Educational Identification of Students with ASD Virtual Training Series
October 2026 - January 2027
All sessions will be held from 8:00am-10:00am EST
Registration: 7:45am
(Space limited to 110 participants – Ohio-based participants only)
"This training was very helpful as it helps understand the importance of being thorough with evaluations and involving multiple team members in order to correctly identify autism." - Past Attendee
The process to identify and serve students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) requires a well-trained and experienced evaluation team. From creating your team to administering quality assessments to accurately interpreting findings and communicating with parents and families, it is critical to have the knowledge and skills to best support students with ASD.
OCALI is pleased to host the Educational Identification of Students with ASD Training Series virtually for the 2024 - 2025 school year. This introductory training series, with 10 two-hour sessions is designed for Ohio school-based evaluation teams that want to learn about the process for educational identification of students with ASD. (Note: Ohio has adopted the Federal Guidelines for Educational Eligibility for Autism.)
Who Should Attend?
Ohio school-based evaluation teams, including, but not limited to the intervention specialist, speech and language pathologist, occupational therapist, school psychologist, general education teacher, and school administrator.
Key Concepts & Takeaways
- Participants will be introduced to important research, key concepts, and strategies around understanding the legal and ethical foundations of evaluation in public schools
- Recognizing autism in girls
- Identifying catatonia in students with ASD
- Understanding differential identification
- Forming and supporting the trans-disciplinary evaluations teams
- Developing a comprehensive evaluation team report and providing parent and staff feedback
- Understanding the importance of adaptive behavior and emotional functioning in the assessment for educational identification of ASD, as well as learning about various assessment tools
Presenter: Ruth Aspy, Ph.D.
Ruth Aspy, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in private practice with The Ziggurat Group and specializes in assessment and intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. She is co-creator of a comprehensive model of intervention. Along with Dr. Barry Grossman, Dr. Aspy has written The Ziggurat Model, winner of the 2008 ASA award for outstanding book of the year. Dr. Aspy speaks internationally. She has experience in both the clinic and school settings.
Fee is $140 per person for the 10 session series. There will be no separate registration for individual sessions.
Space is limited to 110 participants (Ohio-based participants only).
Sessions will be recorded for internal use only.
Deadline for registration is October 9, 2026.
Cancellation Policy: No refunds will be given for cancelled registration.
Please contact Patt Krug with any questions: 614-401-4049 or patt_krug@ocali.org.
Please note: Topics are subject to change or may change by date.
October 14 – Session 1: Prevalence; Legal Foundations
October 21 – Session 2: Outcomes; Diagnosis vs. Eligibility; Adverse Effect and Autism; Catatonia
October 28 – Session 3: Gender Gap: Recognizing Girls with Autism
November 4 – Session 4: Differential Identification; Common Errors; Impact of ADHD and Other Conditions on Recognizing Autism
November 11 – Session 5: Team Process; Clinical Judgment vs. Relying on Scores; Occam's Razor; What to Look for Based on Field of Training
December 2 – Session 6: Report Writing; Explaining Discrepancies; Standards for Reports - Specifc, Clear, Accurate
December 9 – Session 7: Meaningful Recommendations - Avoiding Cookie Cutter; Team and Individual Recommendations
January 6 – Session 8: Interviews; The CARS 2; Parent Interview; Developmental History
January 13 – Session 9: Instruments; Assessing; Nonverbal Communicative Behaviors for Social Interaction
January 20 – Session 10: More Instruments; Case Studies; Intervention Ideas; Action Plan
Earn Credit
One hour of credit is available through Ashland University. Information for online registration for credit will be shared during the sessions.