Autism Endorsement for Teachers

The Autism Endorsement for Teachers certificate program includes both coursework and a field experience for licensed special education teachers to acquire the competencies necessary to conduct assessments, develop appropriate individualized education programs, provide specially designed instruction. Students develop skills to coordinate related services and consult and collaborate with other educators, including general education teachers, to teach students with autism.

Eligibility for Autism Endorsement
To be eligible for the autism endorsement, applicants must hold the pre-requisite Massachusetts teaching license; complete all of the curriculum and field experiences; and be endorsed through the DESE ELAR portal by Endicott’s Licensure Officer.

Prerequisite License for Autism Endorsement
Educators who hold one of the following licenses* at either the Initial or Professional level:

Teacher of Students with Moderate Disabilities (PreK-8; 5-12)
Teacher of Students with Severe Disabilities (All)
Teacher of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (All)
Teacher of the Visually Impaired (All)

*Educators with comparable licenses may satisfy the prerequisite license requirement. For example, licenses such as Children with Severe Special Needs, Intensive Special Needs, Teacher of Special School and Classes and Special Needs.

Field Experiences for Autism Endorsement
There are two ways to meet the required field experiences component of the endorsement:

Complete a 150 hour field based experience of which at least 75 hours must be in an inclusive school setting.
For teachers with an appropriate prerequisite license and at least one year of teaching experience with students with autism; completion of a 75 hour field based experience, of which at least 50 must be in an inclusive school based setting.

Distinction from the Institute for Behavioral Studies Certificate in Autism
The Autism Teacher’s Endorsement is a curriculum and field experience, regulated by the MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education, for licensed public school educators in the state of Massachusetts only. No master’s degree is required. The certificate program is an in-depth program that focuses on the use of ABA to serve the needs of individuals with ASD. Either program may serve as a pipeline for Endicott degrees in special education, Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis, or Applied Behavior Analysis. The autism certificate is often pursued by behavior analysts, speech therapists, or others who are interested in additional graduate coursework in the area of autism spectrum disorders, and who seek a credential specifying content knowledge in this area.

Admission Requirements

All candidates must apply online at: endicott.edu/admission/information-for-graduate-students/apply

Applicants should submit the following to Graduate Admissions, Endicott College, 376 Hale Street, Beverly, MA 01915

Non-refundable $50.00 application fee (check made payable to Endicott College, cash or online) Application fee waived for veteran and military students;
Two letters of recommendation (one academic reference and one professional reference);
Official transcripts of all post-secondary academic work sent directly from the institution(s) including confirmation of undergraduate degree, date confirmed, and any other graduate work;
Statement of purpose of no less than three pages outlining your intentions for graduate study, your background in the field of applied behavior analysis, and the contributions that you intend to make to the field. This essay should be in APA format and include no less than 3 references.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for all students whose native language is not English; minimum score of 550 (paper-based) or 79 (iBT) is required. The institutional code for Endicott College is 3369. Endicott also accepts an IELTS score of 6.0 or better;
All admissions requirements must be satisfied in order to be formally accepted in a degree program. Students must be formally admitted to a program before the completion of six Endicott credits.

International Applicants for Graduate Admission
Endicott College welcomes and encourages applicants from around the world. International applicants are required to hold a college or university degree equivalent to a four-year American baccalaureate degree. Educational documents in a foreign language are required to be translated into English. All transcripts and translations of transcripts must be official originals and must show courses completed, grades received, grading scale, duration of study, degree or diploma received, and the date conferred. Endicott College reserves the right to request verification of the credentials by an external agency.

International applicants must submit current TOEFL scores when their native language is not English or when their baccalaureate transcript is not from an institution where English is the language of instruction. Once students have been admitted as degree candidates, Endicott College will send detailed instructions about the process for acquiring an Endicott-sponsored student visa.

Program of Study

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of the program, the student will:

Assess students with autism and report the results in an accessible way.
Coordinate efforts amongst related service providers including social workers, speech language pathologists, and families to ensure student-centered outcomes are met.
Apply their knowledge of how to teach students with autism in the least restrictive environment.
Demonstrate high-level knowledge of current research and an ability to translate that to effective pedagogy in K-12 schools.

Autism Endorsement for Teachers

Admission Requirements

Program of Study

Learning Outcomes

Required Curriculum

Total Certificate Requirements - 12 credits