A Review of the Types of Related and Educational Services for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

By Louis H. Geigerman

A frequent question that I am asked in my special education advocacy practice is what types of services are available to a student with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the public schools? With that in mind, this month I will discuss several types of related and educational services that can be effective for students with ASD’S.

Let us first begin with a definition of a related service. The term related service means transportation, and such developmental, corrective and other supportive services (including speech-language pathology and audiology services, interpreting services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, including therapeutic recreation, social work services, school nurse services designed to enable a child with a disability to receive a free appropriate public education/ an individualized education program of the child, counseling services including rehabilitation counseling, orientation and mobility services, and medical services as may be required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education, including early identification and assessment of disabling conditions in children.

Most parents of children with ASD’S are cognizant of their child’s need for appropriate speech services due to communication deficits and occupational therapy due to fine, gross motor or sensory needs. A common overlooked but very effective related service is music therapy. Music therapy can be used to assist students in academic, behavioral and social needs. For more information consult the American Music Therapy Association at http://www.musictherapy.org/faqs.html

Another rarely accessed related service is social work services. Social work services in schools include:

i)Preparing a social or developmental history on a child with a disability;
ii)Group and individual counseling with the child and family;
iii)Working in partnership with parents and others on those problems in a child’s living situation (home, school and community) that affect the child’s adjustment in school;
iv)Mobilizing school and community resources to enable the child to learn as effectively as possible in his or her educational program; and
v)Assisting in developing positive behavioral intervention strategies

Another educational service that some students may require is adaptive physical education.

Special education includes instruction in physical education. Adaptive PE is instruction designed for a student’s unique needs. If a student has difficulty with motor planning that could compromise their ability to participate in a regular PE class, then adaptive PE should be considered. It should also be considered for students that may experience difficulties dressing out in locker rooms in high school as this is a frequent area for bullying of students with ASD’S.

Special Education also means instruction in the home and other settings. Students with ASD’S often have difficulty in generalizing skills in one setting to the other, therefore instruction in the home and community may be necessary.

Recreation and leisure therapy is another under requested service. Recreation therapy is a treatment service designed to restore, remediate and rehabilitate a person’s level of functioning and independence in life activities, to promote health and wellness as well as reduce or eliminate the activity limitations and restrictions to participation in life situations caused by an illness or a disabling condition. This can a particularly another important service for some students with ASD’S as there is a tendency to leave solitary and sedentary lives.

Travel training is another overlooked and under requested service. The ability to travel independently in the community helps to promote the development of autonomy in adolescents. Students who possess the knowledge and skills associated with independent travel have increased access to community events, including after school activities and employment (Bar-Lev, 1999).

Travel training is a comprehensive, intensive instruction designed to teach students how to travel safely and independently on public transportation (Groce, 2000). Students may receive training at any age, though it occurs typically between 12-14, depending on their maturity level and ability to act responsibly.

Finally, it is important to remember that a school district is required to perform assessments in all areas of suspected disabilities. Special education is defined as specially designed instruction at no cost to the parents to meet the unique needs of the child with a disability. With that in mind instruction in social skills should be an important component in the IEP of a student with an ASD. This instruction can occur at school, home and in the community.

This was not intended as an exhaustive listing of related and educational services available for students with ASD’S. It is important to note that assessments must be conducted to determine the need for the above referenced services. I encourage the reader to explore these services to assist your child in benefiting from special education. Louis H. Geigerman, Educational

Consultant- National ARD/IEP Advocates, Tel: 281-265-1506 Email: louis@narda.org www.narda.org.