IEP for Autism in Indiana: What Your Child's IEP Must Address Under Article 7

Getting an IEP for a child with autism in Indiana isn't just about checking a box for eligibility — it's about making sure every area of need is assessed, every appropriate service is on the document, and every goal is actually measurable. Indiana's Article 7 has specific provisions for Autism Spectrum Disorder, and the gap between what parents get and what their child is entitled to is often wide. Here is how to close that gap.

Autism Eligibility Under Indiana's Article 7

Indiana recognizes Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as one of the 13 disability categories under 511 IAC 7-41. The definition aligns with IDEA and the DSM-5 conceptualization: a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age 3, that adversely affects educational performance.

Eligibility for special education requires both:

1. A determination that the student has ASD, and
2. A finding that ASD adversely affects their educational performance in a way requiring specially designed instruction

A medical diagnosis of autism from a developmental pediatrician or psychologist supports but does not automatically create IEP eligibility. The school's evaluation team makes the educational determination.

What an Autism Evaluation in Indiana Should Cover

The evaluation for ASD under Article 7 must assess all areas of suspected disability. For autism, this typically means:

• Cognitive assessment: intelligence testing, processing speed, working memory, executive function
• Academic achievement: reading, writing, math — across decoding, comprehension, fluency, and computation
• Communication assessment: by a speech-language pathologist — expressive and receptive language, pragmatic (social) communication, AAC needs
• Social-emotional and behavioral assessment: ASD-specific rating scales (ADOS-2 or CARS-2 if the diagnosis is not already established), adaptive behavior scales (Vineland), teacher and parent rating scales
• Occupational therapy assessment if sensory processing or fine motor concerns exist
• Behavioral assessment / FBA if behavior is a significant concern

If the school's evaluation skips any of these areas that are relevant to your child, you can disagree and request an IEE (Independent Educational Evaluation) at district expense covering the missing areas.

What Must Be in an IEP for Autism

Federal IDEA has specific requirements for students with autism. Indiana's Article 7 incorporates these: when a student's eligibility includes ASD, the IEP must consider and address:

• Communication needs: AAC devices, speech services, augmentative systems
• Social skills instruction: peer interaction, pragmatic communication, social stories, structured social opportunities
• Behavior: an FBA and BIP if behavior is a concern; positive behavioral supports and strategies
• Sensory considerations: how sensory processing affects the student and what environmental modifications support learning
• Physical education: specially designed PE if needed
• Supports for staff working with the student (not just the student's plan, but training and consistency requirements)

"Consider" in the law means the CCC must actually discuss these areas and document why they are or are not addressed in the IEP. Schools sometimes skip this checklist. Ask at the meeting: "Has the team completed the ASD-specific consideration checklist required under Article 7?"

The Indiana IEP & 504 Blueprint includes an ASD-specific IEP checklist, sample goals across communication, social skills, adaptive behavior, and academic domains, and guidance on requesting autism-appropriate placement. Get the complete toolkit

IEP Goals for Autism: What "Measurable" Actually Means

Goals for students with ASD must be specific, observable, and measurable — not general aspirations. Every goal should have:

• A clear baseline (where the student is now)
• A measurable target with accuracy criterion
• A defined timeframe (typically one year)
• A specified measurement method

Communication goals:

• "Using his AAC device, [Student] will spontaneously request a desired item or activity in 3 different school environments (classroom, cafeteria, therapy room) with 80% independence across 3 consecutive data collection sessions."
• "When shown a picture or object, [Student] will label it using a single-word verbal utterance or AAC selection with 75% accuracy across 5 consecutive sessions."

Social skills goals:

• "During structured peer play activities, [Student] will make eye contact with a peer and direct a verbal or gestural turn-taking bid on at least 3 occasions per 20-minute session across 4 out of 5 observed sessions."
• "[Student] will identify whether a peer is exhibiting happy, sad, or angry emotion using pictures or live interaction with 80% accuracy across 3 consecutive sessions."

Behavioral/self-regulation goals:

• "When presented with a non-preferred task, [Student] will use a coping strategy (deep pressure, movement break, visual calming card) rather than physical protest behavior on 4 out of 5 observed opportunities."
• "Given a visual 5-minute transition countdown, [Student] will independently transition to the next activity within 2 minutes of the timer ending with no more than 1 verbal prompt, on 4 out of 5 observed transitions."

Academic goals:

• "Given a 100-word second-grade decodable passage, [Student] will read orally at a rate of 60 words per minute with no more than 3 errors, across 3 consecutive weekly probes."

Placement for Students with Autism in Indiana

Placement decisions are made by the CCC and must be based on the student's individual needs — the least restrictive environment (LRE) where the student can receive FAPE (a Free Appropriate Public Education). Indiana's LRE continuum ranges from full general education inclusion to separate day programs.

What LRE actually means for autism: LRE does not mean the general education classroom is always the right setting. It means the most integrated setting where the student's IEP can be implemented. A student who needs intensive ABA-based instruction, small group teaching, or a highly structured sensory environment may be better served in a substantially separate classroom — and that is still LRE for that student.

Conversely, many students with high-functioning ASD are placed in substantially separate settings when their academic needs could be met with appropriate supports in general education. If your child is being offered a separate program when you believe they could succeed with proper inclusion supports, push for the inclusion placement with a strong support plan.

Considerations for Rural vs. Suburban Indiana

Indiana's special education cooperatives pool resources across rural districts — one autism specialist may serve multiple schools in different towns. This affects:

• Response time for CCC meetings and reevaluations
• Availability of autism-specific programming
• Consistency of behavioral supports between classrooms

In well-resourced suburban districts (Carmel Clay, Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers, Zionsville), there may be more internal programming options — but also more gatekeeping through extended MTSS documentation requirements before they'll conduct a formal evaluation.

If your child's evaluation or CCC is being delayed through process, put your request in writing with dates and follow up in writing after any verbal promise.

The IEP is the central document of your child's educational career. For students with autism, it also has to be comprehensive — covering communication, social skills, behavior, sensory needs, and academics, not just the areas the school finds easiest to address. Get the Indiana IEP & 504 Blueprint to walk into your next CCC meeting knowing what the law requires and what you have the right to demand.

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