This section contains my Leadership and Advocacy Professional Development Proposal developed during Topic 2 of SPD-577. The proposal demonstrates the use of leadership, collaboration, advocacy, and professional development planning to address identified needs related to supporting students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It reflects the role of the autism specialist in using stakeholder input and data to identify areas of need, establish professional learning priorities, and develop meaningful supports for educators and other school professionals.

Leadership and Advocacy Professional Development Proposal

The proposed professional development, “Leading Consistent and Collaborative ASD Support,” will prepare administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals, and related service providers to strengthen collaboration, advocacy, and productivity while meeting the individualized needs of students with ASD. The training is necessary because the classroom observations identified both strong practices and areas where greater consistency could improve implementation. The self-contained classroom earned 64 of 68 evaluated points (94.1%), with opportunities for improvement in staff scheduling, instructional data collection, and selected individualized practices. The general education classroom earned 50 of 62 evaluated points (80.6%), with needs related to staff coverage, transitions, engagement, knowledge of IEP objectives, individualized supports, and family communication. Needs-assessment findings also identified consistency across staff, classrooms, and home as a major concern and highlighted behavior, sensory regulation, and collaboration as important areas for continued support. Research supports using evidence-based practices systematically and providing implementation support to improve fidelity in school settings (Hume et al., 2021; Sam et al., 2021).

The training will use a blended, interactive format consisting of a concise presentation, collaborative case analysis, modeling, guided practice, and job-embedded follow-up coaching. This approach reflects the district leader’s recommendation to move beyond static presentations by using modeling, collaborative problem-solving, and in-situ coaching. Effective professional learning is strengthened when educators have opportunities for active learning, collaboration, modeling, coaching, feedback, and reflection (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017). Participants will work across roles to analyze realistic classroom situations, practice using staff-role matrices and ASD support “look-fors,” and develop a simple plan for collecting and reviewing implementation data. Brief follow-up observations using a shared fidelity checklist will provide non-evaluative feedback and determine whether strategies are being implemented consistently.

Key presentation topics will include: (1) creating consistency across staff, settings, and home; (2) clarifying staff roles and collaborative responsibilities; (3) proactive behavior, sensory-regulation, and de-escalation practices; (4) evidence-based ASD instruction, communication supports, and data-driven problem-solving; and (5) advocacy, family partnerships, and shared decision making. Effective parent-teacher communication and coordinated problem-solving are particularly important when supporting students with ASD across settings (Azad et al., 2021). The goal is to provide stakeholders with practical strategies they can implement immediately while building shared leadership and accountability for student outcomes.

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