ASRS

The Autism Spectrum Rating Scales (ASRS) were completed in order to quantify behavioral observations
that are associated with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. When used alongside other information, results
from the ASRS can help determine the likelihood that a child has behavioral characteristics similar to
youth who have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Several scales provide information regarding
specific Autism characteristics, including the Social/Communication, Unusual Behaviors, and Self-
Regulation scales. Additional treatment scales provide information that is helpful in developing
intervention plans. T-scores reported on the ASRS are based on an average of 50 and standard deviation
of 10. The Parent form of the ASRS was completed by Ms. PP and the Teacher form was completed by
the teacher Ms. TT.

ASRS FORMS PARENT TEACHER

Scales T-score/ T-score/ Qualitative Description
Description Description
Total Score
Total Score NN/Very NN/ Very Has many behavioral characteristics similar to children
Elevated Elevated diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (Teacher,
Parent)
ASRS Scales
Social/ Communication NN/Very NN/Very Has difficulty using verbal and non-verbal communication
Elevated Elevated appropriately to initiate, engage in, and maintain social
contact. (Teacher, Parent)
Unusual Behaviors NN/Very NN/Very Has trouble tolerating changes in routine. Engages in
Elevated Elevated apparently purposeless, stereotypical behaviors. Overreacts
to certain sensory experiences (Teacher, Parent)
DSM-IV-TR SCALE
DSM-IV-TR Scale NN/Very NN/Very Has symptoms directly related to the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic
Elevated Elevated criterial for an Autism Spectrum Disorder (Teacher, Parent)
TREATMENT SCALES
Peer Socialization NN/Very NN/Very Has limited willingness and capacity to successfully engage in
Elevated Elevated activities that develop and maintain relationships with other
children (Teacher, Parent)
Adult Socialization NN/Very NN/Very Has limited willingness and capacity to successfully engage in
Elevated Elevated activities that develop and maintain relationships with other
adults (Teacher, Parent)
Social/Emotional NN/Very NN/Elevated Has limited ability to provide an appropriate emotional
Reciprocity Elevated response to another person in a social situation. (Teacher,
Parent)
Atypical Language NN/Very NN/Elevated Spoken communication may be repetitive, unstructured, or
Elevated unconventional. (Teacher, Parent)
Stereotypy NN/Very NN/Very Engages in apparently purposeless and repetitive behaviors.
Elevated Elevated (Teacher, Parent)
Behavioral Rigidity NN/Very NN/Very Has difficulty tolerating changes in routine, activities, or
Elevated Elevated behavior; aspects of the environment must remain
unchanged. (Teacher, Parent)
Sensory Sensitivity NN/Very NN/Very Overreacts to certain experiences sensed through touch,
Elevated Elevated sound, vision, smell, or taste. (Teacher, Parent)
Attention/Self- NN/ NN/Very Has trouble appropriately focusing attention on one thing
Regulation Elevated Elevated while ignoring distractions; appears disorganized. May have
deficits in motor/impulse control; is argumentative.
(Teacher, Parent)

Based on responses to the ASRS Teacher Form, STUDENT has difficulty using appropriate verbal and
nonverbal communication for social contact, engages in unusual behaviors, has difficulty relating to
children, has difficulty relating to adults, has difficulty providing appropriate emotional responses to people
in social situations, uses language in an atypical manner, engages in stereotypical behaviors, has
difficulty tolerating changes in routine, overreacts to sensory stimulation, and has problems with
inattention and/or motor and impulse control.

Examples of teacher ratings that contributed to the elevated scores on the ASRS, included: occasionally
smiles appropriately, occasionally plays with others, frequently insists on doing things the same way each
time, very frequently needs to have things happen just as expected, very frequently has a strong reaction
to any change in routine, very frequently becomes upset if routines were changed, never keeps a
conversation going, never notices social cues, frequently becomes fascinated with parts of objects,
frequently uses an odd way of speaking, never shows an interest in the ideas of others, very frequently
insists on certain routines, very frequently twirls/spins/bangs objects, and very frequently repeats or
echoes what others said.

Based on responses to the ASRS Parent form, STUDENT has difficulty using appropriate verbal and
nonverbal communication for social contact, engages in unusual behaviors, has difficulty relating to
children, has difficulty relating to adults, has difficulty providing appropriate emotional responses to people
in social situations, uses language in an atypical manner, engages in stereotypical behaviors, has
difficulty tolerating changes in routine, overreacts to sensory stimulation, and has problems with
inattention and/or motor and impulse control.

Examples of parent ratings that contributed to the elevated scores on the ASRS included: frequently
needs things to happen just as expected, frequently has a strong reaction to any change in routine,
frequently becomes upset if routines are changed, very frequently becomes fascinated with parts of
objects, very frequently uses an odd way of speaking, frequently avoids looking at people who speak to
him, frequently has social problems with children of the same age, frequently repeats certain words or
phrases out of context, and frequently flaps his hands when excited.

SUMMARY

Based on results of this Emotional/Behavior evaluation, including review of historical data, current
observations, parent/teacher reports, findings from the ADOS-2, and structured rating scales, STUDENT
displays limited social/communication skills for his age, has difficulty self-regulating his emotions, and has
limited social interaction skills for his age. STUDENT also appears to have somewhat restricted patterns
of interest, and he is inflexible in his daily routine. STUDENT’s limited communication and social skills
appear to have a negative impact on his relationships at school. Additionally, STUDENT’s behaviors,
which appear to be driven by both need for sensory feedback, high activity level, shortened attention
span, and difficulty with verbal communication, have a negative impact on her work completion and
direction following.

As a result of information obtained through the current evaluation, STUDENT appears to continue to
qualify for special education eligibility under the TEA code of Autism (AU). Although STUDENT
demonstrates some difficulties maintaining positive relationships with others, inappropriate behaviors
under normal circumstances, and attention difficulties, data from this evaluation suggest that these
difficulties appear to be more related to Autism characteristics than Emotional Disturbance or Other
Health Impairment (ADHD) at this time.

Autism, for the purpose of special education eligibility, is defined as a developmental disability
significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before
the age of three, which adversely affects the child's educational performance. Other characteristics often
associated with autism spectrum disorders include: engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped
movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and/or unusual responses to
sensory experiences. In order for eligibility as a student with Autism, an individual must present
with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. Based on results from this
evaluation, STUDENT does demonstrate some ritualized patterns of behavior and fixated interests.
STUDENT was reported to engage in stereotypical behaviors, such as hand flapping and atypical
repetitive use of objects, although these behaviors were not observed by the LSSP. For the purposes of
Autism eligibility, an individual must also present with deficits in social communication and social
interaction across contexts, not accounted for by general developmental delays. Based on observations
and teacher ratings, STUDENT does demonstrate deficits in his social interaction skills and social
language skills compared to typically developing same-age peers. Although STUDENT has an interest in
social interactions with peers, he does not know how to go about these interactions appropriately and
does not pick up social cues within his environment as readily as other children his age. Additionally,
STUDENT appears to have difficulty identifying his role in relationships, overcoming setbacks or negative
feelings, and recovering from minor setbacks.

Overall, results from this evaluation suggest that STUDENT does demonstrate a pervasive pattern of
developmental differences significantly impacting his verbal communication, nonverbal communication,
and social interactions across school settings. He demonstrates more rigid and restricted emotional
responses, which have a negative impact on his communication, academic performance, and social
functioning; therefore STUDENT meets TEA special education eligibility under the category of Autism
(AU).