Enhancing provision for children on the autism spectrum Dr Glenys Jones University of Birmingham 23...
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Transcript of Enhancing provision for children on the autism spectrum Dr Glenys Jones University of Birmingham 23...
Enhancing provision for children on the autism spectrumDr Glenys JonesUniversity of Birmingham23 January 2015
Flexibility of thought and behaviour
Communication and
language
Sensory issues
Attention differences
Social and emotional
understanding
Main areas affected in autism/Asperger syndrome
Identification - Think about/assess EVERY pupil in the group/class• And not just those with recognised SEN
• In particular – help others ascertain what the pupil enjoys about school; their degree of inclusion with peers in class and outside; their emotional and physical well-being; any anxieties about life at school or at home; ambitions for the future; their happiness…..
• Use the strategies developed for those with autism and ALL children at a school will benefit including those that have not yet been identified as having SEN or autism
Areas of difference in autism 1
Communication and language: difficulties in using and understanding spoken words, facial expression, gesture, body language, and intonation, irrespective of how intellectually able they are
problems in reading for meaning, taking spoken language literally, issues in understanding sarcasm, jokes, metaphors
Areas of difference in autism 2Social and emotional understanding
knowing what to say and do in different social contexts - so often criticised for being rude, inappropriate, insensitive, lacking empathy
A pupil’s limited facial expression can mean that staff think they are fine and coping when they are not
Difficulties in thinking and behaving flexibly
Issues in predicting, perspective-taking, preference for routines and familiarity, issues in shifting and dividing attention and in processing and working memory
Areas of difference in autism 3
Areas of difference in autism 4
Sensory challenges
• Sensory overload - overwhelmed• Delayed perception – need time• Over and under sensitive• Sights, sound, touch, smell, taste, body
awareness, balance
• Criticised by staff and pupils alike for not doing the right thing (autism is invisible)• Exhausted by the effort of trying to
work out what to do, how to join the group• May seem arrogant, opinionated for not
seeing others’ points of view – and genuinely mystified as to why other people are interested in talking about topics that hold no interest for them.
School is a very challenging placeif you have autism…
School is a very challenging place if you have autism…• Problems in shifting and dividing
attention means that they are often literally deaf to peers and staff • Have problems with prioritising and
working to time• Only motivated by what interests them
– not by social rewards • Can be upset when others break the
rules and will report on other pupils and staff
School is a very challenging place if you have autism…• Pupils are vulnerable to being exploited
materially and sexually as they are socially naïve or want to gain friends – so check on the nature of their relationships with other pupils and teach them to be assertive and how to judge intentions
• Can take written and spoken language literally (eg Clown worksheet next slide)
What might be the difficulties for a child with autism with this worksheet?Can you solve the clown’s problems?
Areas where pupils need help• Need help to gain a friend – hugely important
for self-esteem, learning what is OK/not OK and protection from bullying• Need help to read for meaning in tasks and
exams• Need help to prioritise work, to understand
how to revise, to help make good choices of subjects and University course• Need time away from others – to spend time
on special interest
Areas where pupils need help• To be warned in advance of any changes to
routines• To be given more details of events/ procedures
than other pupils• Need support and not sanctions when it is the
misunderstanding that comes from autism or a problem arising from poor organisational skills
• If their response is very different from other pupils of the same ability, then one has to consider which aspect of their autism/dyslexia, dyspraxia might have led to this
• When instructions given, ask the pupil to show you what they are going to do, to check their understanding
Areas where pupils need help• To cue in to what is relevant in a lesson
– as their attention might be elsewhere• Not to insist on eye contact – as many
autistic people find this painful and easier to listen if they do not have to look at the person• To check on their sensory issues –
using the checklist in the AET materials
Areas which affect well-being and can continue into adulthood
• Sleep deprivation common leading to irritability, lowered performance• Food and drink – may be limited,
intermittent, not fully digested– so may be hungry, in pain, dehydrated, constipated• Toileting may be difficult or signals not
noticed – if absorbed in an activity
• Any ONE of these can affect performance and mood
Free resources for schools, early years and post 16• AET Standards, Competency Framework
and Parents Guide – find at•www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk
Inclusion Development Programme – online study materials on autismwww.aet-idp.org.uk
Aims of the Hertfordshire review on educational provision for children with autism• To identify key issues, concerns and successes in the
education of children with autism
• To consider how to enhance provision and increase a school’s capacity to take a wider range of children
• To make best use of resources
• To clarify the Hertfordshire offer
Challenges in autism throughout the UK
• Increasing number of children identified with autism – at least 1 in 100
• Needs and profiles are very diverse across the population
• Autism is missed by schools and other professionals as it is not as visible in able, passive children, particularly in girls
• School is one of the most demanding environments if you have autism
Challenges in autism throughout the UK
• Reduction in support services and therapists
• No robust evidence on which interventions or settings are best for any individual with autism
• BUT growing consensus from experience of what makes a positive difference……….
• Adult style, physical and sensory environments, stress reduction, using special interests, listening to the pupils
Issues for Hertfordshire• Limited budget which is unlikely to increase so need to use
resources to best effect
• To provide for all pupils locally for good parent links and reduced transport costs and community support
• Data on how many pupils there are with autism is hard to ascertain where this is not listed as the primary need
Issues for Hertfordshire
Placement of Statemented children in each DSPL varies in terms of:
1. Proportion who attend school WITHIN their DSPL
2. Proportion of children at schools out of Herts3. Proportion of children in mainstream schools
• WHY?
Sources of information for the review• Staff in mainstream and special schools and
bases• Advisory service and Educational Psychologists• Parents and carers• Data on placements made for children in each
DSPL• Literature on autism and interventions• Survey data from 162 schools and 4 Colleges
A lot of work done by schools on these aspects of practice
Communication with staff Adjusting teaching Fostering friendships Safe haven created Staff knowledge Prevention of bullying0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
138
126
116
105 105 102
The six principles for which a lot of work has been done according to the respondents
No work has been done on these aspects by some schools
Parents'
room
Parent g
roup fo
r SEN
D
Structu
red co
nversa
tions
Making a
djustmen
ts to te
aching
Activiti
es lunch
/brea
k-time
Asking p
upils'vie
ws0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140127
91
2419 18
12
The six principles for which no work has yet been done accord-ing to participants
Support from CD Autism Team
Primary & Nursery
Secondary All age Primary & Nursery
Secondary All age Primary & Nursery
Secondary All age Primary & Nursery
Secondary All age
Excellent Good Not very useful Not received this support
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
53
7
0
53
15
2
15
30
8
2 1
Respondents' opinion on AAT according to age group
Rating of support from Educational Psychologists
Educational Psychologist0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
10086
36
26
104
Good
Excellent
Not very useful
Not received this support
Not answered/Don't know
Support from ESCs
ESCs0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
9084
29
20
15 14
Not received this support
Good
Excellent
Not very useful
Not answered/Don't know
Support from CAMHS
CAMHS0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
64 64
22
10
2
Not received this support
Not very useful
Good
Not answered/Don't know
Excellent
Staff concerns/issues
• What to do prior to diagnosis which can take a long time• Good schools can become a magnet• How can we measure non academic progress?• Many mainstream staff have little or no
knowledge of autism• Caseloads of support staff do not allow sufficient
time to support schools and families
Staff issues and concerns
• Insufficient time to liaise with parents• ENF funding often turned down for reasons
which are not clear• Staff find pupils’ problems hard to understand
and confused by uneven profiles – so assume they should be able to do X.• Insufficient work done on peer-peer inclusion• Hanging on to difficult children hides the extent
of the problems some schools face
Staff issues and concerns
• Parents who appear not to accept the diagnosis• Parents who do not want their child or other
children to know their child has autism
Parents’ issues and concerns
• Parents want more information at diagnosis and shorter waiting times• Schools don’t ‘get it’• Staff do not take parents’ concerns seriously –
particularly when child is academically able• Hard to get to see key staff• Would like more frequent meetings with staff
Parents’ issues and concerns
• CAMHS services not as helpful as hoped• Would like separate/alternative provision – bases
or a school for able, anxious children• Would like staff to work on social and emotional
well-being and life skills• Inconsistent support – good support can
disappear when the child moves class or school
Parents’ issues and concerns
• Children are given repeated sanctions which do not work• Parents feel they are talked into managed moves
by the threat of exclusion• Child’s part-time attendance limits parents’
employment and quality of life
Summary
• All schools need to be good at meeting the needs of children with autism, so how do we best share good ideas?• Parents and staff need to work more closely
together• Non-academic areas – particularly social
understanding and peer inclusion and life skills need to be developed• Explore reasons for differences in DSPL area
placements
Summary
• Needs of very anxious, able children need to be identified and addressed more effectively• Consideration needs to be given as to how all
schools can better meet the needs of all children• A need to explore alternative provision for some,
not yet made in Hertfordshire• Advice on how to support children and schools
where behaviour challenges staff
Summary: Training and dissemination• A need to continue to raise awareness of how to
recognise autism and where the child is struggling to know where to refer• A need to share issues in teaching children with
autism and to disseminate strategies which help• A need to develop skills to engage effectively with
parents about their child• QUESTION: How are the skills and expertise of
staff best developed?• QUESTION: How is this currently done and to what
effect?
Four TASKS for DSPL Areas,4, 7 and 9
1. Whole school audit using AET Standards (4P; 2S; 1 special; 1 base) and include pupils and parents in this, using AET Standards
2. Parent/carer engagement with schools, staff to complete a questionnaire
3. How do we understand, prevent and manage behaviour which challenges staff and families and how do we identify passive children who are highly anxious or not happy?
4. Explore DSPL placement patterns and ENF funding
The individual pupil Building relationships
Curriculum and Learning
Enabling environments
Four main areas in both the Standards and the Competency Framework
Rating scale for the Standards
• For each Standard the staff will consider the extent to which it is met, as follows:
• Schools will then consider whether work on each Standard is low, medium or high priority to create an action plan
57 competencies• 33 core competencies• 27 advanced competencies
Resources and links illustrating the competency
Links to the National Standards