Autism Spectrum Disorder

School Resource Brief

Here you will find information and resources to support students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in schools and early childhood programs.

Information and Tools

• Autism Speaks: School Community Tool Kit. Information to help members of the school community understand and support students with ASD.
  
  
• Center on Secondary Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (CSESA). Training tools, guides, and strategies for teachers and school personnel for supporting students with ASD in school.
  
  
• Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL). Tools and practical strategies for teachers and child care professionals for promoting young children's social and emotional development.
  
  
• Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA Center): Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Resources for implementing the early childhood provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to improve service systems and outcomes for children with ASD. Topics include early identification, prevalence, elements of effective programs, preparation of personnel, and family support. Also presents contact information for state agency staff responsible for implementing the early childhood provisions of IDEA and for Department of Education–funded early childhood projects.
  
  
• National Autism Association (NAA): Autism Safety Initiative. Information and tools for families, first responders, health professionals, and school personnel about wandering, restraint and seclusion, bullying, and suicide prevention.
  
  
• National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders (NPDC on ASD). Briefs for 24 identified evidence-based practices for early identification, intervention, and education. The briefs contain a description of the practice, instructions for implementation, an implementation checklist, and a list of references that forms the evidence base.
  
  
• Organization for Autism Research (OAR): Educators and Service Providers. Strategies for including a child with ASD in a classroom and worksheets to assist with classroom planning.
  
  
• Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Planning, implementation, and evaluation tools for identifying, adapting, and sustaining effective school-wide disciplinary practices. Includes video clips, training tools, presentation materials, and a review of the evidence base for PBIS. Includes contact information for state PBIS coordinators. Some resources are available in Spanish.
  
  
• Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children (TACSEI). Training tools, classroom materials, and other evidence-based resources for early childhood professionals to help young children with or at risk for delays or disabilities develop social emotional skills and reduce challenging behavior.
  
  
• National Research Council, Committee on Educational Interventions for Children with Autism. 2001. Educating Children with Autism. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. This book outlines an interdisciplinary approach to education for children with autism. The committee explores what makes education effective for children with autism and identifies specific characteristics of programs that work.
  

Databases for Further Research

• Child Care and Early Education Research Connections: Research Collection. Online catalog of child care and early childhood education research documents. Type autism in the search box, and click on the magnifying glass to get your results.
  
  
• Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Database. Information about documents covering all aspects of education-related issues. To identify resources on ASD, enter autism in the search box. Click on Search. Use the filters in the left navigation bar to further limit your search. To identify resources on Asperger Syndrome, specifically, enter Asperger Syndrome in the search box.
  
  
• National Center for Education Statistics. Surveys and data about education in the United States and internationally. Presents tools for searching and analyzing data and annual reports, fact sheets, and other publications with education statistics. For example, to find the number of children with autism 3 to 21 years old served under IDEA, Part B, go to the box, Popular Topics: select a topic here. Select Search tables and figures. Enter autism and click on Search Now. Select the table from the list of titles.
  

Related MCH Digital Library Resources

• Autism Spectrum Disorder professional resource guide, family resource brief
• Bullying resource brief
• Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs professional resource guide, family resource brief, school resource brief
• Community Services Locator: An Online Directory for Finding Community Services for Children and Families professional resource guide
• Emotional, Behavioral, and Mental Health Challenges in Children and Adolescents professional resource guide (includes the section Inappropriate Use of Seclusion and Restraints), family resource brief, school resource brief
• School-Based and School-Linked Health Care school resource brief
• School Health resource brief
• Screening resource brief (includes tools for screening infants, children, and adolescents for autism as well as chronic illnesses; physical disabilities; and emotional, behavioral, and mental health challenges)

Autism Spectrum Disorder: School Resource Brief, 2nd ed. (March 2014). (Updated: July 2014).

Author: Susan Brune Lorenzo, M.L.S., MCH Digital Library.
Reviewers: Lauren Agoratus, M.A., parent of a child with autism, Family Voices and Family-to-Family Health Information Resource Center at the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network of N.J.; Lynn L. Cole, M.S., R.N., P.N.P., Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities at the University of Rochester Medical Center; Olivia K. Pickett, M.A., M.L.S., MCH Digital Library.
Editor: Ruth Barzel, M.A., MCH Digital Library.