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The �鶹������ý ISD Department of Special Education hosts Family Learning Opportunities throughout the year. These sessions include a variety of topics related to students with disabilities and special education. For more information, please contact Kellie Marino or Bree Rolfe at 512-414-SPED (7733).

Starting in November, sessions are in English. To request interpretation in Spanish or any other language (including ASL), you must register 24 hours in advance. Registration/Interpretation Request: tinyurl.com/33u78ec7  

�鶹������ý ISD Special Education Learning Events Calendar

• August & September 2025 (English PDF | Spanish PDF)
• October 2025 ( | )
• November 2025 (English PDF | Spanish PDF)
• December 2025 (English PDF | Spanish PDF)

Date	Time	Title & Description	Location
Saturday, October  25, 2025	10-11:30am	Special Education Transition Team Presents: Student Employment Panel Presented by Courtney Gregori & Judith Leblanc Parents and caregivers, join us for a special Employment Panel focused on helping you learn how to support your student’s journey into the world of work. Representatives from Goodwill, Texas Workforce, and �鶹������ý ISD Job Coaches will share valuable information about job training programs, employment opportunities, and the skills that help young people thrive in the workplace. You’ll gain practical tips, resources, and guidance to better prepare your student for future success.	LBJ Early College High School | 7309 Lazy Creek Dr, �鶹������ý, TX 78724
Monday, October 27, 2025	6-8pm	Special Education Dyslexia Team Presents: The Truth About Reading - Free Documentary Screening is an 80 minute documentary that looks at the illiteracy problem in America, highlighting people who learned to read as adults, and sharing proposed solutions for working towards a future where every child learns to read proficiently. Free Tickets are required and can be obtained here:	Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders | 2309 Panther Trail, �鶹������ý, TX 78704
Wednesday, October 29, 2025	12-1pm & 6-7pm	Empower Hour: Practical Strategies for Students with Dyslexia Presented by Dyslexia Team and Suzann Vera Join us for an encouraging and down-to-earth session designed for both parents and educators. Together, we’ll break down what dyslexia and related learning differences really mean and share simple, effective strategies that can be used at home and in the classroom. You’ll walk away with tools for reading and study support, tips for building organization and study habits, and ways to nurture resilience and confidence in students. We’ll also connect you with helpful resources and community supports.	Zoom -
Wednesday, November 5, 2025	12-1pm & 6-7pm	Empower Hour: AISD 18+ Info Session- Ready for what’s next after high school? Presented by Courtney Gregori & Judith Leblanc Join AISD’s Transition Team for Empower Hour—a virtual info session all about 18+ services, including GO Project, TLC, Greenleaf, and Project SEARCH. Discover which program best fits your student’s needs and get your questions answered by our experts. Open to families and caregivers of students with disabilities.	Zoom -
Saturday, November 8, 2025	9am-12pm	Special Education Transition Team Presents: Texas Parent to Parent Presented by Courtney Gregori & Judith Leblanc Texas Parent to Parent’s Pathways to Adulthood training will provide families and professionals with tools to plan for a young adult’s life after high school. Open to AISD families whose children have a disability, chronic illness, mental health condition, or other special healthcare needs—as well as the professionals who support them.	Sanchez Elementary | 73 San Marcos St, �鶹������ý, TX 78702  Registration for Texas Parent to Parent: bit.ly/48wNa6v
Wednesday, November 12, 2025	12-1pm & 6-7pm	Empower Hour: Focus on Autism Presented by Courtney Harris Join our District Autism Specialists for a discussion on Autism Eligibility for Special Education Services. Learn how autism may impact education, what supports schools can provide, and explore resources, including community events, visuals, and reinforcement systems.	Zoom -
Wednesday, November 19, 2025	12-1pm & 6-7pm	Empower Hour: College Bound with the Transition Team Presented by Courtney Gregori & Judith Leblanc Disability Specialists from Texas State will explain the differences between K–12 and higher education. Learn about accommodations in college, how to request services, changes in parental involvement, and tips to successfully navigate the transition from high school to higher education.	Zoom -
Wednesday, December 3, 2025	12-1pm & 6-7pm	Empower Hour: Family Voices on Inclusion Presented by Bailey Gates & the Special Education Inclusion Workgroup As part of Inclusive Schools Week, the Inclusion Workgroup invites families to join a special session. The event will feature family testimonials about inclusion, updates on the group’s ongoing work, and a parent town hall where families can share feedback about what inclusive schools mean to them. This is a great opportunity to learn, connect, and help shape the future of inclusive practices in our schools.	Zoom -
Wednesday, December 10, 2025	12-1pm & 6-7pm	Empower Hour: Coach to Communicate Presented by the Texas A&M Coach to Communicate program The Coach to Communicate project offers a one-hour webinar for parents and caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder. Gain practical applied behavior analysis (ABA) strategies to improve communication at home and learn how to access one-on-one parent coaching with experienced ABA specialists.	Zoom -
Wednesday, December 17, 2025	12-1pm & 6-7pm	Empower Hour: Texas Transition and Employment Guide Presented by Courtney Gregori & Judith Leblanc Join us for an overview of TEA’s Texas Transition and Employment Guide. This session will highlight important sections of the guide, offering practical strategies and resources for planning education, employment, and independent living goals after high school.	Zoom -

The Family Connections newsletter will now be sent to your inbox four times a year, keeping you up to date on important events, resources, and supports throughout the school year.

See the newsletter here: 

• Fall 2025 (, )
• Back to School 2025 (, )
• Summer 2025 (, )
• Spring 2025 (, )
• Winter 2025 (, )

Empower Hour: Welcome to �鶹������ý ISD Special Education Join us for a tour of the helpful parent tools and guides on the SPEDTex website during an interactive session. We’ll also share key information for families new to �鶹������ý ISD’s special education programs, with plenty of time to answer your questions and offer support for your student.	Presentation PDF (, )
Empower Hour: Child Find Learn about Child Find, the process that ensures all children who may need special education services are identified and supported. This session will help you understand your rights, the school’s responsibilities, and how to get the help your child needs.	Presentation PDF (, )
Empower Hour: The ABCs of IEPs This session welcomes new families to special education and introduces key parts of a student’s program, including performance levels, goals, and services. You’ll also learn about your role as a parent and how to work with the IEP team. Sessions repeat throughout the year.	Presentation PDF (, )
Empower Hour: �鶹������ý ISD 18+ Info Session Ready for what’s next after high school? Join AISD’s Transition Team for a virtual informational session all about 18+ services, including GO Project, TLC, Greenleaf, and Project SEARCH. Discover which program best fits your student’s needs and get your questions answered by our experts.	Presentation PDF (, )
Empower Hour: Let’s Get Organized! Progress Reports for Parents, Organization and Communication, Family Binder, Frontline Join us for an interactive session to learn essential tools for staying organized and engaged as a special education family. We’ll walk you through the AISD Parent Portal, the collaboration portal in Frontline, and instructions on how to create a Family Binder to keep all your important documents in one place.	Presentation PDF (, )
Empower Hour: Together – How to support our bilingual students In this session, families will learn the differences between ESL and bilingual programs. Participants will leave with powerful questions to ask teachers and schools to advocate for their children’s success.	Presentation PDF  ()
Empower Hour: Walkthrough of Texas Dyslexia Handbook This session is created to help families and school partners better understand the Texas Dyslexia Handbook. Together, we’ll walk through important sections of the handbook in an easy-to-follow way, so parents and caregivers can feel more confident about the state guidelines and supports available for children with dyslexia and related learning differences.	Presentation PDF (, )
Empower Hour: A parent's guide to MAP Growth Scores Learn how to navigate parent-teacher conferences with confidence! This session will guide parents in understanding MAP Growth Scores and using them to support their child’s success.	Presentation PDF (, )
Empower Hour: Accessibility Supports for Chromebooks This session will help parents understand the valuable technology tools available to students on AISD Chromebooks. Join us for demonstrations of the powerful assistive technology and accessibility tools built into every student device. We will showcase features that support a range of learning needs, including speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and more.	Presentation Access (, )

Each year, �鶹������ý ISD partners with various school districts to verify what summer programs and camps are available in the area for special education students and their families.

For more information: 

• Download the  and  PDF guides for Camp
• View the participating 
• For additional questions, please contact: speddept@austinisd.org

Parents/guardians/adult students will receive an email from “Frontline” with access each time there is a new document requiring review or signature. These documents include IEPs, progress reports, 504 documents, etc. For additional information on how to access the parent portal please reference the PDF documents below. Please note that these emails for access are one time use only. Don't forget to download your documents after signing!

The Resource Locator is your gateway to special education resources. From accommodations to transition and everything in between, the SPEDTex Resource Locator lets you tailor your search by topic, language, and type. Simply select an option to begin your search.

The Center on Disability and Development at Texas A&M University offers training at no cost to Texas parents and caregivers of children up to age 22 with core features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parents and caregivers will learn how to improve their child's communication skills. This service is provided by a research grant project entitled Coach to Communicate (C2C), sponsored by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. This training is on a first come first serve basis, and spots fill quickly.

The training includes a 1-hour self-paced webinar that teaches behavioral strategies to increase communication use in children with ASD. Once complete, parents can choose to be paired with a coach for a more intensive 12-week training specific to their child’s communication needs (again, at no cost to parents). Shorter options of 2-5 coaching sessions are also available for parents, if better suited to their needs. Coaching is offered in English, Spanish and Thai.

To learn more and to apply for the program, please review the following resources:

For questions or more information, please feel free to email TAMUAuParent@tamu.edu.