Autism Assessment and Consultation Team (AACT)
Autism is one of the federally designated areas of disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Educational Improvement Act of 2007. Schools are required to locate, identify and evaluate all students with disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum. It is considered best practice to refer to a medical professional to rule out other concerns in the process of an autism diagnosis. Mahoning County ESC has several psychologists trained in the assessment and diagnosis of autism and several special education supervisors, related services staff (OT, PT, Speech) and teachers who have received intensive additional training in functional behavioral assessment, Applied Behavior Analysis, and sensory integration. This group has organized multiple teams that will be available to provide functional behavioral assessments, ADOS and other autism identification tools, as well as classroom/parent consultation at the request of a school district. The Autism Assessment and Intervention Team is available to all districts on a contract for service basis.
Other Services for Students with Autism
Students with the diagnosis of autism are served in the environment best suited to their individual needs. MCESC operated classrooms serve students with autism in alternative settings, classrooms for students with multiple disabilities, cognitive or emotional disabilites as determined by their IEP team in the least restrictive enviroment. Related services are aviailable to all students served by MCESC as determined by their IEP team.