As children and teenagers grow, it is common for them to show changes in mood and behaviors. Youth who are having suicidal thoughts, feelings and behaviors do not always seem depressed, and it is important to be able to tell the difference between moods and behaviors that are normal for teens from those that could suggest that your child is experiencing more serious mental health concerns.
Warning Signs
Talking about wanting to kill themselves or escape pain in direct or indirect ways could mean the child or teen is experiencing suicidal thoughts, feelings or behaviors. This can sound like, “I want to die”, or “I feel like I can’t go on”.
Subtle, minor, or gradual changes in sleep, behaviors and mood over time is a part of normal child development. Major shifts in sleeping patterns, behaviors and/or mood should be given attention, as it may be a sign of suicidal thoughts or feelings.
It’s common for young people to express their thoughts and feelings through art or writing. Art or writing that has themes of emotional pain, violence, or death should be asked about.
It is not unusual for teenagers to be curious about or to experiment with drugs or alcohol. However, frequent and over-use of drugs and/or alcohol is often linked with suicidal thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
Imminent Signs of Suicide
If you notice any of these signs, find help right away and don’t leave your child alone.
Researching ways to die, including getting a gun
Talking about specific plans or ideas about how to die
Making final arrangements, such as giving away their things, planning a funeral, and/or saying goodbye
If you are concerned about the immediate safety of yourself or someone else, call 911 (emergency services) or 988 (suicide and crisis lifeline).
An important part of suicide prevention is limiting a child’s access to lethal means. Lethal means are objects that could be used for a suicide attempt. Access to lethal means, such as firearms or medications, increases the risk of suicide; limiting access to these items can save lives.
Firearms
Firearms are the most dangerous means to suicide. Ensure that firearms are securely locked in a gun safe, with ammunition stored separately in a locked box. When possible, move firearms out of the home to a safe place if your child is struggling with an active suicide risk. It could save your child’s life.
Medication
Open access to medication can pose a significant risk to children and teens, especially when suicide risk is present. Medications should be kept in a locked cabinet or safe, with access limited to adults.
Safely dispose of medications through local drug take-back programs or by following FDA guidelines for disposal. Regularly clean out medicine cabinets to remove expired or unused medications. Keep only a small number of pills in each bottle.
Limiting Access to Hazardous Substances
Store hazardous substances, such as cleaning products and pesticides, securely in locked cabinets or areas that those at risk to suicide can’t reach. Consider using less toxic products when possible.
Sharps
Keep sharp objects, like razors, knives, and scissors, in a locked cabinet or remove them from your home, when possible. Allow your child access to items such as razors only when needed.
Alcohol
Drinking alcohol reduces impulse control and increases risk to suicide. Lock up or remove alcohol from your home.
Limiting Access to Screens and Protecting Sleep
Poor sleep can increase a child’s risk to suicide because it affects their decision-making, and impulse control. Protect your child’s sleep time by limiting your child’s phone use to create a healthy sleep environment.
Take proactive steps today to reduce access to lethal means and protect those you care about. For more information, view Youth Mental Health Resources.
This resource provides descriptions of various roles within many public school districts. Each district is different, however, and your child’s school might be supported by a different team of professionals. Additionally, these are just some possible key staff; there are many people within a district and school that can contribute to your child’s school experience.
Administrative Team
Superintendent: Leads the school district and makes decisions about strategic planning, budgets, district-wide policies, community relations, and how to support students and staff.
Principal – Leads an individual school, including supervising and evaluating teachers and staff, improving the school’s culture, connecting with parents and the community, handling crisis situations and behavioral interventions, and supporting curriculum development.
Director of Special Education – Leads the special education department. Responsible for making sure that students with special needs get high-quality, personalized support and services. Also makes sure that policies and procedures meet legal educational requirements and oversees the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process to be sure that best practices are being followed.
Special Education Team
Social Worker (SW) – Supports the social-emotional development of students by helping to create a supportive and inclusive environment for everyone. May work one-on-one or in small groups to help students with topics such as anxiety, peer conflict, and grief. Help to identify the causes of challenges at school including family issues, mental health concerns, or trauma and help to develop intervention plans to address those challenges.
Occupational Therapist (OT) – Helps students develop their fine motor skills, sensory regulation skills, and other skills for daily living. May work one-on-one with a student, or with a student’s teachers or family to develop other ways to support skill-building.
Physical Therapist (PT) – Evaluates a child’s gross motor skills like strength, balance, coordination, and mobility and helps determine if the child needs assistive devices or mobility aids to participate in school activities.
Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) – Assesses a student’s communication abilities, including how they form words and sounds and understand and express language. May provide one-on-one or small group support, and may work with families and teachers to support the child’s communication development in and outside of school.
Special Education Teacher: Provides specialized instruction and support to students with diverse learning needs and abilities. Design and implement individualized education programs (IEPs). Modifies and adapts curriculum materials to make them accessible to students with diverse learning needs. May use specialized teaching techniques, instructional materials, and technology to help students learn and succeed in the classroom. May also be called: Teacher Consultant, Resource Room Teacher, Self-Contained Classroom Teacher, or other district terms.
Paraprofessionals – Provides support to teachers and students in educational settings. May work with individuals or small groups of students by providing additional explanation, reinforcement, or clarification of concepts during or after classroom instruction. Also implements behavior management plans, IEPs, and 504 plans.
Other Important Student Support Personnel
Guidance Counselor – Assists students in setting academic goals, choosing which classes to take, and planning their academic paths. May provide individual and group counseling, help students navigate personal challenges, and help promote positive school culture.
Reading Specialist/Interventionist or Literacy Coach – Focuses on improving students’ reading skills and fostering a love for reading. Assess students’ reading abilities to identify their strengths, weaknesses, and needs. Develop individualized reading intervention plans.
This guide gives brief definitions of commonly used acronyms in special education services.
504: A 504 plan helps children who need additional accommodations and/modifications, but do not qualify for an Individualized Education Program (IEP). A 504 plan is tailored to meet each individual child’s needs and may include things like a certain seating arrangement or extra time for tests.
AAC (Augmentative Alternative Communication): AACs are tools that help people communicate and may include things like pictures, hand signals, or special devices.
ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder): ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social interactions and communication and can include repetitive behaviors, sensory sensitivity, or very focused interests.
BIP (Behavior Intervention Plan): A BIP helps children with their behaviors in school. It is developed by a team that might include the family, teachers, a school psychologist, or other mental health professional. The plan is based on a functional behavior assessment (FBA) and includes a consideration of what happens before, during, and after challenging behaviors.
CST (Child Study Team): A CST is usually made up of the school psychologist, special education teacher, school counselors, and other specialists. Their goal is to gather information about a child’s needs and strengths and develop appropriate plans to support children’s academic, social-emotional, or behavioral needs.
ECSE (Early Childhood Special Education): ECSE is a specialized educational service provided to young children between the ages of birth to five years old with developmental delays, disabilities, or other special needs. The goal of ECSE is to prepare students for future educational success during this critical period of development.
FAPE (Free and Appropriate Education): FAPE is a term used to describe the educational services and supports that school districts are legally required to provide to students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These services and supports must be free to the student/family and must be tailored to meet their needs.
FBA (Functional Behavior Assessment): An FBA is a tool used to identify the cause of a child’s challenging behaviors. An FBA is usually conducted by a team of school staff that may include teachers, psychologists, and other student support staff. It usually is designed to better understand what happens before, during, and after a challenging behavior.
IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act): IDEA is a federal law that requires school districts to support the needs of all children, including children with disabilities.
IEP (Individualized Education Program): An IEP is a legal document developed for students with disabilities eligible for special education services. An IEP is a personalized plan that includes the student’s educational goals, services, accommodations, and modifications needed to support the student’s learning and address their unique needs. To learn more about the IEP process, see [Question List for School Meeting].
LD (Learning Disability): This is a term used to describe difficulties in how a person receives, retains, or communicates information. This may affect reading, writing, or math, reading, writing, or math.
LRE (Least Restrictive Environment): This describes part of the mandate from the IDEA and requires that students with disabilities are educated to the maximum extent appropriate with their non-disabled peers in the general education setting. This comes from a recognition that all children should have access to the same educational activities, opportunities, and settings.
OHI (Other Health Impaired) – OHI is a category of disability recognized under the IDEA. Students with an OHI eligibility typically have a chronic or acute health condition that affects their academic performance.
OT (Occupational Therapy or Occupational Therapist): Occupational therapy focuses on helping people develop their fine motor skills, sensory regulation skills, and skills for daily living. These activities might help children with things like handwriting, getting dressed independently, or navigating sensory experiences. An occupational therapist is someone who helps design the activities to help build those skills. In a school, an OT might work one-on-one with a student, or with a student’s teachers or family to develop other ways to support skill-building.
PBS (Positive Behavioral Supports): PBS is a proactive, evidence-based approach to managing challenging behaviors and promoting positive behaviors in students, including those with special needs. PBS focuses on understanding the causes of challenging behaviors and identifying and practicing alternatives behaviors.
PLAAF (Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance): A PLAAF is part of an IEP. The PLAAF is a snapshot of a student’s current academic achievement and functional performance in reading, writing, math, social skills, and more. It helps to determine what services and supports a student needs.
PT (Physical Therapy or Physical Therapist): Physical therapy focuses on strengthening a person’s ability to move and physically function. In a school, a physical therapist is someone who evaluates a child’s gross motor skills like strength, balance, coordination, and mobility and helps determine if the child needs assistive devices or mobility aids to participate in school activities.
SLP (Speech and Language Pathologist): An SLP assesses a person’s communication abilities, including how they form words and sounds and understand and express language. An SLP in a school might provide one-on-one or small group support to students, and may work with families and teachers to support the child’s communication development in and outside of school.
SW (Social Work or Social Worker): Social work helps individuals with social-emotional and behavioral issues. In a school, a Social Worker supports the social-emotional development of students by helping to create a supportive and inclusive environment for everyone. School social workers often work one-on-one or in small groups to help students with topics such as anxiety, peer conflict, and grief. They help to identify the causes of challenges at school including family issues, mental health concerns, or trauma and help to develop intervention plans to address those challenges.
This guide provides answers to common parent and caregiver questions about special education services.
1. What is an IEP?
An IEP is a legal document developed for students with disabilities eligible for special education services. An IEP is a personalized plan that includes the student’s educational goals, services, accommodations, and modifications needed to support the student’s learning and address their unique needs. The main parts of an IEP include:
Present Levels of Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP): The PLAAFP is a snapshot of a student’s current academic achievement and functional performance in reading, writing, math, social skills, and more. It helps to determine what services and supports a student needs.
Annual Goals: These are goals that are worked on over a one-year period.
Accommodations and Modifications: These are the strategies and supports that are put in place so that students with disabilities can access and participate in educational activities with their peers.
Programs and Services: This refers to the specialized educational supports, interventions, and resources a student will receive to help them access the general education curriculum.
2. Who is eligible for an IEP?
Students with disabilities may be eligible for special education services if they meet certain criteria. Eligibility is determined through a comprehensive evaluation process conducted by a team of professionals including educators, psychologists, and other specialists. To be eligible for special education services, a student must have one of 13 disabilities recognized by the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and must demonstrate that the disability negatively impacts their educational performance and requires specially designed instruction to make progress in school. For more details about eligibility criteria, you can learn more about the IDEA here.
3. What is the difference between a 504 and an IEP?
A 504 plan helps children who need additional accommodations and/modifications, but do not qualify for an IEP. A 504 plan is tailored to meet each individual child’s needs and may include things like a certain seating arrangement or extra time for tests.
An IEP is a more comprehensive plan developed for students who require specialized instruction due to their disabilities. An IEP includes specific academic goals, services, and accommodations tailored to meet the student’s needs.
While both 504 plans and IEPs aim to support students with disabilities, the main difference lies in the level of support and services provided. A 504 plan focuses on accommodations to ensure equal access, while an IEP involves specialized instruction and more comprehensive support for academic success.
4. How often are IEP meetings held?
An IEP meeting must be held at least once a year to review and revise the student’s IEP. During this meeting, the team discusses the student’s progress, reviews the student’s goals, evaluates current services and accommodations, and updates the IEP for the upcoming year.
A reevaluation meeting occurs every three years. During the reevaluation, the student takes part in various evaluations to determine if they are still eligible for special education services.
At any point during the year, parents or team members can also ask for an IEP meeting to review the IEP, adjust the goals, or discuss concerns.
5. What happens during an IEP meeting?
An IEP meeting agenda usually includes these items:
Introductions
Discuss student strengths and parent input/concerns
Determine which eligibility category student is qualifying under
Review of Present Levels of Achievement and Performance (PLAAFP)
Discuss Goals and Objectives
Discuss Accommodations and Modifications needed
Discuss Related Services (i.e. time in the resource room, occupational therapy, social work)
Transition Planning (depending on the student’s age, this may include a discussion of post-secondary plans and independent living skills)
Communication Considerations: determining how to the family and team can best keep in contact about the student’s needs and progress
6. If my child has an outside diagnosis, do they still need a school evaluation?
Schools typically require their own evaluations to determine if a student is eligible for special education. An educational evaluation is not the same as a diagnosis by a medical professional. However, schools will generally review the testing information from outside professionals and may take the outside diagnosis into consideration when determining what is best for the student.
7. How do I request a special education evaluation if I think my child is struggling?
Requesting a special education evaluation for your child is an important step in ensuring they receive the support they need to succeed academically. To request an evaluation, you should contact your child’s teacher to express your concerns about their academic performance and request an evaluation for special education. The request can be given verbally or in writing, but either way be sure to clearly state your concerns and that you are requesting a formal evaluation for special education services.
Once an evaluation has been requested by a parent or legal guardian, the law states that evaluations must be conducted within a reasonable timeframe, typically within 60 days of receiving parental consent for the evaluation. However, each state has their own specific timelines, which may be shorter or longer than the federal requirement.
For more information about navigating concerns, see [What to do – Parent Concerns resource].
8. Who is part of the evaluation and IEP processes?
The IEP team generally consists of you (the parents or guardians), a general education teacher, a special education teacher, and school support staff, like a social worker, speech therapist, occupational therapist, and/or physical therapist. A school psychologist typically joins after the initial evaluation has been completed, or if the team is meeting for reevaluation.
9. Can the IEP be changed after the IEP meeting?
Yes! An IEP meeting will be held every year to review your child’s progress and develop a new IEP for the upcoming school year.
If you feel you need to meet before the annual IEP, you may ask to have your child’s IEP reviewed or revised at any time. IEPs may also be reviewed prior to the scheduled annual IEP. For example, the student achieved their goals and new goals need to be added, or there are changes to the student’s services that need to be made.
10. Will my child be in special education forever?
This depends on many factors including the nature of their disability, their individual progress, and their ongoing educational needs over time. For some students, special education services may be temporary, serving as a bridge to help them develop the skills needed to succeed in the general education classroom.
For other students, special education may be a long-term need. Ultimately, the goal of special education is to provide the appropriate level of support to help students make progress and achieve their educational and developmental goals. Therefore, the duration of special education services can vary from one student to another.
