UTILIZATION OF SCHOOL NURSES DURING THE EVALUATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

This study explored school nurses' involvement during the identification and treatment of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The extent of school nurses' collaboration with school psychologists and other educators also was studied. Participants included 100 school nurses, representing 18 states, who completed a survey on ASD. The response rate was 16.45%. The most common involvement (17.87%) reported by school nurses during the evaluation process of children with ASD was the review of medical records. A small percentage of school nurses (13.19%) noted that they collaborated with school psychologists during the evaluation process. In general, it appears that school nurses have more involvement with children with ASD after they have been classified than during the evaluation/identification process.