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There are many Internet resources that provide information on autism and related disorders.  The M-DCPS website, www.2dadeschools.net , describes the characteristics of and educational services for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).  The Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) website, www.umcard.org.   provides information related to characteristics, current research, and family and community services.   

A multi-disciplinary team consisting of specific educational professionals, as well as the parent and others with particular knowledge of the child, develops a student’s individual educational plan (IEP).  Parents play an important role by providing additional information regarding their child’s abilities and limitations in the home and community environment, as well as personal information such as interests and medications. Your child will be assigned to a school based on your home address.  You may have limited choice options through the McKay Scholarship program or a transfer request made to the Region Center serving your child’s home school.

Your child’s home school will be assigned based on your home address.  Go to the following link: **** in order to determine your child’s home school and the Region Center serving the school.  If your child is enrolled in general education or VE classes, then they would typically attend the home school.  If your child is assigned to a self-contained program, you can then call the Region Center, Instructional Supervisor for Exceptional Student Education, to ascertain which school serving that home school has a self-contained program.

You can send the IEP to the Region Center to which your child’s home school belongs.

You should first discuss any concerns directly with your child’s teacher.  If you still require assistance, contact the ESE chair, assistant principal, or principal at your child’s school.  Should you continue to have unresolved concerns the following persons are available to assist:  the Instructional Supervisor for ESE at the Region Center, the Advocacy Director at the Region Center, or the District ESE office.

No, a determination of the need for a 1:1 paraprofessional is made by the multi-disciplinary team during the development of the child’s IEP.

Programs for students with high functioning autism vary and are dependent upon the individual educational plan of each student.  All students are educated in the least restrictive environment in which they can access an appropriate education.  For students with high functioning autism, this will take place in all general education classes at the child’s home school, or in a combination of general education and varying exceptionalities settings. 

Two programs that are specifically geared to students with high functioning autism and/or Asperger’s Syndrome are MAPS-North (Hialeah Senior High) and MAPS-South (Palmetto Senior High).  These sites provide education in the general education setting with wraparound services for teaching organization skills, social interaction skills, and coping mechanisms for managing stress.

Behavior strategies, including behavioral analysis, are embedded within the support that is currently provided to the instructional staff working with our students with ASD.  These strategies address behavioral situations that arise in the school setting.  If parents require assistance with behavioral issues in the home, a Certified Behavior Analyst (CBA) would not be provided by M-DCPS, and would be the responsibility of the parent. 

The IEP team is required to consider any information or outside evaluations that a parent brings to the meeting.  They also need to consider the input of anyone who attends the IEP meeting with the parent.  However, the IEP team is not required to adopt the recommendations of the outside professionals.  Often, outside professionals (OT, PT, Speech, CBAs) write recommendations consistent with community standards, which often exceed the requirements of the school system.  Related services in school are those services, which are required in order for your child to access their education.

If your child is in a self-contained classroom, they would not require autism support on the IEP.  Teachers qualified to meet the needs of students with autism staff self-contained classrooms; and they receive routine support from the District Office.

The Autism Support Teacher does not provide direct service to students.

Autism Support services are provided to teachers.  While the Autism Support Teacher will typically observe the student at some point, observing the student is not necessary or required on every visit.

You will generally not be informed when Autism Support Teacher is going out to the school nor should you expect a call after the visit.  The Autism Support Teacher’s schedules do not permit regular contact with parents.  Your child’s teacher should be able to confirm that he or should has received support.

  The criterion for exclusion from the FCAT is set by the state; it is not a matter of  parental or school choice.  Generally, if your child is accessing a general education classroom and does not have a significant cognitive handicap (is not trainable or profoundly mentally handicapped), they will be required to participate in the FCAT.

You should arrange for a mutually convenient time directly with the administrators in your child’s school.  We recommend that observations be limited to ½ hour whenever possible in order to avoid disrupting the learning environment.  Classroom observations are also limited by UTD contract.

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