the evaluation,  • Describe the information the school used to make its decision,  • Explain the reason for the decision,  • Advise the parent(s) of procedural safeguard protections, and  • Provide a list of sources to contact for help in understanding special education rules.  If the school agrees to conduct the educational evaluation, the notice will also include:  • The evaluation timeline,  • A description of the evaluation procedures, and  • How the parent(s) may obtain a copy o

¤ What do you think about current resources and services for individuals Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Indiana? ¤ What has worked in supporting families, caregivers, and individuals with ASD? What has not? ¤ What changes do you think should be made? This 10-15 min survey is your chance to provide input that will inform continued changes and next steps! We seek input from all perspectives: family members, individuals with ASD, medical providers, school personnel, justice system employees, and other community service providers. Share the link with your friends or colleagues! http://tinyurl.com/autismneeds2016 Conducted by the HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training and Resource Center on behalf of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA). Questions about the survey or HANDS in Autism? HANDSinAutism.iupui.edu | hands@iupui.edu | 317.274.2675

A student’s parent(s) or school personnel working with the student may make a referral or request for an educational evaluation. If the parent(s) make the request, the request must be made verbally or in writing to licensed personnel such as teachers, school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, building principals, and other administrators. It is always a good idea for the parent(s) to put the request in writing.  If the school refuses to conduct the evaluation, the notice must tell the parent(s) what action(s) they can take if they want to disagree with the school’s decision. An example may be that the school wants to institute an RtI process for the student instead of moving directly into conducting an educational evaluation.  The parent(s) may ask the school to participate in mediation or request a due process hearing if the school declines to conduct the requested evaluation. However, in an effort to better understand the school’s position and perhaps reach

To be eligible for special education and related services, the case conference committee (CCC) must determine, based on the evaluation results and other information, that the child is a student with a disability. A student with a disability is a child who has been evaluated in accordance with Article 7 and been determined eligible for special education and related services by a CCC. The purpose of an educational evaluation is to assess areas of educational need. The school must look at the student’s academic achievement and functional performance to determine whether the student’s disability has an impact on the student’s educational performance. The school must ensure that the method it uses to assess students provides meaningful information that directly helps the CCC make decisions regarding eligibility and educational services.  The process begins with a request that a student be evaluated for a suspected disability. This request is known as a referral. The parent(s) or school

College?  Have you thought about your child with special healthcare needs going away to college?  It is a scary thought for any parent, but particularly for the parent whose child has additional challenges!    According to the Institute for Higher Education Policy, one in eleven freshman college students report some sort of disability.  However, despite the disability many complete their education at the post-secondary level, whether at a trade school or through a two or four-year college program.   College is the perfect time for your child to learn to manage his/her healthcare needs independently.  By taking proper control of his health needs during this time, the child sets himself up for a lifetime of managing his own healthcare needs. The safety net that has been built to support your child – family, school, physicians, and friends – will probably not be effective once he enters college life.  So, a support network must be created within the student’s new environ

PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES:  In order for the parent(s) of a child with a disability to access a FAPE for a child, the parent(s) must:  • Give written consent for educational evaluations of the student;  • Participate as a member of the CCC in developing and revising the student’s IEP;  • Give written consent for the school to implement the student’s initial IEP;  • Partner with school personnel as the student’s advocate to identify and ensure appropriate special education and related services; and  • Ensure the IEP is designed to meet the student’s unique educational needs in the LRE appropriate for the child.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced two major policy changes related Special  Enrollment Periods in the Marketplace.  Here we will explain what has changed, why, and what consumers need to know. Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs) allow consumers to enroll in a Marketplace health insurance plan outside the open enrollment period that occurs near the end of each year.  The most common SEPs are triggered by changes in life circumstances, such as loss of employer-based insurance coverage, marriage, or moving to a new state, but there are other circumstances that trigger SEPs as well. In January, CMS announced the elimination of certain SEPs and clarified the use of an SEP for a consumer’s relocation.  In February, CMS announced a new process for verifying the need for the most common SEPs. Elimination of Some SEPs There won’t be as many circumstances allowed for special enrollment as were previously permitted.  The following are circumstances tha

Article 7 requires that each eligible student with a disability enrolled in a public school between the ages of 3 and 22 be provided with a Free Appropriate Public Education or a FAPE. A FAPE is defined as special education and related services that are provided at public expense, and in accordance with an IEP [at no cost to the parent(s)].  A student with a disability is a student who has been evaluated in accordance with [Article 7] and determined eligible for special education and related services by a CCC.  Special education is specially designed instruction provided to students who have been determined eligible through an educational evaluation. It must be provided at no cost to the parent(s) and in accordance with the student’s IEP.  Related services are services such as occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), an educational interpreter, transportation, etc. that are necessary to allow the student to benefit from his/her special education.  “At no cost” means th