Statewide Autism Resources and Training Project

The major emphasis of the START Project is to develop a statewide collaborative that includes all counties with district teams that work together to provide a structure and philosophy based on effective practices that leads to more effective programming and support for students with ASD. The focus of the START Project has become systems level change implemented by school staff and administrators willing to commit to using effective practices in the areas of educational programming for students with ASD, professional development, parent-professional collaboration, and cross-county collaboration.

Through the START Project, educators, support professionals, and families from across the state have come together to connect, share, and grow to better teach students on the autism spectrum. START has done this with varied, innovative activities all based on the expressed needs of educators and families with an emphasis on effective practices.

Summary of START Activities

The START Project emphasizes the use of effective practices and includes three key components: Training and Coaching, Collaboration and Networking, and Resources.

Effective Practices

The activities of the START Project are governed by effective practices in the delivery of professional development, implementation of evidence based practices with students, and statewide collaboration.

The educational practices supported by the START Project are drawn from the research literature on effective practices for teaching and supporting students with ASD. Effective practices consist of documented practices and findings from evidence-based studies that can lead to greater student success. The use of effective practices involves matching a practice with a student need and documenting the student response to the practice. Therefore effective practices involve knowledge of proven practices, professional judgment, and data based decision making.

In January 2009, Michigan received a collaborative partnership award to work with the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders. Through this project, pilot sites were established to model the implementation of evidence based practices (EBP) in schools from elementary to high school. Expansion of this project is underway through work with each county/district involved in their Regional Collaborative Network.

START has created a building level assessment tool based on effective practices for supporting students with ASD. The Universal Supports Assessment and Planning Tool (USAPT) is a self-assessment and goal-setting tool for school systems to use to identify areas of strength and areas for improvement. The USAPT is the primary tool used by START coaches to work with teams to improve building level supports for students. The Early Intervention Assessment Tool for Young Children with ASD is a similar tool utilized at the preschool level.

Intensive Training (IT)

The START K-12 Intensive Training involves yearlong training of multidisciplinary school-based teams using a comprehensive curriculum that addresses the key needs of educators teaching students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The START curriculum includes training in topics such as understanding ASD, positive behavioral interventions and supports, accommodations and modifications, peer to peer supports, eligibility determination, and systems change. The intensive trainings are provided to multidisciplinary school district and Intermediate School District (ISD) teams of educators comprised of approximately six individuals that work with an identified target student diagnosed with ASD. Most teams include not only educators but also the parents of the target student. The goals of training are to increase participants’ knowledge of effective practices and help them develop the skills to apply those practices with students through a model of teaming and problem solving. Within the intensive training model, time is allotted for teams to apply content knowledge to develop plans for their target students. Teams are also supported to generalize their new knowledge and skills at a building level.

Early Childhood intensive training focuses on effective practices for preschool age children with ASD. The model for this training is similar to the intensive training with some additional features, such as classroom technical assistance for applicant teams. The early childhood training emphasizes effective classroom structure and practices, increasing learning opportunities throughout all activities, and applied behavior analysis as the foundation for effective teaching.

Effective Practice Leadership Initiative (EPLI)

The Effective Practice Leadership Initiative (EPLI) is designed to build capacity of public school systems by increasing the number of locally available professionals with expertise in educational supports for students with ASD and coaching skills necessary to support implementation of change with building level teams. EPLI is embedded into the Intensive Training so that qualified participants can become Trainer/Coaches or Building Coaches upon completion of the Intensive Training.

Trainer/Coaches must successfully demonstrate their knowledge by completing a test of content knowledge and presenting content with feedback and evaluation by START staff. Building Coaches receive training in the content areas and skills needed to effectively facilitate and support building level teams to improve outcomes for students with ASD.

A key goal of the START Project is to ensure that a coach is available in every school building supporting students with ASD in the state of Michigan. The coach will work with building teams that support students with ASD to ensure appropriate services and supports are readily available and based on effective practices.

Collaboration and Networking
Regional Collaborative Networks (RCN) promote collaboration and coordination between school systems and community partners to form a network of information and support for students with ASD in each region of the state. Each RCN links with the START Project to identify and expand effective practices, create local training opportunities, and establish local resource access. Members of the RCN meet on a monthly or quarterly basis to plan, train, and share. Representatives from each RCN then share information with their local district and building teams to implement systemic changes in how services are delivered to students with ASD. Representatives from each RCN meet twice a year for the START RCN Leadership meetings for advanced training, resource sharing, and planning.

Each RCN has developed to meet the unique needs of their region and community however all RCN share common key components defined by START.

Key Components shared by all RCN:

Shared Mission, Philosophy, and Goals consistent with START

Team Structure and Process

Connections and Collaborations with Stakeholders

Implementation and Evaluation of Effective Practices

Training and Coaching

Resource Accessibility

Link to GVSU Autism Education Center and MDE, OSE-EIS

Resources

The START Project provides information and resources statewide through conferences, workshops, leadership meetings, and the START website (www.gvsu.edu/autismcenter).