2001

The START Project is first funded by the Michigan department of Education, Office of Special Education

2001

START conducts its first K-12 intensive training at five sites (Grand Rapids Public Schools, COOR ISD, Flint Public Schools, Barry ISD, Upper Peninsula combined site (7 ISDs))

2002

The 1^st Annual START Conference – “From the START … Best Practices for Success” - is held on GVSU’s Pew Campus

2002

START selects from an RFP seven Model Demonstration sites (Clarkston Public Schools, Eastern UP ISD, Grosse Pointe Public Schools, Huron ISD, Lincoln Park Public Schools, Ottawa Area ISD, Traverse Bay Area ISD)

2003

Regional Collaborative Networks are introduced and the first RCNs are established (Mid Michigan Autism Network, NAN, OCAN, St. Clair Autism Network, UPAN, and West MAC)

2004

START’s Effective Practices Leadership Initiative (EPLI) begins

2004

START holds its first RCN Leadership meeting for 11 RCNs

2005

START holds its first Summer Institute

2006

The first Meeting Mechanics Manual is created

2006

Early childhood intensive training begins

2007

START launches the USAPT

2008

The state RCN map is complete (all ISDs are members of an RCN) for the first time

2009

START receives a grant from the National Professional Development Center on ASD to support implementation of evidence-based practices

2010

Peer to Peer is added to the MDE Pupil Accounting Manual as a for-credit elective course

2011

The 1^st BYF secondary transition intensive training is held

2011

START receives an Autism Speaks grant to further develop BYF materials and training

2012

The Michigan ASD State Plan is released and the Autism Council is created

2012

START launches the CETA

2012

Community Conversations are introduced

2012

The Michigan Autism Insurance Reform laws are enacted

2013

START Project data demonstrates that Peer to Peer participation improves outcomes for at-risk students

2013

START begins offering Centralized Evaluation Team (now Education-Based Evaluations) as a stand-alone training

2014

START holds its first LINK Peer to Peer Think Tank

2014

The START Passport is created and made available to schools/families

2015

The first issue of the START Connecting newsletter is published

2015

START celebrates its 15^th Anniversary by awarding RCN Leadership Plate Awards to its RCN partners

2016

The first Peer to Peer Playbook is created, and the Peer to Peer Community of Practice is established

2016

START receives the Michigan Council for Exceptional Children Honor Recipient Award

2017

The Sexual Health Community of Practice is established

2019

The START PFA/SBT Implementation project begins

2019

The first LINK boxes are created to support Peer to Peer programs in all formats

2020

START celebrates its 20^th Anniversary as a grant-funded project

2021

 START welcomes Emily Rubin and Dr. Gregory Hanley as keynote speakers at the 20^th Annual START Conference: Fueling Engagement for Meaningful Outcomes

An MDE, OSE funded autism project did not exist.

START Project with many statewide partners.

Continue to expand for greater equity, adjust to meet new needs, prepare for new challenges and opportunities, respond to needs as they arise, and collaborate with our school and community partners

Many schools did not have ASD consultants, ASD endorsed teachers, or staff trained in ASD and relied on external ASD consultants to come into the schools. (In 2001, the UP had 0 autism endorsed teachers.)

Numerous ASD teacher consultants in ISDs and districts

2,195 ASD endorsed teachers

438 Districts have participated in START training

Trained teams and coaches in every building to support students with ASD to be integrated and engaged with peers. 

Peer to peer was limited to Clarkston and a few schools in Oakland county.

680+ buildings with peer to peer

4,800+  students with ASD involved

18,000+ peer supports involved

All students have access to peer to peer support. 

Facebook did not exist until 2004.
Twitter did not exist until 2006.

START’s Facebook page
START’s RCN Facebook page
START's Twitter page

The START Staff over age 50 will actually use social media. What will 2030 social media look like?

Michigan had no state-level coordinating body or guiding plan for autism.

Michigan Autism Spectrum Disorder 2012 State Plan
Michigan Autism Council (2012)

Coordinated, statewide effort to implement the state plan recommendations to improve the lives of people with ASD across the lifespan.

Michigan lacked a statewide project focused on helping families improve their child’s education.  

Michigan Alliance for Families (MAF)

Partnering with MAF to reach more families and engage them as members of the team.

The primary access to empirically-supported practices was reading the research literature, and most school staff did not have access to those articles. 

Now there are EBP standards, reports, and modules available to everyone: 

NSP reports - 2009, 2015
NPDC/NCAEP reports - 2009, 2014 and 2020
AIM modules - 50 modules
AFIRM modules - 32 modules

Watch for emerging EBPs (such as the COMPASS model) and new ways to access training in EBPs.

FBA and BIP just entered IDEA in 1997 so it was still a new practice for schools.

FBA/BIP is standard practice and we are adding the PFA/SBT approach for significant challenging behavior.

Ramp up behavior support training and scale up the PFA/SBT project.

“We don’t do ABA in schools in Michigan” 

Insurance coverage for ABA led to an increase in training programs in ABA and more BCBAs in the state. This has resulted in more BCBAs in the schools and more ABA practice in schools.

Grow the number of school credentialed staff who are BCBAs and increase access to ABA practice in schools through training.