Teacher preparation programs at the pre-service level may teach about autism, but few college or university programs prepare teachers to actually teach children with autism.  As a result, many teachers working in the field of special education today have had little or no training in research-based programs that have been demonstrated to be effective for children with autism. FATE’s pre-service initiative was launched to address this critical need. 

 

College or university students majoring in special education are now eligible to attend any of the workshops offered through FATE, without cost, by applying for a grant through Project Pipeline. Complete the online application.

 

Trainings offered through FATE are based upon the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), the only method endorsed by the U.S. Surgeon General for treating autism. Training is also provided in Direct Instruction (DI), a research-based curriculum effective for teaching academic skills such as reading, language comprehension, and mathematics.  FATE’s workshops are designed for special education teachers by special education teachers dually certified as behavior analysts. These workshops aim to help special education teachers establish and maintain effective programs that utilize the principles of ABA in their public school classrooms.