Knowledge is Power!
"...autism exists on a continuum from mild to moderate to severe, and that is a spectrum disorder; that is, part of an array of varied but similar entities." (Diane Twachtman-Cullen, How to be a Para Pro). Each person that has autism spectrum disorder or Asperger's syndrome is different. Yes, many of the symptoms, such as communication deficits, social skills struggles, behavior issues, etc., may be similar among children who have ASD, but each child has different strengths and deficits to varying degrees. Because of this, assessment is very important. Assessment comes in many different forms. It can be an interview, observation, standardized test, tally sheet, etc. Assessment can tell a teacher, parent, clinician, or other staff person where to start with teaching a new skill with a particular individual. It can also show progress or decline in a particular skill or task. There are many good assessments out there and different assessments are appropriate for different individuals with ASD. Below are some sources that provide research on assessment with autism spectrum disorder and some different assessments that are available to use with students with ASD.
http://www.asha.org/PRPSpecificTopic.aspx?folderid=8589935303§ion=Assessment
This is a link to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. This provides the beginning assessments and indicators to use if there is reason to believe if a child has autism spectrum disorder. Here you can find all of the indicators for ASD and what to do and where to go if you believe your child or someone you know may have Autism. It also goes through some of the assessments that a speech and language pathologist and clinician may use to diagnose an individual with ASD.
https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/diagnosis/screen-your-child
This will take you to Autism Speaks, a website that is a wealth of knowledge on ASD. Here you can download a screening (M-CHAT-R™) to use with a toddler, if there are concerns that he/she may have autism spectrum disorder.
http://www.autism.com/ind_atec
This link connect to the Autism research Institute. This page explains the research behind the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) that was developed by Bernard Rimland and Stephen M. Edelson of the Autism Research Institute to show progress or lack progress, of a specific treatment being taught to an individual with ASD. The ATEC provides several subscale scores as well as a total score to be used for comparison at a later date. You can also find the assessment and scoring guide links on the above page.
http://www.asha.org/PRPSpecificTopic.aspx?folderid=8589935303§ion=Assessment
This is a link to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. This provides the beginning assessments and indicators to use if there is reason to believe if a child has autism spectrum disorder. Here you can find all of the indicators for ASD and what to do and where to go if you believe your child or someone you know may have Autism. It also goes through some of the assessments that a speech and language pathologist and clinician may use to diagnose an individual with ASD.
https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/diagnosis/screen-your-child
This will take you to Autism Speaks, a website that is a wealth of knowledge on ASD. Here you can download a screening (M-CHAT-R™) to use with a toddler, if there are concerns that he/she may have autism spectrum disorder.
http://www.autism.com/ind_atec
This link connect to the Autism research Institute. This page explains the research behind the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) that was developed by Bernard Rimland and Stephen M. Edelson of the Autism Research Institute to show progress or lack progress, of a specific treatment being taught to an individual with ASD. The ATEC provides several subscale scores as well as a total score to be used for comparison at a later date. You can also find the assessment and scoring guide links on the above page.