Perspectives on the Autism Regulations

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Perspectives on the Autism Regulations

• Kathleen M. Feeley
• Assistant Professor
• Long Island University
• Kathleen.feeley_at_liu.edu

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Required Training In Autism

• all persons applying for a teaching certificate
  or a license as a special education teacher, in
  addition to all the other certification or
  licensing requirements, complete course work or
  training in the area of children with autism. 
• candidates who apply on or after September 2,
  2009, complete at least three clock hours of
  course work or training in the needs of students
  with autism from an approved provider.
• The applicable titles are Students with
  Disabilities (all levels) Speech and Language
  Disabilities Deaf and Hard of hearing Blind
  or Visually Impaired

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Evidence Based Strategies

• There is a preponderance of evidence supporting
  the effectiveness of strategies grounded in
  applied behavior analysis
• for very young children with autism (e.g.,
  Lovaas, 1987 Sheinkopf Siegel, 1998)
• elementary aged children (e.g., Hagopian, Bruzek,
  Bowman, Jennett, 2007 Peyton, Lindauer
  Richman, 2005)
• adolescents (e.g., Anglesea, Hoch, Taylor,
  2008 Taylor, Hughes, Richard, Hoch, Coello,
  2004)
• adults with ASDs (e.g., Jerome, Frantino,
  Sturmey, 2007 Lattimore, Parsons, Reid, 2006).

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Evidence Based Strategies

• The use of behaviorally based strategies is
  supported by the U.S. Surgeon General
  (Rossenwasser Axelrod, 2002),
• As well as the New York State Department of
  Health (Clinical Practice Guideline Report of
  the Recommendations, 1999).

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Tailoring instruction to meet the unique needs of
each student with ASD

• Instructional opportunities may vary in terms
  of
• the environment in which teaching occurs (ranging
  from a natural to a distraction free
  environment),
• the extent to which the interventionist directs
  the teaching opportunity verses the extent to
  which the student directs the teaching
  opportunity,
• the density with which the teaching opportunities
  are delivered, as well as the extent to which
  naturally occurring reinforcers are delivered
  following appropriate responding.

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Representative Anchor Points

• Discrete Trial Instruction (DTI)
• Instruction embedded within an activity
• Naturalistic instruction

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Strategies to Address Challenging Behavior

• Functional Behavior Assessment
• Positive Behavior Support Plan
• Strategies to address setting events
• Antecedent strategies
• Skill Replacement strategies
• Consequence strategies

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Strategies to Enhance Communication Skills in
Students with Autism

• Lovaas Model of Applied Behavior Analysis
• Verbal Behavior Intervention
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication

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Strategies to Address Social Skills

• Peer based strategies
• Peers at interventionists
• Peer modeling
• Peer networking
• Video Modeling
• Social Stories

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Packaged Interventions

• Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI)
• The Treatment and Education of Autistic and
  related Communication-handicapped Children
  (TEACCH)
• Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT)

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Additional Recommendations

• Basic coursework in Applied Behavior Analysis
• Appropriate field work experience
• Development of in-service courses

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Recent Surveys

• Loiacono and Allen (2008) reporting only 20 of
  the randomly selected institutions of higher
  education in NY State indicated they offer a
  course in ABA to their prospective special
  education teachers on undergraduate or graduate
  level.
• In a recent study conducted in the Southeastern
  region of NY State, Loiacono and Allen (2008)
  found more than 88 of the employed special
  education teachers (in the 16 districts that
  responded to the survey) had received no training
  in ABA methodologies from their respective
  institutions of higher learning.