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Assessment for ASD Eligibility Determination

Assessment for ASD Eligibility Determination. The Autism Society. The IDEA Partnership Project (at NASDSE). Jointly Developed By:. With funding from the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

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Assessment for ASD Eligibility Determination

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  1. Assessment for ASD Eligibility Determination IDEA Partnership

  2. The Autism Society The IDEA Partnership Project (at NASDSE) Jointly Developed By: With funding from the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)

  3. Development TeamThe following role groups worked together to create the documents and tools for the ASD Assessment for Identification presentation: • Behavior Analyst • Educational Diagnosticians • General Education Administrator • Higher Education • Occupational Therapist • Parents • Person on Spectrum • Psychologists • Social Worker • Special Education Administrator • Speech Language Pathologist • Technical Assistance Providers IDEA Partnership

  4. Outline for Presentation • Definitions/foundations • Process for determining eligibility • Evaluation areas • Evaluation outcomes IDEA Partnership

  5. Definition of Assessment Assessment is an ongoing, comprehensive process used to determine a student’s strengths and challenges in multiple areas Evaluation may be defined as a specific set of assessments designed to determine eligibility for services under IDEA IDEA Partnership

  6. Guiding Principles of Assessment • Each individual has limitless potential • Each student has an individual spectrum of characteristics, strengths and challenges that range from mild to severe across various domains • Assessment tools should be chosen to gather specific information based on the individual’s characteristics, be appropriate across the spectrum, and across the age-range IDEA Partnership cont

  7. Guiding Principles of Assessment • Assessment is comprehensive; it goes beyond academics into various domains, such as sensory, social, behavior, and so forth • Information, observation, interviews, and interpretation by a skilled multidisciplinary team are each important to the assessment process • The essential information in assessment goes beyond the score on a particular assessment measure IDEA Partnership cont

  8. Guiding Principles of Assessment • Team members should have experience and a broad knowledge of characteristics of ASD, assessment, intervention strategies, and development of program recommendations for students across the spectrum • It is important to value the input of all members of the team, including parents/guardians and the student, as appropriate IDEA Partnership

  9. Educational Definition (IDEA) 34 CFR §300.8(c)(1)(i) “Autism” means a developmentaldisability significantly affecting verbal and non-verbalcommunication and social interactions, generally evident before age 3,that adversely affects a child’seducational performance. IDEA Partnership

  10. Communication and Social Challenges • Nonverbal & verbal communication • Nonverbal • Echolalic • Initiating and maintaining social interactions • Superficially social • Active • “Little professor” presentation • Conveying own thoughts • Literalness • Hidden curriculum • Perspective taking • Passive • Withdrawn IDEA Partnership

  11. Adverse Effect on Educational Performance… • Academic performance • Communication functioning • Social functioning • Pragmatic language • Organizational skills • Group work skills • Problem solving skills • Emotional regulation • Hygiene • Behavior • Attention challenges • Daily living skills/adaptive behavior • Transition IDEA Partnership

  12. Educational Definition (IDEA)34 CFR §300.8(c)(1)(i) Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement inrepetitiveactivities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in routine,and unusual responses to sensoryexperiences. IDEA Partnership

  13. Restricted, Repetitive, and Stereotyped Patterns of Behaviors and Interests • Repetitive, stereotypic movements • Narrow, intense interests • Often appear “uncontrollable” • Role of the interest: interest; fun; security, comfort; relaxation; stress reduction • May change over time IDEA Partnership

  14. The Sensory Systems IDEA Partnership

  15. Characteristics When you have seen one child with autism, you have seen one child with autism. Stephen Shore, n.d IDEA Partnership 15

  16. Diagnosis vs. Eligibility Process IDEA Partnership

  17. Evaluation Procedures34 CFR §300.304 (4) ...child is assessed in all areas related to the suspected disability, including, if appropriate, health, vision, hearing, social and emotional status, general intelligence, motor abilities; academic performance, communicative status; (6) ... evaluation is sufficiently comprehensive to identify all of the child’s special education and related services needs, whether or not commonly linked to the disability category in which the child has been classified. IDEA Partnership

  18. Areas Related to Disability • Autism characteristics • Academic achievement • Adaptive behavior • Cognitive • Developmental • Emotional/behavioral • Functional/behavioral • Motor • Sensory • Speech/language/ communication • Social/relationship • Transition • Vocational IDEA Partnership

  19. Additional Requirement • The IEP Team including parents must review evaluations and information provided by the parents of the child.. 34 CFR §300.305(a)(1)(i) IDEA Partnership

  20. Myth of “Medical Diagnosis” “There are no medical tests for diagnosing autism. An accurate diagnosis must be based on observation of the individual’s communication, behavior, and developmental levels.” Autism Society, n.d. IDEA Partnership

  21. Evaluation: Eligibility vs. Program Planning IDEA Partnership

  22. Flow Chart IDEA Partnership

  23. Screening for ASD • Follow written district procedures • Ensure that at least one team member is familiar with characteristics of ASD • Avoid unnecessary delays in identification Delay in identification = Delay in intervention Research shows that the earlier the intervention, the better the outcomes! It is never too late! IDEA Partnership

  24. Components of Evaluation • Obtaining informed consent • Vision/hearing clearance • Screening • Structured interviews • Structured observations • Naturalistic observations • Developmental history • Bio-psychosocial history • Previous assessment history • Records review • Checklists • Student assessments IDEA Partnership

  25. Student-Centered Factors that Influence Identification • Delay in assessment/identification • Severity • Gender • Ethnicity and culture • Age • English language learners • Other disorders/co-occurring conditions IDEA Partnership

  26. Other Factors that Influence Identification • Experience/knowledge of school personnel • Local school district resources • Geographical region • Parent educational level • Behaviors that are not consistent across environments • Misunderstanding of the characteristics of ASD IDEA Partnership

  27. Student Case Study • Questions for Group Discussion: • Is there “reason to suspect” the presence of a disability? • If yes, what specific areas of student need should be further explored through screening and/or evaluation for eligibility? IDEA Partnership

  28. A Valuable Resource • Texas Autism Resource Guide for Teaching TARGET) • http://www.txautism.net/manual.html • Written for educational professionals and families • Available at no cost • Provides information on evaluation for identification and programming • Provides information on assessment measures IDEA Partnership cont

  29. A Valuable Resource: TARGET Offers assessment information in the following areas Functional Behavior Assessment Motor Assessment Sensory Assessment Social and Relationship Assessment Speech-Language Assessment Transition and Vocational Assessment Other Assessment • Autism Screening and Assessment • Academic Achievement Assessment • Adaptive Behavior Assessment • Cognitive Assessment • Development Assessment • Emotional and Behavioral Assessment IDEA Partnership

  30. TARGET(Myles, Bock & Simpson, 2001) Asperger Syndrome Diagnostic Scale The ASDS is a norm-referenced measure consisting of 50 yes/no items. The ASD yields scores in five areas: cognitive, maladaptive, language, social, and sensorimotor, as well as an Asperger Syndrome Quotient (ASQ). The 5 subtests provide information comparing the behaviors of the individual to the behaviors of individuals diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. The ASQ indicates the probability of AS. An individual who knows the child or adolescent well may complete the ASDS. IDEA Partnership

  31. TARGET: Summary of Screening and Diagnostic/Identification Tools IDEA Partnership

  32. TARGET: Research on Screening and Assessment Instruments IDEA Partnership

  33. TARGET: Misconceptions IDEA Partnership

  34. TARGET: References IDEA Partnership

  35. Eligible for IDEA Services • Develop IEP • Determine strengths and present levels of performance • Goals/objectives/services/supports • Behavior plans • Monitor progress • Ensure future evaluation • Provide procedural safeguards IDEA Partnership

  36. Ineligible for IDEA Services • Identify strengths • Identify accommodations that can be incorporated into general education • Determine resources/recommendations/universal design • Consider 504 Plan • Monitor student to determine need for additional assessment/evaluation IDEA Partnership

  37. Reflections!Questions?Discussion. IDEA Partnership

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