Autism Spectrum Disorder Services
At Maryland School for the Deaf, services for deaf and hard of hearing students with autism are built around each student, not a single program or approach. In partnership with families and IEP teams, MSD provides individualized services and supports designed to ensure each student has access to instruction, opportunities to participate fully, and the resources needed to make educational progress.
Services and Supports
Every student who attends MSD brings unique strengths, interests, and potential. We take the time to understand your child as an individual and recognize families as a valued member of the IEP team. Rather than placing students in a separate autism program or following a fixed service model, we integrate individualized services and supports throughout your child's school day. The IEP team regularly reviews your child's progress and adjusts services and supports as your child develops and reaches new milestones.
Individualized Planning
Your child's IEP team uses evaluation results, educational data, your input as a parent or caregiver, and information about your child's progress to determine educational goals, services, and supports. These decisions are made collaboratively and reviewed regularly to ensure your child's IEP continues to reflect their strengths and educational needs.
Based on your child's IEP, services and supports may include:
- Specialized instruction
- Related services, such as speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, audiology, counseling, or psychological services
- Behavioral assessments and individualized behavioral supports
- Consultation with specialists
- Communication and language supports
- Additional adult support, including Enhanced Services when determined appropriate through the IEP process and applicable eligibility criteria
Collaborative Team Approach
Your child's IEP team brings together professionals from across MSD to coordinate instruction, services, and supports. Team members collaborate with you to address your child's educational goals in areas such as communication, learning, independence, behavior, and social-emotional development.
Based on your child's IEP, the team may include:
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- Teachers of the Deaf
- Board Certified Behavior Analysts
- School psychologists
- Speech-language pathologists
- Occupational therapists
- Physical therapists
- School counselors
- Social workers
- Audiologists
- American Sign Language specialists
As a parent or caregiver, you are an essential member of your child's IEP team and an active participant in educational planning and decision-making.
Educational Environment
MSD provides a language-rich, bilingual environment where students have direct access to instruction and communication in American Sign Language and English. Instruction, services, and supports are aligned with each student's IEP and educational goals. Students may participate in the Maryland College and Career-Ready Standards curriculum or an alternate curriculum, as determined by the IEP team.
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