The IRB reviews procedures, including informed consent, for subject (team and family members) participation in the project. A variety of informed consents are developed and shared with the state. These include parent consent to participate, team member consent to participate, student assent to participate (over age 11), and audio/visual or media consents to use pictures/videos for training. A sample media release consent can be reviewed in the resource section.

The purpose of the inventory is to provide the NPDC and state team with relevant information for planning the summer institute. For example, if many of the training team members in the state express an interest in learning more about video modeling, then this might be a topic covered in the intensive summer training. The survey is also used to gauge the use and implementation of the EBP by educators working with the NPDC project. This inventory is presented and collected to training team members through an online survey, but a PDF version of the document is available in the resource section.

All model site team members and technical assistance providers are required to complete the course prior to initiating work with the NPDC in classroom settings. Both pre and post assessments are built into each session of the course to help individuals track their own learning of the content. A text-based version of all session content is available for download on the NPDC website: http://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu.

It is recommended that the selection of target students consider diversity, level of family involvement and access, and knowledge about the family’s stability for the year of participation.

The APERS can be used to rate both inclusive and self-contained programs for learners with ASD at the preschool, elementary, middle, and high school levels. The NPDC uses the APERS to measure baseline program quality at the beginning of the academic year (early in the fall) or toward the end of the previous academic year (late in the spring).

The current versions of the instrument include 64 and 68 items, respectively, for the APERS-PE (preschool/elementary) and the APERS-MHS (middle/high school). Individual items are organized into subdomains (see  the APERS resources section), and each item is scored on a five-point scale. Individuals completing the APERS observe in the program (a minimum of 3 hours of observation is required) and conduct interviews with the teachers, team members, and parents of children with ASD in the classroom. There is also a self-assessment tool that teachers complete on their own, which is then scored and shared with the team.

After the APERS is administered, an APERS report is generated that communicates the overall results. This report has two major features: a graphic summary of the results that illustrates the relative strengths and weaknesses in a given program, and a narrative highlighting the qualitative nature of program strengths and specific suggestions for improving weaknesses. Two different graphic summaries are used by the NPDC to convey results. One displays domain scores , while the other provides a more detailed graphic display of individual item scores by domains (see the resources section for sample APERS report and graphics).  With the help of technical assistance providers, teachers and team members work to build on strengths and address weaknesses using the suggestions from the report.

The instrument is still in its pilot phase. Validity studies have not been conducted and psychometric properties have not yet been established through research, although the research team hopes to begin such a process soon. In the meantime, the APERS assists teachers and technical assistance providers to evaluate current classroom practices and identify goals for increasing program quality at model sites. See the resources section for information on what is required to be trained to use the APERS.