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SPED/ASD/HIGH INCIDENCE DISABILITIES
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE PORTFOLIO
SPECIAL EDUCATION, HIGH INCIDENCE DISABILITIES, AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS, EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS,
INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, RESOURCE SUPPORT & CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT, BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION,
GENERAL EDUCATION, AVIAN-ASSISTED INTERVENTION, APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS, PROGRAM EVALUATION,
EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES, ANIMAL ASSISTED THERAPY & INTERVENTION
SPED 785
Application of Assessment Information for Exceptional Children & Youth: Autism Spectrum Disorder
This course focuses on assessment tools and information relative to students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). SPED 785 looks at specific assessments across seven key domain areas, examines ways to connect assessment results to instruction, and guides one to report on assessment results in a way that is both technically accurate and transparent to laypeople and other school-based professionals.
OVERVIEW OF ASD ASSESSMENT
DEVELOPMENTAL MONITORING
Developmental monitoring observes how your child grows and changes over time and whether your child meets the typical developmental milestones in playing, learning, speaking, behaving, and moving. Parents, grandparents, early childhood providers, and other caregivers can participate in developmental monitoring.
You can use a brief checklist of milestones to see how your child is developing. If you notice that your child is not meeting milestones, talk with your doctor or nurse about your concerns.
CDC
Developmental Milestones Checklist
DEVELOPMENTAL SCREENING
Developmental screening takes a closer look at how your child is developing. Your child will get a brief test, or you will complete a questionnaire about your child. The tools used for developmental and behavioral screening are formal questionnaires or checklists based on research that ask questions about a child’s development, including language, movement, thinking, behavior, and emotions. Developmental screening can be done by a doctor or nurse, but also by other professionals in healthcare, early childhood education, community, or school settings.
DEVELOPMENTAL EVALUATION & DIAGNOSIS
A brief test using a screening tool does not provide a diagnosis, but it indicates if a child is on the right development track or if a specialist should take a closer look. If the screening tool identifies an area of concern, a formal developmental evaluation may be needed. This formal evaluation is a more in-depth look at a child’s development, usually done by a trained specialist, such as a developmental pediatrician, child psychologist, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, or other specialist. The specialist may observe the child, give the child a structured test, ask the parents or caregivers questions, or ask them to fill out questionnaires. The results of this formal evaluation determines whether a child needs special treatments or early intervention services or both.
Developmental screening is more formal than developmental monitoring and normally done less often than developmental monitoring. Your child should be screened if you or your doctor have a concern. However, developmental screening is a regular part of some of the well-child visits for all children even if there is not a known concern.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends developmental and behavioral screening for all children during regular well-child visits at these ages:1
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9 months
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18 months
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30 months
In addition, AAP recommends that all children be screened specifically for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during regular well-child visits at:
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18 months
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24 months
Screening and Diagnosis | Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) | NCBDDD. (2022, March 31). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/screening.html
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