The Autism Program Environment Rating Scale (APERS) is an environmental assessment instrument measuring the quality of programs for students with autistic spectrum disorders for the purposes of program improvement and/or research. There are two versions of APERS: for preschool/elementary grades (APERS-PE) and middle/high school grades (APERS-MH). Both versions focus on program ecology, interdisciplinary teaming, and family participation.
The complete version of APERS must be completed by certified raters external to schools. The assessment includes a review of student records, interviews with school staff and parents, observations, and the completion of an electronic scoring tool. A shorter APERS self-assessment companion tool can be completed by teachers and used in combination with the full APERS evaluation by a certified rater.
Content
Administration Information
Certification required
Access and Use
Ann Sam ann.sam@unc.edu
Bejnö, H., Bölte, S., Linder, N., Långh, U., Odom, S. L., & Roll-Pettersson, L. (2022). From someone who may cause trouble to someone you can play with: Stakeholders' perspectives on preschool program quality for autistic children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52(9), 3890-3908. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05268-2
Kraemer, B. R., Odom, S. L., Tomaszewski, B., Hall, L. J., Dawalt, L., Hume, K. A., ... & Brum, C. (2020). Quality of high school programs for students with autism spectrum disorder. Autism, 24(3), 707-717. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361319887280
Sam, A. M., Odom, S. L., Tomaszewski, B., Perkins, Y., & Cox, A. W. (2021). Employing evidence-based practices for children with autism in elementary schools. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 51(7), 2308-2323. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04706-x
Psychometrics
Odom, S., Cox, A., Hume, K., Sideris, J., Hedges S., & Kucharczyk, S. (May 2017). Autism Program Environment Rating Scale (APERS): Psychometric Properties. International Meeting for Autism Research. San Francisco, CA https://csesa.fpg.unc.edu/resources/autism-program-environment-rating-scale-apers-psychometric-properties
Odom, S. L., Cox, A., Sideris, J., Hume, K. A., Hedges, S., Kucharczyk, S., et al. (2018). Assessing quality of program environments for children and youth with autism: Autism Program Environment Rating Scale. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(3), 913–924. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3379-7