A New Frontier: Changing how Virginia Supports Educators Serving Students with Autism

1. A New Frontier: Changing how Virginia Supports Educators Serving Students with Autism • Samantha Hollins, Virginia Department of Education • Dawn Hendricks, Virginia Commonwealth University • Carol Schall, Virginia Commonwealth University

2. Issues, Trends and Future Directions for Students with Autism in Virginia’s Public SchoolsSamantha Marsh HollinsVirginia Department of Education

3. Roadmap • What is ASD? • Hot Topics  • How do we work with it in schools? • How does this affect policy? • What is happening right now that can influence what we are doing? • What are we doing to support public schools in Virginia?

4. Autism Spectrum Disorders DSM-V, 2012 Continuum of Autism-Related Disorders

5. Measured IQ Severe Non-verbal Verbal Gifted Social Interaction Communication Active but Odd Aloof Passive Fine motor Motor Skills Uncoordinated Coordinated Gross motor Sensory Hyposensitive Hypersensitive Autism ContinuumHeterogeneity Adapted from Dalrymple, Porco, & Chung

6. Qualitative Impairment in Social Interaction At least 2 of these broad characteristics must be present • Marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors • Failure to develop age-appropriate peer relationships • Lack of spontaneous seeking to share interests and achievements with others • Lack of social or emotional reciprocity

7. Qualitative Impairment in Communication At least 1 of these broad characteristics must be present • Delay in, or lack of, spoken language development • In verbal children, marked impairment in conversational skills • Stereotyped and repetitive use of language • Lack of spontaneous age-appropriate make believe or social imitative play

8. Restricted, Repetitive, and Stereotyped Patterns of Behavior At least 1 of these broad characteristics must be present • Preoccupation with at least one restricted pattern of interest to an abnormal degree • Inflexible adherence to non-functional routines or rituals • Stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms • Preoccupation with parts of objects

9. Rising Wave:Exponential Increases 356% Increase from 2000 to 2011

10. 2011 Child Count by Primary Disability Label 162, 327 Students with Disabilities Source: VDOE Spec Ed Dec 1, 2011 Child Count

11. Population Trends

12. Population Trends

13. HOT TOPIC

14. Interventions for Children with ASD Richard L. Simpson: Evidence-Based Practices and Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities Volume 20, Number 3, Fall 2005 14

15. Scientifically Based Practices 15

16. Promising Practice 16

17. Limited Supporting Information for Practice 17

18. Not Recommended 18

20. HOT TOPIC

21. Legislation • Paraprofessional Training in Behavior Management (HB 325) • Assistive Technology Follows the Student Legislation (HB 382) • Tax Credit to Nonprofit Bill (HB 321) • Health Insurance Regulations • BCBA and BCaBA certification • PBS Facilitators • General Assembly Session upcoming…

22. HOT TOPIC

23. Proposed New DSM-V • Elimination of PDD NOS • Elimination of Rett’s • Elimination of Aspergers Disorder • Expected out in May, 2013

24. Proposed DSM-V Criteria Must meet criteria 1, 2, and 3:interactions, • 1.  Clinically significant, persistent deficits in social communication and as manifest by all of the following: • a.  Marked deficits in nonverbal and verbal communication used for social interaction: • b.  Lack of social reciprocity; • c.  Failure to develop and maintain peer relationships appropriate to developmental level • 2.  Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least TWO of the following: • a.  Stereotyped motor or verbal behaviors, or unusual sensory behaviors • b.  Excessive adherence to routines and ritualized patterns of behavior • c.  Restricted, fixated interests • 3.  Symptoms must be present in early childhood (but may not become fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities)

25. HOT TOPIC

26. Presenting Issues in Virginia • Research: 1 in every 88 children are diagnosed with an ASD • Still under diagnosing and age of diagnosis still lags behind the national average • Autism became the 4th largest primary disability category on the Dec 1, 2010 child count • Surpassed Emotional Disturbance • No longer a low-incidence disability • Complaints, Due Process, Mediation: • Complaints: 40% involved children with Autism • Mediation Sessions: 10% involved children with Autism • Due Process Hearing Requests: 90% involved children with Autism

27. Presenting Issues in Virginia • Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission • JLARC is the oversight agency of the Virginia General Assembly, established to evaluate the operations and performance of State agencies and programs. • General Assembly commissioned a review of the statewide service delivery system for children and adults with ASD • 21 recommendations in the report that directly or indirectly involved VDOE • 5 out of the 21 JLARC recommendations are directed at VDOE • Recommendation 11 - Improve service delivery and build local capacity

28. What was VDOE’s Vision and Response?

29. What is the Vision? • Virginia will be a national leader in effectively preparing students with ASD to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve positive post school outcomes • College ready • Career ready • Ability to self advocate • Actively engaged and responsible citizens of their communities • Independent to the maximum extent possible

30. Our Building Blocks • Build a strong coalition of stakeholders • Make significant resource investments • Leverage relationships with Virginia Colleges and Universities • Embrace identified weaknesses as “opportunities” • Focus on research and evidence based practices • Embedded approach to technical assistance and professional development • Harness the power of distance education and online tools

31. Virginia Department of Education ASD Guidance Documents

32. VDOE Strategy • Develop a PREMIER technical assistance, professional development and educational research center for ASD in the Commonwealth of Virginia

33. Resources Virginia Department of Education Autism Resources www.doe.virginia.gov/special_ed/disabilities/autism Virginia Commonwealth University Autism Center for Excellence (VCU ACE) www.vcuautismcenter.org

34. Scaling Up: Professional Development for Educators Who Serve Students with Autism Spectrum DisorderDr. Dawn Hendricks, Director of Training

35. How does the VCU ACE Increase Knowledge, Skills and Abilities in Evidence Based Practices in ASD for the Wide Range of Professional and Paraprofessional Educational staff in Public Schools?

36. Training

37. Where do we train? How much training? Who do we train? How do we train? On what do we train? How do we move beyond training? Training

38. Training

39. Anyone Who Lives with…Works with… Supports • Special Educators • General Educators • Related Service Personnel • Paraprofessionals • Administrators • Psychologists • Family Members and Friends • Medical Professionals • Early Intervention Service Providers • Adult Service Providers

40. University / College Coursework

41. Certificate Programs in ASD

42. Applied Behavior Analysis Consortium • 4 Universities • GMU • ODU • VCU • Lynchburg • Begin Fall 2012 • Provide coursework and supervision in the form of practicum courses • Tuition assistance not available

43. Applied Behavior Analysis Consortium • Year 1 • 30 students • Program ran by GMU • ODU, VCU and Lynchburg provide sites • Year 2 • ODU, VCU and Lynchburg operate with GMU as a unified consortium • Annual cohort

44. Not-for-Credit

45. Online Courses • Foundations of ASD • Module One: Overview of Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Primary Characteristics • Module Two: Secondary characteristics, Learning Styles and Autism across the Lifespan • Strategies for Supporting Positive Behaviors in Students with ASD • Module One: Functional Assessment • Module Two: Behavior Intervention Planning

46. Paraprofessionals in Autism Resource and Advancement Project (PARAPro) • Enhance the knowledge of paraprofessionals related to the characteristics and learning needs of students with autism spectrum disorder • Build skills related to implementing teacher directed instruction and behavioral support strategies • Assist local educational agencies in providing teachers and administrators with guidance on the supervisory relationship with paraprofessionals

47. Paraprofessionals

48. Paraprofessionals in Autism Resource and Advancement Project (PARAPro) Online course and live training: Autism Spectrum Disorders for Paraprofessionals: Providing Effective Instruction and Support

49. Paraprofessionals Trained

50. WebcastsNational and State Experts • Autism: An Evolving DiagnosisDate: 9/11/2012 Presenter(s): Maria Urbano • A Successful Employment Experience for Individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome: What it TakesDate: 10/9/2012 Presenter(s): Tamara Eastman, Peter Skirbunt, Ph.D. • Introduction to the Hidden Curriculum – Part 1Date: 11/13/2012 Presenter(s): Brenda Smith Myles, Ph.D.