Autism Spectrum Disorder Certificate

The College of Education offers a graduate certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The certificate is a collaborative effort between the department of special education and rehabilitation counseling, and the department of educational, school, and counseling psychology in the College of Education and the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the College of Health Sciences. The primary purpose of this 15-credit hour certificate is to provide special education teachers and related personnel from across the state with advanced credentials that will allow them to implement evidence-based and research-based strategies. The certificate will accomplish the following:

• efficiently and effectively equip professionals to meet federal and state demands for quality
• provide professionals with the knowledge and skills to identify, use, and recommend researchbased practices for students who have ASD, including students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• provide personnel with knowledge and skills to work collaboratively with district and school level teams.

The specialized five course ASD graduate certificate program will include competencies in the following areas:

• implementing evidence-based and research-based instruction
• using data from formal and informal assessments to guide instruction, and
• serving as specialists in district and school-wide programs to support students with autism in improving areas of communication, socialization, behavior, and access to the general education curriculum

Admission

A prerequisite to admission to the ASD certificate program is admission to the University of Kentucky Graduate School. That requires evidence of an awarded baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher learning. In additional to full admission to any existing graduate program, Graduate School admission status may be post-baccalaureate or non-degree.