These webpages identify external resources on specific topics of interest to foster, kinship and adoptive families.
The FASD Virginia web hub is a project of nonprofit organization Formed Families Forward. FFF collaborates with other organizations, agencies, and individuals around Virginia to identify resources and manage information on this site. The hub is an emerging virtual network connecting individuals with FASD, their caregivers, and service providers to improve the lives of Virginians affected by prenatal alcohol exposure.
FASD Virginia is a group of parents, caregivers and professionals from Virginia connected around the need for greater awareness and support across the state.
Download FLYER for the FASD Virginia hub HERE.
Link to FASD Virginia Hub
From FASD Success (https://www.fasdsuccess.com/), this fillable packet provides families an opportunity to share unique and critical FASD-related information about their child or youth with teachers and staff.
Find more about this guide at https://www.fasdsuccess.com/understandingmefasdguide.
This fillable “All About Me” template from FFF gives families and students a simple way to share critical information with teachers, staff and others who can benefit from the essential key facts about a child or youth.
This was shared as part of our “Just So You Know… Strategies for Nontraditional Families to Share Their Information with Schools” training. It can be used by any family or student.
Fill in the blanks
Instructions
Sample completed All About Me
The educational strategies presented in this handbook are intended to be helpful to all teachers who work with students who may have a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). If this is your first time teaching a student with an FASD, this guide should be extremely helpful. While many of the strategies are general and are appropriate to use with all students who may share some of the learning needs of students with an FASD, they should be especially helpful to use with students who have been diagnosed with an FASD, from Sanford School of Medicine, Univ of South Dakota.
Children and youth who have intellectual disabilities or developmental disorders are at elevated risk for co-occurring psychiatric or behavioral problems. These young people pose a serious challenge for administrators, program directors and clinicians, especially when they present with aggressive or disruptive behaviors. When appropriate community services have not been organized, these youth can be among the most difficult and costly to serve. Across the country, their families report relentless stress, partly because it is very difficult to obtain the help they need. This paper provides resources and strategies that have improved outcomes and lowered costs, while diminishing risk for institutional placements, referrals to juvenile justice and child welfare.
Trauma Sensitive Approaches for Home and School videos– produced by Formed Families Forward as part of our work with the Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports project. Under 10 minutes in length, each video provides an introduction to critical trauma content.
The videos include:
1) Understanding Trauma
2) Responding to Trauma
3) Building Trauma-Sensitive Schools
Three fact sheets are designed to support the Trauma Sensitive Responses at Home and School video series.
Individual Fact Sheets are available as separate documents, and all three fact sheets in one document. Accessible text versions of all fact sheets are also available in English and Spanish.
Video Series
Fact Sheets for Videos 1 through 3
Video 1 Fact Sheet Understanding Trauma
Video 2 Fact Sheet Responding to Trauma
Video 3 Fact Sheet Trauma Sensitive Schools
Video 1 Fact Sheet Understanding Trauma accessible version
Video 2 Fact Sheet Responding to Trauma accessible version
Video 3 Fact Sheet Trauma Sensitive Schools accessible version
SPANISH Video 1 Fact Sheet accessible version
SPANISH Video 2 Fact Sheet accessible version
SPANISH Video 3 Fact Sheet accessible version
ARABIC Video 1 Fact Sheet
ARABIC Video 2 Fact Sheet
ARABIC Video 3 Fact Sheet
Designed for family members, this 10 minute video explains the Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports (VTSS) and offers concrete tips and strategies to engage with school partners more effectively. The video features family members and school staff from around Virginia, sharing their own lived experiences and suggestions for building stronger connections between families and educators to improve outcomes for all students. A fact sheet accompanies the video. Spanish and Arabic captions are available via YouTube settings.
We welcome your feedback on the video at https://tinyurl.com/yah2542o .
Family Engagement video link
Accessible video transcript
Fact Sheet to Accompany Family Engagement with Schools video
ARABIC Video fact sheet
SPANISH Video Fact Sheet, accessible Word format
Feedback Survey; Tell us what you think!
This 9.5 minute video is designed for school personnel and families. It offers an overview of education equity and suggests strategies for facilitating greater educational equity through meaningful family engagement practices. The video features the voices and lived experiences of students, parents and caregivers, and school leaders. Strategies are organized by key components of family engagement in multitiered systems of supports.
The video has captions available in English and Spanish.
A fact sheet accompanies the video.
The video is produced by Formed Families Forward in our role as family partner to the Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports (VTSS) project.
VIDEO with English and Spanish captions
Promoting Equity through Family Engagement Video FACT SHEET
Feedback survey. Tell us what you think!
This series of videos features six key elements to engage families in Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports (VTSS). Designed for use by educators and families, the three videos highlight specific strategies for school teams to consider as they build momentum around family-school partnerships and strengthen skills to meaningfully engage families in multi-tiered systems.
Spanish and Arabic captions are available via YouTube settings. A fact sheet accompanies the videos.
Produced by Formed Families Forward, family partner to the VTSS project, in conjunction with Atom Stream Communications, LLC.
Link to Videos
Fact Sheet to accompany videos
Accessible Fact Sheet to accompany videos
Video 1 transcript
Video 2 transcript
Video 3 transcript
SPANISH Fact Sheet, in accessible Word format
ARABIC Fact Sheet
From the Virginia Department of Education, this launch page offers a copy of state regulations for implementation of IDEA, and other state and federal special education policies.
Trauma Sensitive Approaches for Home and School videos– produced by Formed Families Forward as part of our work with the Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports project. Under 10 minutes in length, each video provides an introduction to critical trauma content.
The videos include:
1) Understanding Trauma
2) Responding to Trauma
3) Building Trauma-Sensitive Schools
NAMI of Northern Virginia offers a number of support groups for families and individuals struggling with mental illness. Find the list of support groups as well as other resources form NAMI of Northern Virginia.
The Center for Transition to Adult Health Care for Youth with Disabilities is a national health care transition (HCT) resource center. The goal of the center is to empower youth and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) ages 12-26 to direct their own transition from pediatric to adult care with no reduction in quality of care of gaps in service.
Center website
From the North Carolina Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center (ECAC), this fact sheet overviews the federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Supplemental Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) programs. Similarities and differences between the programs are described.
SSI provides financial assistance to older adults and persons with disabilities, regardless of age, who have very limited income and resources.
SSDI supports people who are disabled and have a qualifying work history, either through their own employment or a family member, like a spouse or parent.
SSI and SSDI Fact Sheet from ECAC
From Creating A Family, this webpage helps families learn how to partner with educators, communicate effectively, document concerns, and ensure their children receives the support needed to succeed at school.
How to Advocate for Your Child at School
This webinar was presented live on August 18, 2026, by FFF staff experts Stacia Stribling and Melissa Lebling. This webinar includes information on sensory systems, how they work, and why dysregulation of sensory processing can cause problems in school and home settings. Strategies are offered for increasing sensory safety and organization of time, routines and materials to support a strong school year start.
Presentation slides
Webinar Recording
From RAD Advocates this fact sheet covers suggestions for families who experience child protective services investigations when a child makes an allegation against a caregiver.
How To Respond to False Accusation fact sheet
From the Fairfax County Public Schools, this Handbook is designed to help parents, caregivers, educators, and students with disabilities achieve successful learning outcomes. FCPS provides a range of special education services for students aged 2 to 21 who have disabilities.
Special Education Parent Handbook
This collection of resources on support decision making for adults with disabilities and those who have mental health conditions is from the disAbility Law Center of Virginia.
We all need help sometimes making difficult choices in life, and for individuals with disabilities, that need is often greater. Regardless of our current abilities, we all need to prepare for future events that may cause us to be unable to make choices about our lives or unable to communicate those choices.
This resource collection reviews many options for young and older adults with disabilities as they face important decisions about medical, educational, independent living, and other aspects of adult life.
Decision Making Resources from dLCV
This brief was developed by Children and Family Futures, in partnership with Casey Family Programs. For a self-assessment tool and resource list, see the companion brief: Which resources can help strengthen agency responses to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders?
Brief
This webpage from the Jed Foundation answers parent and caregivers’ common questions about cyberbullying and gives helpful tips.
Cyberbullying fact sheet
This kinship navigation service is for Fairfax Co. and Falls Church City residents who are providing kinshp care for child or children of a relative or close family friend. KARE is funded by Fairfax County through VDSS support, and is administered by Formed Families Forward.
KARE interest form
Developed by the Family Engagement Network. FEN is supported by the Department of Special Education and Student Services, VDOE (October 2019)
Two checklists are designed to support kinship caregivers and school personnel.
Accessible versions of both Checklists are also available.
Checklist for Kinship Caregivers Working with Schools
Checklist for Kinship Caregivers Working with Schools- Accessible version
School Checklist for Working with Caregivers
School Checklist for Working with Caregivers- Accessible version
Published in March 2026, these one-pagers summarize key aspects of state regulations in 5 areas:
• Determination of Eligibility
• Procedural Safeguards
• Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE)
• School Discipline and Students with Disabilities
• Manifestation Determination Review
These accompany The Virginia Family’s Guide to Special Education.
Determination of Eligibility one pager
Independent Educational Evaluation one-pager
Procedural Safeguards one pager
School Discipline one-pager
Manifestation Determination one pager
Presented live on March 16, 2026, this webinar was presented by attorney Joan Proper. The session provided an overview of the discipline process in area school districts with a focus on the types of suspensions and more serious discipline that be imposed, appeal rights through school systems, what to do if suspensions are a frequent occurrence, how to prepare if there is a pending school system hearing, and the interplay between discipline and a student’s IEP or 504 Plan.
Presentation slides
Webinar recording
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have unique strengths and challenges. Understanding the underlying characteristics of ASD and effective practices that support their needs is essential.
Designed for those who support, instruct, work with, or live with someone with autism, the Autism Internet Modules (AIM) guide users through case studies, instructional videos, pre- and post-assessments, discussion questions, activities, and more.
AIM website
Presented live on February 12, 2026 by Cortney Heykoop, Chartered Special Needs Consultant, Clover Leaf Wealth Strategies, and adoptive mom. Hosted by FFF.
For families supporting a child with a disability, ABLE Accounts and Special Needs Trusts can be critical tools for future planning. They allow the family to pass down money to support the child without impacting access to governmental programs. But both ABLE Accounts & Special Needs Trusts can be confusing and overwhelming. This presentation outlined the different types of trusts, who can establish, how they are administered, a variety of ways to fund a trust and how to determine how much is needed in the trust for your child.
Presentation Slides
Webinar recording
Broadcast live on January 27, 2026, this webinar from Formed Families Forward provides an overview and demonstration of the new FASD Virginia web hub. This web hub, supported with a grant from the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia, offers information, resources and linkages related to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Sections are curated for family members, educators and health care providers. A searchable feature allows users to locate providers who have familiarity with FASD.
This is the 4th of 4 webinars in FFF’s winter FASD webinar series.
Webinar slides
Webinar Recording
Broadcast live on January 20, 2026, this webinar was presented by Misty Pruner, PhD, OTR/L and Tracy Jirikowic, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA of the University of Washington, Seattle. The webinar addresses what occupational therapy is and the range of OT applications for individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders through out childhood and into adulthood.
This is the third of 4 webinars in FFF’s 2026 FASD webinar series.
Webinar slides
Webinar recording
This 2 page infographic visual is designed for families and children/youth to share information about brain-based conditions with their teachers and other educators.
The source is Brain First Parenting from Eileen Devine.
2 page graphic
Broadcast live on January 13, 2026, this webinar was presented by Ali Sturgill, PNP and Stephanie McNerney, PNP of the University of Virginia Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. It overviews fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and details specifics of the medical diagnosis of the condition, including signs at various developmental stages.
This is the second of 4 webinars in FFF’s 2026 FASD webinar series.
Webinar slides
Webinar recording
Developed by FFF as part of the WAZE to Adulthood project at PEATC, this fact sheet is designed for youth and young adults connected to foster care. It describes options for independent living after high school.
Independent Living Fact Sheet
