Stories from the Field and from our Consumers

1. Stories from the Field and from our Consumers Building Capacity www.pdacenter.org

2. Who we are… • National Center funded by the U.S. Department of Education • Universities and non-profit educational agencies

3. PARTNERS • University of Washington • University of Colorado at Denver • University of Oklahoma • University of Kansas • University of South Florida • Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education, Inc. • Oakstone Academy

4. Autism is an overlapping group of symptoms that vary from child to child. Siegel, 1996

5. Our Mission • The Professional Development in Autism (PDA) Center provides training and consultation to school personnel that work with students with ASD from birth through 21. Our goal is to increase the capacity of school teams so that every child with ASD can access a high quality public education.

6. What we believe • Students with ASD are students first and possess a variety of unique strengths, challenges, and learning characteristics. • Students with ASD should be viewed in the context of their families when considering their distinct values and priorities. • Students with ASD are members of their communities and should be educated with their neighbors and friends.

7. Students with ASD need to be provided with meaningful access to and opportunities to succeed in the general education curriculum. • Students with ASD need educational programs based on the best available evidence.

8. Interventions based on behavioral principles are the cornerstone of an educational program and should be individualized to produce relevant outcomes. • Intervention and educational programs should be evaluated on the basis of measurable outcomes that are meaningful from the perspective of the student and his/her family and the educational team.

9. What do we do? • Awareness Trainings • Short term internships -- intensive hands on practice and follow up are key components • Training for State Teams • System Change Support for Districts • Literature review and Material Development

10. Short Term Internships • To date we have conducted internships in 32 states and territories • We have conducted over 150 internships • We currently have a long list of districts who want to participate in the internships • Internships have included teams from early intervention programs through secondary schools

11. What are the essential elements of a STI • Pre visit and assessment • 3-4 days of intensive training, including opportunities to practice new skills with feedback from training team • Opportunities to plan as a team with the trainers • Follow up visit, assessment, and on going feedback

12. What we would like to hear from you? • What types of training do you think will be most effective and efficient? • What types of products would help you in your work to improve services for students with ASD and their families? • Do you know of programs/systems that are working for students with ASD and their families?

13. How the PDA Center Changed the Educational Experience—A Parent’s Perspective Michele Valenti Parent Participant in PDA Center Training

15. PDA Center Provided: • 3 day training institute for staff and parents • On-site follow up through collaborative planning meetings • In-class technical assistance

16. Justin Realized Many Benefits Including: • Enhanced academic skills • Increased motivation • Marked improvement in social skills • Empowerment

17. Benefits for IEP Team Members and Others • Staff development • Enhanced collaboration • Effective communication • Improved problem solving skills • Empowerment

18. Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire. --William Butler Yeats

19. Goal …to conduct training across the country so that every studnt with ASD can access high-quality, evidence-based educational services in his or her local school district.

20. The Rules of Life According To Kids, compiled by J.S. Salt, 2000

21. What makes a good public school?

22. Membership All students are • members of their neighborhood school • assigned to age-appropriate grades in regular classrooms • with other children who do not have disabilities.

23. Relationships • Planned and structured activities are in place to promotesocial inclusion and friendship development • Students without disabilities are supported in welcoming students who have disabilities

24. Skills • General education instruction and curriculum is used as the base for accommodationsand modificationsto meet IEP goals • Materials used for typical students are modifiedas needed • Supports and services, including related services are provided in the classroom and coordinated with ongoing instruction

25. How do we build capacity? • Teacher/Team capacity • Short-term internships • Organizational capacity • School • District • State

26. School What kinds of information indicate whether or not students with ASD are receiving a high quality education experience? What are the features that need to be present at the school level to insure that any and all students with ASD will have a high quality educational experience?

27. District What kinds of supports & resources do districts need to have in place in order to insure that all students with ASD will have a high quality educational experience?

28. State What kinds of supports & resources can states develop to assist districts in providing students with ASD with a high quality educational experience?

29. The Rules of Life According To Kids, compiled by J.S. Salt, 2000

30. Systems Change • Organizational Capacity (people, policies, data systems, organizational structure, communication strategies, etc.) Readiness for implementation Ability to implement with fidelity Plan to sustain implementation over time

31. Systems Change • Data: How will we know it when we see it? • Implementation: district, school, classroom practices • Impact on students: membership, relationships, skills

32. Systems Change • The change process • District level action plan • School based assessments • Professional development • Resource development • Organizational restructuring

33. State & District Leadership • Needs Assessment (on site) • 4 day Institute • Collaborative planning in teams • Creating a vision • Problem-solving activities • Breakout sessions • The action planning process • Follow up Action Plan Implementation

34. District & School Implementation • Partner with district level “Trainers” • Data Collection (demographics, philosophy, service delivery, placement) • Identify change based on data • Design professional development for school teams, with district involvement • Action plans for dissemination and replication in partnership with district “trainers”

35. Implementation: Birth - Three • Conceptual model for intensive services in “natural” environments • Do “natural environments” preclude family choice and evidence-based practices for toddlers with ASD? • Does the natural environment model for children with ASD and child care infrastructure that does not exist?

37. What else should we consider?

38. What we would like to hear from you? • What types of training do you think will be most effective and efficient? • What types of products would help you in your work to improve services for students with ASD and their families? • Do you know of programs/systems that are working for students with ASD and their families?

39. www.pdacenter.org THANK YOU!!!