State Update of ASD Activities in Minnesota

1. State Update of ASD Activities in Minnesota MN State Autism Network Meeting April 28, 2010

2. Overview • National and State Collaboration • Board of Teaching (BOT) proposal for ASD • Child Count Trends • Resources

3. National and State Collaboration • NPDC-ASD Initiative on Evidence Based Practices (Expansion Model Sites) • ASD/DD Learning Collaborative on screening and evaluation • ASD/IHE Research group work • MN Technical Assistance Task Force

4. NPDC-ASD ProjectMinnesota’s Strategic Plan • Goal…Provide professional development, and technical assistance that will increase the number of highly qualified personnel serving children and youth with ASD by: • promoting evidence-based practices for early identification, intervention, and education; • providing sustainable, outcome-based professional development and technical assistance that optimize existing state resources; • establishing model sites that showcase evidence based practices (EBP); • evaluating/measuring child, family, practitioner, and system level outcomes.

5. NPDC-ASD Initiative on Evidence Based Practices • Minnesota partners in capacity building • National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders (NPDC-ASD), UW-Madison (Waisman Center) • MN Autism Network / State Low Incidence Project • MN Higher Education Partners • Expanding Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs) • Strategic Planning MIAPG and Leadership Team

6. NPDC-ASD ProjectActivity Timelines Summer Institute - July 13-17, 2009 (Year 1) • Teams from 3 Model Sites • Trainers/TA Providers and Higher Education faculty • Implementation-EBPs embedded into training Summer Institute – June 14-18, 2010 (Year 2) (Symposium & Team Training) • Teams from 5 Expansion Model Sites and Coaches training • Implementation-EBPs embedded into training 3rd Year – 2011 and beyond Sustainability efforts and integration into all training

7. NPDC-ASD Project Teams Expansion Model Sites 2010-2011 • Andover High School, Anoka/Hennepin School District • Anoka ECSE Program, Anoka/Hennepin School District • Austin ECSE Autism Program, Austin School Distric • Howard Lake Middle School (4-8), MAWSECO District • Redtail Ridge Elementary (K-5), Prior Lake-Savage Area School District

8. ASD/DD Learning Collaborative on screening and evaluation • Goal…improved collaboration and coordination of screening, of evaluation, and of service resources at the community level. • Lead Agencies –MN Dept. of Health and MN Academy of Pediatrics • Clinical Practices, county and schools • Fairview Children’s Clinic, Minnetonka • Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital, Grand Rapids • Duluth Clinic-Hibbing, Hibbing • CentraCare, St. Cloud • Owatonna Clinic- Mayo Health System, Owatonna • South Lake Pediatrics, Eden Prairie • Children’s Hospitals and Specialty Clinics, Minneapolis

9. ASD/IHE Collaborative/Workgroups Higher Education collaboration with MDE • Research informing policy...Partnerships assessing the impact of ASD on schools and how to support them • U of St. Thomas • St. Cloud St. U. • U of MN-Duluth • U of MN-Twin Cities • Hamline U • MN Department of Health • Technical Assistance Task Force for ASD • ASD Licensure – future common implementation work

10. MN Technical Assistance Task Force (MN TATF) • Supported by MN LI Project and MDE • Task Force will consist of educational stakeholders (including regional and higher ed representatives) • Use existing resources/effort to “scale up” evidence based practices for ASD • Anticipating a framework/model to be developed by MN TATF over the next year

11. Minnesota 2009 Child Count Trends for ASD

12. Minnesota…a closer lookDisability Categories as a Percentage within Special Education 2009 Child Count (N=126,108) ASD

13. Board of Teaching and ASD Summary BOT- ASD Work Group Goals: • Review and edit existing “Proposed ASD Competencies” • To make recommendations regarding formal ASD competencies Work Group: • Lynn Peal-Mounds View, Tami Childs-Minneapolis, Deb Peters-Northfield, Kari Dunn Buron-Hamline University, Ann Fox-Minneapolis Special Education Director

14. Recommendations: BOT recommends the establishment of a license specific to ASD. Elements emphasized by ASD Work Group Emphasize competencies that focus on positive behavioral approaches that are both proactive and designed to teach appropriate skills rather that approaches that are reactive and punitive. Require a supervised clinical, teaching experience for ASD license that includes students with ASD. Consider a process that validates competencies of staff who have been well prepared in alternate models (e.g. teaching experiences, University sponsored ASD Certificate and MA programs, etc.). Board of Teaching and ASD

15. Board of Teaching and ASD POSSIBLE TIMELINES • BOT ASD Work Group Study & Recommendation Winter 2008 • Phase I - Endorsement Model proposed by BOT Summer 2008 • Phase II - Revision & Drafting of Proposed ASD Fall 2008 • Phase III - BOT Receives recommendations Summer 2009 • BOT Action - Rule making process (12-18 mo.) Spring 2010 – Winter 2011 • Possible Adoption and Effective dates Spring 2011 ?? • University programs revised Fall 2012 ??

16. Resources • MN Legislative Task Force on ASD website http://www.commissions.leg.state.mn.us/asd/asd.html • “Promising Practices: Effective Early Intervention in Autism” DVD • Somali version • Spanish version • IDEA Partnership Collection on ASD • Characteristics • Supports and Interventions http://www.ideapartnership.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1493

17. Contact Information • Phil Sievers Minnesota Department of Education phil.sievers@state.mn.us