Project STARS: Using Desktop Conferencing to Prepare Autism Specialists at a Distance

Abstract Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is the fastest growing category served in special education, yet there is a serious shortage of personnel appropriately trained and highly qualified to meet the unique needs of children and adolescents with autism in the nation's schools. The need for specialized training and certification in the area of autism (above and beyond qualifications in special education generally) is only now being recognized by state licensure agencies and personnel preparation programs. West Virginia University, an early adopter of technology-mediated distance education, has developed post-baccalaureate certification and Masters degree program to prospective and practicing special education personnel to work with students with autism spectrum disorders in rural areas. This article presents a new graduate program to prepare special educators as autism specialists by 1) describing an innovative distance education model that uses desktop audio conferencing for live interactive classes with other online activities as well as online supervision of practicum experiences; and 2) discussing development and implementation of the program, including initial outcomes and planned changes. Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are the most common pervasive developmental disorder (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003) and the fastest growing category served in special education, with a 172% increase in 10 years (Autism Society of America, no date). The number of students identified with autism and receiving special education services in the nation's schools rose from just under 10,000 in 1992 to around 65,000 in 2001 (USDOE, 2004). ASD can manifest itself in a mild disorder such as Asperger's syndrome with less impact on learning and behavior or a more severe disorder such as classic infantile autism with mental retardation and multiple functional impairments (Bregman, 2005). Students with ASD are also served in many different educational settings; according to the most recent national data, 13% attend regular classrooms 100% of the time, 14% attend regular classrooms plus resource rooms, 14% attend separate classrooms with some regular class participation, and 24% attend separate classrooms nearly all the time (USDOE, 2004). Therefore, autism specialist training is needed by special educators across a wide age range of ages and disabilities (McGee & Morrier, 2005). However, the National Research Council (2001) identified personnel preparation as the weakest link in appropriate services for students with autism, since there are so few programs and hardly any teachers trained in this specialization area. In fact, only 5 states currently offer endorsements in Autism (Muller, 2005) and only a handful of universities offer specialized personnel preparation programs in this area (Ludlow, Conner, & Schechter, 2006). Because special educators trained in other disability areas often lack specialized knowledge and skills for ASD, there has been a significant amount of litigation in schools related to the meaning of free appropriate public education for these students as well as disagreements between parents and educators about the most effective interventions (Yell, Katsiyannis, Drasgow, & Herbst, 2003). High yet appropriate expectations for achievement by students with ASD on the part of their teachers is essential to effective educational programming for this group (Ivey, 2007). The field of special education as whole, and rural states in particular, has experienced serious difficulties in obtaining a sufficient supply of special educators and witnessed a high rate of teacher attrition in this area as special educators often move to general education positions or seek higher paying jobs in neighboring states (McLeskey, Tyler & Flippin, 2004). Like many rural states, West Virginia has seen these supply-demand imbalance and teacher turnover problems impact all disability areas, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD). …