Assessment Middle School point person Training Presented by: Pam Leonard Sabrina Beaudry

1. AssessmentMiddle School point person TrainingPresented by:Pam LeonardSabrina Beaudry 9/20/12

2. Outcomes for today • Be able to identify areas of assessment that we typically may not address in our initial case studies or re-evaluations • Provide access to a variety of assessment tools

3. Let’s hear from you • What are the types of case studies your school does? • How often are you doing initial eligibility? • How often are you changing eligibility? • How often are you adding a secondary eligibility? • What staff are usually involved ?

4. As the building point person…. What do you see as your role when a team is going to assess a student with ASD?

5. Let’s Hear what the Fed’s say about assessment for eligibility IDEA Partnership

6. Jointly Developed By: With funding from the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)

7. Development TeamThe following role groups worked together to create the documents and tools for the ASD Assessment for Identification presentation: IDEA Partnership 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

8. 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 IDEA Partnership

9. 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 IDEA Partnership cont

10. 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 IDEA Partnership cont

11. 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 IDEA Partnership

12. Educational Definition (IDEA) 34 CFR §300.8(c)(1)(i) “Autism” means a developmentaldisability significantly affecting verbal and non-verbalcommunication and social interactions, generally evident before age 3,that adversely affects a child’seducational performance. IDEA Partnership

13. From the first part of the definition the Fed’s have identified Communication and Social Challenges IDEA Partnership Nonverbal & verbal communication Nonverbal Echolalia Initiating and maintaining social interactions Superficially social Active “Little professor” presentation Conveying own thoughts Literalness Hidden curriculum Perspective taking Passive Withdrawn

14. Effects on Educational Performance… IDEA Partnership • 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

15. Educational Definition (IDEA) 34 CFR §300.8(c)(1)(i) also includes Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement inrepetitiveactivities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in routine,and unusual responses to sensoryexperiences. IDEA Partnership

16. 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 IDEA Partnership

17. The Sensory Systems IDEA Partnership

18. Reference • A Buffet of Sensory Interventions: Solutions for Middle and High School Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders [Paperback] Susan L. Culp • ..\HS year 1\Training #1 9.6.12\sensory systems description.pdf

19. In case we forget……. IDEA Partnership When you have seen one child with autism, you have seen one child with autism. Stephen Shore, n.d 15

20. Diagnosis vs. Eligibility Process IDEA Partnership

21. 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. IDEA Partnership

22. Areas Related to Disability IDEA Partnership Autism characteristics Academic achievement Adaptive behavior Cognitive Developmental Emotional/behavioral Functional/behavioral Motor Sensory Speech/language/ communication Social/relationship Transition Vocational

23. Additional Requirement IDEA Partnership • The IEP Team including parents must review evaluations and information provided by the parents of the child.. 34 CFR §300.305(a)(1)(i)

24. 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.

25. Evaluation: Eligibility vs. Program Planning IDEA Partnership

26. Components of Evaluation IDEA Partnership 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

27. Student-Centered Factors that Influence Identification • Delay in assessment/identification • Severity • Gender • Ethnicity and culture • Age • English language learners • Other disorders/co-occurring conditions IDEA Partnership

28. 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 IDEA Partnership

29. 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 IDEA Partnership

30. 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 IDEA Partnership

31. 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 IDEA Partnership cont

32. Let’s take a break

33. Assessment Process- Ten tips according to Grossman and Aspy • Plan and Prepare • Communicate and Inform • Work as a team • Keep an open mind • Schedule time to process • Think recommendations • Allow for fun and flexibility • Reinforce • Observe across settings • Be responsive

34. Let’s Practice…

35. ISBE Domain Sheet • Academic Achievement • Functional Performance • Cognitive Functioning • Communication Status • Health • Hearing/vision • Motor- Fine/Gross • Social Emotional

36. Tell Us About Academic Achievement • Review current IEP goals • Benchmarking- Survey Level • File Review • How are they doing in the classroom- participation, test grades, work completion, peer comparison ISAT’s • Use of individualized technology need to be successful in class? • Class placement- instructional, tier 2, direct, functional etc.

37. Some thoughts from Pam & Sabrina • Is adult support needed? How much?/ What kind? • Comparison to same grade/age peers • How applying skills/knowledge • Observation rating scales ???? • Level of modifications needed/prompting levels/visual supports/intervention strategies

38. Some Tools… • Teacher reports • Student grades/work samples/classroom tests • CBMs/Benchmarking • Rubrics • Data from instruction • Observation Data

39. Tell Us About Functional Performance: • Navigation around building • Independence in using locker • Vineland, Hawthorne, SIBR • BASC- student, parent, teachers • Behavioral rating scales • Observation • Dressing skills, toileting, hygiene (adaptive at school) • Self-help skills (eating, etc) • Organization/homework skills • Information from student

40. Some thoughts from Pam & Sabrina For students with ASD…you could reference the Autism IEP Considerations Page: E:\Trainings\Point Person 10-11\Resources\ISBE 7 autism considerations.pdf ..\..\Point Person 10-11\Resources\AUTISM CONSIDERATIONS all on 1 page.docx ..\..\Point Person 10-11\Resources\Autism Consideration.docx ..\..\Point Person 10-11\Resources\Autism 7 considerations (blank).docx

41. More thoughts from Pam & Sabrina • Independence • Self-help skills applicable to school • Daily living skills applicable to school • Sensory regulation • Ability to handle change and/or transitions • Repetitive actions/thoughts &/or stereotypic behaviors/special interests

42. More thoughts on functional performance: • Behavior • Independence in using support systems • individual schedules • task organizers • communication supports • transition supports • Student’s awareness of their disability

43. Some Tools… • Student interview to include student’s description of how autism impacts them and how they cope • Parent interview • Behavioral Observations • BASC2- Broad measure of a variety of behaviors • Achenbach measures (CBCL-Childhood Behavior Checklist; TRF-Teacher Report Form)-Broad measures of a variety of behaviors • Functional Analysis (Tools: MAS-Motivation Assessment Scale, FACTS) • Down and Dirty Cheat Sheet (on wiki)

44. More Tools… • School Functioning Assessment (SFA) • TTAP (TEACCH Transition Assessment Profile) • VB-MAPP (Verbal Behavior- Milestones Assessment and Placement Program) • Autism/Asperger’s checklists (GARS2, GADS, CARS, ASDS, ADOS) • Sensory Profiles • General Education Classroom Behavior Skills Evaluation (Wiley & Sons, Inc) • ..\..\Point Person 10-11\Locked documents\Gen Ed classrm behavior skills eval.pdf • Ziggurat Model

45. Tell us about cognitive: • Previous data related to IQ • Strengths/weaknesses from previous cognitive assess • IQ tests? • Rate of learning • Outside eval info • General problem solving • How do they function in environment? • Developmental history

46. Cognitive doesn’t just mean IQ Other areas to consider under “cognitive” domain: From psychological/ brain based theories: • Theory of Mind challenges • Executive Functioning challenges • Central Coherence challenges

47. Theory of Mind: • Refers to a person’s ability to think about people’s thinking • This typically is developed by the age of four • This is the ability that allows us to take the perspective of others and adjust our behavior according to that perspective

48. Resource • ..\Psychological Model Info\Autism and Theory of Mind.docx • ..\Psychological Model Info\TOM-in-TD-and-ASD.pdf • ..\Psychological Model Info\423-tager-flusbg07.pdf • ..\Psychological Model Info\Hutchins-Prelock-Bonazinga-2011.pdf

49. Challenges related to Theory of Mind: • Social communication • Language comprehension • Perspective taking • Literal interpretation of language • Intensive interests in topic • Engaging in shared experiences • Predicting difficulties • Understanding how/why a character behaves • Affects listening comprehension

50. Executive Functioning: This is the ability to use problem solving skills for: • Planning/organization • Self monitoring • Controlling our impulses • Being flexible thinkers • Organizing our thoughts