For students with autism, one of the biggest challenges is receiving effective support. Accommodations should focus on the individual student rather than on a student's disability.
Autism manifests in a variety of ways. Two students may both have autism but require entirely different special education services.
Even getting an autism diagnosis may require different assessments. As research uncovers more about autism, one discovery has been how it can manifest differently, especially in girls versus boys. Evaluations that focus only on the “traditional” characteristics of autism may miss diagnosing students with autism, which deprives them of needed special education services.
Once in college, students have to adjust to a different level and type of support. Schools have fewer responsibilities to students, and students have to learn how to self-advocate.
Difficulty in accessing effective accommodations can occur at any point in a student's education. Families of toddlers may be denied vital early intervention services. Elementary-aged children may not be properly assessed, while a high school student may struggle due to one-size-fits-all accommodations. College and graduate students may find that the support a university must provide isn't equivalent to what they need to succeed.
That a student has autism has no relationship to their intelligence or ability to succeed in school. If anything, students with autism are more likely to be intellectually gifted.
Being diagnosed with autism simply means a student learns differently. Unfortunately, schools don't always provide the support to allow these students to succeed.
If you or your child has autism, you deserve the accommodations and services required to allow you to reach your educational goals. The Education Law Team at the Lento Law Firm works with families in the District of Columbia and nationwide to protect their right to an education. We focus on collaborative, learning-focused solutions. Call us at 888-535-3686 or fill out an online form.
K-12 Students in Washington, DC
Autism is a qualifying disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA is a federal law that requires K-12 public schools to provide special education services to students with eligible disabilities.
As the lone public school district in Washington, DC, District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) are responsible for identifying and assessing all students who live within the district. This includes students who don't attend DCPS schools or who are too young to attend.
Qualifying for Special Education Support
The general process for qualifying for special education services is:
- Referral
- Assessment
- Disability determination
- If a child has autism, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting between school staff and a student's parents or guardians
- Before attending an IEP Meeting, parents or guardians may want to review DCPS's IEP Toolkit
- Creation of IEP
- An annual meeting to discuss if a student's IEP is still effective
- Under IDEA, parents can request a meeting at any point during the school year to discuss a child's IEP
IEPs are written documents that list what accommodations a school will provide to a student. IEPs should also include a student's strengths and goals. Once school staff and parents agree on an IEP, it's legally binding.
Children are more than their disabilities, and IEP should reflect the whole child. That two students have autism doesn't mean they'll benefit from identical accommodations. These students may have different academic strengths or different characteristics of autism. What accommodations work for one child with autism may not work for another child with autism.
What services and support a student needs can also change as they age and mature. Accommodations or modifications that are effective in first grade may no longer be useful in sixth grade.
How D.C. Defines Autism
D.C. defines autism as a developmental disability that:
- Significantly affects verbal and/or nonverbal communication
- Significantly affects social interaction
- Often involves repetitive activities and stereotyped movements
- May make an individual resistant to change in their environment or routines
- Can cause individuals to over- or underreact to sensory experiences, e.g., being sensitive to loud noises and music
- Is generally evident before three years of age
- Adversely affects a child's performance in school
DCPS underlines that autism doesn't mean a child cannot succeed in school. Rather, having autism simply means the disorder may affect a student's school performance if they don't have support.
Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for support under IDEA, students must be diagnosed with autism. Schools will also perform assessments, even if a student already has a diagnosis from a doctor.
The purpose of these assessments is two-fold:
- To determine if a child has a disability
- If a child does have a disability, to determine what type of special education services and support they require
These evaluations are crucial because of the role they play in determining a student's accommodations and support in school. IDEA requires that evaluations be sufficiently comprehensive, which is especially important for autism. Given the wide variety of characteristics of the disorder, effective support can vary widely between students.
Parents and guardians can review DCPS's autism worksheet ahead of assessments to learn more about the district's eligibility criteria. The worksheet has nine eligibility criteria.
Every Student is Different
While many toddlers and children display characteristics of autism before age three, students can be diagnosed at a later age. DCPS cannot refuse to assess a student due to the age at which that student resides in DC and hasn't graduated from high school.
Some children and teenagers may only display signs of autism when they begin at a new school. They may no longer be able to mask their disorder, or characteristics may become more noticeable as they age. That a student wasn't diagnosed with autism as a toddler or young child doesn't mean they shouldn't be assessed for autism.
Moreover, students may have autism but not display “traditional” characteristics of the disorder. It's long been thought that more boys than girls have autism, but more and more research indicates that girls are underdiagnosed.
Girls and Autism
A study out of Stanford University recommended different autism assessments for boys versus girls. Autism seems to affect different parts of the brain for girls with autism compared to boys with autism. This means that the characteristics of autism can differ between the two.
Girls with autism, for example, seem to be better at social camouflaging, or masking, to blend into social groups. Even when they prefer to play alone, they tend to stick closer to groups and isolate less than boys with autism.
There's still a good deal the medical and scientific communities don't know about autism. This is one reason why parents and guardians should ask about assessments and how much DCPS incorporates recent research, especially for girls who may have autism.
Autism can cover a wide array of behaviors, and students who don't fit into traditional characteristics may be unfairly deprived of needed support. That a student doesn't show certain characteristics doesn't mean they are less in need of accommodations in school.
If you believe your child has autism but isn't getting a sufficient assessment, contact the Education Law Team at the Lento Law Firm.
Early Intervention
Early intervention matters for children with autism. Research shows that early intervention with autism is crucial partially because of brain plasticity. Younger children's brains are more adaptable compared to older children. This means treatment can be more effective.
D.C. has early intervention programs for babies and toddlers between birth and age 5.
- Strong Start is for babies and toddlers between birth and age two.
- Early Stages are for toddlers between age two and age five.
Once a student turns five, they are part of DC Public School's Centralized IEP Support.
Strong Start focuses on incorporating services into a family's daily routine and in a child's natural environment. The program includes training to help parents, guardians, and other caretakers learn about the resources and how to advocate for their children.
Around age three, children transition from Strong Start to Early Stages. Early Stages is the name for the evaluation process for children between ages 3 and 5. Children who qualify will receive an IEP.
Reasonable Accommodations
Schools must provide students with reasonable accommodations. This means accommodations need to be effective: not the most effective, the newest, or the most expensive.
What's a reasonable accommodation for one student with autism may not be effective for another student. That a school has had success with a certain accommodation in the past doesn't mean it will be successful for your student.
Educational Placement
Schools try to place students in the least restrictive environment (LRE) as much as possible. The goal of LRE is to have children with autism and other disabilities be part of general education classrooms and the school community as much as possible.
DCPS divides services into two general categories:
- Inside general education, students receive services while part of general education classrooms.
- Outside of general education, students receive instruction in specialized classrooms. This category includes self-contained classrooms, which allow for more focused learning for students with disabilities.
Self-Contained Classrooms
DCPS has different types of self-contained classrooms. These classrooms often focus on a specific type or severity of disabilities and provide teaching styles different than those in general education classrooms.
- Behavior Learning Support (BLS) classrooms focus on students who learn differently. These include students with learning disabilities and autism. The goal of these classrooms is to provide students with extra support and attention, although the curriculum is similar to the general education curriculum. Students in BLS classrooms will receive a high school diploma.
- Behavior and Education Support (BES) classrooms are similar to BLS classrooms but support students with behavioral issues. They will also graduate with a high school diploma.
- Specific Learning Support (SLS) classrooms are for students with autism and learning disabilities who learn differently. Students participate in the same general curriculum, but teaching is different. Students generally join SLS classrooms after their IEP has found that a general education classroom doesn't effectively support how a student learns differently. Students receive a high school diploma.
- Communication and Education Support (CES) classrooms assist students with significant cognitive impairments. A general education classroom cannot meet a student's academic, social, and adaptive needs. Students in CES classrooms receive a High School Achievement Certificate (HSAC).
- Independence and Learning Support (ILS) classrooms support students with intellectual disabilities. These classrooms focus on teaching reading and math skills in a way that's easier to understand than in the general curriculum. Students receive an HSAC.
- Medical and Education Support (MES) classrooms are for students with serious health problems. Students in MES classrooms tend to have multiple disabilities, have trouble communicating, or need medical care during the school day. They receive HSACs.
- Early Learning Supports (ELS) classrooms support students from pre-K to second grade. ELS classrooms cover a wide range of disabilities, including developmental delays, hearing impairments, and autism. These classrooms use the same curriculum as general education classrooms but focus on different ways of teaching.
Once students age out of ELS classrooms, their IEP team will determine the best classroom for them beginning in third grade. This may be another self-contained classroom or a general education classroom.
A student's placement should focus on what classroom will best support a student's needs and allow them to reach their goals. These placements may change between school years. If parents disagree with their child's placement, they should contact The Education Law Team at the Lento Law Firm.
Special Schools
Some students need more support than general education schools can provide. These students can benefit from schools that focus exclusively on supporting students with disabilities.
The River Terrace Education Campus (RTEC) supports students with intellectual disabilities and complex medical needs who require high levels of support. The school is designed to provide a structured learning environment with individualized assistance to students.
For some students, the resources available through District of Columbia Public Schools may not be sufficient. In these cases, students may qualify for a referral to a Non-Public Special Education school.
A student's IEP team will decide when a student would be better served at a non-public school. DCPS puts out an annual guide about non-public schools. This reference guide includes the process of how a student transfers from a public school to a non-public school.
College and University Students in Washington, D.C.
Adjusting to college life can be a challenge for any student. For students with autism, especially those who prefer routine and struggle with change, moving to college can be especially stressful.
This can be true for both undergraduate and graduate students. Colleges and universities have fewer legal obligations than K-12 schools, and support can vary widely between schools. Graduate students not only face higher expectations for their academic work, but they may also be dealing with a new university and new accommodations.
The transition from K-12 to college, however, is significant for students with autism. Unlike K-12 public schools, colleges don't have to identify or provide assessments for students. Students are now entirely responsible for any evaluations, including the cost and providing proof of documentation.
College students also have to inform a school of their disability and request accommodations. Some schools may require students to renew their accommodation request every semester or once a year. Most also require that students, rather than the college or university, communicate their accommodations to professors.
College Choice Matters
Before enrolling in a school, students should arrange to meet with a college or university's disability services office. While all colleges and universities must provide accommodations and services to students with disabilities, what support a school offers may not be sufficient for a student's specific needs.
That a college or university meets the legal requirements for providing accommodations doesn't mean a school's accommodations are effective for students. College students report that the current legal requirements are a bare minimum and often don't sufficiently support students with autism and other disabilities.
Gallaudet University, for example, has a student advisory board. This group's purpose is to address student concerns about campus accessibility and support. The school also provides guidance on making the shift from high school to college.
Different programs and types of support are why students with autism should plan to meet with disability services offices before either applying or enrolling.
Common Accommodations
There's no formal requirement for specific accommodations colleges or universities must provide. Many schools do provide similar accommodations.
Gallaudet University provides current and prospective students with a list of accommodations. While specific to Gallaudet, students with autism may find the list beneficial in terms of what's often available at universities.
Documentation Requirements
Most, if not all, colleges and universities require students to provide documentation of their disability. Each college or university creates its own procedure and requirements for applying for support and documentation requirements.
Some colleges may use the same application and documentation processes for all students with disabilities. Others may have different procedures for undergraduate versus graduate students or for specific schools.
Some universities may have specific application requirements for students with autism. Other schools may group them with other disabilities. Catholic University, for example, groups autism with learning disabilities. American University, in comparison, puts it under psychological disabilities.
Catholic University's Disability Support Services has general documentation guidelines but also specific information for students with certain disabilities. For students with autism, documentation should include:
- The results of a comprehensive neuropsychological or psychoeducational evaluation
- Objective measures and rating scales of diagnosis-related symptoms
- Providing an IEP or 504 Plan or other summary of the student's accommodations history
Colleges and universities can set documentation requirements, including for specific disabilities. What they cannot do is have specific requirements for a certain student or group of students.
In comparison, American University includes deadlines for submitting documentation. Students must register with the university's Academic Support and Access Center by priority deadlines. For the Fall 2024 semester, for example, that means a student must have submitted an application and required documentation by July 1, 2024.
American University also has more detailed documentation requirements for students with autism and other psychological disabilities. This includes documentation from a professional being no more than six months old, even if a student's symptoms or diagnoses haven't changed.
Appeals and Grievances
If a student disagrees with a college or university's decision on their accommodations, they do have options to appeal. Unlike K-12 schools, however, the grievance process isn't required by law but instead set by each college or university.
Often called grievance processes, these appeals focus exclusively on accommodations. Students should check with their university's handbook or disability services office about its specific procedures, including deadlines for contesting a decision.
Some colleges and universities have a single procedure for all appeals. Georgetown University has several options, depending on the focus of a student's concern.
When a student disagrees with a decision about accommodations or wants clarification, they must submit a written appeal to the Director of the Academic Resource Center.
For appeals related to academics, including grades, a student's next steps depend on whether they're an undergraduate or graduate and their program. Medical and law students also have their own appeal process.
The third option is filing a grievance with the university's Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Affirmative Action (IDEAA). The Academic Resource Center encourages students to use one of the above appeals options, however, before filing a grievance.
Every college and university has its own grievance process. One commonality is most can be difficult to maneuver, and students often have a limited period of time to appeal a decision. If your college or university is failing to provide you with the support you need, contact the Education Law Team at the Lento Law Firm.
Protect Your Education
Having autism doesn't mean a student is less deserving of an education and the benefits it brings. It simply means that a student requires effective support as part of their education.
Schools may deny a student has a disability. They may provide ineffective accommodations or generic services. In some cases, when families disagree with a school's action, they may need to appeal or take other dispute resolution options.
If you or your student has autism and aren't receiving the services required as part of the learning process, contact the Education Law Team at the Lento Law Firm. We help students and families understand their options to address disagreements with schools and find education-focused solutions. Call us at 888-535-3686 or fill out an online form.
