A multiuniversity center to promote use of evidencebased practice for children and adolescents with

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National Professional Development Center on
Autism Spectrum Disorders

• A multi-university center to promote use of
  evidence-based practice for children and
  adolescents with autism spectrum disorders

Cooperative Agreement H 35G 070004 U.S.
Department of Education, Office of Special
Education Programs This project is supported by
the U.S. Department of Education, Office of
Special Education Programs (OSEP). Opinions
expressed herein are those of the authors and do
not necessarily represent the position of the
U.S. Department of Education.
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National Professional Development Center on
Autism Spectrum Disorders

• FPG Child Development Institute, University of
  North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• FPG (Sam Odom and Deborah Hatton)
• Division TEACCH and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  Research Center
• Center for Development and Learning
• Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin at
  Madison
• Len Abbeduto and Linda Tuchman-Ginsberg
• M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California at
  Davis Medical School
• Sally Rogers, Sally Ozonoff, John Brown

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Goals of the National ProfessionalDevelopment
Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders

• Promote optimal development and learning of
  infants, children, and youth with ASD and provide
  support to their families through the use of
  evidence-based practices
• Increase the number of highly qualified personnel
  serving children with ASD through sustainable
  technical assistance and professional development
• Increase the capacity of states to implement
  evidence-based practices for early
  identification, intervention, education,
  professional development, and technical
  assistance

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The State of Things

• Scientific literature about evidence-based
  practices exists
• Professional organizations and individuals
  synthesizing the literature
• National Standards Project and State of
  California
• Organization for Autism Research
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• Challenge is to move from research to practice

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Four Areas of Work

• Content development
• Professional development
• Technical assistance
• Evaluation

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Content Development

• Web site
• Modules on evidence-based practices
• Online courses on ASD
• Assessment tools

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Content Development

• Create and maintain up-to-date website for
  professional development and dissemination of
  resources
• Develop products and modules on specific
  evidence-based practices (EBP)
• 18 modules during first eight months of project
  (6 per site)
• 9 modules during second year of project
• Develop introductory online course on ASD
• Develop follow-up online course for second year
  of state involvement

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Content Development

• Two assessment instruments
• Autism Program Environmental Rating Scale (APERS)
• Autism Evidence-Based Practice Rating Scales
  (AEBPS)

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Proposed Content of EBP Module

• Brief with simple instructions on implementing
  the practice
• Fidelity of implementation checklist for
  evaluation
• Resources (references, web sites, etc.)
• Video clips that illustrate the practice

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Professional Development

• Target audience12 states over five years
• Online introductory course
• Five day intensive hands-on regional training
• Follow-up online course
• Follow-up on site coaching/mentoring on use of
  EBP
• Replication of intensive five day training within
  state

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Professional Development

• State partners (4 at each regional center over 5
  year period)
• States involved for two years
• First year with heavy project staff involvement
• Second year with state agency personnel taking
  the lead
• 12 states involved by end of project

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Online Introductory Course

• Potential topics
• Definition
• Etiology
• Assessment
• Characteristics across ages and spectrum
• Definition of / introduction to EBP
• Blackboard platform
• Estimated 20 hours (2 CEU)
• prerequisite for state teams (pre-test to opt
  out)

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Intensive 5 Day Training

• Structure
• Elements
• Philosophical issues related to EBP
• Principles of diagnostic/assessment and
  educational/intervention programs for ASD
• Demonstrations and practice with children/family
  (live and videotaped)
• Case examples and group discussion

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Intensive 5 Day Training cont.

• Strands (2 days)
• Early screening/diagnosis
• Early childhood/early elementary
• Middle and high school programs
• Administrators
• Team Discussions
• Action Plan Implementation of EBP

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Technical Assistance

• Goals
• Proposed procedures

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Technical Assistance Goals

• Assist states in completion of state needs
  assessment and in state strategic plan
  development, implementation, and evaluation
• Develop plan for linking state policies, practice
  standards, resources to professional development,
  child and family outcomes, TA, within the state
  strategic plan
• Provide TA, including coaching and other
  strategies, that leads to the use of EBP at model
  sites and by practitioners and families
  throughout each state

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Technical Assistance, Goal 1

• Assist states in completion of state needs
  assessment and state strategic plan development,
  implementation, and evaluation Identify
• Interagency autism planning group and state
  training team (required and suggested members)
• existing resources in the state (pre-service and
  in-service training, personnel standards, autism
  certification, existing TA, funding)
• key state policies
• requirements for measuring child and family
  outcomes that may impact project activities

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Technical Assistance, Goal 1

• Assist states in completion of state needs
  assessment
• Identify
• key collaborators (potential Interagency Autism
  Planning Group members and state Autism Training
  Team)
• model sites early intervention, preschool,
  elementary, middle/high school, transition
  programs
• key challenges and barriers in implementation of
  EBP and in early screening and diagnosis of ASD

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Technical Assistance, Goal 1

• Assist in developing, implementing, and
  monitoring state strategic plan to
• address infrastructure and establish and provide
  ongoing support for a state level training and TA
  program on EBP and for early identification of
  ASD
• establish or utilize existing interagency
  planning group (IAPG) to help plan support and
  activities at the state level facilitate
  development of draft plan by IAPG

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Technical Assistance, Goal 2

• Develop plan for linking states policies,
  practice standards, and resources to professional
  development, outcomes, TA
• Information gathered through needs assessment
• Part of state strategic plan to address linkages

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Technical Assistance, Goal 3

• Provide TA, including coaching and other
  strategies, that leads to use of EBP at model
  sites and throughout the state
• collaborate with local trainers from the A Team
• monitor/evaluate strategic work plan
  implementation
• Identify process/strategies for implementing work
  plans across all contexts
• hold problem solving sessions with teachers or
  service providers, Center personnel, the state
  consultant, and the supervisor or administrator
  to examine barriers to implementation
• develop and utilize a Community of Practice

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Evaluation

• Content
• Professional development
• Technical assistance
• Child, family, practitioner, systems level
  outcomes