The University of Southern Mississippi–Gulf Coast Autism Project Project Overview What is Case-based Method of Instruction? Ongoing Challenges The University of Southern Mississippi–Gulf Coast Autism Project Dr. Timothy E. Morse Director of Training/Positive Behavior Support Specialist Retaining trained staff Adjusting to unexpected events Relevant data collection, analysis, and reporting Addressing the “business of autism” Maintaining collaborative partners Established November 1, 2009 Collaborative Partners Mississippi Department of Education – Office of Special Education (MDE) The University of Southern Mississippi – Gulf Coast Long Beach (Mississippi) School District De Lessons Learned: Autism Specific Issues Lessons Learned: University/K-12 Issues Lessons Learned: Autism Project Issues Adjunct Resources Length of the grant award and its influence on hiring personnel and promoting the project Locating qualified employees in a geographical area with limited autism awareness Coordinating the work of the Autism Demonstration School across multiple school districts Influence of existing MDE financial /legal guidelines on all project activities Challenges developing and implementing a statewide, multi-year training plan Incorporating unexpected opportunities (e.g., adult volunteers with autism) Mission Statement Balancing a university's research focus with a public school system's service delivery focus Resolving differing pay and benefits systems Developing protocols for protecting intellectual property Accessing appropriate support from the Office of University Communications Clearly articulate the autism-specific issues your project will address (in a field that has many needs) Determine how to evaluate the relative worth of the project (i.e., its effectiveness and appropriateness) Settle upon an approach to intervention from among competing approaches Mississippi Autism Advisory Committee Mississippi Parent Training & Information Center Disability Rights Mississippi Demonstrate for school personnel and parents how to design and implement appropriate school-based programs for students with autism Project Activities Contact Information Long Beach Middle School 204 North Cleveland Avenue Long Beach, MS 39560 USM-Gulf Coast 730 East Beach Boulevard Phone: (228) 863-1755 Fax: (228) 863-1794 Email: autism@usm.edu Web Address: www.usm.edu/gulfcoast/autism/ 1. Trainings Onsite Regional Summer Institute Webinars Autism Project staff have conducted 70+ trainings for 1,700+ personnel 2. Autism Demonstration School