The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

The mission of the Partnership for Effective Programs for Students with Autism (PEPSA) is to enhance the educational programs provided to students with autism spectrum disorders. For the past ten years, PEPSA has provided one-to-one mentorship to teachers, administrators, and therapists who serve students with autism spectrum disorders and has prepared them to assume leadership roles in their schools. The presenters will share data on program participation and case examples of partnerships that have achieved positive outcomes for children. This session will focus on the ten-year efforts of the Partnership for Effective Programs for Students with Autism (PEPSA) in Florida.  The Partnership Program is funded by the Florida Department of Education, K-12 Public Schools, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services and implemented through each of Florida’s seven regional Centers for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD).  The program is designed to provide training in best practices for educating students with ASD and technical assistance to educators to enhance the educational program for students with autism spectrum disorders.  Each teacher or school is matched to a CARD professional who mentors the teacher or school staff in developing a plan for implementing innovative and effective educational practices for students with ASD.  The CARD partner provides support, resources, technical assistance and training that is specific to the needs identified by the teacher or school.  This mentoring relationship has advanced the field of education for children with ASD by creating a comprehensive model for professional development.
The Florida CARD Centers are regional resource centers that were established by the Florida Legislature in 1993 and are in their fifteenth year of providing service to families, schools and agencies at no charge.  Over 15,000 individuals with autism and related disabilities are registered with the seven Centers.  Our mission is to provide individual assistance, consultation and technical assistance, training and public education in Florida.  
This project was developed in direct response to a needs assessment with Florida school districts that documented a critical training need for teachers of students with autism.  It provides training to teachers, administrators and therapists in public or private schools who are concerned about providing a high quality educational program to students with autism spectrum disorders.
With a goal of increasing the capacity of teachers to implement effective and high quality programs, the project includes several features.  In addition to the mentorship of teachers or teacher leaders who wish to implement and evaluate the outcomes of innovations for students with autism each year, the program also offers regional day-long training workshops and the sponsorship of a teacher pre-conference day at the annual CARD conference.  Teachers who participate in the mentorship part of the program are provided with financial support to attend the CARD conference and an additional stipend for classroom materials.
Regional workshops are advertised through CARD web pages, direct mailing of flyers to school district autism contact persons, and through direct mail to professionals registered with the hosting CARD center. Workshops are held throughout the state to ensure access to all educators and are always open to family members who wish to participate.  In addition, the pre-conference day of the CARD conference is free of charge and widely promoted throughout the state.  All teachers who work with children with ASD in general education or special education classes are welcome to apply for the mentorship component of the program as well as administrators and thereapists, although admission to the program is competitive and requires the approval of the school administrator.  
Participation in the mentorship program requires that the school district partner develop a collaborative relationship with a CARD partner.  The participating teacher and CARD partner meet regularly and work together toward the achievement of identified goals.  Both partners work together to assess the program currently being provided to students with ASD and identify components or practices to improve or implement.  A written action plan focused on implementing innovative practices is developed by the CARD and school partners and monitored throughout the school year.  The school partner is responsible for documenting outcomes achieved through the development of a professional portfolio. All educators who successfully complete the requirements of the mentorship program are encouraged to present their project and outcomes at the following year’s annual CARD pre-conference and to apply for a second (final) year of mentorship in the program.  
The content of our session will reflect the presenters’ experiences working with teachers of children with autism spectrum disorder.  We will share data on the number and type of partnership participants, some of the most impressive partnership outcomes, and plans for the future of the program.  The participant learning objectives are to: 1) Identify the components of this comprehensive professional development model: voluntary participation, administrative support, program evaluation, mentorship and documentation of outcomes.  2) Understand the benefits of this professional development program for students with ASD and 3) familiarize participants with some of the outcomes that have been achieved in our experience over the past ten years.

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