by Amy Matthews, Jamie Owen-DeSchryver, Kelly Dunlap, and Maureen Ziegler
The Impetus for Change
What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?
Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience challenges in the areas of social interaction, communication, and behavior that typically impact their academic performance and ability to function independently.
This lifelong disability has a neurobiological basis and occurs in all racial, ethnic, and socio-economic groups, although it is more common in boys than girls. Studies show that rates of ASD are increasing and according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 150 children have ASD (2008). The increase in prevalence is attributed to a combination of factors, including better identification and broader definition of ASD. In the past, the post high school outcomes for individuals with ASD have not been promising, but earlier identification and more intensive interventions are improving the prognosis for children currently being identified.
In the early days of serving students with autism, the disorder was considered low incidence; in fact, in 1990, only 1,208 students were served in Michigan under the special education category of autism. In those days, schools relied on consultants with special expertise in autism and tended to place students with autism in special schools or classrooms to meet their more intensive needs. It was uncommon for general education teachers to encounter a student with autism during their school day.
Since 1990, there has been a substantial increase in the number of individuals identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) across the United States and within Michigan (see Figure 1). There are currently 12,595 students being served under the new state definition of Autism Spectrum Disorder (see definition to the right). Also, since1990, legislation, such as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), has mandated that students with ASD (and all students with disabilities) have access to the general education curriculum. Additional support for students withASD to access the general education curriculum is provided by recent outcome studies as discussed by Iovannone et al. (2003). These factors, along with the ever increasing numbers of students with ASD in public schools, require educators tochange the way we do business. In sum, we need to look at students with ASD differently than we have in the past. This FOCUS on Results document provides an overview of ASD and delves into the need for comprehensive, systematic supports for students with ASD at the school building level. System level changes that better support students with ASD are also beneficial to other students with intensive education needs. System level changes support all students across all school environments.
The STatewide Autism Resources and Training (START) Project was funded by the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education (MDE, OSE) in 2001 to develop a training and resource model for educators serving students with ASD. The current goals of the START Project are to increase local capacity, promote collaboration across the state, and create a more progressive model for serving students with ASD. The START Project is focused on training educators to support students with ASD using empirical literature and educational law as a foundation, along with parent input, to ensure the needs of students are met in school, at home, and in the community. The START Project does not provide direct services to students but works with school professionals to build local and regional capacity within every area of the state.
The START Project’s Primary Components
The START Project has evolved over the past several years to include four key components—Collaboration and Networking, Effective Practices, Training and Coaching, and Resources.
Collaboration and Networking
Regional Collaborative Networks (RCNs) provide the infrastructure for collaboration and coordination across school districts and intermediate school districts (ISDs), allowing shared training and resources and systemic planning on a broad scale.
At this time, there are 17 RCNs across the state of Michigan with more than 90 percent of the counties in Michigan involved. Most RCNs meet on a monthly basis with multiple counties and districts represented. This results in approximately 160 meetings per year involving educational professionals in the process of sharing effective practice models and strategies, resources, and informationabout ASD. The RCNs also link school professionals with parents and community agencies (e.g., local law enforcement, university representatives, and community mental health agencies) to make system-wide changes for students withASD locally (see Figure 3).
Effective Practices
The START Project emphasizes effective practices through the use of the Universal Supports Assessment and Planning Tool (USAPT). The design of this tool is based on an extensive review of the research on effective practices for students with ASD. The USAPT is intended to help school professionals identify building and classroom strengths and needs in order to prioritize goals and plan for improvement. The USAPT offers a set of best practice guidelines as well as a planning tool for supporting students with ASD.
Training and Coaching
The START Project provides year-long intensive training (IT) and technical assistance (TA) to school districts using a team-based approach at both the K-12 and preschool levels. To date, IT has reached more than 26 counties and more than 2,000 educators and professional staff. Additionally, professionals may participate in the Effective Practices Leadership Initiative (EPLI), a program designed to build local capacity by increasing the training and coaching skills of local professionals. Trainers/coaches are provided with materials, additional training, and TA to implement local and regional training, thus reducing the need to involve outside consultants who have less knowledge of the local culture and needs. According to Lang & Fox 2003, professional development with follow up greatly increases the rate of implementation of strategies (see Figure 2).
Numerous trainings have been provided by the START Project’s trainers/coaches on the topics of behavior support, educational strategies, universal supports, and peer-to-peer support. The START Project’s coaches work with building teams that support students with ASD to ensure that appropriate services and supports, based on effective practices, are available and implemented with fidelity. A key goal of the START Project is to ensure that a START-trained coach is available in every school building supporting students with ASD in the state of Michigan.
Resources
The START Project utilizes school professionals who are utilizing effective practices to develop resource materials, which are disseminated statewide through the project Web site, annual conference, leadership meetings, and summer institutes. For example, the Livingston Educational Autism Network (LEAN), a START RCN, created sample coaching kits at four levels, from preschool to high school, for all RCNs in the state.
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