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Agenda for Subcommittee: Birth to 14 years of Age

Friday, November 22, 2019
10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Meeting Objectives:

  • Review the results of school-based ABA provider surveys focused on BCBA recruitment and retention.  What have we learned?  Determine next steps.
  • Provide status update on all other priorities and recommendations

Meeting Norms:

  • We are collaborative and solutions-oriented. Please arrive at all meetings ready to work with colleagues in identifying potential solutions to what are often complex problems.
  • In order to use our time wisely, we will be present both physically and mentally, starting and ending our meetings on time.
  • We will communicate effectively and be concise when we speak—encouraging respectful participation and inviting a wide range of perspectives, while managing our own “air time” to ensure everyone has the chance to speak.
  • We will address conflict by dealing with the issue, not the person or people involved.
  • We will ask questions when in doubt.

Meeting Agenda:

  1. Welcome
  2. Review of minutes from the September 6th, 2019 Birth to 14 Subcommittee Meeting
  3. Vote to allow remote participation
  4. IEP Improvement Project recommendations for students with ASD and their families—Update and brief discussion
  5. Workforce development in school-based settings
    • ABA provider surveys – BCBA recruitment and retention results review
    • Key findings and discussion
    • Next steps
  6. Update on reducing wait times for autism screening and evaluation
  7. Discussion of new recommendations to Autism Commission
    • Access to Augmentative/Alternative Communication Devices for Children with ASD
      The sub-committee would like to make a recommendation to the Autism Commission to request that MassHealth provide data about children who have received dedicated and non-dedicated AAC devices, broken down by race and language spoken in the home. 
    • Inclusion for Students with ASD
      The sub-committee would like to make a recommendation to the Autism Commission to request that DESE provide data broken down by race, language spoken in the home and level of inclusion (full/partial/substantially separate) for students with ASD.
    • Children with ASD in DCF Car
      The sub-committee would like to make a recommendation to the Autism Commission that trainings be developed for DCF staff about ASD.
  8. Membership recruitment

Additional Resources

Open DOCX file, 17.82 KB,  Autism Commission Birth to Fourteen Sub Committee Update and Recommendations (English, DOCX 17.82 KB)

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