Campus Procedures for Requesting In-Home or Parent/Family Training


What's Required

For a Texas student with autism eligible for special education and related services, the ARD/IEP Committee must consider all eleven peer reviewed, research-based educational programming practice strategies under §89.1055(e) of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC). In-home/community-based training is one of the eleven strategies or options an ARD/IEP Committee may choose for a student with autism in order for the student to learn or to reinforce social skills in a variety of settings. This practice is to ensure a student with autism who may have difficulty generalizing skills from one environment to another receives needed supports and services. In-home and community based training is a related  service that must be considered as one of eleven strategies on the Autism Supplement for a student with autism eligibility, and when needed, addressed in the IEP. While in home and community based training is used to generalize IEP-related social/behavioral skills across settings, such as school-to-home, school-to-community, home-to-community, and community-to-home, it is not an automatic service for a student with an autism spectrum disorder.


What We Do

*****Procedures: (If interest is expressed at the ARD for IH/PFT services first refer to the checklist as well as have the parent fill out the needs assessment and return it.)

I. Diagnostician

  • The consideration of In-Home or Parent/Family Training is required when completing the Autism Supplement and is part of an ARDC meeting.  If either or both services should be pursued via evaluation, obtain parent consent for the evaluation.  
  • If an evaluation is requested, the following documents should be completed and forwarded to the In-Home and Parent/Family Training Coordinator, Charish Flores,  the day of the ARD meeting:

1. Current PLAAFP statement.

2. IEP with updated goals and objectives

3. FBA/BIP (if applicable)

4. FIE or other evaluations

5. Campus strategies/viable alternatives documentation

6. Contact information for teacher, school and parent/guardian including names, addresses and phone numbers

7. Parental Consent for Evaluation 

8. Notice of Assessment

  • If either staff and/or parents reconsider IHT/PFT, after an Annual ARD, a brief ARD should be held to complete a new supplement and to obtain parental consent.  The supplement and consent should be sent to the In-Home and Parent/Family Training Coordinator (see contact information at the end) the day of the ARD meeting.


In-Home and Parent training is typical for:
    • Students on the Autism Spectrum
    • Students who are displaying severe/dangerous behaviors at home but not school
    • Students who are attending to work, completing assignments and following instructions at school but not at home or daycare and this may affect their progress on their IEP
    • Students who are talking in full sentences with a variety of words at school in relation to the IEP but not at home.
    • Students who are struggling to attain basic life skills specific to home such as certain self-care skills, following a family routine and accepting changes, safety skills, etc.

In-Home and Parent training is not typical for:

    • Families who have very busy schedules, especially in the afternoon/ evening when sessions are typically conducted.  Parent participation is required.
    • Parents who have not already gotten approval from daycares etc. for a trainer to intervene
    • Parents who are not mentally capable of implementing strategies
    • Students who have just started school and have not had the appropriate amount of time to make progress or master goals
    • Students who are not yet making progress at school on their IEP
    • Parents who are looking for a tutor for their child
    • Families who have received training and recommendations have been made in the final session for no additional services (see summary sheet)
    • Parents who are not open to training but are being pressured by an administrator/teacher etc.
    • Families where Child Protective Services have been called in and teachers/staff are concerned about the well being of the child.


II. In-Home and Parent/Family Training Coordinator

Upon receipt of required documents:

    • Mark with date received
    • Contact the Teacher/Case Manager via email:

1. Informing him/her  that a student of theirs  has been referred for an evaluation for IHT and/or Parent Training 

2. Attach one form to email:

a. Teacher/Parent Questionnaire

    • Inform teacher/case manager to complete and hold forms until the evaluator contacts them to pick up the forms and conduct a school observation.


III. In-Home and Parent/Family Training Coordinator:

    • Contacts Evaluator via phone/ email and confirm their availability to complete the evaluation within 60 calendar days of the ARD date.


IV. In-Home and Parent/Family Training Coordinator:

    • Provides evaluator with the name of the school and teacher/case manager.
    • Sends via Inter-office mail or private fax the “IHT Parent/Family Training Evaluation Referral” Memo specifying whether IHT, PT or both have been requested.

V. Evaluator:

9. Contact teacher/case manager to:

    • Confirm that forms have been completed and to arrange to obtain them.
    • Schedule a time to complete the school observation.
    • Identify any particular issues that the evaluator should be aware of prior to contacting the parent.

10. Contact parents to schedule appointment to go to the home. 

11. Conduct home visit and completes:

  • Teacher/parent questionnaire based on interview with parent
  • Student observation form.

12. Completes Student Evaluation Report 

Results of evaluation will be:

1. Student does/does not require IHT and-or Parent/Family Training and this recommendation will be presented at the ARD meeting.

2. IHT and-or Parent/Family Training are recommended. The evaluator then drafts/completes “ARD/IEP Supplement: In-Home Training” and/or “ARD/IEP Supplement: Parent/Family Training” with Goals & Objectives & recommended times and frequency for training.

13. Keeps a copy of all documents and bring the original Student Evaluation Report and Goals and Objectives to the scheduled ARD to give to the Diagnostician as well as blank forms in case changes are needed.

14. The Evaluator or the In-Home and Parent/Family Training Coordinator completes the process by attending the ARD to explain and answer any questions about the evaluation.

Note:  Evaluator should only evaluate for the training that was determined by the ARDC.


VI. Diagnostician:

  • Schedule ARD meeting to review Student Evaluation Report.
  • Gives the parent a copy of the evaluation and goal(s).
  • Place one copy in the student’s state file


VII.      Evaluator or In-Home and Parent/Family Training Coordinator:

  • Evaluator will go over the report at the ARD/IEP meeting
  • If the ARDC makes a different decision then that recommended by the evaluator, during the meeting,  a new  IEP Goal/Objective page with the revised information must be completed.
  • To allow time to schedule a trainer, “Schedule by Date” should be at least 3 weeks after the ARD meeting date.  The “End by Date” should exclude summer and school holidays.  Summer training will only be provided for special approved circumstances.


VIII. If service is required upon completion of ARD meeting: 

a. The Evaluator forwards the following to the In-Home and Parent/Family Training Coordinator:

  • Student Evaluation Report
  • IEP Goal /Objective Page(s)

b. The In-Home and Parent/Family Training Coordinator will contact an In-home trainer and send the student evaluation and goals and objectives to him/her.


IX. If service is NOT required upon completion of ARD meeting :

The Evaluator sends one copy of the evaluation report to the In-Home and Parent/Family Training Coordinator stating that no training has been recommended.  


X. The In-Home and Parent/Family Training Coordinator maintains a database for tracking receipt of evaluation requests, evaluator, services received or not received, and name of the in-home trainer.


XI. Diagnostician should follow up with In-Home and Parent/Family Training Coordinator to ensure timely completion of evaluation

Evaluation should be completed within 30 school days of the ARD requesting the evaluation


XII.     Potential difficulties completing evaluation or providing services:

Attempting to contact parents without success: call at least 3 times at 2 working  numbers over  a two week period, leave message with family each time possible.               

  • Contact the teacher/case manager to see if there is a different number for the family and also have them send a note with contact information to call
  • Contact the diagnostician to document the difficulty reaching the parent and have them check to see if: 

a. The evaluation is still needed or the parent would like to decline.

b.  Family decides against evaluation or services after agreed to in ARDC meeting

The diagnostician may document in ARD/IEP meeting via phone.  


XIII.     Upon completion of training the diagnostician will be contacted via email and/or phone to indicate if additional services or evaluation are recommended.  

An ARD must be scheduled if additions are recommended.  Also, see the final summary sheet and the section labeled considerations for the ARD committee.  Recommendations should be listed there as well.