Resources

Resources

http://vsabrevard.org   Very Special Arts Brevard

http://www.brevardautism.com  Brevard PALS (Providing Autism Links and Supports)

http://www.autismspeaks.org   Autism Speaks: First 100 Days Kit

Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers(M=CHAT; Robins, Fein, & Barton, 1999)

The M-CHAT is a tool used to facilitate the screening of young children that are at risk for autism. The M-CHAT is a screening tool for early detection of autism recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics typically for children between 18-24 months of age. This screening tool should be used to alert health professionals for the need of a diagnostic assessment by someone trained in autism spectrum disorders.

The M-CHAT can be administered and scored as part of a well-child check-up. The primary goal of the M-CHAT is to maximize sensitivity, meaning to detect as many cases of ASD as possible. Therefore, there is a high false positive rate, meaning that not all children who score at risk for ASD will be diagnosed with ASD.

The M-CHAT consists of 23 Y/N questions about a child's behavior. Children who fail more than 3 items total or 2 critical items should be referred for diagnostic evaluation by a specialist trained to evaluate ASD in very young children. The checklist and scoring instructions can be downloaded from www.mchatscreen.com or www.firstsigns.org (Source: 1999 Diana Robins, Deborah Fein, and Marianne Barton)

Choosing Professionals

The following are brief descriptions of the specialists most commonly associated with the diagnosis, intervention and treatment of autism spectrum disorders.

  • Geneticist: A physician specializing in the study of disorders associated with heredity
  • Occupational Therapist: Helps minimize impact of disability of independence in daily living by adapting child's environment and teaching sub-skills of the missing developmental components.
  • Psychiatrist: A physician who focuses on diagnosing and treating  mental illness from a biological and psychological perspective and may prescribe various medications for treatment.
  • Psychologist: A licensed practitioner specializing in understanding a person's behavior, emotions and cognitive skills.
  • Physical Therapist: Design and implement specially designed exercises and equipment to help patients regain or improve their physical abilities.
  • Neurologist: A physician specializing in diagnosing and treating disorders of the nervous system.
  • Speech and Language Pathologist: A therapist that specializes in human communication and whose focus is to increase a child's ability to impact and understand their environment.

Transition Booklet for Youth with Disabilities

Transition Booklet for Youth with Disabilities that was developed as a joint effort between Florida’s Children First and the Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities.

Click here for booklet

Exceptional Student Education Parent Resources Website

This website is a resource for ESE parents who are just starting their journey through Exceptional Student Education (ESE) and also for those who have been on this journey for a while.

For more information, please visit this site.