The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

This section will provide attendees with tools to prevent and navigate mediation and due process. The planning process begins with an evaluation of the current educational program followed by an evaluation of the chid’s autism. A comprehensive program is then developed that matches interventions to the student’s needs. The tools used in this process and a sample case will be discussed. The number of mediation and due process hearings is on the rise—this is especially true for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The emotional and financial “costs” to families and schools are immeasurable. IDEA outines the requirement for parent involvement in evaluation and program development. Differences in opinion are not uncommon. Some of the most hotly contested issues include discipline, behavior intervention planning, extended school year, least restrictive environment, inclusion and educational methods including, ABA. IDEA provides for mediation and due process for resolving these differences.

Visionary leaders in the field have begun to use the Ziggurat Model to facilitate mediation and conflict resolution and in the process to make significant improvements to the educational programs of the students involved.  Case studies will be presented. 

Tools incorporated in the Ziggurat Model include the Underlying Characteristics Checklist and the Individuals Strengths and Skills Inventory.  The UCC is an informal assessment designed to identify ASD characteristics for the purpose of intervention. There are two versions of the UCC, one intended for use with individuals who are high functioning (UCC-HF), including those with Asperger Syndrome (AS), and one for use with those with a more classic presentation (UCC-CL) in cognition and speech-language skills. The UCC is comprised of eight areas. The first three represent the autism spectrum triad, social, restricted patterns of behavior interests and activities, and communication. Characteristics often associated with ASD are addressed in the next four areas: sensory differences, cognitive differences, motor differences, and emotional vulnerability. The eighth underlying area is known medical and other biological factors. Based on the results of completing the UCC, a comprehensive intervention plan is developed that targets ASD characteristics by incorporating each of the five levels of the Ziggurat. The UCC may be completed by parents, teachers, or other service providers, individually or as a team. The Individual Strengths and Skills Inventory (ISSI) was designed to accompany the UCC. The ISSI parallels the first seven areas of the UCC. The purpose of this tool is to ensure that underlying strengths and skills are incorporated in the intervention design process. 

Through completion of these tools, those involved in the mediation process develop a more thorough understanding of how autism is expressed in the behavior of the student.  This is especially important when examining the extent to which behaviors subject to possible disciplinary action may be related to the underlying disability area of autism – a concern often faced during the mediation process.  Understanding of the underlying characteristics of autism and the individual strengths and skills also provides a basis for the development of a sound educational program on which all parties can agree. 

Case studies will illustrate the mediation process using the Ziggurat Model.

Learning Objectives: