Professional learning is offered to ensure that all schools in Arizona receive competent technical assistance to meet the needs of children who have sustained traumatic brain injuries. 

Definition

Traumatic brain injury means an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.

Traumatic brain injury encompasses open or closed head injuries that result in impairments in one or more areas, including cognition, language, memory, attention, reasoning, abstract thinking, judgment, problem-solving, sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities, psychosocial behavior, physical functions, information processing, and speech.

Traumatic brain injury does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or to brain injuries induced by birth trauma (A.R.S. § 15-761).

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility for special education is based on an evaluation pursuant to A.R.S. § 15-766 and the following requirements:

• The student has an acquired open or closed injury to the brain that was caused by an external physical force that has resulted in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects performance in the educational environment. Resulting impairments include such areas of disability as cognition, language, memory, attention, reasoning, behaviors, physical function, information processing, and speech.
  • The injury is not congenital or degenerative, or induced by birth trauma.
  • The injury has been verified by a doctor of medicine or a doctor of osteopathy.
  • The student was evaluated in all areas related to the suspected disability.

Professional Learning Opportunities

FY25 TBI Sessions

Additional TBI Resources

Arizona Governor's Council on Spinal and Head Injuries

Brain Injury Association of Arizona

Brain Injury Association of America

National Association of State Head Injury Administrators

Traumatic Brain Injury Contact Information

Academic Achievement & Inclusive Practices Inbox

Page revised 12/5/25

The state has established and maintains an advisory panel for the purpose of providing policy guidance with respect to special education and related services for children with disabilities in the state.

Panel Information

About SEAP

2026-2027 Calendar

SEAP By-Laws

IDEA Indicator Card

Annual Reports

Membership

Panel Members

Application for Panel Membership

Membership of Panel

Scheduled and Past Meetings

Pursuant to A.R.S. § 38-431.02, effective September 15, 2022, all notices of the meetings of the Arizona Special Education Advisory Panel (SEAP) and any of its committees, task forces, subcommittees, advisory committees, and public hearings will be posted virtually on the Panel’s website and posted physically in the lobby of the Arizona Department of Education Office located at 1535 W Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ 85007.

A courtesy copy of public postings can be found at the Arizona Department of Education Office located at 100 N. 15th AVE, Phoenix, AZ 85007; please request copies in advance by emailing the SEAP Inbox. 

Board Meetings, Committee Meetings, and Public Hearings are currently being held virtually and in-person. To speak at a meeting, please register using the link provided on the agenda of the meeting at which you wish to speak.

If you wish to participate in person and are not a SEAP Member, please email Rebekah Shahan.
For information and documentation related to meetings held prior to 2020, please email all requests Rebekah Shahan.

Special Education Advisory Panel Contact Information

[email protected]

(602) 542-5446

Links to the websites below do not imply an endorsement. Although every effort has been made to ensure that the resources provided herein are accurate and timely, the Arizona Department of Education is not responsible for the information contained in the websites linked below.

Local Resources

• Child Crisis Arizona offers no-cost resources for families through parenting classes, workshops, children’s playgroups, support groups and family events.
• ConnectionsAZ is a physician-led crisis response center that specializes in providing emergency/crisis psychiatric services 24 hours/day, 365 days/year.
• Family Involvement Center/Parent Assistance Center (PAC)
• MARC Community Resources is a free service that provides mental and behavioral health information and resources.
• Mental Health Association of America of Arizona educates and advocates for all those individuals and families impacted by mental illness.
• NAMI - Valley of the Sun Phoenix office of National Alliance on Mental Illness
• NAMI of Southern Arizona
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Go to Find your Local NAMI to locate the NAMI office in your city.

National Resources

• A Parent’s Guide to Getting Good Care - Child Mind Institute
• Attachment & Trauma Network
• Child Mind Institute: Trauma
• Child Welfare Information Gateway: Resources related to trauma for parents/caregivers
• Children's Mental Health and Emotional or Behavioral Disorders Project
• Creating a Home Crisis Management Plan - Pacer Center
• Guide to Self-Injury and Recovery
• Mental Health America
• National Alliance on Mental Illness
• National Child Traumatic Stress Network
• National Council for Behavioral Health
• Preventing Youth Suicide
• Residential Treatment Centers for Teens - FTC
• Tips for parents on how to talk to students who are under stress - Pacer Center
• Trauma Resources for Parents

Diagnostic-Specific Resources

• Attention Deficit Disorder Association
• Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
• Anxiety & Depression Association of America
• Anxiety Disorders/National Institute of Mental Health
• Bipolar Disorder/National Institute of Mental Health
• Borderline Personality Disorder/Mental Health America
• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
• Dissociation and Dissociative Disorders/Mental Health America
• Eating Disorders/Mental Health America
• MIKID focuses on behavioral health and wellness for children and youth
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Foundation
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)/National Institute of Mental Health
• Schizophrenia
• Sleep Disorders
• Substance Use and Mental Health/National Institute of Mental Health

Page revised 12/15/20

Section 504 Information

Section 504 regulations are under the jurisdiction of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

• Section 504 Regulations
• Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
• About OCR
• OCR Policy Letters and Dear Colleague Letters
• Contact Information
• How to File an OCR/Section 504 Complaint

Section 504 Resources

• FAQs: Section 504 Accommodation Plans by Dispute Resolution
• Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC)
• FAQ: Protecting Students with Disabilities under Section 504 and the IDEA
• OCR News Room
• OCR Reading Room
• Parent Guide to Section 504 in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools

Page revised 3/3/22

Professional Learning & Sustainability (PLS) serves the educational community by increasing the recruitment, retention, knowledge, and skills of professionals serving students with disabilities so that students achieve higher academic and functional outcomes.

PLS offers professional learning opportunities, resources, and technical assistance to:

• Support the implementation of evidence-based practices to improve behavioral and academic outcomes for students with disabilities.
• Support public education agencies in their recruitment and retention of special education personnel.
• Collect and report special education personnel data.

ESS Behavior Support

ESS Recruitment and Retention

Teacher Attrition Survey

Contact Us

Please email the Professional Learning & Sustainability Inbox with questions about ESS Behavior initiatives, ESS Recruitment and Retention initiatives, and/or the Teacher Attrition Survey. 

Transition Planning Requirements

Learn best practices for completing secondary transition planning requirements. Refer to the Program Support & Monitoring Guide Steps guidance document for compliance requirements in the Individualized Education Program (IEP).

In addition, PEAs may have additional or more restrictive requirements so check with your special education director for guidance.

Introduction to Indicator 13

Required Transition Components

Age-Appropriate Transition Assessments

Age-appropriate Transition Assessments

Measurable Postsecondary Goals

Measurable Postsecondary Goals

Coordinated Set of Activities

Coordinated Set of Activities

Course of Study

Course of Study

Annual IEP Goals Aligned to Measurable Postsecondary

Aligned Annual IEP Goals

Additional Requirements

Transfer of Rights

Transition Planning Process

The following image is a visual representation of the transition planning process: 

Step 1: Assessment

Identify the student's strengths, preferences, interests, and needs. 

Step 2: Post Secondary Goals

Measurable Post Secondary goals should be based on assessments:

Employment, education and training, independent living (as appropriate)

Step 3: Student growth and development

This includes identifying effective predictors and practices for activities, courses of study, and annual IEP goals.

Contact Info

Email the Secondary Transition Inbox 

Child find is a component of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA ’04) that requires Public Education Agencies (PEAs) to locate, identify, and evaluate all children with disabilities, aged birth through 21, located within their boundaries of responsibility who are in need of early intervention or special education services.

AZ FIND Contact Information

Program Coordinator, Stefanie Sharkey

AZ Find Email

Phone: 520-770-3175

Page revised 07/2026

Tier 1 Support

• Core Principles
• Frequently Asked Questions

Tier 2 Support

• What is Tier 2 Support?

Tier 3 Support

• What is Tier 3 Support?

Contact Us

MTBS Specialist
Celeste Nameth
(602) 542-5445

Arizona's Medicaid Agency – AHCCCS

• AHCCCS Fee Schedule with code updates effective January 1, 2017

Arizona Medicaid School Based Claiming Program

• Medicaid School-Based Billing Fact Sheet and Contact

Parental Consent to Access Public Benefits

• Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 31
  • One-Page Summary
• Non-Regulatory Guidance on IDEA Part B Regulations (FAQ)
• Sample Written Notification for Parents Related to Consent to Access Public Benefits
• Sample One-Time Consent to Access Public Benefits and Release Personally Identifiable Information to the AHCCCS

Clarification of Medicaid Coverage of Services to Children with Autism

Transportation Memo

• Arizona Sample Transportation Template

The Arizona Department of Education, Exceptional Student Services (ADE/ESS), does not oversee the Medicaid School-Based Claiming program, but does assist in facilitating communication between public education agencies (PEAs) and AHCCCS related to the DSC and MAC programs.