BILL REQ. #:  S-4213.1 

Read first time 01/16/08.   Referred to Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education.

     AN ACT Relating to learning disabilities screening, identification, and diagnosis; adding a new section to chapter 28A.630 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   In 2005, the legislature created the caring for Washington individuals with autism task force. The task force was directed to study and make recommendations to the legislature regarding the growing incidence of autism and ways to improve the delivery and coordination of autism services in the state. One of the essential first step recommendations made in the final report was to screen all Washington children before the age of three and establish a minimum of one trained autism technical assistance specialist in each of the nine educational service districts in order to provide support to teachers and staff.
     The legislature recognizes that there is an urgent need to begin providing system-wide improvements to help provide services to children with autism and their parents as well as to all children with learning disabilities and their teachers. The legislature also recognizes that the earlier a child can be identified with a disability the more effective the interventions can be. It is therefore the intent of the legislature to begin the process of building a statewide system of screening, identification and diagnosis that is available to children before enrolling in K-12 educational system.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.630 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) A pilot program for implementing a statewide system of screening, identification, and diagnosis of learning disabilities including autism spectrum disorder is established. The program shall be administered by the participating educational service districts. Each educational service district shall at a minimum:
     (a) Provide screening and diagnostic services for children under the age of three;
     (b) Engage in community outreach activities to inform parents of the availability and value of early diagnosis and intervention;
     (c) Coordinate and work in partnership with currently available services and service providers; and
     (d) Work in conjunction with and provide technical assistance to public schools, day care programs, and community agencies in the region.
     (2) In establishing this program, the legislature shall start with two pilot programs in two separate educational service districts. One pilot shall be in eastern Washington and one shall be in western Washington.
     (a) One of the pilot sites shall be an educational service district with an exemplary special education cooperative that has a history of coordinated community involvement and is already providing services such as those listed in subsection (1)(a) of this section for children with autism and other learning disabilities.
     (b) In addition to the requirements of subsection (1) of this section, the pilot educational service district established under subsection (2)(a) of this section shall also provide technical assistance to the second pilot site in developing its program.
     (3) The two pilot sites shall work together to submit a single report to the legislature by December 2010, on how to best expand the program to all nine educational service districts, including the staffing levels needed to provide adequate services and any recommended changes to the program requirements.