Spoon Theory and Autism.

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My friend @AnnMemmott who blogs at  http://www.annsautismblog.co.uk  first introduced me to the Spoon Theory in relation to autism.  It was originally created by Christine Miserandino when asked about her chronic illness, (you can read the original post here http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/ ) but is a great way of helping us understand why school and college is such hard work for autistic children and young people (CYP) .  @aspiemusings has also written a good post about how it relates to her as an autistic adult. http://musingsofanaspie.com/2014/10/15/conserving-spoons/

Let’s imagine that the social, sensory and intellectual energy an autistic person has each day can be measured in spoons.

An autistic person can start the school or college or work day with a full drawer (which may be only half as full as a typical child) or with some of their spoons already used up in dealing with the demands of getting there.  Depending on various factors such as whether they slept, if their family remembered to say goodbye the right way, if their clothes are itching their skin, if their routine was changed, or any number of other seemingly incidental events, they may be starting the day with, say, only 5 spoons instead of 10.

Then they need to start using their spoons.  Each set of instructions, each set of work demands, each time they have to organise themselves, follow a complex set of instructions or cope with change, and each social interaction may cost the autistic person a spoon.  If there are sensory sensations that are overwhelming, then another spoon is used up in regulating and keeping calm. If they have to work in a group more than one spoon may be needed. Break times are not relaxing, another spoon or two is used up in coping with all the social interaction, noise and lack of structure.  Some  manage to save a spoon by shutting off, taking the time to be alone, so that they can cope with the next set of lessons.

I hope you can see what might be happening

So you have a child or young person who seems okay in the morning but always seems to lose it in the afternoon.  Or they won’t join in anything at break times and paces around the perimeter of the yard or social space.  Or a person who has meltdowns some days but is fine on other days.  Or parents ask you what you are doing to their child as they always have a meltdown as soon as they come out of school…and getting them to do homework is impossible.  You may have a colleague at work who seems not to be able to speak to you on some days, unable to socialise and seems distracted and distressed.

You might assume you need more structure in the afternoons.  You might assume you need to teach the person some social skills so they can make friends at break times. You might assume the parent isn’t disciplined enough.  You might put all kinds of practical support in place, but it doesn’t really work.

It may just be that the autistic person has used up all their spoons.  They have no communication, organisation, sensory, social or intellectual energy left.  They might just be able to keep it together in the morning, but then are far too exhausted to carry on in the afternoon.  Some days there may be no spoons to deal with the things they usually seem okay with.  They might even be able to keep it together through the day but cannot contain themselves in the safety and familiarity of their home.  Some even manage to borrow spoons from the next day but there will be a day when there are no spoons left to borrow and the person has a major meltdown. 

credit: picture from https://musingsofanaspie.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/my-spoons.jpg

We can help by recognising the limited amount of spoons an autistic person may have.  We can help them conserve their spoons to last through the day and we can help them find ways of finding ways to add to their supply (not as easy as it sounds). Through:

  • Giving them calming sensory breaks which are timetabled and regular.
  • Look at your environment and see where you can make it calmer and more accessible, considering the persons sensory needs.
  • Break tasks and instructions into more manageable chunks, give them visual or written reminders so they can check them and allow them time to do each one.
  • Support organisation and set up a communication system where the autistic person can let you know if they are struggling.  Be aware that many find this difficult especially when it demand using a ‘communication spoon’ and they may not be able recognise that they are struggling until it is too late.   But structuring tasks for them whether through a list, visual schedule, practical equipment or a writing frame can still help.  It will be useful if you can learn to ‘read’ their autistic non-verbal communication and know when to reduce demands. 
  • Let the person do activities related to their special interests.  If the topic doesn’t lend itself to this, then allow them time with their interests once the task is finished. 
  • Let them request ‘time out’ or a break.  It is important for the autistic person to recognise when things are getting too much for them and request a break before frustration and overload leads them to communicate this in behaviours or reach the point where they cannot cope and meltdown happens. But this may take a lot of support to help them learn to recognise their pwn state. 
  • Let them have alone time at break times if they want to.  Or give them alternative things to do, especially at lunch times. Social interaction can be encouraged at other times when they have the spoons to cope with it.
  • Make sure they are able to do homework and be as flexible as possible about it.  Ask yourself if they really need to do it at that point.  See if there is a way they can do something more interesting to them such as a project about their special interest. Or for many of our students, homework is just the ‘straw that breaks the camels back’ and we need to cut it our altogether.  
  • If the person is having a minimal spoon start to the day, increase the sensory breaks, reduce the social and work demands and expect that they will find it much harder to concentrate.

If you understand the autistic person and they can trust you, they won’t take advantage of your adaptations, they will feel safe, understood and be able to cope with more challenges than maybe you thought possible.  Maybe you should keep a couple of spoons on your desk with the person’s name on, and remove one when things are not going so well for them.   Then think about how you would cope with just one spoon left and no way of buying any more. 

Have a look at the rest of my website for free resources, information about training and courses I deliver and great autism links.   

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Building good relationships with parents of autistic children.

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image from http://quotesgram.com/

“We don’t see that behaviour at school”

“He’s doing it on purpose, he gets away with it at home”

“There’s no structure at home, you know”

These are some of the comments we might hear in the staff room. It certainly not from all teachers or teaching staff, and it’s certainly not heard in many schools I work with.  But during training discussions or the occasional, off-the-cuff remark, there is an underlying search to find blame for an autistic child’s behaviour.   Especially when they have meltdowns,  in school or at home.   Or if the behaviour is a controlling or manipulating behaviour.   No teacher likes to think a child is trying to manipulate them.  We are human after all.

Parents of autistic children are as human as the rest of us.  Some are so overwhelmed they don’t know what to do, some are given a diagnosis and then dropped into a black hole of nothing – no advice, no courses, no strategies, no support.  Some are dealing with their own difficulties, some families are broken and dealing with issues beyond what we may know.   Some families are trying everything they can, do all the research, attend all the courses and know their child’s needs inside out.

We have to start with a basis that parents love their autistic child, want the best for them and need support and understanding from the school system to help them travel this journey with a child with additional needs.  No matter what their circumstances the very first barrier they come up against is judgement.  The SEND system is complex and weighted against getting sometimes just the basic resources in place for their child. 

Sometimes, as we discuss behaviour on a course I am presenting, the teaching staff want to know how much of a child’s behaviour is because the parent isn’t doing a good job.   It can sound like a need to explain why they are finding the child’s behaviour difficult to control, manage or change.   Obviously I do explain how supporting a child who has high anxiety, sensory overloads, constant need for routines and familiarity, and difficulty with social relationships (including the interactions with family members) as well as trying to develop a safe, loving, constant, predictable and supportive life for their child is just as much a learning journey for the parent as it is for the school.   We only have the child in our class for one year in a primary school or a few lessons a week if at secondary school.   The parent has the child’s whole life to think of and that will be their focus.   They will be worried that their needs will not be met.  They will worry about admitting that they can’t help their child with their meltdown’s or other behaviours.   They will worry about them growing up and needing care when they aren’t there.   They will worry whether they could ever get married, have children, hold down a job.

And school is so often a battleground.  Parents have to fight to get their child’s needs met.  They have to try to understand this complex SEND process and the tons of paperwork, appointments and in-depth questioning of their family life just to get some help for their child at school.  (Some parents know the SEND law far better than schools, because they have had to).  It can take YEARS just to get a basic assessment and diagnostic services are hugely underfunded and the waiting lists are LONG.  In the meantime, the child still has needs to be met and we have to be careful not to refuse to look at what those needs might be in school because there is no diagnosis yet.  As teachers we are bound by the law to do Quality First Teaching for all, and to implement the Graduated Approach in assessing, planning, doing and reviewing the support for a child with SEND.  

Parents are well aware that their autistic child is often under great stress just to manage the social, communication and curriculum demands of each day.    And yes, occasionally, some parents will be getting it wrong.  But who are we to use that against them?   It’s our job as teachers to do all we can to make school work for an autistic child, and where possible work with parents in a professional and positive way.   Every bit of effort you put into building a positive relationship with parents (even those who start off very defensive or even aggressive) will pay off and can help the child in ways you couldn’t do without it.

So here are my top tips for working with parents.

  • Communicate. Communicate.  Communicate.  Plan this so it is manageable and set an agenda for chats if you need to.  I encourage schools to set a regular time to talk to parents about what their child is doing in school.  For example, every Thursday after school for ½ hour.  Or every 2 weeks for so many minutes.  Whatever time you can make or is available.  Email each other, but put safe boundaries in for you both to understand.  This can help prevent parents and teachers or TAs getting frustrated about when they can meet up and prevent getting into the habit of meeting EVERY afternoon which isn’t sustainable.  Some parents like a list of points they can prepare for, others just want to ‘offload’.  Remember you can’t solve all the problems they are having.  Often all they need is for someone to listen.   If you have agreed the timescale before-hand, make sure you give your full attention to them for that time you have promised.
  • When you talk to parents don’t make it a list of everything the child has done wrong.  Tell them important news about what’s happening in school, what their child has done well and celebrate excellent moments.  Many autistic children do not tell their parents anything about school.  School is school, home is home.   Some are too exhausted to recall what has been for them a stressful day, even when things have gone well.  You could use our visual home – school sheet. 
  • Remember that parents do know their children best.   Ask, listen and learn from them.
  • Consider using a home-school diary.  Share bullet points about the events of the day and a general overview of the child’s positive moments.   If the child is non-verbal you could use a picture based record  You could use our visual home – school sheet. 
  • part of the worksheet for communicating with home from school
  • Parents do need to know about serious incidents but these should be spoken about by phone or face to face rather than third hand (from other parents) or via the home-school book.
  • Invite parents to contribute the targets in the child’s IEP.  We used to have ways the parent could (if they wanted) generalise the target at home.  This was particularly useful for communication, social and independence targets.  
  • Find out where they can get extra help / support for issues that are beyond school.  A list of local support groups for a variety of SEND needs can be put on the schools website.

I’m sure there are many more ideas.  Please do share your good practice in the comments.  There’s too many parents of children with SEND /Autism who find school communication frustrating, patronising and difficult.  It doesn’t have to be.  And if it does break down because there is a parent who doesn’t want to work with school, then we stay professional and still do the right thing.  It’s our job. 

 
 
resource made by Lynn McCann @ReachoutASC


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We are all different…So why don’t they see it?

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I’ve been doing some work with some girls with Autism Spectrum Condition recently and they have been amazingly perceptive about the reasons why they are left out, teased or ignored by their peers.  All of them have talked about not understanding why all the other girls want to be the same as each other and why one minute they are as nice as anything to them, and another time nasty and cruel.  (Two faced!) This is a poem we wrote together based on their comments.

Don’t they just have a point!

We’re all different, then why are they all trying to be the same?

We’re all different.

From the nails on our toes

To our nose, that’s how it goes

Don’t you know?

So why do you insist

On trying to persist

In being the same

Surely it’s a game?

I don’t understand

Why you call me weird

I seem to be feared

But you don’t make sense,

When you dye your hair

To look like her, and her, and her

Losing yourself

On an identical shelf.

Me, I’m different

In the wiring of my brain

But it would be insane

If we were all the same.

Autism makes sense to me

But you don’t, you see

You pretend you fit

Why won’t you admit

We’re all different

From the comfort we need

And the lives we will lead.

Let’s embrace who we are

And forget to compare.

(C) Lynn McCann 8.1.16 

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What support do teachers need to effectively teach autistic pupils?

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Primary teachers are the most creative people I know.   In just one day they explain, instruct, present, make, demonstrate, coach, advise, organise, design, guide, adapt, mentor, listen, comfort, laugh, cry and

…oh and of course, teach!

Each day there are around 30 individual human beings in our care and we want to nurture them, develop their talents, teach them the curriculum and see them make progress.   We want to help them get along with others and contribute to the world.

If one or more of those children are autisitc then primary teachers want the same things for those children.   But an autisitc child may need us to be more adaptable, do things in a different way and build a support structure around them that meets their individual needs. 

 

Some teachers feel confident in doing this, especially if they have had some SEND training.  Others don’t.  And that’s okay,  as long as the support for the teacher is available. All teachers can earn and adapt what they do if given the right training and advice.

Having been a primary classroom teacher for fourteen years before becoming a teacher in a specialist autism school, I was always aware that busy primary classroom teachers were crying out for practical class-based ideas and resources when it came to supporting the autistic pupils in their class.   Now, as an independent specialist autism teacher working with schools all over Lancashire, I have been providing that support for teaching staff that has made a real difference for autistic pupils. It’s a joy to see a child thrive and often, some consistent and simple adjustments can make all the difference.

The key is to help teachers understand that being autistic is not a set of deficits, but a array of strengths, differences and sometimes challenges. At the centre is a unique and individual child.   I’ve written the book to be a helpful guide for classroom teachers, teaching assistants and even parents who want to know what help could be given to their child in school.  The book begins by explaining what autism is, and how it might look in different children, including girls.  The following chapters give teachers practical advice about adapting the environment, supporting communication, using visuals, and accessing the curriculum.  There are chapters about sensory processing and behaviour support, social stories and developing independence.  I also share how to support social relationships in ways that build on the child’s strengths and helps them understand the world around them.  Finally, I give advice on how to support change and transition, particularly to the next stage of a child’s education….secondary school!

Throughout the book, I have taken a developmental approach.  Each chapter looks at how the strategies might look in the Early Years, then into KS1 and into KS2.  That way, SENCOs can support a child through the whole school and teachers can dip in and out of the book so that the strategies and support match the actual stage the child is at, rather than it being ‘you must do this or that at this age’. It comes with a CD ROM with some helpful printable resources.  One of these is a handy social interaction tracking sheet so that you have a way of supporting the child’s development in this area and tracking their progress.  It’s autism specific and covers aspects not usually covered in the curriculum tracking systems we use in schools.

I hope teachers, teaching assistants, SENCOs, Head Teachers and parents might use this book as a handbook to dip in and out of as the autistic child goes through the primary school.  Fill it with post-its, underline and highlight passages and write in the margins! Have it with you as you plan and write IEPs or review targets. 

And my greatest wish is that the autistic child in your class will be happy, feel accepted and given the support to thrive.

And now you can do our CPD Accredited course with Schudio TV and presented by Lynn, online for just £20 see here for the primary course  and here for the secondary course

You can order this book through amazon or the LDA website here. 

And the secondary book Here. 

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Post 16 Transition for students with SEND / ASC.

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At this time of year many secondary teachers are thinking about the looming GCSE’s for their Y11’s and may also be thinking about what happens next for their students. If a student has SEND / ASC then there are additional challenges when leaving school and moving on to the next step in their educational lives.

I often find that the student’s themselves realise in Y10 that they will soon be leaving school. For some they may be so relieved that it’s all they want to think about.  For other’s it’s such a massive change in their lives, after all, being at school is all they’ve ever known, that the anxiety it causes can seriously impact on their concentration, mental wellbeing and motivation in school.  Some are so anxious, they cannot bear to talk about it.

This blog is co-written by @Mr_ALNCo an FE Teacher who’s created a role for a Transition Support Worker at his FE college in South Wales. First I am going to look at transition to college or training from the viewpoint of the school, and James is going to offer advice from the college’s point of view.

from www.do2learn.com

What Secondary Schools can do.

The Y10 and Y11s I work with who have ASC are often very worried about leaving school. However, working with them to explain what leaving will be like, what options they have and developing some plans that enable them to see the way ahead can be really important. If they have an EHCP then transition meetings should start in Y9. By the time they get to Y11, the meetings should be with the college or other establishment they are going to go to and make a plan of support that the student and their parents can contribute to.  If no EHCP their needs are still important and preparing them for college or apprenticeships is just as important.

  1. Include their parent’s ideas and start with a familiar member of staff who knows the student well.  With the student, work out a number of choices they have for the their future. Talk about their aspirations, their favourite interests and subjects they might do well in.  I use a decision making visual to look at the pros and cons of each option, including what grades might be needed (and what option is available with lower grades if relevant.) This information is shared with parents and the family given time to explore and discuss with their child. I have done this in Y9 to help a student choose their options, but mainly with Y10s and Y11s,  depending on the individual.
  2. Use the internet to research the possible colleges and courses the student might be interested in. There are often a few places to choose from, depending on your area. School 6th Forms might be good for some students for familiarity, but for others might be limited on choice of subjects. Every student will need treating individually to find what will work for them.
  3. Find out what apprenticeships are offered and if support is available for their SEND needs. Present that information to the student and their family, and encourage parents to arrange some visits to these places as early as possible. One student I have worked with has been set up with a farming apprenticeship in conjunction with the family, a local college and a local farm. All bespoke for him.
  4. Talk to the student about growing up and teach them some practical life skills, again working together with parents. Using public transport, making phone calls, sending emails, using money and paying for things are really important skills to help them move on from school into post 16 life.
  5. Plan, talk, prepare, visit, familiarise, support and talk positively about the next stage. But don’t overdo it. They still have to finish their time at school and some pupils with SEND /ASC might not be able to cope with thinking about exams and college. In that case, plan some transition support after GCSEs have finished. One school I worked with brought the student back into school after GCSEs and he worked with his previous TA on getting ready for college with great success.

And now from @Mr_ALNCo

What Colleges can do.

Transition for learners with SEND/ALN is something that traditionally is rather inconsistent across the FE sector in Wales or where it is consistent, the chance to share this good practice is often limited. Many practitioners who work with learners with SEND/ALN know the importance a good transition pathway into college can have for learners.

I am lucky, in that I have a supportive Principal and Vice Principal who supported my view of the importance of transition, allowing me to create a specific role to help support transition and reviews within the college. A new post which we feel will have huge beneficial impact.

Much like the Local Area Reviews now taking place in England, Wales has seen a huge change in make-up of its FE provision over the past years, resulting in fewer, larger, more resilient colleges.

In addition to this, the Welsh Government has introduced a bill into the Senedd in Cardiff Bay which, if passed, will bring about the biggest change to the SEN system in Wales for the past 30 years. Much like the duties contained Children and Family Act 2014, (although there are some differences), FE, for the first time will have new statutory duties, one of which is to maintain an Individual Development Plan for learners with SEN/ASD. If you want to know more, visit the Welsh Government’s ALN pages on its website.

It is crucial that FE in all areas start to plan for this now. If we want better outcomes for our learners with SEND/ALN we need to make sure that they get the best possible start in college. How then can we ensure this happens? From a FE perspective looking out to fellow practitioners in schools, the 4 elements below go some way to helping

  1. Link with your college’s Learning Support department. There are many talented and caring professionals who can advise on course choice, adjustments and transition arrangements. Open up the lines of communication and don’t be afraid to ask questions
  2. Share any relevant material which will help support the learner. If the learner has a One Page Profile, this is a great way for staff in college to get to know the learner.
  3. Invite the college to any Annual Reviews which are taking place for learners who are expressing an interest in college. The more we know about the learners’ aspirations and support requirements, the easier it will be to work together.
  4. Many colleges hold open days and bespoke events in quieter times for learners with SEND/ALN, if not contact the college who will normally be more than willing to arrange a bespoke meeting/tour. Our college has recently introduced VR tours, something that fellow FE colleague, Joe Baldwin has used as a powerful transition tool.

For each learner, we hold a review within the first term to see how they are settling into college. This gives us an opportunity to change the things that aren’t working and continue the things that are working well.

Much like our learners, we as a college are always learning.

@Mr_ALNCo

You can access our FREE course with Schudio TV about transitions, including an update from Cardiff and Vale College Here

The right way to use Visual Timetables

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I bet anyone whose ever had a specialist in to advise them how to support an autistic pupil has been told to use a visual timetable.   I bet it’s written down as a strategy in almost every statement or EHCP for autistic pupils.

You might have a visual timetable on your classroom wall.  You might remember to put up the schedule for the day, every day, and even to take off each picture as you finish each activity.   You might be remembering to do this for a child’s individual visual timetable.  Well done if you have.   However,  if you haven’t had them explained to you properly, it can easily seem as a lot of work for little reason…

Research shows that many autistic people struggle to understand the nuances of verbal language, processing language at the speed of a typical teacher speaking and understanding the inference of language.  Visual support enables the pace of instructions and information to be processed at their own pace and are available to go back to.   One of these is a visual timetable or schedule that sets out the routine and expectations of the day.

I’d like to help you understand the full purpose of a visual timetable.  It’s not just to let the child know what’s going on and in what order but it’s an important teaching tool. Here are some of the main teaching opportunities:

  • Developing memory and recall skills. Seeing the structure of the day can help with memory skills for children who think better in pictures than in verbal language.  The symbols can be retrieved from the ‘finished’ pocket to review the day and put things in time order.
  • Teaching organisation and independence skills.  The child should be managing their own timetable.   That means self-checking what they should be doing and where they should be, managing the taking off of the symbols and putting them in the finished pocket themselves.
  • Developing working memory skills – seeing what is on the timetable can make recalling what has been done in other lessons easier. This can be supported by a lesson schedule or subject diary.
  • Executive functions such as planning, predicting, monitoring and timing can sometimes be difficult for autistic pupils.  A visual timetable scaffolds those skills and most importantly the child can ‘self-check’ where they are up to.  If your memory is poor and your anxiety high, then a visual timetable is THERE and easy to check.  It doesn’t rely on the child having verbal skills or opportunity to ask an adult.
  • Less reliance on an adult prompt.  There can be a learned helplessness when a child gets too used to an adult verbally promoting them all the time.  This is why know how and where to check something for themselves is a good skill to have.  Especially thinking about them growing up and how there is likely to be less attention from an adult at Secondary school.
  • A visual timetable can also let the child know when their sensory breaks are or unexpected events or changes are happening.
  • You can prepare a ‘change’ symbol to support a child learning to cope with changes or unexpected events.

Some useful symbols for changes

Different visual symbols that can be used for changes

I sometimes see visual timetables as wallpaper, and by that I mean, they are pretty pictures on the wall – but then sometimes the pictures are not even that day’s schedule and the child hasn’t been taught to manage the timetable themselves.  I might be told “Oh, we tried a visual timetable but it didn’t work,” Or “They don’t need a visual timetable, they’ve grown out of it,”  but the pupil still has poor independence and organisation skills.

Visual timetables grow with the child.  They should be age and developmentally appropriate.   I have one – It’s a full term calendar on one sheet that I write in all my school visits, INSET sessions and meetings. It’s visual and I’d be very anxious (not to mention, totally lost) without it.  Diaries and lists provide a similar visual aid to my life and how it is organised (or not!).  If we want autistic pupils to be able to develop good organisation skills, a visual timetable can be a great start.  Choose the right format for the child and you will get it right.  We might start with objects of reference, use photos or symbols or colour coded words, and  the format can develop as the child does.  Sometimes teachers thing a child doesn’t need it anymore and take it away.   Then the child’s behaviour and independence can begin to deteriorate.   It is often the case that what they needed was an updated timetable rather than taking it away.  It can surprise us how much the child was relying on their visual timetable.  It is ok to have one all their lives – as they get older we teach them to self-manage their timetable more and develop their own formats if necessary.  Like we do as adults with our diaries and lists.

AND IT DOES NOT MATTER WHETHER IT IS HORIZONTAL OR VERTICAL!   Let’s dispel this myth, once and for all.  Use whatever fits into your space and what the pupil can easily use.   I have known staff who have worried about this so much because one professional said do it one way and another said do it the other way, that they didn’t actually start using the visual timetable for weeks because they were so worried about getting it wrong.

Thank you for this image from www.northstarpaths.com

To share an example.  Over the years I’ve worked with some pupils who were at risk of being excluded for behaviour.  A visual timetable used to show them the lessons, ‘calm or choice times’, sensory breaks and, most importantly, when home time is, has regularly (along with other strategies) made a huge impact in helping the child navigate the day, reduce stress and anxiety and therefore reduce challenging behaviours.   Honestly, it can sometimes be the pivotal strategy that makes all the difference for the child.

If you want to know more, there are lots more advice and examples in my  book ‘How to support pupils with ASC In Primary Schools’ published by LDA.

I have Widgit ‘Communicate in Print’ software which I love for not only making visual timetables but also for supporting a pupil’s writing, reading and curriculum access.  

 

 

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A week in the life – Specialist Autism Teacher

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Many of you will receive a visit or receive a report from a specialist teacher at some point.   Emma and I work on building relationship with our schools so that the teachers see us as a support and resource for them as well as someone who can help their pupils.  We love to encourage and help the SENCOs too,  as we understand the aspects of their job that others in the school rarely do.   That’s the benefit of the way we work with schools, regular half termly, monthly or weekly visits (depending on needs and funding) means we know the school, the children and their families and the staff – and they know us really well over time.

So what is a typical week for a Specialist Autism Teacher?

A typical week for me would consist of visits to 4 or 5 different schools.  I try to space them out so I have time to prepare any resources or activities before I go and time to write up the visit and any reports afterwards.

I work differently in primary schools than in secondary schools but I love the variety.

This week I went to one primary school for a whole day.  There are 5 pupils with ASD diagnoses and a couple more pupils who we are supporting and keeping an eye on.  So, I meet with the children and their teachers, we discuss the progress since my last visit (all recorded on their action plan) and then look at how we can move on.  We decide what we want to achieve with the child’s input and I will suggest strategies and resources where needed.  I wrote a social story with one child and he’s going to find some pictures to go with it with his teaching assistant.  With one teacher we planned how to go about explaining puberty;  I had two meetings with Y5 parents about choosing the next steps for KS3, reviewed a sensory diet and planned some communication work with another child.  The autism chat continued over lunch as I ate my sandwiches with the staff in the staffroom (they like to get all their questions in while I’m there!);  a quick catch up with the SENCO and a chat about the paperwork for an EHCP application and the day was done. Each child and their staff is left with an updated action plan (when I’ve typed them up in the next couple of days) and I will see them again next half term.

I visited 3 secondary schools this week.  I work more directly with the children with ASD themselves in groups or individually.  Most of my schools send me an update before I go so that I can go prepared with activities and resources.  I’ve done Lego Therapy, Social games, used Emotion Works to help with some difficult issues and behaviours (finding out what’s really happening) made a CAMHS referral, taught a child about their sensory system, taught some Somerset Thinking Skills and helped a child design a Liverpool Football Club mood diary (at his request!).   One school I go to weekly, another every 3 weeks and the other monthly.   Each pupil or group gets an action plan and I make what resources I can for them, so the time in my office after the visits are busy too.  I’ve spoken to teaching assistants and subject teachers and attended department meetings to ensure the best support across the school.  And, of course, I meet with parents so I build that relationship with them too.  Working for myself affords me the luxury of not having to stay at the schools till home time or for afterschool meetings, so I plan in my admin time to keep up with the paperwork (that’s the theory – I have yet to be totally on top of paperwork!)   This week I have 2 Annual Review reports and a report to support an EHCP application to write as well, so my laptop is on fire!

I’ve also done a home visit to a pupil who is school-refusing, working with them and their parents on making a plan to return to education.  This isn’t a quick-fix job.  We are doing a lot of work about anxiety and communication and through Lego and other interests we are slowly building a positive relationship.

Most weeks I do some training.  Last week I delivered a L3 Next Steps Autism course for teachers and this week I’m hosting Claire Murray who is delivering her amazing Emotion Works resources that we use all the time and that I wrote about here.   Next week I’ll be doing the second twilight INSET session for a school I visited before Christmas.

Sounds busy doesn’t it!  I’m also continually learning and developing my autism courses, liaising with Emma who is our other specialist teacher and Meriel our administrator.  I’ve written some magazine articles and this blog while my hubby is watching football on TV.   Some weeks I do something completely different or unusual and I love that.   I’ve always got ideas and plans rushing around my head.

One thing is for sure,  every week is different and the core of what we do is working with our schools and their pupils with ASD to make school better.

 

Reading a Social Story with a pupil.

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Shared on www.someonesmum.co.uk for Spectrum Sunday blogshare

Autistic children and Group Interactions

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Hilary works with us and is autistic and a maths teacher (amongst her other talents). She has a great way of explaining what being autistic is like and we often talk about the apparent anomaly between her confidence in speaking to someone 1:1 or to a whole group of students, as opposed to being in a group or party situation with lots of people to interact with. I love how she describes it….

By Hilary

On a one to one, there is, well, one interaction. When another joins in then there are 6 potential interactions, because there is each person interacting with each of the other two so that is 3 interactions, plus each person’s interaction with the other 2, when the other 2 act as one in some way, eg opinion, agreement, etc. So 6 in total.

Now, there is an easy way to work out the number of interactions for a given number of people.   If there are 3 people then we simply need to multiply 3 by 2 by 1 = 6 This is written as 3! The exclamation mark is known as a factorial sign.    So then one more person joins…now there are 4! Potential interactions which = 4 * 3 * 2 * 1 = 24   This may possibly be about my limit but mostly if I am one of the 4 people, but it’s still a big challenge because now I am feeling all the unspoken undercurrents that 24 potential interactions produces.    Throw into this several different personality types and possible tension between 2 or more of the people and it’s possible to see how a storm can quickly brew of unspoken emotions, thoughts, etc.

However, I generally hang on in there, but know I’ll pay the price with exhaustion and several recovery days where I avoid as much social interaction as possible. (Just a note to add that I do of course sometimes ‘do’ social groups with friends I know well or am comfortable with, as a trusted group of friends makes a huge difference, as does having a focus such as, having a meal with friends, and because I am already familiar with the types of interactions which happen and the whole experience is less exhausting. the better I know people in the group, the easier it is, generally.   I still don’t ‘do’ social events and social groups often though.)

Now, a fifth person comes along, and this basically explodes in my head. 5!   Potential interactions, that is 5*4*3*2*1 = 120  undercurrents which are cross-firing what is actually being said…add in a few looks, glances, smiles, frowns, tones of voice, buttings in, and there you have it,   I’m gone, looking for the kettle and a quiet corner and maybe one person I know well enough to have a nice quiet brew with or better still friends’ cat(s) who totally understand and retreated to quiet corners already.    Add one more person…and now the potential number of interactions rises exponentially… 6!    That’s 6*5*4*3*2*1 = 720 7 people, 7! = 7*720 = 5040 potential interactions.

What generally happens though, is that the limit of a useful group is probably 4, though 3 is in my opinion better still.   At 5, usually the quieter people give way to the more verbal, and melt into the background either gratefully or in some frustration.   So this curbs the actual number of interactions, but not by much due to the unspoken emotions which flow like wifi among the group.   I have come to realise that it must be an acute awareness of these ridiculous number of interactions, with equal awareness of the accompanying undercurrents that make the whole group experience feel to me as if I were being slapped in the face every nanosecond.   The huge difference between a social group of say 5 people and a group which has gathered for a specific focus on say a film or lecture or even in some sense to play some sort of game or sport, is that if there is one focus that the group has then immediately it is in reality a one to one situation – almost, with each person in the group interacting mainly on the focus, and all 5 people also acting as one person interacting with the focus.    Giving a public lecture, teaching or speaking to an audience is in reality a one to one situation, so, poses no threat.    This is why teaching, speaking is no problem, or being taught etc., but groups – where’s the kettle.

How can we help? 

Now in a classroom there are often way more than 7 people to interact with!  Often we ask children to work in groups and then expect them to know how to get on with it and work together.  For an autistic child this can be a nightmare. Not only have they the amount of interactions to attend to and switch their attention to, there is often intolerable background noise from other groups and many other sensory demands.

 In a school I often suggest that the teacher supports the autistic child to work with just one other person. In a pair, they can be much more successful in sharing ideas and the task to get it completed. You may need to teach or structure the task in a way that each child knows what their role is and what they are expected to do or produce.  Learning to listen to each other and deal with differences of opinion or ideas is a challenge in itself (for both children in the pair). Many secondary children nI work with say that school life would be much better if teachers would let them work in a pair on shared tasks, rather than making them work in a group.  Please consider what Hilary says about groups and the number of interactions when you are planning shared tasks to do in your lessons.  And make sure the person who they work with is someone who will work well with them.  Some children will get better at working in groups that are calm and well structured, others may take all their effort just to work with one other person right through to the end of their school days.  

So here for you is a visual about how you can support partner work in your classroom. (Full social story can be downloaded below)

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5 things to know when supporting Autistic students in FE

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 I was invited to Cardiff and Vale College to do a workshop about supporting autistic students at 6th Form college.  Cardiff and Vale college support students between the ages of 16-18 and beyond, including adult learners and in many different subjects, courses and situations.  Obviously, all autistic students are different and telling them all I wanted to share in just 90 minutes was a struggle.  So I put this information together wanted to also share this with you on our blog.  I’ve organised it to tell you 5 key things I want you to know about autistic learners in FE colleges… 

1. The first thing you need to know about autistic students is: They are all different.

That means although they may have the same diagnosis they do not have the same characteristics, strengths, interests, personality or difficulties.

You may have taught autistic students in the past and all the things that worked for them may not work at all for another autistic student.   Autistic students can have other diagnosis/learning difficulties as well, eg. ADHD, OCD, PDA, Anxiety disorders, dyslexia, dyspraxia, sight/hearing impairment etc.   Autistic girls can be very different from autistic boys, but as I said, they are all individuals.   However, autistic girls are more likely to mask their autism (you think they are ‘okay’ and seem very sociable) but they are often struggling with crippling anxiety trying to ‘fit in’.

The strategies that make good support for autistic students are quite similar to the strategies that help them at any age, but they need to match the needs and age of the student so that they have some ownership of what helps them.  Teachers can still make sure that their communication suits the student and there are some tips and hints in the handout attached to this post.  Generally the adage “If they can’t learn the way you teach, then teach the way they learn”  can be the best approach.  Students I know don’t want cosseting but want to learn how to be independent and how to manage problems that arise. The support they get in college should be less intrusive than it was at school but that does mean we need to put strategies in place like visual timetables, class schedules, chunking and explaining work in ways they can manage. A key worker, who understands autism, that they check in with regularly can also be very important.

Here is an example of a visual timetable, made with a student suggesting how they wanted to organise their ‘study day’ when there were no lessons. She sat with her key worker as she came into college, discussed any changes and then she managed the rest of the day herself.

2. The second thing you need to know about autistic students is: They may take longer to grow up.

For some autistic young people it could take five to ten years longer to go through puberty. This means that when they are with you between the ages of 16-18, they may still be much younger in their outlook, interests and emotional development, even though physically they are the same as everyone else. This can lead to isolation, bullying, difficulties understanding social situations that they have not yet got the maturity to work out. There is vulnerability to exploitation, social and sexual. It can also affect their ability to understand some of the work and expectations on your course, but may not, .some autistic students can be academically much more mature than their peers because they have often been super-interested in the subject for many years before coming to college.

Self-identity is something that so many teenagers struggle with and as they come to college, the freedom to experiment with style (after having not wear school uniform all those years), identity and groups to belong to is part of their development at this age. Autistic students will be searching for the same sense of identity and belonging and may need extra support to do this (including giving them more time to process their experiences and ideas). Time, kindness and encouragement is important. It is also worth keeping in mind that possibly 30% of autistic young people identify as LGBTQ+ and could need support as they work this through in these college years.

3. The third thing you need to know about autistic students is: They may have a different perspective/ agenda/focus than you are expecting them to.

Autistic students can have a different perspective on the content and views of the work you are covering. They may contribute that view in the middle of your lesson, seemingly taking off at a tangent. But if you really listen to autistic students you can find that there is a lot that they can contribute and their depth of knowledge can be astounding. However, the difficulty comes when what they know and think about a topic clashes with what the curriculum (and exam board) wants them to regurgitate in an exam. It seems unfair to me, and I can certainly see why it seems unfair to students. As a tutor, it can be easy to find yourself becoming frustrated when you want to follow your lesson plan.

Another thing that tutors need to be aware of is that behaviour that seems to challenge you, usually has a very logical reason for autistic students. Autistic students can be intensely focussed on one thing when you want them to focus on something else. Some autistic students are often honest and say exactly what they think (with no social filter) or maybe very eager and anxious to say and do the right things, whilst not always judging it correctly. They may be anxious about EVERYTHING and be catastrophising about EVERYTHING. Anxiety may be their biggest driver, or it could be the need to have things predictable and controlled. Their memory may work quite differently,  associative rather than time-based, or able to remember many details but have difficulty generalising. Understanding that their perspective is different from what you might assume is helpful so that you don’t assume. Instead, listen to the student and where possible map out what they think and know…then you can add your point of view or another perspective to the map so that they might see why you are giving them that perspective.

Here is an example of a mind map when a student was struggling to do homework. The green was written directly from what the student said, we then discussed solutions and help available together. I find this way of problem solving much more effective than just talking about it as it is a visual reminder, gives the student chance to ‘see’ the different perspectives together and feel that you really have listened to them and understood their point of view.

4. The forth thing you need to know about autistic students is: Sensory issues are often the most important driver of behaviours, mood and reactions.

Autistic students are likely to have sensory processing differences. Some will be more obvious than others and they may have found ways of managing their sensory needs at this age. However, it is more likely that the environment will trigger sensory difficulties for your student. They can be sensory seeking and/or avoiding. Noise, light, movements, distractions, smells, unexpected sensory challenges, changes, food, touch, can all lead to sensory stress, overload and meltdown or shutdown. Many autisitic students are highly stressed trying to cope with sensory overload and the effort needed to manage that alongside concentrating in class is huge and exhausting. “Stimming’ is a repetitive action that helps an autistic person feel grounded in the world around them, brings joy and helps them calm down if stressed. This is perfectly natural and okay. A meltdown or shutdown is when their brain is unable to process any more information and shuts down. For some this is obvious as they are displaying distressed behaviours, some may become aggressive, others may look as if they have ‘switched off’ and you may not even notice. Please be aware that talking to them at this point is like adding fuel to a fire. You are giving them verbal noise to try and process when they cannot. The key is to make sure they are safe (maybe needing to go to a safer area), use as little language as possible, and give them time to recover and ‘reboot’. These are far more distressing for the student than they will ever be for you.

Do find out from your student what adaptations you might make in your classroom. Letting them choose where they sit, wearing a baseball cap of headphones when working independently, turning some lights off so it isn’t so bright, letting them chew gum and even check whether the paper they are using is the best colour, texture and size for them to work with. There are many small things that can make a huge difference. Be aware, also of internal sensory stress for your student. They will still be going through puberty so menstruation, hormonal moods and hygiene may all have associated sensory issues that may affect a student’s learning or mood. Be sensitive, for them these sensory responses are much stronger than you could probably imagine and dismissing them or sanctioning a pupil for having sensory needs will not be fair.

 

The fifth thing you need to know about autistic students is: They have potential, ambitions and prospects.

Most autistic students are now doing subjects they are interested in and have chosen – although they may have one favoured. Students with ASC are the inventors, the creative thinkers, the IT innovators, the farmers, the business owners, the workers and managers, the psychologists, the comedians, the writers, the scientists, the ‘thinking-outside-the-box-ers’, the lecturers, the mums and dads of tomorrow. SO: Look out for The talents, The special interests, The details they notice that no-one else does, Their creativity and The perceptions that your Autistic students have and develop these.

It is a good view to have that autism is part of the human spectrum, a difference, not a deficit. There will be difficulties that need support, but not so that we limit the potential of our autistic students. You could help by:

Voluntary work– Consider giving autistic students supported opportunities to be involved in a project-based small group activity (such as a photography exhibition or charity event.)
Support preparation for Uni and for the world of work wherever possible.Involve parents and arrange supported visits and meetings with Uni learning support services.
Show them autistic role models.You tube is a great source of autistic young adults sharing their experiences and encouraging others. EG. Chris Bonello (http://autisticnotweird.com), Sara Harvey (Agony Autie on You tube).
If possible arrange a supported work placement.– practical experience, finding understanding employers and knowing the law, rights and adjustments they can ask for, will be very valuable.
https://www.princes-trust.org.uk/help-for-young-people/who-else/housing-health-wellbeing/wellbeing/disabilities– for more agencies that might help.

 

Why look for girls on the spectrum in school?

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This guest blog is from Joanna Grace who I first knew through her start up of the Sensory Project in 2010.  I liked what she was proposing to do and I pitched in a tenner towards it and watched how (thanks to much more generous people than me) the Sensory Projects have grown. In her own words:

Joanna Grace is a Sensory Engagement and Inclusion Specialist, Trainer, Author, TEDx speaker and Founder of The Sensory Projects.

Consistently rated as Outstanding by Ofsted Joanna has taught in mainstream and special school settings, connecting with pupils of all ages and abilities. Since launching The Sensory Projects Joanna’s work has extended into adult care for people with complex needs and dementia. To inform her work Joanna draws on her own experience from her private and professional life as well as taking in all the information she can from the research archives. Joanna’s private life includes family members with disabilities and neurodiverse conditions and time spent as a registered foster carer for children with profound disabilities.

Joanna’s books Sensory Stories for children and teens , Sensory-being for Sensory Beings and Sharing Sensory Stories with People with Dementia sell globally. She has a further four books due for publication within the next two years, including two children’s books.

Joanna is a big fan of social media and is always happy to connect with people via Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin

In this blog she tells us why it is so important to be looking for girls who may be on the autistic spectrum…

I was once told “boys on the spectrum make problems for other people, girls on the spectrum make problems for themselves” and although I disagree with the statement in a number of ways, that girls with autism tend to create more problems for themselves than for other people is something that resonates within an education environment.

Girls with autism often go undiagnosed until adulthood. In school they maybe quieter than average, their lack of social circles probably puts them on the edge of the squabbles that plague neurotypical female friendships through primary and secondary school. They are likely to be studious, their autistic brain’s willingness to focus and love of structure and rules fits them nicely into your academic expectations so your grade book won’t flag them up as a concern.

Does this mean autism is less severe in girls? After all if we are noticing the boys surely that means it is a bigger problem for them/with them?  This question makes me think of a meme that I saw doing the rounds of facebook recently, it was a quote by Adam Walton: “Mild autism doesn’t mean one experiences autism mildly, it means YOU experience their autism mildly. You may not know how hard they’ve had to work to get to the level they are.”

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/132856257740455067/?lp=true

Whether you look to support girls on the spectrum in school depends on what you consider your role in school to be. If it is simply to fill children up with knowledge and you can point to the fact that this girl is duly filled to the brim with knowledge then her autism is no concern of yours.  If you believe that your role in school is to prepare children for life and to ensure their present life is as well rounded and as happy as possible, then her autism is your concern.

Girls on the spectrum are likely to learn the rules of conduct in school quicker than most, they will learn how to mask their autism, and expend an enormous amount of energy doing so.  Of course I am writing in broad brush strokes, to quote yet another adage: When you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism. Expecting people with autism to be alike is akin to expecting people with neurotypicism to be alike.  Perhaps I should talk about particular people.

Professional Experience

Recently I was working in a school where they have a girl diagnosed as autistic whose mother is very worried about her because her behaviour at home is becoming dangerous to her own safety. The school see no issues in the classroom and confided in me that they felt this was “a parenting issue.”  Let me make this very clear: Autism is not a parenting issue.  That school are putting that child in an environment that she can barely cope with and it is having a significant impact on her mental well being. If it continues into her teenage years she will be at risk of suicide.

I have also attended a support group for parents of children with autism.  We did a count of how many parenting classes everyone had done, and how many more they had been offered. Imagine if you had a child who was a wheelchair user, who was struggling to get around in school due to a lack of ramps.  How would you feel if the school’s proposed solution to this was to send you on a parenting class? How would you feel after your third class? Parents of children with autism often appear to be short on patience with professionals. There are very good reasons for this.

I supported an autistic girl who was struggling at secondary school with overwhelming levels of anxiety but who did not want her peers to know she was neurodiverse.  We put sensory strategies in place to help her maintain calm during the day. I could continue this list, but you get the point. Girls on the autistic spectrum need understanding and support despite their ability to fly under the radar.

Personal Experience

I often do not speak about being autistic myself.  I do not want to detract from the experience of people who lead more challenged lives, but I have been encouraged by those people, and their families to speak more. If society understands more about the incredible diversity within the spectrum that will help ensure everyone is recognized as an individual, not judged by a stereotype associated with the diagnosis.

I worry about mentioning my autism because I want to be judged for my professional skills, for who I am, not for who people will think I am after I say I am autistic.  But not mentioning it does nothing to change attitudes either.

I resent having to tell people I am autistic now, after three decades spent mastering the art of masking to a point where now I believe that if you met me you wouldn’t know, it feels rather like shooting yourself in the foot to then reveal the very thing you’ve worked so hard to hide.

But yes: I am autistic.  Now I’ve said it you’ll notice my poor eye contact, my slightly off kilter turn in conversation. I was the child who stood in the playground and flapped. The one who only ate beige (and tomato sauce). I was the baby who refused to be cuddled.

When I was seven I kept a diary for a year, each day I drew a picture, not of what I had done that day but of what I would have done had I had a friend. All around me I could see people making friends, but I did not know how to do it. I was seventeen before I first made a friend by myself.

I am yet to run an event specifically looking at supporting girls on the spectrum, I am still getting used to being “out” myself. But I lace insights about life on the spectrum through my other events and am always open to conversations on social media.

                                                    Books by Jo Grace 

Further reading and articles from Jo:

On Ambitious and Inclusive Sensory Story Telling I talk about how sensory stories can support people to make friendships and be a part of a community, and how they can help people to cope with new environments and change. [My book Sensory Stories for Children and Teens covers similar ground].

On Explore the Impact the Senses have on Behaviour I look at situations of sensory overload and sensory disturbance that are commonly experienced by people with autism.

On Develop Your Sensory Lexiconary and The Super Sensory Lexiconary I look at sensory experiences that can be used to support people with autism in feeling calm and safe, and explore why some experiences more than others may cause distress. [My book Sensory-being for Sensory Beings covers similar ground].

The other event I run which will be of interest to those who support people with complex disabilities and autism is Sensory Engagement for Mental Well Being.

On any of my events you can expect to meet someone utterly thrilled to be being allowed to talk about their special interest to a room full of people interested in the same thing. Autistic paradise!

Please feel free to connect with me via social media and to find out more about what I do at www.TheSensoryProjects.co.uk

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