ASA's 37th National Conference on Autism Spectrum Disorders (July 13-15, 2006)

• Audio
• Recorded Presentation

Research has indicated that children with autism receiving intensive education services based on the principles of applied behavior analysis can make significant gains in social and cognitive skills. In addition, some of these children will be able to become successful learners in general education settings. Public schools provide educational services to children with varying learning needs. Providing special education services to children with a wide array of needs can present a challenge in designing the best quality services for a particular population, such as children with autism. For this reason, children diagnosed with autism may receive their education in placements outside of their home school system, in an effort to obtain the best quality educational services.

While specialized service settings may have more resources for providing the intensive clinical and education services that produce effective learning in children with autism, some of the benefits of being in a public school may be lost. This includes increased exposure to peer models and social interactions, opportunities to demonstrate skills in the natural environment and exposure with one's social community. While some children with autism may require the services provided in a private placement, many children with autism may successfully learn skills in their home schools given the appropriate educational and clinical supports.

In an effort to provide the highest quality educational services to children with autism with the benefits of placement in a public school setting, NECC developed the Partner Program classroom model. The Partner Program provides the best of both worlds – 30 years of experience in providing highly specialized educational services designed specifically for children with autism and inclusion in a child's home school and community. The ultimate goal: to teach children with autism the skills necessary to be successful learners in the general education setting and provide training and support to the school system as a whole.

The model is based on NECC's private school intensive instructional programs which include full-day services, across the entire calendar year. The Partner Program provides the same service delivery model to children with autism in their home school district. Curricula are individualized to teach academic, social, language, motor, self help, leisure and life skills. All instructional methods used to teach new skills are based on the most effective techniques to educate children with autism. Educational lessons may take place in a separate classroom, in the child's general education classroom, or in the child's home. The child receives instruction and support across the day from a trained 1:1 instructional tutor. The program also provides a full-time on site Master's level supervisor who receives weekly consultation from a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Both of these positions have experience and skills educating children with autism and are employed by the NECC.

This presentation will outline the comprehensive service delivery model for a partnership between public schools and a school that specializes in serving children with autism. The classroom resources, training and supervision of staff, curriculum used to educate children, family support services and the steps to effectively collaborate in public schools will be described. The New England Center for Children has used this model to provide services for children with autism in public school settings for the past seven years. Currently, 10 different public schools in Massachusetts use the model as part of their educational service delivery. Preliminary outcome data describing future placement of students leaving the Partner Program will also be presented.