Regional ASD Cadre Training January, 2010

 National Statistics: ◦ 1 out of 150 children in US may be diagnosed ASD (National CDC) ◦ Autism is growing at rate of 10-17% per year (USDOE) ◦ At this rate autism could reach 4,000,000 Americans in the next decade (USDOE) In Kentucky : ◦ More than 2,300 school-aged children are identified ◦ Educators are asking for help with ASD to meet the increasing needs of their students ◦ Families are seeking help to educate their children

 Now recognized to include a wider range of cognitive abilities  Includes Asperger’s Syndrome, which may include students who are gifted in certain areas  May include students who score “Distinguished” on standardized tests in Math or other areas  Includes students who still have significant sensory differences and social competence deficits

 ASD without Education School Failure  Anxiety / Excessive Stress for Kids with ASD  Impact on Families, Schools, & Society  Risk Poor Adult Outcomes  $ Cost = 3.2 million / per adult if not employed (Harvard Study projections) Compromised - Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness… FOR ALL OF US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 ASD School Distress Calls Top Our List Teachers Principals Counselors Superintendents  Parent Distress Calls – Multiple/Weekly  Formal Hearings/ Complaints to KDE  Child Psychiatrists & Mental Health Clinicians are calling us too…

1. Students with ASD who are suspended for lack of social skills and related behavior that causes peers and teachers to become angry 2. Students with ASD who are placed in EBD classrooms with inappropriate consequences for “intentional” behavior (without recognition that their behaviors are ASD related) 3. Students with ASD who become extremely stressed staying up all night for weeks working on homework they cannot finish, due to overload issues that teachers do not understand

4. Students with ASD who are ‘charged with’ or ‘arrested for’ school safety violations (e.g., involving on-line harrassment because they do not understand the social rules and want to join peers) 5. Students with ASD who cannot take the test fast enough to finish, though they outscore peers - and who are thus suspected of trying to go home and cheat/look up answers, etc. 6. Students with ASD who do not understand middle schoolers’ language (when they “diss” each other all the time), and who become so depressed they try to commit suicide

In Schools… WE CARE ABOUT THESE CHILDREN AND YOUTH BUT… MANY OF US DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO TO HELP THEM!!!!!!!!

And sometimes, when we don’t know… We FEAR the unknown and … WE ARE AFRAID!

It is normal to AVOID…  What we fear  What we do not know In Kentucky, we have to change this – these are our children!

Kathy

Lori

Mandy

National Professional Development Center on ASD State & Regional ASD TeamsDistrict ASD TeamsAll School StaffStudents & Families with ASD

KATCParents Special Ed Coops RTC First Steps IHE’sKDEKCDD

 Kentucky Department of Education ◦ Education/ Special Education Cooperatives ◦ Directors of Special Education  Kentucky Autism Training Center (KATC)  Families  Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs) – (Uof L, UK, EKU, WKU, Murray)  First Steps  Early Childhood Regional Training Centers  Vocational Rehabilitation  Kentucky Council on Developmental Disabilities  KY Department of Mental Health

 Positive Outcomes for Children and Youth with ASD in Kentucky… 1.Early Identification and Intervention 2.Effective Educational Programs in Schools and School Districts Our initial focus for change: Educational System

1. Educators understand the Full ASD Spectrum:  Autism  Aspergers  Full range of ASD skills and cognitive abilities (low to high) 2. Schools provide evidence-based practices to students with ASD

3. School Districts have the  Awareness  Training  Resources  Technical Assistance (TA), and  Support ! which they need to provide appropriate educational programs for every student with ASD.

1. Build capacity of school districts  Schools  teachers and  administrators to work effectively with students with ASD  to meet their educational needs (and 504 Plan/ IEP goals)  to improve educational outcomes  to improve adult outcomes.

2. Build statewide training/technical assistance support system for school districts/schools (for the following critical areas of focus):  Needs of All ASD Spectrum Students (including HFA/Aspergers)  Challenging Behavior / Social Skills  Pragmatic Language/ Social Communication  Working with Parents of Students with ASD  Successful Transitions for Students with ASD  Skills and Career Plan for Transition to Adulthood

Increase the number of highly qualified educational personnel (teachers & practitioners) who are competent in implementing evidence-based practices for students with ASD.

Hatton, D.D., & Odom, S. L. (November ). The National Professional Development Center on ASD. Columbus, OH: 2008 NATTAP Conference. Cooperative Agreement H 35G U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs

 2009 Kentucky was selected as one of three states in the first round of competitive state grant applications to work with the National PD Center on ASD … State Involvement

National Professional Development Center (NPDC) on Autism Spectrum Disorders:  FPG Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ◦ FPG : Sam Odom, Deborah Hatton, Jim Bodfish ◦ Division TEACCH and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research Center ◦ Center for Development and Learning  Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin at Madison ◦ Len Abbeduto and Linda Tuchman-Ginsberg  M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California at Davis Medical School ◦ Sally Rogers, Sally Ozonoff, John Brown, Peter Mundy

1. Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs) 2. Translate ASD Research into Practice for schools 3. Scale up with effective PD & TA for Statewide Capacity Building 4. Establish Model classroom sites

Goals of the Center… 1. Evidence Based Practices (EBP) Through the use of evidence-based practices, promote optimal development, learning, and achievement for … ◦ infants, ◦ preschoolers, ◦ elementary, and ◦ secondary students with ASD, and  Provide support for their families through use of evidence-based practices (EBP)

To be considered an evidence-based practice for individuals with ASD, a practice must be supported by research studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals that use:  Randomized or quasi-experimental design studies. Two high quality experimental or quasi-experimental group design studies  Single-subject design studies. Three different investigators or research groups must have conducted five high quality single subject design studies  Combination of evidence. One high quality randomized or quasi-experimental group design study and three high quality single subject design studies conducted by at least three different investigators or research groups, across the group and single subject design studies.

…Goals of the Center 2. Increase Statewide Capacity to implement evidence-based practices in: A. Early identification & intervention B. Education of school-aged children and youth

What can NPDC provide? Content Development Technical Assistance Evaluation Professional Development

…Goals of the Center 3. Increase the nationwide number of Highly Qualified Personnel serving children with ASD through state… ◦ technical assistance & ◦ professional development which is sustainable…

Early intervention & preschool, elementary, and middle / high school levels  Administrative support required for this pilot project  Experienced practitioners/teachers who are willing to: ◦ Let visitors observe in their classroom ◦ Implement evidence-based practices ◦ Collect data on outcomes ◦ Complete professional development activities (including summer institute and an online introductory course on ASD) ◦ Work as members of training teams  Talk to your regional special education cooperative

In Schools… New teachers would have a model classroom or program to visit and observe ASD students Universities would have practicum sites for placement of students in model ASD programs and replicas in every region

e.g., Strategies include:  Behavioral intervention strategies  Functional communication training  Independent work systems  Naturalistic interventions  Parent training  Peer-mediated instruction  Positive behavioral support  Video modeling  Visual supports

State Regional School Districts Schools & Classrooms Students & Families

Inservice Training  KDE  Regional Special Education Co-ops & Cadre Training  KATC  District PD Days - Inservice Training  National Experts Pre-service Training  University Programs & ASD Coursework  University Practicum in school settings

KENTUCKY AUTISM TRAINING CENTER

 KATC Website  KATC Newsletter  Kentucky Family Guide to ASD  Amanda L. King Resource Library  Kentucky Autism Services & Supports Directory  Kentucky Autism LISTSERV  Parent Network Support

Education Cooperatives/Special Education Coops  Regional ASD Leadership Team (Core Team) ◦ Planning Regional ASD Capacity-Building Initiative ◦ Leading Training in Region and Regional ASD Cadre  Regional ASD Problem-Solving Team ◦ Includes ASD Core Leadership Team plus auxiliary members needed to staff a multi-disciplinary team that solves student cases  Regional ASD Cadre ◦ Members consist of key persons from each district in the region, selected to first receive training in Evidence-based practices, etc, and subsequently to lead future ASD capacity-building initiatives in their own districts

Goal: Expand number of persons skilled at providing training and TA for district level school staff:  Adopt a consistent standard ASD curricula of essential basic information delivered monthy (think trainer role)  Train evidence-based interventions for ASD  Develop visuals / videos of effective practices  Include process skill development for cadre:  ASD Problem-Solving & Data Collection Skills  Coaching and Consultation Skills  Training and Leadership Skills

Be Thinking About…  Content knowledge needed?  Process skills needed?  Who needs what level of specificity? ◦ Cadre members ◦ District teachers and administrators  Different people and role needs?  Look at regional and local data  Specialized training needs?

1.Monthly Cadre Meetings – Year 1: Jan – May 2010 (1 day/month)= Jan-Feb-March-May’10 (we will skip April/testing) 2. Monthly Cadre Meetings – Year 2: (Sept – May 2010-’11). These may be every month or every other month (e.g., Sept, Nov, Jan, Mar, May) next school year. 4.Complete ASD online course regarding ASD foundations. 5.Develop proficiency in the 24 evidence-based practices (EBPs). 6. Model/implement the 24 EBPs with fidelity (using the EBP checklists) with a student w/ASD in your district (can do in consultation with a teacher) 7.Learn, study & practice the uniform ASD problem-solving process we will develop.

District ASD Leader Roles 1.ASD Initiative /Project Awareness: Review/Share project info with district leadership (Superintendent, district leaders, principals, and other key leaders/partners). 2.Conduct or broker ASD “Awareness” trainings in the district regarding key ASD characteristics/strategies – (targeting all school faculty, special education teachers, preschool and early childhood personnel, etc.) 3.Consult with teachers in district regarding students with ASD/ needs and issues. 4.Communicate availability of state & regional ASD trainings on evidence-based practices to your district & ASD team members.

District ASD Leader Role 5.Create ASD problem-solving team. 6.Lead district ASD team in implementing the ASD problem-solving process by Work with district to meet needs of students with ASD. 8.Bring complex student cases/data to regional ASD problem-solving team (confidentially).

Work with Regional ASD Leadership Team in Special Education Cooperative  Director of Special Education  District ASD Cadre member(s) /Consultant/ Coach  District ASD Leadership Team (Core Team) ◦ Lead ASD capacity-building initiative in district  District ASD Problem-Solving Team ◦ Core ASD Team members plus auxiliary members needed to staff effective multi-disciplinary problem-solving team for student cases and intervention planning in district schools

1. Develop ASD Leadership Teams in Districts  District ASD Teams will be able to provide  problem-solving and  consultation support for teachers and administrators with ASD student cases in district  District ASD Teams also conduct  needs assessments and  assist in planning related PD for local teachers and administrators

2. Develop ASD Problem-Solving Teams in Districts  Start with District ASD Problem-Solving Team which takes ASD student cases (eventually may have some school level teams)  ASD Cadre members learn the process from observing Regional ASD Problem-Solving Team (regional team will operate as a model for process skills, and can be used when local team cannot solve a case and wants help from next level – ASD Regional Problem-Solving Team)

 ASD Awareness Information for Superintendents/ Administrators  Effective Basic Foundational Practices for Classroom Teachers  Train Content & Process (application) ◦ Effective research-based practices ◦ Model Processes – problem analysis - data- based decision making - intervention planning

 District Leaders & Administrator Awareness ◦ Superintendent ◦ Director of Special Education ◦ Director of Instruction ◦ School Principals  All School Faculty & Staff need ASD awareness training at some point in project! (over next three years)

 Early Childhood Special Education Preschool Program Directors  Early Childhood Professionals  Early Childhood Mental Health Specialists  First Steps Providers  Healthy Start Staff  HANDS Workers  Day Care Workers

 System for year olds  Early Detection of ASD - Capacity needed  Referral for Early Screening and Identification of ASD?  7 First Steps Regional TA Centers ◦ Regional TA Teams at Universities  15 Regional Points of Entry ◦ Regional Trainers  Training for the First Steps System Personnel & Providers is planned!

Need all of us to work together!

We have  Need  Opportunity  Passion  Momentum … A “Perfect Storm” is on the KY horizon!

Welcome to the Kentucky State ASD Initiative!

THE END.