Transcript Assessment for Identification for Eligibility

Assessment for ASD
Eligibility Determination
April 2014
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Jointly Developed By:
The Autism Society
The IDEA Partnership
Project (at NASDSE)
With funding from the US Department of Education,
Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
Development Team
The following role groups worked together to create the documents and
tools for the ASD Assessment for Identification presentation:
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Behavior Analyst
Educational
Diagnosticians
General Education
Administrator
Higher Education
Occupational
Therapist
Parents
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Person on Spectrum
Psychologists
Social Worker
Special Education
Administrator
Speech Language
Pathologist
Technical Assistance
Providers
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Outline for Presentation
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Definitions/foundations
Process for determining eligibility
Evaluation areas
Evaluation outcomes
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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
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Guiding Principles of Assessment
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Each individual has limitless potential
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Each student has an individual spectrum of
characteristics, strengths and challenges that range
from mild to severe across various domains
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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
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cont
Guiding Principles of Assessment
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Assessment is comprehensive; it goes beyond
academics into various domains, such as
sensory, social, behavior, and so forth
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Information, observation, interviews, and
interpretation by a skilled multidisciplinary team
are each important to the assessment process
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The essential information in assessment goes
beyond the score on a particular assessment
measure
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Guiding Principles of Assessment
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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
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It is important to value the input of all members
of the team, including parents/guardians and the
student, as appropriate
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Educational Definition
(IDEA) 34 CFR §300.8(c)(1)(i)
“Autism” means a developmental
disability significantly affecting verbal
and non-verbal communication and
social interactions, generally evident
before age 3, that adversely affects a
child’s educational performance.
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Communication and Social Challenges
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Nonverbal & verbal
communication
Nonverbal
Echolalic
Initiating and
maintaining social
interactions
Superficially social
Active
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“Little professor”
presentation
Conveying own
thoughts
Literalness
Hidden curriculum
Perspective taking
Passive
Withdrawn
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Adverse Effect on Educational
Performance…
Academic
performance
 Communication
functioning
 Social functioning
 Pragmatic language
 Organizational skills
 Group work skills
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Problem solving skills
 Emotional regulation
 Hygiene
 Behavior
 Attention challenges
 Daily living
skills/adaptive
behavior
 Transition
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Educational Definition
(IDEA) 34 CFR §300.8(c)(1)(i)
Other characteristics often associated with
autism are engagement in repetitive
activities and stereotyped movements,
resistance to environmental change or
change in routine, and unusual
responses to sensory experiences.
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Restricted, Repetitive, and Stereotyped
Patterns of Behaviors and Interests
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Repetitive, stereotypic movements
Narrow, intense interests
Often appear “uncontrollable”
Role of the interest: interest; fun; security,
comfort; relaxation; stress reduction
May change over time
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The Sensory Systems
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Characteristics
When you have
seen one child
with autism, you
have seen one
child with autism.
Stephen Shore, n.d
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Diagnosis vs. Eligibility Process
Diagnosis
Eligibility
Based on a set of criteria
(e.g., DSM-IV-TR, ICD-10)
Based on federal law (IDEA)
Refers to a specific disorder
(e.g., Autistic Disorder,
Asperger Disorder)
Refers to a broad disability
category
Used in private settings
Used only in public school
system
May be determined by an
individual or team
Must be determined by a
team
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Evaluation Procedures
34 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.
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Areas Related to Disability
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Autism characteristics
Academic
achievement
Adaptive behavior
Cognitive
Developmental
Emotional/behavioral
Functional/behavioral
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Motor
Sensory
Speech/language/
communication
Social/relationship
Transition
Vocational
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Additional Requirement
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The IEP Team including
parents must review
evaluations and information
provided by the parents of
the child..
34 CFR
§300.305(a)(1)(i)
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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.
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Evaluation:
Eligibility vs. Program Planning
Purpose
Eligibility
Program Planning
Determine eligibility
Looks at child as individual;
strengths and weaknesses
Evaluator Team of experts
IEP Team
Law
Consent required
No consent required –
Review existing data
Scope
Child Find – all areas
related to disability
Areas needed for program
planning
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Flow Chart
Suspect
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Refer
Screen –
Autism
Specific
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Screening for ASD
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Follow written district procedures
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Ensure that at least one team member is familiar
with characteristics of ASD
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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!
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Components of Evaluation
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Obtaining informed
consent
Vision/hearing
clearance
Screening
Structured interviews
Structured
observations
Naturalistic
observations
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Developmental
history
Bio-psychosocial
history
Previous assessment
history
Records review
Checklists
Student assessments
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Student-Centered Factors that
Influence Identification
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Delay in assessment/identification
Severity
Gender
Ethnicity and culture
Age
English language learners
Other disorders/co-occurring conditions
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Other Factors that Influence
Identification
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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
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Student Case Study
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Questions for Group Discussion:
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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?
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A Valuable Resource
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Texas Autism Resource Guide for Teaching
TARGET)
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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
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A Valuable Resource: TARGET
Offers assessment information in the following areas
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Autism Screening and
Assessment
Academic Achievement
Assessment
Adaptive Behavior
Assessment
Cognitive Assessment
Development Assessment
Emotional and Behavioral
Assessment
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Functional Behavior
Assessment
Motor Assessment
Sensory Assessment
Social and Relationship
Assessment
Speech-Language Assessment
Transition and Vocational
Assessment
Other Assessment
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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.
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TARGET: Summary of Screening
and Diagnostic/Identification Tools
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TARGET: Research on Screening
and Assessment Instruments
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TARGET: Misconceptions
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TARGET: References
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Eligible for IDEA Services
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Develop IEP
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Determine strengths and present levels of
performance
Goals/objectives/services/supports
Behavior plans
Monitor progress
Ensure future evaluation
Provide procedural safeguards
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Ineligible for IDEA Services
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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
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Reflections!
Questions?
Discussion.
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