Systems Level Change
The START Project emphasizes a statewide collaborative system that includes all counties and school districts in Michigan. The START Project’s professional teams work together under a common philosophy based on effective practices, leading to more effective programming and support for students with ASD.
Over time, the focus of the START Project has become systems level change that must be initiated and implemented by school staff and administrators willing to commit to using effective practices in the areas of educational programming, professional development, parent-professional collaboration, and cross district/county collaboration. Students with ASD cannot function successfully in school buildings that are not fully prepared to support them academically, behaviorally, socially, or philosophically. Buildings need to be fully prepared for students with ASD. Systems change happens in schools in various ways, such as shifting to a positive behavior supports philosophy, running more effective team meetings, and/or utilizing differentiated instruction. Thus, in changing practice for students with ASD, educators are changing the school climate, which changes the business of how many students with different learning needs are supported.
Table 1 lists ten ways to change supports for students with ASD, while also improving the educational experience of other students. The START Project supports these changes.
Working Together to Reach Our Goals
With the multitude of demands and initiatives overwhelming school personnel, it becomes critical to identify strategies and models that serve not only students with ASD, but other students as well. It also becomes critical for statewide projects to collaborate and coordinate activities to reduce redundancy and confusion on the part of school professionals and families. Working in concert, state projects and initiatives can move beyond providing information and resources to schools, to full implementation of effective practices and measurement of outcomes at the district, building, classroom, and student level. The ultimate goal is to assist students with ASD to become contributing members in their schools and local communities and successfully move into adulthood as maximally independent individuals with many choices and opportunities.
For more information about the START Project, visit www.gvsu.edu/autismcenter. The START Project is an MDE, OSE Mandated Activities Project (MAP) funded through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
In order to promote increased system efficiencies and effectiveness—as well as improved student performance—MDE,OSE has established an integrated system for improvement initiatives known as Michigan’s Integrated Improvement Initiatives (MI3). The START Project is supported by MI3. For more information about MI3, contact: Beth Steenwyk, Director, at (231) 288-4001, beth.a.steenwyk@mac.com, or visit www.cenmi.org/MI3.
| Critical Practices | How START Supports Implementation of Critical Practices |
|---|---|
| 1) Promote inclusion opportunities and access to general education curriculum for all students. | START Philosophy |
| 2) Provide appropriate accommodations and modifications to curriculum to increase access to general education curriculum and settings. | Educational Strategies Training Module |
| 3) Train educational staff in the team process and problem solving to improve efficiency and productivity of all teams. | Meeting Mechanics Training |
| 4) Provide training in Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) and increase awareness of Schoolwide PBS to improve behavior supports at the building and individual student level. | PBS Training Module |
| 5) Establish a set of universal supports to serve as a foundation for effective programming for all students with ASD. Support areas include program guiding principles, family involvement, effective team processes, paraprofessional training, visual supports, peer-to-peer supports, behavior supports, and effective educational strategies. | Universal Supports Assessment and Planning Tool (USAPT |
| 6) Involve and support general education peers in authentic interactions with students with ASD. Peers benefit from engagement in real life experiences related to diversity, tolerance, and building the school community. | Peer-to-Peer Support Training Module |
| 7) Rework early childhood special education programming to actively structure teaching, learning, and engagement for students with ASD as well as students with other early childhood developmental delays. | Early Intervention Training |
| 8) Promote collaboration and networking across districts, counties, and regions to increase opportunities for sharing training and resources and moving toward a common philosophy and principles for effectively educating students with ASD. | Regional Collaborative Networks (RCN) |
| 9) Re-examine the role of the teacher consultant with a move away from direct service provision to building team support. | Teacher Consultant Role and Responsibilities |
| 10) Link and coordinate with other state initiatives focused on improving outcomes for students. | Collaboration with Michigan’s Integrated Improvement Initiatives (MI3) |
Peer-to-Peer Support
In the past several years, peer-to-peer programs have become critical as schools look for ways to provide the least restrictive environment (LRE) for their students with ASD and provide meaningful educational and social experiences.
After receiving training from the START Project, Saginaw Township Community Schools started a peer-to-peer program called Kids Need Opportunities To Socialize (KNOTS) in 2005. The program began with one student with ASD and involved three peer mentors. The program continues to grow, and during the2007-2008 school year it expanded to include four elementary buildings and the middle school, matching 150 general education mentors with 62 students with ASD or other special needs. Students with special needs receive social exposure and access to the curriculum within the general education setting, and mentors learn about leadership and compassion through initial training and ongoing case conferences to identify supports for their peers with special needs.
The KNOTS program benefits mentors as much as it does the students with ASD. For example, one student mentor had missed more than 40 days of school the previous year and is now one of the most involved mentors, with less than 10 days of school missed. Mentors realize the importance of being at school to help their friends. The Saginaw Township Community Schools were awarded the 2008 Michigan Association of School Boards Education Excellence award for their implementation of the KNOTS Peer-to-Peer Program.
Mentors from all types of backgrounds work with school staff and develop true friendships with their peers who have special needs. Starting and maintaining a peer-to-peer program is a significant amount of work for the staff, but very rewarding when they witness life-changing experiences for students with special needs and peer mentors.
References
Iovannone, R., Dunlap, G., Huber, H., & Kincaid, D. (2003). Effective educational practices for students with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on autism and other developmental disorders, 18, 150-165.
Lang, M., & Fox, L. (2003). Breaking with tradition: Providing effective professional development for instructional personnel supporting students with severe disabilities. Teacher Education and Special Education, 26(1), 17-26.
National Research Council. (2001). Educating children with autism. Washington DC: National Academy Press.
Zager, D.B. (2005). Autism: Identification, education, and treatment (3rd Ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Pages in this article: 1 2
