The Central Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Region is part of the NE ASD Network which was created by the Nebraska Department of Education Special Populations Office (NDE). The network is composed of five Regional Teams throughout Nebraska and the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Standing Committee in partnership with NDE and UNL. The goals of the network are to assist school districts in providing quality educational opportunities for children with ASD and to enhance schools’ capacity in providing free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment.
The core Central Region Autism Team is composed of a school psychologist, speech/language pathologist, occupational therapist, and resource specialist/early child special educator. Team members participate in ongoing training to learn and keep current on the latest research and practice. Central Region ASD Advisory board members include administrators, special educators, parents, representatives of a community service agency, and providers.
The Central Region Autism Team will provide a variety of supports to school districts within the region. Examples of supports the team may provide include the following:
- Assistance with initial verification and ongoing assessments of children with characteristics of ASD
- Consultative assistance in designing and implementing programs for students with ASD in areas such as: communication, behavior, social skills training, fine and gross motor skills, transition, play and leisure, and life skills
- A resource library for parents and educators
- Training opportunities for parents, educators, and paraprofessionals
- Information on community resources for students with ASD and their families
The Central Region Team serves schools in ESUs 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, & 17. The CRASDT Director is Alan Reigenborn and the Coordinator is Dawna Sigurdson.