Best Practice Resources for Administrators You should always feel free to contact Autism New Jersey at 800.4.AUTISM with any questions pertaining to your students with ASD or their teachers and educational programs. In addition to our own publications, there are other resources that may be helpful. The National Research Council’s book, Educating Children with Autism, was published in 2001 to summarize the research to date and examine the issues affecting the education of students
with ASD. The Autism Program Quality Indicators (APQI) created by the NY State Education Department is a checklist that provides great detail about components of effective educational practices for students with ASD, in areas such as individualized services, curriculum, instruction, family involvement and support, services across settings, challenging behavior, personnel, and program evaluation. the philosophy behind the program, as well as specific instructional strategies, creates a supportive environment for the staff and consistency for the students. While lecture- style workshops can be beneficial, it is often necessary to provide additional hands-on training with supervision and feedback. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) can be a valuable consultant for these matters. Autism-specific professional development should be an ongoing process, as new issues arise from different students’ needs. If you have heard of a reputable school program in your area, consider sending staff to observe so they can see instructional techniques put into practice in an environment similar to their own. Enhancing the collaborative skills and attitudes of staff (with each other and with parents) is another building block of strong educational services. Paraprofessionals often have a significant impact on students with autism, but they usually receive little or no training to do so effectively. Lack of preparation, supervision, and ongoing support can lead to confusion about their responsibilities. They may have varied assignments throughout the day such as clerical duties or curriculum modifications, yet their most significant role should be to systematically support the student in crucial ways such as redirecting attention to the classroom teacher, implementing a motivational system, and preteaching academic content. The goal of your autism paraprofessional staff should
Staff Training
When asked what would maximize the education of students with autism spectrum disorder, 51% of recently surveyed administrators stated that professional development was the key factor. Since most educational professionals have not been sufficiently prepared by their collegiate studies to meet the complex needs of students with autism, they often rely on their employing districts to provide relevant and credible professional development. When they understand what an ASD diagnosis entails and learn how to teach these students effectively, they often have a much more positive experience. In the survey mentioned above, 62% of public school administrators said that their staff members had reported feeling overwhelmed or concerned about teaching students with ASD (and another 10% were not sure). Specific areas of concern were their work load, the other students’ education, insufficient support from administrators or parents, and challenging behaviors (ranging from unusual behaviors that teachers have never encountered to dangerous acts of aggression or self-injury). Many of these issues could be addressed through effective professional development. Staff training is most effective when it includes everyone involved with students with autism: special and general educators, paraprofessionals, related service providers, the child study team, and administrators. Having everyone united in understanding
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