The Nebraska Department of Education has developed the network to provide training and technical assistance to local school districts, educational service units and parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Consultative Services

Upon request, the five regional ASD Network Coordinators are available to provide training and technical assistance to local school districts in the areas of:

Educational Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorders

When a child is exhibiting characteristics of ASD and is referred for an evaluation or when a child enters a district having a previous identification of ASD:
The assessment should follow Rule 51 guidelines for the referral and identification process.
The Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) confirms ASD. If ASD is not confirmed by the MDT team, but characteristics of ASD are documented, the regional team may be contacted to assist in program planning.
In Nebraska, even if a student has a medical diagnosis of autism, an educational identification is necessary in order for the student to receive services from the local school district.

Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) and the Individualized Education Plan (IEP)

An IFSP or IEP will be developed and a meeting held in accordance with federal and state regulations.
If technical assistance is needed by the local district's direct service providers, the ASD Regional Team is available to provide support to the team in conducting appropriate assessments and identifying appropriate IFSP or IEP goals based on the child's present level of performance and service needs.

Program planning, including the identification and implementation of appropriate strategies and interventions for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

The local school district will provide appropriate interventions and related services in accordance with the needs of each student.
The ASD Regional Team is available to provide technical assistance, consultation or training to support the local school district's direct service team, if needed, in selecting and implementing strategies and interventions.

Workshops & Training

The ASD Network provides training for Nebraska educators and parents on a regional and state level.
To view upcoming workshops and webinars visit our home page at: https://www.unl.edu/asdnetwork/

Resource Libraries

Each region has a lending library consisting of books, videos and other resources that is available to school districts and parents upon request. Contact the Regional Coordinator in your area to receive consultative services from the ASD Regional Team or to borrow resource materials from the regional ASD library.

NOTE: The ASD Network does not provide direct services to students with autism. Local school districts will assure that children with ASD have available a free appropriate public education which includes special education and related services to meet their unique needs.

Information and Service Requests

To request information and/or services from the Nebraska ASD Network, please contact your regional coordinator.