Assessment of students with autism spectrum disorder for emergency response planning

Abstract

Students with autism have varied support needs, which may impact their safety in an emergency. Schools may want to create individualized emergency support plans for their students with autism, especially given that schools that receive public funding are required to ensure that all people, including those with disabilities, receive the benefit of emergency response planning. This article reviews the difficulties students with autism may face in an emergency and provides guidelines for assessing the support needs of students with autism that may impact them in an emergency. Specifically, it reviews assessment practices for communication, adaptive skills, sensory needs, and medical concerns as well as how needs in those areas may impact the student in an emergency. Finally, it concludes by briefly discussing how to create an individualized emergency response plan for a student based on the assessment results.