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Resources

In 2019, the 86th Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 139 (SB 139), which requires Texas local education agencies (LEAs) to distribute the updates in special education at: https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/Updates-on-Special-Education.pdf

Additional notices are available at http://direc.to/dVYo regarding:

• Dyslexia 
• 504
• Multi-Tiered System of Supports/MTSS  
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act/IDEA   (English | Spanish)

Compensatory Services

TEA developed a document to assist parents whose children may have been previously delayed or denied an evaluation under IDEA, in requesting compensatory services for their child. 

OSEP Compensatory Services Notification Requirement (English | Spanish)

Parent-Directed Special Education Services (PDSES) 

The Parent-Directed Special Education Services (PDSES) program is a one-time $1,500 online grant for parents/guardians of eligible students served by special education and who are enrolled in a Texas public school. Parents/guardians of eligible students can use the online accounts to shop the marketplace to obtain educational materials and resources such as textbooks, curriculum, or technology devices and/or services such as additional speech therapy, tutoring, or other specific services. The PDSES program is the same as the Supplemental Special Education Services (SSES) program, just with a new name to better reflect the importance of parents as decision makers in the educational process. The same students who were eligible for the SSES program are eligible for the PDSES program. If students already received an SSES grant, they will not be eligible for a PDSES program grant. 

The PDSES Program is a first-come, first-served one-time only grant. If you have previously been awarded a PDSES or SSES account, you will not be eligible to apply again. Before you apply, please make sure your student meets the eligibility criteria.

To be eligible for the PDSES grant, a student must:

• be currently enrolled in a Texas public school (grades Pre-K through 12th);
• receive special education services through an individualized education program (IEP); and
• have not received a PDSES/SSES grant in the past. (PDSES is a one-time-only grant.)

The 2025-2026 application window will open in the Spring of 2026, please check back here for specific dates or you can sign up for PDSES email updates.

LifePath Systems

To be placed on the Interest List, call Lifepath Services at 972-562-0190 or the Department of Human Services at 512-438-5658

Metrocare 

To be placed on the Interest List call Inquiry Line: (866) 501-6535

Partners Resource Network

Partners Resource Network PACT Project

Partners Resource Network Statewide Webinars 

Fact Sheets

Description: The Special Education Information Center (SPEDTex) provides resources and interactive features for increasing family awareness of disabilities and special education processes, with the goal of improving partnerships between schools and families.

Contact information:

Phone: 1-855-773-3839

Email: inquire@spedtex.org

Link to Website (with live chat)

• SPED TEX: Texas Medicaid Waiver Programs for Children with Disabilities
  • With the following information shared by Navigate Life Texas, a project supported by Texas Health and Human Services, you can learn more about Medicaid waiver programs for children, including an overview of services and eligibility. Click here
• SPED TEX: Resources and Help Available: Get on the Waiting Lists Now
  • Find out why it’s important to be on waiting lists for resources early in your child’s life in this video from Texas Complex Access Network. Click here
• Planning for the Future with Medicaid Waivers
• Region 10 Medicaid Waiver Handouts: English  Spanish

Take Me Home Program

Youth Police Academy

Parent Information Workshop (Video) 11/17/25

Workshop Series- Local Agency LifePath Systems (video) - 1/14/25

Workshop Series - SSI & Employment (video) - 2/4/25 

Workshop Series- REACH/Kingdom Performance (Video) 9/5/2023

Workshop Series- Guardianship (Video) 10/3/2023

Project SEARCH (Video) 11/14/2023

Disability Rights Texas (Video) 12/05/2023

Transition to College-Workshop Series (Video) 2/7/2024

Think College (Video) 3/6/2024

Let's Talk: The Dignity of Risk and Transition (Video) 4/2/2024

Guardianship and Alternatives to Guardianship (11/01/2022)

UNT- Parent Workshop (12/6/22)

Transitioning to College (2/8/2022):

• To access the video above please click download.

Let's Talk Special Needs Planning: Wills, Special Needs Trusts, ABLE Accounts (4/5/2022)

• Part 1 Recording
• Part 2 Recording

Below is a link to a Texas Education Agency Resource about Individualized Education Program (IEP).

What is an IEP?

• Acronyms: Special Education seems to have a language of its own. Educators often use many of these words in conversations with parents, so, as a parent, please ask for clarification or an explanation of the meaning. Additional link for Acronyms and Abbreviations.
• IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act website. Texas Education Agency (TEA) fact sheet for IDEA. 
• Special Education Contact List: Linked is the PISD Special Education contact list. 
• Special Education Home Page: This link will navigate you to the PISD Special Education website. 
• Texas Council of Developmental Disabilities: "The Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities helps people with developmental disabilities achieve their potential for independence, productivity, and integration into their communities by working to develop a comprehensive system of service and supports in Texas."(Texas Council of Developmental Disabilities)
• Resolving Student and Parent Concerns: Plano ISD encourages students and parents to attempt to resolve their concerns with the appropriate teacher, principal, other campus administrators, department, or employee. The district believes it is in the best interest of everyone involved to informally resolve concerns, if at all possible. Concerns should be expressed as soon as possible to allow early resolution at the lowest possible administrative level.  
• Technical Assistance: Child Find and Evaluation: Link to a PDF developed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA)
• Technical Assistance: Individualized Education Program (IEP) Development: Link to a PDF developed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA)

• Texas Education Agency (TEA) Guidance on Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) 
• Texas Project FIRST: IEP Process Step by Step
• Texas Project FIRST: Developing the IEP: The Five W's 
• Special Education Rules & Regulations

• Evaluations: This link will navigate you to the PISD special education site for more information regarding the evaluation process.
• Child Find
• Child Find Public Awareness 
• Partners Resource Network: Evaluation and IEP Timelines
• Timelines for Special Education

Beginning of the Year:

• School Directory
• School Hours
• PTA

End of the Year:

Summer activities:

• See Community Resource Guide for more information about summer activities. This document is updated annually and not endorsed by PISD, rather a document of resources for parents to consider. 
• PISD Summer School
• Plano Parks and Recreation

• Center for Parent Information & Resources
• Contacts for College Programs for Students with Disabilities 2021 
• Council of Learning Disabilities 
• Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
• LifePath Systems
• National Library Service
• Partners Resource Network
• PISD Parenting Workshops 
• Special Education Rules & Regulations
• Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)
• Special Olympics
• SPED TEX- Special Education Information Center
• TEA
• Special Education in Texas A-Z Index
• Texas Project FIRST
• The ARC
• The Legal Framework for the Child-Centered Special Education Process
• Think College
• WhyTry

• Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
• National Institute for Mental Health: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
• PISD Parenting Workshops

• Autism Resource Center 
• Autism Society
• National Autism Association of North Texas

• Positive Behavior Supports || A Resource Collection
• Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS): Supporting Families with PBIS at Home 
• Technical Assistance: Behavior Supports and Guidance for Students with Disabilities

• Cerebral Palsy Alliance 
• Cerebral Palsy Foundation
• My Child at Cerebral Palsy .org
• United Cerebral Palsy

Community Resource Guide: This document is updated annually and not endorsed by PISD, rather a document of resources for parents to consider.

• Audiology: ASHA
• RDSPD Parent Google Site
• Services for Students Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

• Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas
• National Down Syndrome Society

• PISD Dyslexia
• Tools for Dyslexia (PISD)
• Texas Education Agency (TEA) Dyslexia Handbook
• Scottish Rite Hospital: Dyslexia

• Parent Guide to Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)
• Early Childhood Intervention Services
• PISD Early Childhood
• Information for  Early Childhood Intervention (Collin County ECI 972-562-0331) (ECI_Referrals@lifepathsystems.org)
• Early Childhood Texas

• Learning Disabilities Association of America
• National Center for Learning Disabilities

• National Alliance on Mental Illness
• National Association of School Psychologists 
• National Institute of Mental Health
• PISD Character, Attendance and Restorative Education (CARE)
• Texas Education Agency (TEA): Mental Health and Behavioral Health

• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
• PISD Speech Services
• Texas Speech-Language and Hearing Association
• The State Board of Examiners of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology

• All Blind Children of Texas 
• American Foundation for the Blind
• Statewide Resources for Texas School for the Blind
• Texas School for the Blind

The links below are not endorsed by PISD, but rather a list of resources for parents to consider. 

• City of Plano Parks and Rec Catalog
• Community Resource Guide: This document is updated annually and not endorsed by PISD, but rather a document of resources for parents to consider. 
• Texas Lions Camp
• PISD Summer School

Parent's Guide to the Admission, Review, and Dismissal Process: "The guide is designed to give you, as the parent of a child who is or may be eligible for special education services, a better understanding of the special education
process..."

• Procedural Safeguards (English): Rights of Parents of Children with Disabilities 
• Procedural Safeguards (Spanish)
• Procedural Safeguards (more languages)

25 Tips for Effective ARD Meetings

• Link to information about guardianship and alternatives
• OSEP Custody Resources

The district must provide the parent with a written or audiotape copy of the child's IEP translated into the parent's native language. Texas Educ. Code § 29.005(d)(1).

If you need an interpreter for a meeting, contact your child's case manager and they will follow the district process for requesting an interpreter. 

• Technical Assistance: Individualized Education Program (IEP) Development: Will link to PDF developed by Texas Education Agency (TEA)
• A Seven-Step Process to Creating Standards-based IEPs

A surrogate or foster parent may be needed to represent a student with a disability during the special education process as outlined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA).  

In cases where the child has no parent(s), none can be located, or the child is a ward of the state, a surrogate parent must be appointed to make educational decisions on behalf of the child and to protect the child’s rights in matters relating to identification, evaluation, and placement in special education. 

Surrogate/foster parents are provided with required training by the campus Special Education Department.

• Charmaine Solomon Adult Transition Center
• Project Search

• Transition Texas (Texas Transition and Employment Guide (English and Spanish) can be found on this website)
• Texas Workforce Commission and Legal Framework- Transition
• The National Parent Center on Transition and Employment provides information on Middle and High school planning, post-secondary education, employment, benefit programs, and support, independent and community living, Laws and Rights, Health and Transition, and Assistive Technology. 
• Family Voices National Center for Family/Professional Partnerships is an organization of families and friends of children and youth with special health care needs and disabilities. 
• Great Schools.org provides information on school quality, supporting advocacy, and parenting information.
• Texas Youth 2 Adult provides information specific to the individual diagnosis and age of the student.
• Next Steps provides a multimedia reference tool about the transition IEP process.
• I’m Determined focuses on providing direct instruction models and opportunities to practice skills associated with self-determination and transition.
• Bridging Apps is a website that searched for apps that are reviewed using standards-based assessment tools. Learn to use mobile devices to effectively target skill development.
• Charting the Life Course is a framework that was developed to help individuals with disabilities and families at any age or stage of life think about what they need to know, identify how to find or develop support, and discover what it takes to live the lives they want to live. Individuals and families may focus on their current situation and stage of life but may also find it helpful to look ahead to start thinking about what they can do or learn now that will help build an inclusive productive life in the future. 
• Transition Activities That Can Be Done At Home: resource provided by SpedTex 
• Think College: Think College Search features 309 colleges and universities that offer postsecondary education programs for students with an intellectual disability. Users of this searchable online database can filter by state, length of the program, type of school, options for living on campus, and more.
• Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities Higher Education Resources: The Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities website offers a list of many of the Disability Service Offices in the state of Texas.

• Transition and the Law Document
• Link to information about guardianship and alternatives

Transition is a process and a journey; not an event.  Transition planning leads to interdependence, allowing the person to recognize strengths, interests and needs.  According to the American’s with Disability Act of 1990, “Independence is not measured by the number of tasks a person can do without assistance but the quality of life a person can lead with assistance. Past experiences influence and support future outcomes. Envisioning what you and your child want to see in the future, and what you want to avoid can create a trajectory for planning.  This vision will change based on life experiences. Parents can create opportunities to support future learning and students can learn by experiencing success and perceived failures (Dignity of Risk Document).” 

Charting the LifeCourse provides tools to support your child’s transition. 

Transition age Trajectory Worksheet

• Educational Planning for students projected to attend post-secondary education (College, Trade School or Military)
• Checklist for Transition Planning

Resources for Educational Planning:

• Pacer’s National Parent Center on Transition and Employment
• Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education from the US Office of Civil Rights  
• Lexile levels for postsecondary education 
• Think College   
• wikiHow Study Schedules
• Develop Good Habits (Study Schedule)

Self Determination and Self-Advocacy

Self-advocacy is the ability to speak up for yourself and the things that are important to you.  It includes asking for the things you want and need and express your feelings and ideas. Self-determination means that the person recognizes their strengths and needs in order to determine a goal, create and evaluate a plan of action while using identified supports.   Self-determination can be expressed at all ages and in many ways. A young child shows self-determination by choosing a toy, a shirt to wear, or a snack. This can be expressed by crying and throwing themselves on the floor or by having a choice presented. The parent can help the child by teaching self-determination and decreasing the emotional outbursts.

Skills associated with self-determination include choice making, self-advocacy and self-management and having self-awareness and self-knowledge. 

Click HERE to view skills associated with Self Determination and Self-Advocacy.

• Trajectory Early Childhood
• Trajectory Elementary
• Trajectory Secondary

Agency Supports List

Healthcare Transition

Healthcare transition is the process of getting ready for healthcare as an adult. During childhood, parents usually help with medical needs—they call for appointments, fill out forms, and keep track of medications. As youth get older, managing medical needs becomes their own responsibility. Achieving this independence requires an organized transition process to gain independent healthcare skills, prepare for an adult model of care, and transfer to new providers. There are several steps you can take to make sure the transition to adult healthcare goes smoothly. Be sure to also check out our resource section for additional information.

Maximizing Supplemental Security Income

Planning for the Future with Medicaid Waivers

• Early Childhood Trajectory 
•  Elementary Trajectory
• Secondary College Outcome Trajectory 
• Sample Trajectories (Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary, Secondary/College) HTML version
• Transition age Trajectory  (Worksheet)