6743-S AMH ED H5857.1

SSB 6743  - H COMM AMD
     By Committee on Education

NOT CONSIDERED 03/06/2008

     Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:

"NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) To the extent funds are appropriated for this purpose, by September 1, 2008, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the department of health, and the department of social and health services shall make available through agency web sites and other methods the autism manual for families and districts as developed by the caring for Washington individuals with autism task force. The autism manual shall include, but not be limited to, the following guidelines to address the unique needs of students with autism:
     (a) Extended educational programming, including extended day and extended school year services, that consider the duration of programs and settings based on an assessment of behavior, social skills, communication, academics, and self-help skills;
     (b) Daily schedules reflecting minimal unstructured time and active engagement in learning activities, including lunch, snack, and recess, and providing flexibility within routines that are adaptable to individual skill levels and assist with schedule changes, such as field trips, substitute teachers, and pep rallies;
     (c) In-home and community-based training or a viable alternative that assists the student with acquisition of social and behavioral skills, including strategies that facilitate maintenance and generalization of those skills from home to school, school to home, home to community, and school to community;
     (d) Positive behavior support strategies based on information, such as:
     (i) Antecedent manipulation, replacement behaviors, reinforcement strategies, and data-based decisions; and
     (ii) A behavior intervention plan developed from a functional behavioral assessment that uses current data related to target behaviors and addresses behavioral programming across home, school, and community-based settings;
     (e) Beginning at any age, futures planning for integrated living, work, community, and educational environments that considers skills necessary to function in current and postsecondary environments;
     (f) Parent and family training and support, provided by qualified personnel with experience in autism spectrum disorder, that:
     (i) Provides a family with skills necessary for a child to succeed in the home and community setting;
     (ii) Includes information regarding resources such as parent support groups, workshops, videos, conferences, and materials designed to increase parent knowledge of specific teaching and management techniques related to the child's curriculum; and
     (iii) Facilitates parental carryover of in-home training and includes strategies for behavior management and developing structured home environments and communication training so that parents are active participants in promoting the continuity of interventions across all settings;
     (g) A suitable staff-to-student ratio appropriate to identified activities and as needed to achieve social and behavioral progress based on the child's developmental and learning level, including acquisition, fluency, maintenance, and generalization, that encourages work towards individual independence as determined by:
     (i) Adaptive behavior evaluation results;
     (ii) Behavioral accommodation needs across settings; and
     (iii) Transitions within the school day;
     (h) Communication interventions, including language forms and functions that enhance effective communication across settings, such as augmentative, incidental, and naturalistic teaching;
     (i) Social skills supports and strategies based on social skills assessment and curriculum, and provided across settings, for example trained peer facilitators such as a circle of friends, video modeling, social stories, and role playing;
     (j) Professional educator and staff support, such as training provided to personnel who work with students to assure the correct implementation of techniques and strategies described in the individualized education programs; and
     (k) Teaching strategies based on peer reviewed and research-based practices for students with autism spectrum disorder, such as those associated with discrete-trial training, visual supports, applied behavior analysis, structured learning, augmentative communication, or social skills training.
     (2) To the extent funds are appropriated for this purpose, by September 1, 2008, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, in collaboration with the department of health, the department of social and health services, educational service districts, local school districts, the autism center at the University of Washington, and the autism society of Washington, shall distribute information on child find responsibilities under Part B and Part C of the federal individuals with disabilities education act, as amended, to agencies, districts, and schools who participate in the location, evaluation, and identification of children who may be eligible for early intervention services or special education services.
     (3) To the extent funds are made available, by September 1, 2008, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, in collaboration with the department of health and the department of social and health services, shall develop posters to be distributed to medical offices and clinics, grocery stores, and other public places with information on autism and how parents can gain access to the diagnosis and identification of autism and contact information for services and support. These posters will be available on the internet for ease of distribution."

     Correct the title.

EFFECT:  Subject to funding, provides that the following shall occur by September 1, 2008: (1) The OSPI, the DOH, and the DSHS shall make available, through agency websites and other methods, the autism manual and specifies guidelines to be included in the manual; (2) the OSPI, in collaboration with others, shall distribute information on child find responsibilities under Parts B and C of the federal IDEA; and (3) the OSPI, in collaboration with others, shall develop posters with information on autism and make these available on the internet for ease of distribution.

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