1. T EN T IPS FOR D EALING WITH S TUDENTS WITH A UTISM Presented by: JIM WALSH

2. Get an Expert Develop your own expertise. In case of litigation, get someone independent of the school district and follow that person’s advice.

3. A Full Individual Evaluation If there is any data indicating a need for special education due to autism, check it out with a proper evaluation. Legal standard is to evaluate in all areas of suspected disability. This seems to come up more in autism cases than elsewhere.

4. Keep the Sloppy Copy Be prepared to show that the IEP was changed after it was first drafted. When IEPs are computerized, this may present a challenge. Forget the environment: PRINT!

5. Address Extracurriculars First, ask the student what activities he/she would like to participate in. Then, identify aids and services necessary for the student to have an opportunity to do so. This includes accommodations for the tryout process for competitive activities.

6. ABA The issue is no longer whether ABA will be used, but rather, how much.

7. Methodology Forget about the court cases that say that the school gets to choose the methodology. IEP Team must be prepared to address this, and explain why it believes that its methodology will enable the student to make progress.

8. Generalization Forget about the court cases that say the school has no duty to ensure generalization. This is litigation strategy and should not influence the development of the IEP. What parent of any child would not expect to see some generalization?

9. Predetermination Run your meeting so that a neutral observer looking over the paperwork a year later will conclude that you had an open mind.

10. For the Parents Predetermination is a two-way street. When courts perceive parents to be closed minded and rigid, they will label the parents as “unreasonable” and rule against them. The process is designed to be collaborative, cooperative, involving some give and take.

11. Junk Science All of us have a responsibility to support legitimate research about the causes of autism and the possible treatments. For example, take a look at www.autismsciencefoundation.org. www.autismsciencefoundation.org

12. Contact Information Jim Walsh Walsh, Anderson, Brown, Gallegos and Green, P.C. P.O. Box 2156 Austin, Texas 78768 P: (512) 454-6864 F: (512) 467-9318 jwalsh@wabsa.com