The Colorado Department of Education

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Autism

Definition:  The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA 300.7 ©(1)(i)] defines Autism as “A developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and non-verbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.  Other characteristics often associated with Autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movement, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routine, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.  The term Autism does not apply if a child’s educational performance is adversely affected primarily because the child has an emotional disturbance.

Criteria:  The student's physical disability in the area of Autism is characterized by these 3 criteria (all 3 must be documented)

  • qualitative impairment in social interactions; and
  • qualitative impairment in communication; and
  • restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities.

Also, the student's physical disability in the area of Autism may interfere with:

  • functional communication (verbal and nonverbal); and/or
  • social interactions and relationships; and/or
  • behavior; and/or
  • cognitive processing; and/or
  • motor skills; and/or
  • self help/daily living skills.

School district personnel who suspect that a child may have Autism are responsible for informing the child’s parent(s) of the suspected disability.  Observations that led the assessment team to this conclusion should be discussed.  The school district would also inform the parent(s) of their choice to seek a medical evaluation.  However, a medical evaluation is not required for determining educational eligibility for special education services.

Colorado Model Autism and Significant Support Needs Programs (CO-MASP)

We are excited to announce this opportunity for your school to partner with CDE in a collaborative project to develop quality programs for your students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) or Significant Support Needs (SSN). This project, partially funded by an OSEP State Personnel Development Grant, will be a collaborative effort between the Exceptional Student Leadership Unit, Institutions of Higher Education, the RtI/PBS Unit, and four schools from around the state. The school staff will use CDE’s “Quality Indicators” to assess their current programming, which may be individual students or district programs, and identify the areas they would like to target for improvement. The CDE team will assist by recommending new evidence based interventions to support the program and increase the achievement of the students involved in the project. There will be a focus on literacy for students with moderate to severe cognitive disabilities using the RtI model and improving social-emotional skills using strategies from the PBS framework and other evidence based practices. Training and ongoing coaching will be individualized to meet the needs of each school.

Applications must be received by November 2, 2009.

Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Practical Approach

  • 3-Day Course, November 19, November 20 and January 22, 2010
    • THIS COURSE IS NOW FULL!

For more information about services for students with Autism in Colorado, please contact:

Melinda Graham
Phone: (303) 866-6707
 

Gina Quintana
Phone: (303) 866-6605