READ FIRST TIME 02/08/08.   

     AN ACT Relating to autism awareness instruction for teachers of students with autism; and adding new sections to chapter 28A.155 RCW.

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

     *NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 28A.155 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) To the extent funds are appropriated for this purpose, by September 1, 2008, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall print and distribute the autism guidebook as developed by the caring for Washington individuals with autism task force and make it and other relevant materials available through the department of health, department of social and health services, and the office of the superintendent of public instruction web sites and other methods as appropriate. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall provide copies of the autism guidebook to educational service districts, school districts, and appropriate school level employees, as well as to those parent advocacy groups and other educational staff who request copies. The autism guidebook 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) By December 1, 2008, the professional educator standards board and the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall, in collaboration with the educational service districts, local school districts, and the autism center at the University of Washington as appropriate, develop recommendations for autism awareness instruction and methods of teaching students with autism for all educator preparation and professional development programs. It is the intent of the legislature that the recommendations shall be designed with the goal of ensuring that educators and classified staff who work with children with autism are well prepared and up-to-date on the most effective methods of teaching children with autism. The recommendations shall be submitted to the governor and the education committees of the legislature and shall be made available to school districts on the office of the superintendent of public instruction's web site. The professional educator standards board and the office of the superintendent of public instruction may each submit its recommendations separately or the recommendations may be submitted jointly. The recommendations shall at a minimum:
     (a) Establish a date by which all candidates for a Washington instructional certificate shall be required to satisfactorily complete instruction in autism awareness and methods of teaching students with autism at an accredited institution of higher education; and
     (b) Establish appropriate professional development requirements for existing teachers that incorporate methods for teaching students with autism.
     (3) If the legislature formally approves the recommendations through the omnibus appropriations act or by statute or concurrent resolution, by July 1, 2009, each school district shall use the recommendations developed under subsection (2) of this section to develop and adopt a school district policy regarding recommended and required professional development for teachers and appropriate classified staff.
     *Sec. 1 was vetoed. See message at end of chapter.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.155 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) 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 that participate in the location, evaluation, and identification of children who may be eligible for early intervention services or special education services.
     (2) 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 must be made available on the internet for ease of distribution.