About Michelle Fattig Expertise I can answer questions about educational testing, autism, Asperger's Syndrome, ADD/ADHD, Special Education, IEP, Learning Disabilities, Sensory Processing, Parent Advocacy, Response to Intervention, living and parenting with disabilities, parent rights in special education, school psychology, and more. I cannot provide a medical diagnosis.
Experience I am a school psychologist, medical technologist, author of the Annie Books series: Experience Aspeger's Syndrome and Attention Deficits Through the Eyes of a Child, RTI facilitator, ILCD facilitator, parent advocate, presenter, and researcher. My children and I have Asperger's, ADD/ADHD, and learning disabilities.
Organizations National Association of School Pyschologists, American Medical Technologists, Learning Disabilities Association of Nebraska
Education/Credentials Ed.S. in School Psychology, doctoral studies in SPED Law, SPED Systems Enhancement Leadership, and doctoral candidate Education Leadership. MT(AMT) and MLT(ASCP)
Question Am I correct in assuming that the diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder is made by a health care professional such as a neurologist or psychiatrist? And, then schools use that information to provide appropriate educational services, correct?
Answer It depends on the state in which you live. Some states allow for the educational diagnosis of Autism under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. For example, Nebraska's Rule 51 defines the educational diagnosis of Autism as:
ASD is a lifelong neurodevelopment disability, a behaviorally definite syndrome that is recognized by the manifestation of behavioral characteristics across multiple areas of
functioning. Characteristics are observed, to varying degrees, in social relationships,communicative competence, pattern and range of interests, and sensory responsiveness. These characteristics are generally evident during the child’s early years, and must adversely affect educational performance. The definition of ASD has been written sufficiently broad to encompass children who exhibit a range of characteristics related to ASD. This includes Autistic
Disorder, Rett's Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. Children with mental retardation or
significant behavior disorders are not automatically excluded since, in many cases, these conditions coexist with ASD.
Autism Definition
Autism is a developmental disability, which may occur concurrently with other disabilities. Onset appears during infancy or early childhood and is behaviorally defined to include disturbances in: (1) developmental rates and/or sequences; (2) responses to sensory stimuli; (3) speech, language, and cognitive capacities; and, (4) capacities to relate to people, events, objects, and which adversely affects educational performance. Educational performance shall be interpreted as not only classroom applications of academic skills and concepts, but also as generalization of skills and behaviors such as social interaction, functional communication, and prevocational and vocational skills and behaviors to other environments.
Criteria for Initial Determination of Eligibility
After completing all previous steps required in the special education process, the multidisciplinary team may determine that a student displays autism if disturbances in ALL four (4) of the following areas are present or can be documented in past behavior.
Behaviors may be present at any combination of levels. These behaviors should be assessed in terms of difference from those appropriate for the student's cognitive ability levels.
1. Disturbance of developmental rates and sequences: The student may exhibit delays, arrests, or regressions in physical, social, or learning skills. Areas of precocious skill development may also be present, while other skills may develop at normal or extremely depressed rates. The order of skill acquisition frequently does not follow normal developmental patterns.
2. Disturbances of responses to sensory stimuli: The student's behavior may range from being hyperactive to being unresponsive to people and objects in their environment and can alternate between these two (2) states over periods ranging from hours to months. Disturbances may be apparent in auditory, visual, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, and kinesthetic responses. The student may respond to stimulation inappropriately and in repetitive or non-meaningful ways.
3. Disturbances of speech, language-cognitive, and nonverbal communication: The student displays abnormalities, which extend beyond speech to many aspects of the communication process. Communicative language may be absent or, if present, language may lack communicative intent. Characteristics may involve both deviance and delay. There is a basic deficit in the capacity to use language for social communication, both receptively and expressively.
4. Disturbance of the capacity to relate appropriately to people, events, or objects: The student displays abnormalities in relating to people, objects, and events. There is a basic deficit in the capacity to form relationships with people. The capacity to use objects in an age appropriate or functional manner may be absent, arrested, or delayed. The student may seek consistency in environmental events to the point of exhibiting rigidity in routines.
5. These characteristics are not PRIMARILY caused by:
Visual, auditory acuity, or motor deficits
Behavior disorder/emotional disturbance
Mental retardation
Environmental or economic disadvantage, or cultural differences
The multidisciplinary evaluation team is qualified to interpret evaluation data and diagnose the condition of autism. The evaluation process must include input from a person with competence in autism.
Evaluation of students with autism for educational programming generates unique issues. These issues include the need for assessment of functionality. This is made necessary by the inherent difficulties in skills generalization that most autistic persons exhibit. In data gathering, particular attention should be paid to developmental history, including a family interview and complete medical information; direct behavioral observations conducted on different days in multiple environments including, but not necessarily limited to school settings; and written, dated anecdotal records of a behavioral nature.
006.04B
Autism
006.04B1
The MDT shall include at least:
006.04B1a
A school psychologist or licensed psychologist;
006.04B1b
The child's teacher(s) or a teacher qualified to teach a child that age;
006.04B1c
A speech-language pathologist; and
006.04B1d
A school administrator or a designated representative.
006.04B2
In order for a child to be verified as having autism, the evaluation shall include the analysis and documentation of the manifestation of severe developmental and educational problems exhibited in varying degrees of atypical behavior in each of the following areas:
006.04B2a
Disturbance of developmental rates and sequence. The child's developmental profile reflects varied developmental age levels for skills. The child exhibits delays, arrests, or regressions in physical, social, sensory processing, or learning skills. Areas of precocious or advanced skill development may also be present, while other skills may develop at normal or extremely depressed rates. The order of skill acquisition frequently does not follow normal developmental patterns.
006.04B2b
Disturbance of responses to sensory stimuli. The child exhibits unusual, repetitive or nonmeaningful responses to auditory, visual, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, and/or kinesthetic stimuli. The child's behavior may vary from high levels of activity and responsiveness to low levels.
006.04B2c
Disturbance of cognitive processes. The child exhibits abnormalities in the thinking process and in generalization. Delayed intellectual functioning may or may not be present. In addition , one or more of the following occurs:
006.04B2c(1)
Difficulties in abstract thinking, awareness, or judgment;
006.04B2c(2)
Perseverative thinking; or
006.04B2c(3)
Impaired ability to process symbolic information.
006.04B2d
Disturbance of communication. The child exhibits a qualitative impairment in verbal and/or nonverbal communication. The impairment includes problems that extend beyond speech and language to many aspects of the communicative process. Speech and/or language are either absent, delayed, or disordered.
006.04B2e
Disturbance in relating to people, events and objects. The child displays difficulties in relating to people, events and/or objects. Often th child is unable to establish and maintain reciprocal relationships with people. Their capacity to use objects in an age appropriate or functional manner may be absent, arrested, or delayed,. The child responds positively to consistency in eh environmental events to the point of exhibiting rigidity in routines.
The child displays marked distress over changes, insistence on following routines and/or a persistent occupation with or attachment to objects. The child may display a markedly restricted range of interest and/or stereotyped body movements. There may be a lack of interest or an inability to engage in imaginative activities.
