What is an Autistic Support Specialist?
An autistic support specialist is an education professional who works directly with autistic students. Autistic support specialists are typically employed by schools or non-profit organizations. As illustrated below, they provide a variety of critical support services to autistic students.
What is Autism?
Autism is a spectrum disorder that results in varying levels of severity. This means that autism is actually an umbrella term that is used to describe symptoms that can be found among the three major disorder types: autism, Asperger's syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). Therefore, every autistic student has individualized symptoms and conditions. Autism effects a student's social, behavior and language skills. First, the child may exhibit strange facial expressions or body language. They may have a lack of common interests and be unable to engage in social interaction. They struggle to understand people's feelings and make friends. Second, they may experience
…show more content…
First, the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) is a non-profit organization that grants professional credentials to those who perform behavior analysis at work. They offer different credentials to autistic support specialists For example, a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) is responsible for providing basic behavior-analytic services. They work under the supervision of a certified professional, such as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, who provides advanced behavior-analytic services. Additionally, the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) offers their Autism Certificate (AC), Certified Autism Specialist (CAS) and Certified Autism Specialist credentials. These certifications recognize individuals who voluntary meet stringent standards by enhancing their professional credibility and