Family Foundations: Support for Parents Navigating Special Education
Family Foundations for Special Education
This program tests whether a parenting and co-parenting course helps parents of children with disabilities who are entering special education before their first IEP access services, improve co-parenting, and support their child's adjustment.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 120 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Penn State University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
| Trial ID | NCT07400497 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This interventional program delivers the Family Foundations for Special Education curriculum to co-parents of children with disabilities who are beginning the special education process before their first IEP meeting. Participants in the intervention are compared with a control group using pretest and posttest questionnaires on parent self-efficacy, co-parental support and coordination, service access and engagement, parenting quality, parent mental health, and child adjustment. The trial enrolls parental dyads over age 18 who are co-parenting a child in a Philadelphia K–8 school, fluent in English, and for whom the target child is the first in the family to go through the IEP process. Outcomes are measured at baseline and after the intervention to see if the program improves parent and child well-being and relations with service providers.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are co-parenting adults (18+) who are fluent in English and have a child with disabilities in a Philadelphia K–8 school who is entering the IEP process for the first time.
Not a fit: Families who live outside Philadelphia, whose child has already had an IEP, single parents not co-parenting together, non-English speakers, or parents whose child is not the first through the IEP process are unlikely to meet eligibility or benefit from this specific program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could help co-parents more confidently navigate special education services, strengthen co-parenting, and improve child behavior and school engagement.
How similar studies have performed: Related coparenting and parenting programs have shown improvements in parent mental health, parenting quality, and child outcomes, but applying Family Foundations specifically to early special education navigation is relatively new with limited direct evidence.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Parents/parental figures who are over the age of 18, and are involved in childrearing together. * Coparenting a child being evaluated for special education services * Has not yet had their first IEP meeting. * The target child must attend a Philadelphia elementary school (K-8). * The target child must be the first child in the family to go through the IEP process. * Co-parents must be fluent in English.
Where this trial is running
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Public Health Management Corporation — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Samantha A. Murray-Perdue, PhD
- Email: sxm1726@psu.edu
- Phone: 4199561701
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.