BILL REQ. #:  S-5435.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/12/08.   

     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 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 lack of teachers and mentors trained in autism strategies in the school district creates great difficulty in implementing autism programs and strategies. 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. Hiring outside consultants with expertise is costly to school districts as are the consequences of actions brought by parents against the districts because they are seeking appropriate services. Creating a position with a built-in partnership and a liaison with birth-to-three services and throughout the lifespan helps to establish common goals and objectives. It is therefore the intent of the legislature to begin the process of building a statewide position of an autism spectrum disorder specialist within each educational service district region to provide meaningful collaboration at the local level of school districts with state agencies that is recognized as supportive of both professionals and families.

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 position of an autism spectrum disorder specialist within each educational service district is established. The program shall be administered by the participating educational service districts. The autism spectrum disorder specialist in each educational service district shall at a minimum:
     (a) Provide ongoing leadership, expertise, training, and consultative services to school districts, birth-to-three agencies, early intervention agencies, and other identified entities that support or necessitate the use, identification, and implementation of research-based practices;
     (b) Develop infrastructure to facilitate increasing school districts, birth-to-three agencies, early intervention agencies, and other identified entities the capacity to serve children ages birth to twenty-one years with autism and other related disorders;
     (c) Collaborate with the autism outreach project to identify statewide training needs and current gaps, and develop training modules to address identified gaps and present trainings within each educational service district, including ongoing collaboration with the University of Washington, the infant and early childhood conference, and other training providers to avoid duplication of offerings;
     (d) Participate in local efforts to gather demographic data regarding children with autism. Report data gathered to the autism task force identification/tracking subcommittee and the office of the superintendent of public instruction autism outreach project;
     (e) Continue to remain current in autism strategies, causation, incidence and prevalence, curricula, methodologies, legal references, and implications surrounding educational service and supports for students with autism and other related disorders; and
     (f) Conform to the principles, values, and mission of each educational service district.
     (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 a special education cooperative that has a history of coordinated community involvement and is already providing services for children with autism and other learning disabilities similar to the autism education coordinator in educational service district 105 who provides training to educators on autism spectrum disorders and education strategies; provides consultation to school districts on specific students; serves as a liaison to a birth-to-three agency and school districts; and provides other services as requested.
     (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.