The Autism School Consultation Program

Services:
The Autism School Consultation Program provides a wide range of services, which are individualized to meet the unique needs of the students, their parents, and the staff members within each school district. 

The Cody Center's autism consultants provide ongoing technical assistance to staff members working with specific students.  In addition to observing students with ASDs, the autism consultants are available to work directly (e.g., demonstrating effective empirically-based and clinically-sound interventions) with staff members and with the students in the classrooms. Team meetings are held to provide an opportunity to regularly review the progress and needs of the students, and to develop effective interventions, which are designed to increase the independence and success of the students.  The frequency of observations, technical assistance, and team meetings are determined by the unique needs of each student. Autism consultation services can include, but are not limited to, social skills interventions, curriculum adaptations, transition planning, training and assistance with functional behavioral assessments (FBAs), the development of Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs), and applied behavior analysis (ABA).  At the request of the school district, parent training can be provided by the autism consultant. 

Professional development workshops are available to school districts, covering topics such as: An Overview of Autism Spectrum Disorders; Learning Characteristics of Students with ASDs and Educational Strategies; Behavioral Strategies; Transition Planning; Social Skills Training; Functional Behavioral Assessments and Effective Behavior Intervention Plans; Curriculum Adaptations and Modifications; and the Role of Paraprofessionals. Staff development and training opportunities are individualized to meet the needs of each school district.  

Autism consultants also are available to assist in the development of Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs). Autism consultants are able to attend meetings (e.g., Annual Reviews, Initial Reviews) held by the Committee on Special Education.   

A subset of the students who have autism spectrum disorders also have clinically significant difficulties with inattentiveness, anxiety, depression and obsessive compulsive behaviors.  Autism consultants working with these students may work directly with school psychologists, social workers and counselors to create effective social skills strategies and counseling strategies for the students, which are aimed at reducing negative and challenging behaviors, while increasing the occurrence of functionally related, adaptive behaviors.