Assessment for ASD Eligibility Determination April 2014IDEA Partnership1.

Assessment for ASD Eligibility Determination

April 2014 IDEA Partnership 1

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 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

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Outline for Presentation

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

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

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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

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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

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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

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

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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

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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

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 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. November 2012

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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

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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)

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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

Eligibility Program Planning

Purpose 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 ReferScreen – Autism Specific

Evaluate

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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!

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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

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Student-Centered Factors that Influence Identification 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

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

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?

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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

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A Valuable Resource: TARGET

Offers assessment information in the following areas

Autism Screening and Assessment

Academic Achievement Assessment

Adaptive Behavior Assessment

Cognitive Assessment Development Assessment Emotional and Behavioral

Assessment

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

Develop IEP 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

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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