Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Definition:

A child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a child with a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and non-verbal social communication and social interaction, generally evidenced by the age of three. Other characteristics often associated with ASD are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental changes or changes in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.

Sections on this page:

Support

Resources

Training

ASD Office Hours

ASD Office hours will resume in the Fall 2026. Topics to be determined.

Time & Dates

Office hours will be held from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm on the following dates:

August 26, 2026
December 11, 2026
April 9, 2027

Interested in Joining or Have Questions?

If you have questions regarding the ASD Office Hours please contact Rhonda Danner at Danner_R@cde.state.co.us.

What's New

Colorado Autism Mentoring Program (CAMP) Cohort 5

Create capacity using multiple regional participants within AUs/districts to mentor individuals working with students with ASD
Utilize coaching models to develop effective coaching practices within districts to support staff
Learn how to utilize effective evaluation tools and strategies for programs and students
Provide professional development based on identified needs of CAMP
participants and ASD evidence-based practices (EBP)
Increase personal knowledge and comfort with implementation and
dissemination of material

This is a two year commitment consisting of four in-person days of training during the 2026-2027 school year and an additional four in-person days of training during the 2027-2028 school year.

CAMP Application

Application deadline is August 7, 2026

Camp Information Flyer (PDF)

2026-27 Trainings Announced!

Autism Evaluation
Structured Teaching
Communication Toolkit
Literacy Institute

See the 2026-27 ASD Training Opportunities for a full list with dates, registrations and additional details.

FAQs for Educational Identification of ASD in Young Learners

FAQ's for Educational Identification of ASD in Young Learners (PDF)

Autism Education Network - Request Support

Autism Education Network: Request for Support
The Autism Education Network (composed of CDE Autism Team Members and contractors) is designed to provide school teams support, training, and resources to guide services for students with autism. Below are potential offerings Autism Network team members may provide based on the request. The level of support provided will be based on AU/school team needs as well as autism team availability.

Training (Virtual or In-Person) or Field Support:

The CDE Autism Team can create targeted, individualized trainings for an AU*/school team based on current needs. These trainings can be done virtually, in-person, or hybrid, and can cover an array of topics related to autism. The team does not offer individualized versions of currently offered CDE trainings (see professional development section or the on-demand webinar page to see all archived webinars).

Field support is intended to offer consultation/coaching services and allows the CDE autism consultants to partner with AU/school teams to address systemic concerns. This service supports implementation of evidence-based practices within the school setting. The CDE autism team collaborates to understand current needs, establishes goals and actionable next steps. Prior to the CDE autism team coming to a district, preliminary work may be required (i.e. foundational webinar, article review). See the “Request Training or Field Support” below (requests must be submitted by Directors of Special Education).

TeleSchool:

The CDE Autism Team partners with Children’s Hospital Colorado to offer behavioral consultation to school teams via virtual coaching sessions. This service is designed for multidisciplinary teams looking to expand their skills in addressing challenging behavior (e.g., aggression, self-harm, property destruction) and can commit to recurring weekly or biweekly sessions to accomplish goals set collaboratively by CDE, CHCO, and school teams. These sessions involve discussions, coaching, and practice implementing various proactive and reactive behavioral strategies. This service is recommended for teams addressing unique and intensive behaviors (e.g., considering alternative placement, behaviors that are not responding to intervention over time). See the “Teleschool Request” below (requests must be submitted by Directors of Special Education).

Flyer - Network Request (PDF)

Request for Training or Field Support

Request Training or Field
Support (Google Form)

TeleSchool Request

Request for Support
with Teleschool (Google Form)

Questions?

Questions about the Colorado Autism Education Network? Please contact Brooke Carson, carson_b@cde.state.co.us, with questions about the Autism Education Network.

2026-2027 Autism Spectrum Disorder Training Opportunities

Listed below are the planned trainings for the 2026-2027 School Year. Click on the + next to an event title to learn more and access the registration.

For questions about any upcoming trainings please contact Brooke Carson, carson_b@cde.state.co.us or Rhonda Danner, danner_r@cde.state.co.us

Autism Evaluation Training (Round 1)

9:00am to 12:00pm on August 13, 20. 27 and September 3, 2026

Registration Now Open!

This training will be presented over 4 days, in 3-hour segments. The training is designed to support districts in understanding how to identify students suspected of having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), using evaluation tools to assess the triad of characteristics of ASD.

Participants will learn how to build a body of evidence to support the identification of ASD (determining eligibility) in an educational setting (without the ADOS).

Who should attend?

Certified school professionals involved in assessment for the educational identification of ASD, including: school psychologists, social workers, speech/language pathologists, special education teachers, occupational therapists, district administrators, and other certified staff who are part of the evaluation team.

Priority will be given to those who have not previously attended.

Dates & Times

August: 13th, 20th, 27th and September: 3rd from 9:00am to 12:00pm

Participants must complete all 4 virtual sessions to receive a certificate for 12 CDE clock hours.
Partial credit will not be given.
No reimbursement is provided to participants.

Registration

Registration will close on Thursday July 30, 2026

**Training is for Colorado personnel only.

Questions?

Contact Brooke Carson at Carson_B@cde.state.co.us

Share this Event

Flyer - Autism Evaluation Training Round 1 (PDF)

Communication Toolkit: Round 1 (Hybrid Moodle Course)

This course is projected to begin in Fall 2026 (Round 1) and again in Winter 2027 (Round 2).

This statewide training is for team members working directly with students with autism. The Communication Toolkit training is designed to:

Support understanding of communication in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) including formal and informal measurement of communication abilities.
Help participants develop a rationale and plan around “where to start” when developing communication systems for students with early emerging communication skills including coaching communication partners for success.
Discuss Evidence Based Practices (EBPs) and match practice to the
characteristics of individual students with ASD.
Give participants a variety of interventions to support students with ASD in developing a functional communication system.

Registration Coming Soon!

ASD Foundations for Instruction

September 1, 2026 & January 12, 2027 from 8:30 am - 3:30 pm.

Registration Now Open

With school districts reporting staff shortages and team members lacking autism training, this content will focus on teaching instructional strategies to IEP team providers newer to the field of ASD (0-5 years). The focus of this hybrid training is for participants to learn autism strategies using specially designed instruction for effective programming (student/classroom). This will be a hands-on learning opportunity with embedded coaching and practice on learned content.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Staff working directly with students with ASD for less than 5 years
Suggested roles: teachers (special education, ECSEs, general education) speech/language pathologists, school psychologists, OTs, PTs
Possible paraeducator attendance: paraeducators can attend IF a certified team member is also registered.

LOCATIONS & DATES

Day 1

September 1, 2026 (in-person)
8:30am - 3:30pm
Colorado Mountain College
(Glenwood Springs, CO)

Day 2

January 12, 2027 (virtual)
8:30am - 3:30pm
Training will be held virtually via Zoom

REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

Registration closes on August 18, 2026
2 hybrid training dates
Registrants are committing to 14 hours of hybrid training
All 14 hours are required; partial attendance or credit will not be accepted/granted
No reimbursement is provided to participants

Registration closes on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.

ASD Literacy Institute (Hybrid Moodle Course)

This course is projected to begin in December 2026.

This statewide institute will be conducted by nationally recognized experts on literacy and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Dr. Christi Carnahan and Dr. Pam Williamson. The institute content will focus on a balanced approach to literacy including instruction in phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing. Each aspect of literacy will be linked to the unique cognitive, social, and communication issues inherent in ASD. Assessment strategies will include an overall estimation of the students’ literacy abilities from interactive to independent, which will help teachers determine what additional literacy assessments may be needed to inform instruction.

This course is projected to begin in December 2026.

FLYER / REGISTRATION - COMING SOON

ASD Communication Toolkit: Round 2 (Hybrid Moodle Course)

This course is projected to begin in Winter 2027.

This statewide training is for team members working directly with students with autism. The Communication Toolkit training is designed to:

Support understanding of communication in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) including formal and informal measurement of communication abilities.
Help participants develop a rationale and plan around “where to start” when developing communication systems for students with early emerging communication skills including coaching communication partners for success.
Discuss Evidence Based Practices (EBPs) and match practice to the
characteristics of individual students with ASD.
Give participants a variety of interventions to support students with ASD in developing a functional communication system.

Registration Coming Soon!

Autism Evaluation Training (Round 2)

This training will begin in February 2027 (Round 2).

Participants will learn how to build a body of evidence to support the identification of ASD (determining eligibility) in an educational setting (without the ADOS).

Who should attend?

Priority will be given to those who have not previously attended.

Dates & Times

August: 13th, 20th, 27th and September: 3rd from 9:00am to 12:00pm

Participants must complete all 4 virtual sessions to receive a certificate for 12 CDE clock hours.
Partial credit will not be given.
No reimbursement is provided to participants.

Registration

Registration will close on Thursday July 30, 2026

**Training is for Colorado personnel only.

Questions?

Contact Brooke Carson at Carson_B@cde.state.co.us

Share this Event

Flyer - Autism Evaluation Training Round 1 (PDF)

Structured Teaching

This training is projected to be in March 2027

The CDE Autism Team is pleased to be hosting a new in-person training, Structured Teaching for Classroom & Student Success. This opportunity will consist of two in person days of didactic and participatory learning on the Structured Teaching (ST) model, incorporating direct student practice with coaching feedback from Dr. Sperry and the ASD Support Team (consists of autism specialists).

Structured Teaching (ST) is an evidence-based model that promotes independence by capitalizing on the visual strengths of people with autism. The ST model supports students of all ages and ability levels and utilizes a highly structured environment, across a variety of educational, community and home/living settings.

This is a three day commitment: days one and two will be in-person (Denver Metro Area), Day three will be in the participant’s school. Participation is limited.

FLYER / REGISTRATION - COMING SOON

Tri-State Collaborative

The Tri-State ASD Collaborative is committed to supporting schools and families. We recognize that finding current materials and resources for supporting individuals with autism can be overwhelming!

We invite you to explore these resources that can support all learners, including those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As new resources become available, lists will be updated.

ASD Resource Lists
Past Webinars

ASD Resource Lists

Past Webinars

Resources

Jump To Resources:

ASD Documents from CDE

Quality Indicators

Determination of Eligibility

ASD Guidelines

The ASD Guidelines (Guidelines for the Educational Evaluation of Autism Spectrum Disorder) contain information that may be used to guide the process of identifying students with ASD and developing appropriate programming, supports and services.

A Spanish version of the ASD Guidelines is also available. Guía para la valoración educativa sobre el trastorno del espectro autista (PDF)

Educational Identification Resources

Other CDE Resources

IEP Parent Training

Behavior and Special Education

Secondary Transition Ages 18-21

Local and National ASD Organizations

Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI)

866-886-2254

OCALI serves families, educators, and professionals working with students with autism and low-incidence disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairments, other health impairments, and traumatic brain injuries.

The Autism Center at OCALI serves as a clearinghouse for information on research, resources, and trends to address the autism challenge. Information can be found through this link.
Strategies in Action - Many Faces of Autism is a free introduction to ASD

Join the Conversation & Contact Us

Join the Colorado Autism Spectrum Disorder Listserv

To join the Autism Spectrum Disorder listserv please contact Lauren Gould, at gould_l@cde.state.co.us.

Contact an ASD Specialist

Brooke Carson, Ph.D.
Phone: 720-215-8647
Email: carson_b@cde.state.co.us

Rhonda Danner, M.A.
Phone: 720-460-8368
Email: Danner_R@cde.state.co.us

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Sections on this page:

Time & Dates

Interested in Joining or Have Questions?

What's New

Colorado Autism Mentoring Program (CAMP) Cohort 5

2026-27 Trainings Announced!

FAQs for Educational Identification of ASD in Young Learners

Training (Virtual or In-Person) or Field Support:

TeleSchool:

Request for Training or Field Support

TeleSchool Request

Questions?

Resources

Jump To Resources:

Join the Colorado Autism Spectrum Disorder Listserv

ESSU Newsletter