TEACHING STUDENTS WITH ASD AND SIMILAR EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

IN MINNESOTA

Tami Childs & Becca Jackson

Charting the C’s

April 2019

PROFESSIONAL GROWTH RESOURCES

Professional Growth Cycle

Special Educator Self-Assessment

Professional Growth Plan

Professional Growth Reflection

COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN

MINNESOTA MENTOR PROGRAM (MMP) PARTICIPANTSState-level program that coordinates mentorship for new special educators or special educators who need additional support

4/4/2019 4

MINNESOTA MENTOR PROGRAM (MMP)

Of the 60 educators who benefited from mentorship through the MMP in the first three cohorts (2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018), 95% were still teaching in Minnesota’s schools during the 2018-2019 school year.

MINNESOTA MENTOR PROGRAM (MMP) CONTINUED

Requirements:

Supervisor approval

Contact with your Mentor/Protégé twelve times during the school year

Submit the required application and program paperwork

Applications for 2019-2020 can be found here: [UPDATE]

Contact rebecca.jackson@state.mn.us if you have any questions

TAKE THE QUIZ!

What do you know about autism spectrum disorders?

FACT OR FICTION1. Autism is a neurological disorder (where parts of the brain are impaired or damaged

and don’t allow a person to function normally).

2. Autism is caused by “refrigerator mothers” who do not bond or connect emotionally with

their young child.

3. A doctor can tell if someone has autism by looking at blood test results, x-ray, and brain

scans.

4. Autism is diagnosed by observing behavior symptoms and verifying the presence of the

characteristics of autism.

5. Different specialists (psychologists, doctors) will give the same child the same diagnosis.

FACT OR FICTION CONTINUED…6. We now know that, through early intervention, autism can be cured.

7. Autism is more common than Down Syndrome.

8. Autism occurs at the same rate in boys and girls.

9. Individuals with autism show no affection and never want to be with other people.

10. Many individuals with autism tend to relate better to adults than to their peers.

SPECIAL EDUCATION EVALUATION

Are you qualified to evaluate a student to determine ASD eligibility?

WHAT TOOLS SHOULD I USE FOR A GOOD ASD EVALUATION?

It depends!

WHAT IS THE SINGULAR BEST ASD TOOL?

Evaluator knowledge and experience with ASD

Not the ADOS, ADI, GADS, GARS, CARS, etc.

ASD-TRAINED EVALUATOR

You need an evaluator that can “see the autism”!

How do people get trained to do this?

Use tools that train your brain to see the behaviors that are indicative of ASD

Understand and be able to recognize the qualitative differences between ASD behaviors and non-ASD

behaviors.

TEACHING STUDENTS WITH ASD

UNDERLYING CHARACTERISTICS CHECKLIST (UCC)

Can be used to determine qualification for ASD but does not yield scores and is not intended to stand alone in determining eligibility

Is most useful for identifying specific strengths and needs related to an autism spectrum disorder and in assisting with the development of related goals and specific interventions

Small Group Activity

SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY

Review the Underlying Characteristics Checklist for a student you have in mind (take some notes if you don’t want to write on your protocol)

Choose one of the sections to discuss with your partner

Share with large group your impressions

TEMPLE GRANDIN VS. NEUROTYPICAL BRAIN

KEEP YOUR LANGUAGE SIMPLE

QUOTE 1

“ I like everything still. It gives you a full feeling. It gives you a full attention. With something quick, you don’t get the full idea of it. With something still, you take a look at it and you get to know the whole look and feeling.”

-Warden from Rage for Order (BBC, 1996)

QUOTE 2

“Just imagine your most stressful day that

you’ve ever, ever had… your worst day is his

best day”

-parent of a child with Asperger’s

WHY IS HE DOING THAT?THE ICEBERG EFFECT

ADDRESSING THE UNDERLYING CHARACTERISTICS

ZIGGURAT MODEL

COMMON STRENGTHS OF STUDENTS WITH ASD

Good at visual tasks

Strong interests

Honest

Good rote memory/good at memorizing facts

Good at focusing on one thing at a time

Like to follow routine

COMMON NEEDS OF STUDENTS WITH ASD

Poor understanding of language and social situations

Nonverbals

Intention of others (Theory of Mind)

Difference in sensory processing

Low social motivation (to please teacher)

Poor at problem solving

Stereotyped behavior

What do we do about this? How can we proactively deal with these needs (and others)?

ASD SERIES AT CHARTING THE CSMonday, April 8th

10:25-11:50am

Teaching Students with ASD and Similar Educational Needs in Minnesota (Session B11 in Miltona C)

12:50-2:20pm

Introduction to Structured Teaching (Session C10 in Vermillion)

2:45-4:15pm

Teaching Strategies for EC/Elementary Students across the Spectrum (Session D9 in Nokomis)

4:30-5:45pm

Teaching Skills to Secondary and Transition Students with ASD (Session E2 in Nokomis)

8:30-9:30 am

Assessment of ASD for The Special Education Team (Session F9 in Minnewaska)

Tuesday, April 9th

9:50-10:50 am

Inclusion and Social Skill Programming for students with an ASD (Session G9 in Itasca)

11:10-12:10

Meaningful Data Collection for Diverse Learners (Session H9 in Nokomis)

MN LOW INCIDENCE PROJECT WEBSITE

EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICES FOR STUDENTS WITH ASD

NATIONAL RESOURCES

AUTISM INTERNET MODULES

THANK YOU!Tami Childs –

tami.childs@metroecsu.org

Becca Jackson –

rebecca.Jackson@state.mn.us