High Functioning Autism as a Contextual …...Asperger’s Syndrome/High Functioning Autism (AS/HFA) n Autism is a spectrum disorder n Asperger’s once considered its own entity,

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High Functioning Autism as a Contextual Framework for Accessible Education Jillian Caduto Psychology, Children’s Health and Education

+What Is Autism (ASD)?

n A pervasive developmental disorder in which an individual has: n  Persistent deficits in social communication and social

interaction across multiple contexts n  Restricted, repetitive behaviors, interests, or activities

n Symptoms present in early development, not fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities

n Disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability or global developmental disorder

n Affects 1 in every 64 children

(American Psychological Association, 2013)

+Asperger’s Syndrome/High Functioning Autism (AS/HFA)

n  Autism is a spectrum disorder

n  Asperger’s once considered its own entity, but collapsed into ASD as of the last DSM update

n  Characterized by: n  Unusual speech patterns n  Difficulty understanding pragmatics and suprasegmentals of

speech n  Hypersensitive to different stimuli in the environment n  Normal levels of cognition

n  Despite normal intelligence, students with AS/HFA still require additional supports

(Autism Speaks Inc., 2018), (Rao, Beidel, & Murray, 2007),

+Individualized Education Plan (IEP)

n  Federal mandate that requires states receiving funding for special education programs to design and implement specific education services for each child with disability

n  Components included statements of: n  Child’s current academic achievement level

n  Measurable annual goals

n  Description of benchmarks

n  Child’s progress

n  Goal is to place student in the least restrictive learning environment to enhance achievement outcomes

(Hickman and Applequist, 2013), (Allen-Mears, MacDonald, & McGee, 2016)

+IEP Team

n  Various disciplines providing services to ensure student success in the classroom

n  Includes: n  Parents

n  Regular education teacher

n  Special education teacher

n  School administration

n  Representative of the public agency

n  Related service personnel (school psychologist, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, etc.)

n  If appropriate, the child.

(Hickman and Applequist, 2013).

+Roles of Team Members

n  Regular Education Teacher n  Works on planning the general curriculum and the specific

courses of study to help student meet IEP goals

n  Special Education Teacher n  May help in general education classroom or provide pull-out

services in a resource room

n  Helps in curriculum development/modification

n  Assists in pre- and post-testing

(Lee, Wehmeyer, Soukup, & Palmer, 2010), (“AASEP’s Staff Development Course”, 2018)

+Roles of Team Members (cont.)

n  School Psychologist n  Observes development of student population to recognize warning

signs of autism and trains general educations to notice risk factors n  Participates in the behavioral screening process n  Diagnose (if appropriately trained) n  Conduct special education evaluations

n  Speech-Language Pathologist n  prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, social

communication, cognitive communication, and swallowing disorders in children and adults

n  work one-on-one with the individual with AS/HFA, within a group of students with similar deficits, or provide in-class services to help improve communication

(Brock, Jimerson, and Hansen, 2006), (American Speech-Language Hearing Association, 2018)

+IEP Goals

n  Developed by observing student behavior and conducting a battery of test to establish baseline n  Use to develop benchmarks for attainable goals

n  Looks at strengths and weaknesses

n  IEP team works to provide accommodations and the necessary skill set to achieve attainable goals n  Examples of accommodations:

n  Limiting external stimuli

n  Explicit directions with visuals

n  Optimal seating

(Shore, 2010)

+The Problem with Establishing Goals

n  Concerns in goal development due to inconsistencies in methodology among IEP team members n  2012 study noting limited understanding of diagnosis and lack of

training or proper training to administer baseline testing and providing adequate services

n  Poor baseline testing results in inaccurate results to establish appropriate goals

n  Lack of education on diagnoses, testing, and providing services leads to poor content development

(Blackwell and Rosetti, 2014), (Sansosti and Sansosti, 2012)

+Hauser’s OBSE Framework Model

n  Framework that outlines the creation and implementation of an IEP in four steps:

n  (O)perationalize n  Goals should be straightforward and written clearly as to not

contain ambiguous wording

n  Focus on one measureable behavior or skill per goal

n  (B)aseline n  Establishes benchmarks for behavior

n  Using present observations to collect data or use previously collected data to asses quality, quantity, or both for a behavior

n  Define terms and protocol for scoring execution of behavior

(Hauser, 2017)

+Hauser’s OBSE Framework Model (Cont.)

n  (S)cale n  Depends on what is being asses, how it is defined, evaluation

methods, and targets for student growth n  Quantitative or qualitative scales

n  (E)valuation n  Who will be carrying out the evaluation n  When will the evaluation take place n  In what context is the behavior being assessed

n  Additional professional development n  Helps team members collaborate with one another and best

understand the four steps as a whole

(Hauser, 2017)

+IEP Influence Beyond High School

n  In high school, postsecondary goals are added to IEP n  Preparation for higher education or workforce

n  Transitional plan includes: n  continuous social and life skills development n  sex education n  workplace expectations and appropriate workplace behavior n  well-planned postsecondary educational supports n  and forming and planning leisure activities in adulthood

n  Universities continuing this plan through use of Student Accessibility Services and First Year Seminars n  UConn implemented their program

(Wenzel and Rowley, 2010)

+The Project

n  The IEP n  Purpose is to understand the components of the IEP, the

professionals involved, common goals, and how progress is tracked to meet goals.

n  IEP Team Training and Collaboration Do’s and Don’ts n  Purpose is to understand how the team works together and what

can be done to improve services.

+Putting the Pieces Together

n  Autism Spectrum Disorder is a rising diagnosis and those at the higher end of the spectrum may not be noticed for special education services until later.

n  Important to note these students as to provide the necessary services and accommodations to help academic success.

n  IEP team personnel should be well versed in understanding the disorder and service delivery model as to best provide these accommodations as a cohesive unit.

+References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.

American Speech-Language Hearing Association. (2018). The Profession of Speech-Language Pathology. Retrieved March 14, 2018, from https://www.asha.org/Students/Speech-Language-Pathology/

Autism Speaks Inc. (Ed.). (2018). How are Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Different? Retrieved March 5, 2018, from https://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/tool-kits/asperger-syndrome-and-high-functioning-autism-tool-kit/how-are-and-hfa-dif

Blackwell, W. H., & Rossetti, Z. S. (2014).The development of individualized education programs: where have we been and where should we go now? SAGE Open, 4(2), 1–15.doi:10.1177/2158244014530411

Brock, S. E., Jimerson, S. R., & Hansen, R. L. (2006). Identifying, assessing, and treating autism at school. New York: Springer.

+References (Cont.)

Hauser, M. D. (2017). The Essential and Interrelated Components of Evidenced-Based IEPs: A User’s Guide. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 49(6), 420-428. doi 10.1177/0040059916688327

Hickman, J. A., & Applequist, K. F. (2013). Individualized educational plan. In C. R. Reynolds, K. J. Vannest, & E. Fletcher-Janzen (Eds.), Encyclopedia of special education: a reference for the education of children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities and other exceptional individuals (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Retrieved from https://gold.worcester.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/wileyse/individualized_educational_plan/0?institutionId=5188

Lee SH, Wehmeyer ML, Soukup J, Palmer SB. Impact of curriculum modifications on access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities. Exceptional Children. 2010;76(2):213–233.

MacLeod, A., & Green, S. (2009). Beyond the books: Case study of a collaborative and holistic -support model for university students with Asperger’s syndrome. Studies in Higher Education, 34, 631–646.

+References (Cont.)

Sansosti, J. M., & Sansosti, F. J. (2012). Inclusion for Students with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders: Definitions and Decision Making: Inclusion for Students With HFASD. Psychology in the Schools, 49(10), 917–931. http://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21652

Shore, S. (2010). Strengths and Challenges [PDF]. Autism Speaks Inc.

Wenzel, C., & Rowley, L. (2010). Teaching Social Skills and Academic Strategies to College Students with Aspergers Syndrome. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 42(5), 44-50. doi:10.1177/004005991004200505

Zeedyk, S. M., Tipton, L. A., & Blacher, J. (2014). Educational Supports for High Functioning Youth With ASD. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 31(1), 37-48. doi:10.1177/1088357614525435