Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): Knowledge, Training, Roles and Responsibilities of School Psychologists

The number of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has increased over the years and therefore it seems inevitable that school psychologists will encounter these students as part of their roles in assessment, consultation, and/or intervention. There are a multitude of articles and books on the signs and symptoms of ASD, as well as suggestions for assessment and intervention, but there are no published data related to school psychologists\u27 knowledge, training, and roles and responsibilities for students with ASD. Therefore, the current study sought to inform the field of school psychology with respect to these issues. One hundred members of the Massachusetts School Psychology Association (MSPA) completed an online survey that asked information pertaining to demographics, participants\u27 experiences with the ASD population, participants\u27 knowledge of ASD, as well as their use, competency, and feelings of usefulness of various assessment techniques and treatments/interventions. Results indicated that overall school psychologists demonstrated adequate knowledge of ASD. Most participants spend their time conducting assessments and reportedly follow best practice guidelines. Generally, school psychologists felt competent conducting assessments and felt that the assessment tools are useful. School psychologists spent less time on treatment/intervention and while they believe that many of the treatments/interventions are useful, they did not feel as competent implementing them. Therefore, these results suggest that school psychologists need more training in ASD, especially around treatments/interventions, at the pre-service level through graduate school training and experiences (i.e., practica and internships) as well as at the practitioner level through professional development opportunities