Educating Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Model for High-Quality Coaching

Educating Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Model for High Quality Coaching offers a unique coaching model with a practical approach for special education teachers and service providers who face the challenge of providing effective support to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). By empowering special education personnel to participate as coaches, educators can go beyond simple accommodations to actively promote a less restrictive setting, dynamically assess skills, deliver effective instructional and behavioral programming, and effectively build a coaching network to engage students throughout the school day.

Provided in this text are vignettes that illustrate the reality of special education. Additionally, approaches for addressing the real word needs of students with ASD are provided, along with evidence-based support that describes the positive results of the strategies described. This text also introduces coaching methods that will guide teachers and instructional staff to create and maintain a "solutions-focused" coaching community.

Educating Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder serves as a clinical guide and delivers a practical discussion of high-quality coaching as an emerging best practice for supporting special educators (teachers and paraprofessionals) as well as school-based service providers (speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists). It is a valuable primary text for special education teachers in training, a resource for professional development personnel, and a tool for researchers and graduate students in education and teaching programs.

Key Features:

• Chapter Objectives
• Real Life Vignettes
• Reproducible Forms
• Summary Questions

Joshua K. Harrower, PhD, BCBA-D, is the Lawton Love Distinguished Professor of Special Education in the Department of Teacher Education at California State University, Monterey Bay. He coordinates the special education credential programs and the certificate program in behavior analysis. Dr. Harrower received his doctoral degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has more than 20 years of experience conducting research, working with school districts, and directing state and federally funded projects in the delivery of professional development, as well as preservice preparation of education personnel in the area of evidence-based instruction and behavior supports for students with autism spectrum disorder. His grant writing has resulted in more than $5 million in funding for personnel development and school climate transformation projects. Dr. Harrower's primary areas of scholarly interest include positive behavior interventions and support, autism spectrum disorder, applied behavior analysis, and pivotal response treatment.

Louis G. Denti, PhD, is a professor in special education at California State University, Monterey Bay, where he coordinates the master of arts in education program and teaches graduate level courses. Dr. Denti serves as an educational consultant to school districts on inclusion, collaboration/co-teaching, effective instruction, and classroom management. He is nationally known for his presentations and publications. He is the recipient of the prestigious Annie Glenn National Leadership award named for Annie Glenn, wife of former astronaut and Senator John Glenn. Dr Denti's professional interests include response to intervention, co-teaching, curriculum and instruction for students with mild to severe disabilities, and classroom/behavior management. He has been on special education review teams at the local, regional, state, and international levels.

Marcia Weber-Olsen, PhD, CCC-SPL, is a consultant/coach for school teams and families of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and social communication disorders. She received her doctoral training from the University of Kansas and began a teaching and clinical research career with university faculty positions in communicative disorders and sciences in Michigan, Texas, and California. She currently is guest faculty for California State University, Monterey Bay. Dr. Weber-Olsen recently retired from the Monterey County Special Education Local Plan Area, where she served as professional trainer, classroom consultant, and coach in autism spectrum and communication disorders, as well as administrated an academic and clinical preparation program in speech-language pathology for teachers returning to special education. Her interests are in helping children with all communication disabilities and students with ASD succeed.