The Inclusive Schools and ASDs Whole School Training and Research Project

1
The Inclusive Schools and ASDs Whole School
Training and Research Project

• Autism Cymru in partnership with LEAs and TES
  Cymru

2
Working In Partnership With LEAs and TES Cymru

• The Inclusive Schools and ASDs Whole School
  Training and Research Programme was first piloted
  in RCT following discussions with LEA officers.
• The first cohort of schools were presented with
  their certificates by the Minister for Education
  and Lifelong Learning and Skills, Jane Davidson
  in March 2006

3
What does the project entail?

• 2 days training
• At least a term of whole school activity relating
  to ASDs e.g. training, using a self evaluation
  tool to address short, medium and long term plans
• ½ day for feedback and to discuss the way forward

4
What does the project aim to do?

• Have a long-term impact on schools and the way
  they cater for pupils with ASDs
• Impact on schools is measurable
• Make ASDs a whole school responsibility-
  involving not only teaching staff and LSAs but
  lunch time staff, caretaker, governors etc

5
What do schools say about the project?

• An informative course which has certainly
  clarified issues regarding my knowledge and
  understanding of ASDs
• I feel a big impact has been made on me. I feel
  more confident to support the pupils with ASDs in
  my school
• Every school should be made more aware. Project
  should be compulsory.

6
What issues does the Project cover?

• Living with ASDs
• The Triad of Impairment
• Sensory Issues
• Educational Implications of ASDs
• Behaviour Management
• Common strategies
• Creating an Enabling Environment

7
Task 1Raising Staff Awareness

• Building up a bank of resources- videos, user
  friendly books, examples of resources etc
• Training in Staff meetings and on CPD days using
  power point, videos, DVD, interactive CD Rom,
  posters and quizzes
• ASDs section on the staff notice board

8
Staff Awareness

• Using pupils with ASDs and parents to give
  presentations to whole school
• Dedicated INSET for LSAs and lunch time
  supervisors
• Using the Power points provided and Autism NI
  Toolkit
• Having a film night with cheese and wine- Snow
  Cake.

9
Staff Awareness

• Large portable notice board with facts about ASDs
  
• Using true/false Quiz and How ASD Friendly Are
  You? Questionnaire
• Books such as Blue Bottle Mystery and Curious
  Incident of the Dog in the Night circulated
  around all staff
• A is for Autism

10
Self-Evaluation Tool

• Ensures that schools can assess where they are in
  relation to ASDs
• They can use it to plan, monitor and review their
  approach to pupils with ASDs
• Encourages them to think creatively e.g. the
  provision of a safe haven, arrangements at
  lunch and break times, using strategies to remove
  barriers to communication etc

11
Impact on Practice

• Providing safe havens and considering
  arrangements for lunch and break times
• Audit of timetable to consider times which are
  likely to cause the most stress
• Considering the sensory environment of the school
• Information leaflets for all staff
• Visual timetables and use of structure for all
  pupils

12
Impact on Practice

• Traffic light system introduced so that pupils
  with ASDs can indicate stress levels
• Re writing policies- behaviour, inclusion,
  homework, DES etc
• Using range of strategies to prepare for change
• Audit of staff development needs
• Pupil passports
• Colour coded books and Timetables

13
Impact on Practice

• Buddy System introduced
• Looking closely at Assembly
• Not insisting upon eye contact and giving time to
  process
• Thinking about language
• Recognising that ASD is a hidden disability and
  so there is a need for flexibility.

14
Moving Inclusion Forward

• The project has helped other pupils with
  additional learning needs
• Structure and visual cues can be useful to a
  number of pupils
• Looking for triggers for inappropriate behaviour
• Relaxation exercises and sensory gardens

15
The Future?

• Lot of interest in Project across Wales
• LEAs who have participated to date plan a rolling
  programme across their authorities
• All Wales Steering Group to continually revise
  and up date the content of the project in the
  light of Welsh legislation
• To avoid the Post Code Lottery!

16

• Maggie Bowen maggie_at_autismcymru.org
• Lynn Plimley lynn_at_autismcymru.org
• Co-authors of
• Autistic Spectrum Disorders in Secondary school
• Social skills and Autistic Spectrum Disorders
• Autistic Spectrum Disorders in the Early Years
• Supporting pupils with autistic spectrum
  disorders
• The Autism Inclusion Toolkit to be published in
  2008