Autism Advisory Committee

Report of The Autism Task Force

The San Jose Unified School District Autism Task Force was formed in the fall of 2002 at the request of the Superintendent in response to concern regarding the the specific issue of removing in-home ABA providers, and the broader issues of cost and quality of services provided. The formation of the task force was timely as a recent audit of special education programs emphasized that SJUSD lacked autism expertise and programs within Special Education, and recommended that the district remedy the situation in order to actively guide the appropriate educational programming for its autistic students.

The task force is composed of parents, administrators, members of the San Jose Teachers Association (teachers, SLP, nurse), an occupational therapist, a school psychologist, outside autism service providers, and a representative from the USCF Autism Clinic.

The purpose of the task force was “to develop recommendations to the Superintendent regarding the development of a Pre-K through Grade 12 continuum of quality services to support school success for students with autism.” The expected outcomes were:

(1) Recommendations for type and delivery of services;

(2) Development of an ongoing process/structure for SJUSD to be “experts” in the field of autism; and

3) Development of ongoing role of parents in the development of the program

Our report on each of these expected outcomes is as follows:

(1) Type and delivery of services

Report of Bryna Siegel, Ph.D (PDF)

After three meetings in which current district programs were discussed, the committee requested that an outside consultant be retained to examine the district resources and assist us in developing a blueprint for a continuum of quality, defensible autism programs.

Bryna Siegel, Ph.D., a renowned expert in the field of autism, and the director of UCSF’s Autism Clinic, was retained. In October of 2004, she visited several SJUSD classrooms and had several discussions with teaching and administrative staff. Dr. Siegel was accompanied by her assistant, Michelle Ficcaglia, who sits on our task force.

Following the visit, Dr Siegel and Ms. Ficcaglia submitted a report which describes a continuum of service designed to serve children with autism spectrum disorders. The services described in this report are designed to provide appropriate and defensible programming for children ages 3-22. The recommendations contained in the report were accepted unanimously by the task force. However, because several points required clarification, the task force also elected to include some of its own addenda, which you will find underlined in the report.

(2) Development of an ongoing process/structure for SJUSD to be “experts” in the field of autism

The task force recommends that a full-time expert or organization be hired immediately (no later than June 2004) so that a viable program can be implemented as soon as possible. Because the district does not currently have staff qualified to lead these efforts, the task force believes that the District should have an ongoing contract with a consultant or organization that has a proven track record of providing quality autism programs. This entity would not only help set up pilot programs within the district, but also provide ongoing training to Special Ed staff and all teachers and therapists who work with our autistic students. Eventually, as expertise grows within the district, the role of the outside consultant will diminish.

It is imperative that the district make every effort to hire experienced teachers and autism paraprofessionals, beginning with the first year of the program, to ensure success.

The task force feels strongly that the above recommendations must be followed to ensure a successful program. We recommend a focused effort for the 2004-05 school year, beginning with two preschool classes that are structured to reflect the recommendations in Dr. Siegel’s report, and “growing” a quality program incrementally.

(3) Ongoing role of parents

The task force believes that the body has been an effective vehicle for guiding the process of examining and improving the program. It has been an important forum for stakeholder input.

The task force recommends that its work continue in the form of an advisory committee. The continuation of the committee will ensure that programs are implemented over time and will provide a cooperative forum for continuous improvement and stakeholder feedback.