National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder (NPDC): Increasing Teachers' Use of Evidence-Based Practices with Autistic Students in Elementary Schools

The National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder (NPDC) program is a comprehensive program model that aims to promote teachers' use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) with autistic students enrolled in elementary school special education and inclusive programs. The NPDC program involves a 1-day training academy for school A-Teams, which provides an orientation to the NPDC program model, an overview of EBPs, and the selection of EBPs to address identified student goals. The program also includes coaching assistance, where NPDC coaches work with teachers to implement EBPs with fidelity. Additionally, the program assesses program quality using the Autism Program Environment Rating Scale (APERS) and evaluates student progress using the Goal Attainment Scale (GAS).