Endorsement in Autism

The Florida Endorsement in Autism prepares professionals to teach learners diagnosed as experiencing autism spectrum disorder. The Endorsement requires a Bachelor's degree or higher with certification in any area of special education with an additional 12 semester hours of coursework. Individuals may take the courses for the Endorsement as a student in a Bachelor's or Master's degree program in an appropriate discipline or as an FSU special non-degree-seeking student. Application for the endorsement is made to the Florida Department of Education. For information about applying for the Endorsement, please visit: http://www.fldoe.org/edcert/rules/6A-4-01796.asp

The Education of Students with Exceptionalities Program/Special Education Programs, in collaboration with the Communication Disorders Program, offers courses that meet the requirements of Florida's Endorsement in Autism. All courses will be delivered on-line over the Internet. Courses for the Endorsement are as follows:

Spring semester - EEX 5298: Teaching Students with Autism: The purpose of this course is to provide class participants with an overview of the characteristics, etiology, and prevalence of autism spectrum disorders. Additional topics include instructional strategies, classroom organization, and teaming with families and professionals. Emphasis will be placed on collaborative strategies to develop and implement comprehensive educational programs based on meeting the unique needs of learners with autism in inclusive and naturalistic settings.
Summer semester - EEX 5248: Positive Behavior Support: The purpose of this course is to provide class participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to develop, implement, and evaluate the impact of positive behavior support. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the communicative function of challenging behaviors, the teaching of new skills that make the challenging behavior unnecessary for the learner, and the prevention of the reoccurrence of challenging behaviors. The course will include functional behavior assessment and positive behavior support as foundations of appropriate behavioral intervention in keeping with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997.
Summer semester - SPA 5432: Autism and Severe Communication Disorders: The purpose of this course is to provide class participants with the knowledge needed to develop effective communication and language assessment and intervention strategies for individuals with autism and severe communication disabilities. Major emphasis will be placed on the communication, social and behavioral challenges of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Guidelines for the assessment and intervention of communication and behavior will be provided, including decision-making for the selection of a communication system, functional assessment of challenging behavior, and structured teaching and environmental supports to support effective learning.
Fall semester - EEX 5234: Development and Assessment of Individuals with Severe Disabilities: The purpose of this course is to provide class participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand the effects of severe disabilities (i.e., severe/profound mental disability, autism spectrum disorder, and dual sensory impairments) on development and learning. A further purpose of the course is to provide participants with the ability to appropriately assess the skills and abilities of students with severe disabilities in a way that assessment results can be translated into meaningful educational interventions.

The course content is sequenced so that it is best to begin fall semester; however, this is not required. Courses with the SPA prefix will be offered through the Department of Communication Disorders. Courses with the EEX prefix will be offered through the School of Teacher Education.

Applying to FSU and registering for courses

Students may take the courses as FSU distance learning special students or as degree-seeking students. For information about applying to FSU, please visit the website: https://admissions.fsu.edu. Please note that these are graduate-level courses. Students must have completed a Bachelor’s degree in order to take the courses.

For assistance in applying to FSU and registering for courses once accepted to FSU, please contact Ms. Kathy Gartley at kgartley@fsu.edu .

Practicing teachers in the state of Florida may be eligible for tuition waivers through the Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services, Personnel Development Partnership (PDP). The tuition waivers would cover the cost of tuition for teachers to earn the Florida Endorsement in Autism. Teachers would be responsible for purchasing textbook and other materials required for courses, paying an additional fee of $50 per credit hour, and any other fees required by Florida State University. For more information, please contact Dr. Linda Gessner at lgessner@fsu.edu.

Technology Requirements

In order to complete class requirements, class participants will need to be able to:

Access the Internet,
Download and upload Word documents,
Download, view, construct, and listen to PowerPoint documents,
Download PDF files,
Utilize RealPlayer or Windows Media Player to view and listen to digitized videotapes, and
Send and receive e-mails.

For more information about the technology requirements for online courses, please see: http://learningforlife.fsu.edu/online/prospective/faq.cfm

For more information about the requirements for the Endorsement in Autism, please visit the Florida Department of Education website at http://www.fldoe.org/edcert/rules/6A-4-01796.asp

For more information about classes, please contact:
Dr. Mary Frances Hanline
School of Teacher Education
Florida State University
mhanline@fsu.edu