May 2008

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Autism Supplement : Extended School Year Services : Maximizing Cooperative Behavior

Parent Tip by Greg & Anna Mitchell : 34th Annual Convention ABAI : Issues in Autism Conference

CAMP : Speech Tip by Mary Williams, MC CCC-SLP

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Autism Supplement

NEW Texas Education Law for students with Autism for those who served in public schools by qualifying for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Act. Autism Supplement (Effective November 11, 2007) - Texas Administraton Code §89.1055.

Content of the Individualized Education Program (IEP)

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter089/ch089aa.html

For students eligible under §89.1040(c)(1) of this title (relating to Eligibilty Criteria), the strategies described in paragraphs (1)-(11) of this subsection shall be considered, based on peer-reviewed, research-based educational programming practices to the extent practicable and, when needed, addressed in the IEP.

(1) extended educational programming (for example: extended day and/or extended school year services that consider the duration of programs/settings based on assessment of behavior, social skills, communication, academics, and self-help skills);

(2) daily schedules reflecting minimal unstructured time and active engagement in learning activities (for example: lunch, snack, and recess periods that provide flexibility within routines; adapt to individual skills; and assist with schedule changes, such as changes involving substitute teachers and pep rallies);

(3) in-home and community-based training or viable alternatives that assist the student with acquisition of social/behavioral skills (for example: strategies that facilitate maintenance and generalization of such skills from home to school, school to home, home to community, and school to community);

(4) positive behavioral support strategies based in relevant information, for example: (A) antecedent manipulation, replacement behaviors, reinforcement strategies, and data-based decisions and (B) a Behavioral Intervention Plan developed from a Functional Behavioral Asssesment that uses current related to target behaviors and addresses behavioral programming across home, school, and community-based settings;

(5) beginning at any age, consistent with subsections (g) of this section, future planning for integrated living, work, community, and educational environments that considers skills necessary to function in current and post-secondary environments;

(6) parent/family training and support, provided by qualified personnel with experience in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), that, for example: (A) provides a family with skills necessary for a child to suceed in the home/community setting; (B) includes information regarding resources (for example: parent support groups, workshop, videos, conferences and materials designed to increase parent knowledge of specific teaching/management techniques related to the child's curriculum); and (C) facilitates parental carryover of in-home training (for example: strategies for behavior management and developing structured home environments and/or communication training so that parents are active participants in promoting the continuity of interventions across all settings);

(7) suitable staff-to-student ratio appropriate to identified activities and as needed to achieve social/behavioral progrss based on the child's developmental and learning level (acquisition, fluency, maintenence, generalization) that encourages work towards individual independence as determined by, for example: (A) adaptive behavior evaluation results; (B) behavioral accomendation needs across settings; and (C) transitions within the school day;

(8) communication interventions, including language forms and functions that enhance effective communication across settings (for example: augmentative, incidental, and naturalistic teaching);

(9) social skills supports and strategies based on social skills assessment/curriculum and provided across settings (for example: trained peer facilitators (e.g., circle of friends), video modeling, social stories, and role playing);

(10) professional educator/staff support (for example: training provided to personnel who work with the student to assure the correct implementation of techniques and strategies described in the IEP); and teaching strategies based on peer reviewed, research-based practices for students with ASD (for example: those associated with discrete-trial training, visual supports, applied behavior analysis, structured learning, augmentative communication, or
 social skills training)”.

(11)  teaching strategies based on peer reviewed, research-based practices for students with ASD (for example: those associated with discrete-trial training, visual supports, applied behavior analysis, structured learning, augmentative communication, or social skills training).

Source: The provisions of this §89.1191 adopted to be effective March 6, 2001, 26 TexReg 1837; amended to be effective November 11, 2007, 32 TexRe

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Extended School Year Services

http://fw.esc18.net/frameworkdisplayportlet/ESC18-FW-Summary.aspx?FID=130

The purpose of Extended School Year (ESY) services is to prevent or slow severe skill regression caused by an interruption of special education services during extended periods when school is not in session.  The purpose is not to enhance the present levels of educational performance exhibited by students with disabilities at the end of the regular school year.  The need for Extended School Year services is based on a construct of skill regression and a student’s limited capacity for recoupment.

The need for Extended School Year services will be considered on an annual basis.

      DEFINITIONS

            Extended School Year (ESY) services – an individualized instructional program for eligible students with disabilities that is provided beyond the regular school year at no cost to the parent. 

            Regression – a reversion to a lower level of functioning, as evidenced by a decrease in the performance level of previously attained skills which occurs as a result of an interruption in educational programming. 

            Recoupment – the ability to regain or recover the level of skills in the IEP at the level demonstrated prior to the interruption of educational programming.

            Self-Sufficiency – the acquisition of basic life skills that aid in the child’s ability to function as independently as possible.  The goal of self-sufficiency is to reduce the child’s reliance on caretakers or other institutionalized care.

            Severe or Substantial Regression – the student has been, or will be, unable to maintain one or more acquired critical skills in the absence of ESY services.         

            Significant Regression/Recoupment Factor – the demonstration of regression beyond a reasonable recoupment period.

 OPERATING GUIDELINES

*          The need for ESY services must be determined on an individual basis by the admission, review and dismissal (ARD) Committee. In determining the need for and in providing ESY services, a school district may not limit ESY services to particular categories of disability or unilaterally limit the type, amount, or duration of ESY services.

*          The need for ESY services must be documented from formal and/or informal evaluations provided by the district or the parents including observations and progress reports.  Documentation shall demonstrate in one or more critical areas addressed in the current individualized education program (IEP) objectives, the student has exhibited, or reasonably may be expected to exhibit, severe or substantial regression that cannot be recouped within a reasonable period of time.

*          The reasonable period of time for recoupment of acquired critical skills shall be determined on the basis of needs identified in each student’s IEP.  If the loss of acquired critical skills would be particularly severe or substantial or if such loss results, or reasonably may be expected to result, in immediate physical harm to the student or to others, ESY services may be justified without consideration of the period of time for recoupment of such skills.

*          If the district does not propose ESY services for discussion at the annual review of a student’s IEP, the parent may request that the ARD committee discuss ESY services.

*          If a student for whom ESY services were considered and rejected loses critical skills because of the decision not to provide ESY services, and if those skills are not regained after the reasonable period of time for recoupment, the ARD committee shall reconsider the current IEP if the student’s loss of critical skills interferes with the implementation of the student’s IEP.

*          For students enrolling in a district during the school year, information obtained from the prior school district as well as information collected during the current year may be used to determine the need for ESY services.

*          The provision of ESY services is limited to the educational needs of the student and shall not supplant or limit the responsibility of other public agencies to continue to provide care and treatment services pursuant to policy or practice, even when those services are similar to, or the same as, the services addressed in the student’s IEP. No student shall be denied ESY services because the student receives care and treatment services under the auspices of other agencies.

*          Documentation of functioning levels and regression will be consistent and uniform to ensure objectivity in the identification of eligible students for ESY services.

*          The individualized education program (IEP) developed for ESY services must include goals and objectives.

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FEAT in Houston is proud to present:

Maximizing Cooperative Behavior

A workshop in the 123's of ABA Series Presented by the TxABA Autism SIG

Presented by: Ellen Catoe, M.S., BCABA & David Whitcher, M.A., BCBA, Board Certified Behavior Analysts, Behavior Treatment & Training Center, Rosenburg, Texas
Date: Saturday May 3, 2008
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Registration: 8:30 a.m.
Location: Graceview Baptist Church 25510 Tomball Parkway, Tomball, TX 77375 (North Campus Education Building - Youth Assembly Room)
Directions: Call church during office hours: 281-351-4979 or visit http://www.graceview.org/AreaMap.htm

Description:   This workshop is for individuals who have some training in basic ABA skills.  Previous attendance at an ABC’s of ABA  workshop is strongly recommended.  It is assumed that attendees will be able to demonstrate the technically correct skills of delivering reinforcers, shaping, prompting, errorless learning, fading, chaining, and differential reinforcement, which are covered in the ABC  workshop.
This workshop will teach practical applications of ABA techniques for gaining and maintaining an individual’s attention.  It is very difficult to teach someone anything if they will not attend to you, they actively avoid you, they aggress toward you, or you have trouble just catching them.  It is also hard to teach someone when all the teaching interactions are aversive to the instructor and the student.

This workshop teaches the collection of specific procedures which the Behavior Treatment and Training Center (BTTC) Outreach staff have found to be consistently effective in working with a variety of challenging clients and behaviors.   Lecture, video, role-play, and handouts will be used to teach participants the effective use of reinforcement, penny board token systems, activity book programs, and the compliance sequence.  Challenges with aggression, maintaining attention, motivation, hyper-activity, and prompt dependence will be addressed.  Intervention procedures for initial program start-ups (how to start, selecting initial training objectives, etc.) with children/adults of varying degrees of disabilities will be demonstrated and practiced.  The researched procedures of ABA will be presented as they are applicable to the full range of individuals with mental retardation/PDD diagnoses, verbal/non-verbal skills, disruptive and passive behaviors. 

Registration and Fees:    Register by April 23rd to save!
Individual:  $50.00 ($40 if before 4/23)                Student:   $25.00  (with documentation)   
Married Couple:  $75.00 ($65 if before 4/23)      Groups of 5 or more:  $35/attendee (deduct $10 per group if before 4/23)
There are a limited number of scholarships/reduced rates  available for families experiencing financial hardship or for teachers who have students with autism/pdd. Email Carol Sloan (below) to inquire.

Please send check made out to FEAT-Houston to: Carol Sloan
22 Silverstrand Place
The Woodlands, TX 77381
Confirmation of receipt of payment will be sent via e-mail. Questions may be sent to: Carol Sloan at cysloan@earthlink.net 

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Parent Tip
by
Greg & Anna Mitchell

PPCD, ARD, and Running into a Rock Wall

Our son Tommy began PPCD class on Rockwall ISD last fall. His intake assesment had made him eligible for three hours of class per day, which includes a token amount of speech and OT (i.e., two sessions per week of 15 minute each). Since they consider him to be fairly high-functioning, they also mainstreamed him for two hours of his daily class time in the regular pre-K classroom.

At the ARD meeting in the fall, goals were set for Tommy that included speech, following the picture schedule, and increasing participation and social interaction with peers.  An aid was promised for his time in pre-K, but not written into the ARD goals as an individual aid.

In the spring we had an ARD followup and were surprised by a number of things that the PPCD and pre-K teachers brought up.  They stated that Tommy had been regressing in class, toilet routine, and communication -- and that they had arbitrarily reduced his mainstreamed time in pre-K to only one hour per day.  We, along with Tracy, discussed how we hadn’t seen regression at home or at Woodall, nor had his other speech and OT therapists that he sees outside of school.  Obviously something wasn’t working for him in the school environment, and they seemed genuinely surprised at this.  We discussed his need for prompting, his boredom in pre-K and resulting noncompliant behaviors, and the need to develop strategies to get him to initiate better, participate in groups, and work on fine motor skills.  We also decided to begin teaching him words and reduce visual cues.

We had received very little communication from the teachers before the spring ARD, not in writing or even when we asked about him at school.  And it turns out that they had not maintained the plan to have an aid with him in pre-K.  My comment at the meeting was that if they did not challenge him academically, and they did not provide support – then how could they expect success?

After the ARD, we sent a letter to the principal of the school.  In the letter, we made plain that we did not accept the situation and expected much better communication about Tommy.  We also devised the attached checklist, tailored to Tommy’s current development.  After sending the letter, the principal called to apologize, and we arranged a parent-teacher conference. 

The result of all of this has been huge increase in meaningful communication about Tommy’s progress.  They are definitely paying more attention to him and his needs.  They did suggest a change in his schedule that has put him into a small group of higher-functioning PPCD, with resulting greater individual assistance from an aid.  Also, instead of waiting until next fall for another ARD, we will meet again during the summer.  He has been approved for summer school, and we hope that we will have a better idea about where he should be placed for next fall – kindergarten or more time in PPCD (he does have a very late birthday, so there are pros and cons).

We know that teachers have a challenging job, and we want to work with them as partners, not adversaries.  But we are also convinced that we would not be seeing the major turnaround in their efforts and in communication if we had not spoken up and acted on Tommy’s behalf.  Getting the teachers to use a daily checklist that is tailored to your child’s current developmental needs is one way to make improvements.  It only takes them a few minutes to fill out, and you can update it to account for current goals.

Tommy Mitchell – PPCD
Goals and Progress

Date: ________________

By himself        Needed help
Breakfast:                     __________|___________         

Toileting:
Ask to go                      __________|___________         
Pull down pants            __________|___________
Flushed                        __________|___________
Pulled pants up __________|___________
Washed hands              __________|___________
Exited bathroom           __________|___________

Pre-K time:
                        Active participation        Followed Along            Didn’t Participate       Avoidance
Circle time         _________________|________________|__________________|____________
Centers _________________|________________|__________________|____________
Social               _________________|________________|__________________|____________

Had Aid with him? _________Yes           ___________No

Transitions:
                                                Easy     Compliant         Unhappy           Difficult
From home to school                _____|__________|___________|__________
From school to home                _____|__________|___________|__________

Overall Mood:
(circle one)                                Happy        OK       Sad        Anxious         Angry

For Recall at Home:
Name a song, story, and/or activity:__________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Speech/OT Goals Worked On:
Note goals and progress:___________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Teacher’s summary:
_______________________________________________________________________________

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34th Annual Convention: ABAI

We are pleased to announce that the 34th Annual Convention will be held in Chicago, Illinois from May 23 - 27 at the Hilton Chicago.

We welcome you and all those interested in philosophy, science, education, practice, and teaching behavior analysis.

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Issues in Autism Conference

The 26th Annual COSAC Conference
May 15-17
Atlantic City, NJ