SELF EVALUATION TOOLS FOR ASDs

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SELF EVALUATION TOOLS FOR ASDs

• Or
• No not more paperwork!

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Why ASDs?

• ASDs is often referred to as the hidden
  disability. Like every other disability, careful
  thought and consideration needs to be given to
  services provided for individuals on the
  spectrum.

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Why is Self-Evaluation Important?

• Self- evaluation helps schools to look at their
  evidence base for a set of targets in order to
  improve provision

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Pupils with ASDs- what should you consider in any
evaluation?

• Is there someone in school/service with
  experience of and responsibility for ASDs?
• Are all staff aware of the educational
  implications of the Triad of Impairment i.e how
  much awareness raising/CPD has taken place?
• Are timetables and activities differentiated to
  meet the needs of pupils with ASDs

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ASDs issues continued

• Does the school provide opportunities for skills
  to be generalised from one setting to another?
• Has anyone examined the setting in relation to
  sensory issues?
• What information/support do you offer parents?
• What are your lines of communication with other
  agencies/people involved with pupils?

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ASDs issues continued

• Are there opportunities to share information with
  other schools/services?
• Are staff aware of the impact of the Triad and
  sensory issues on behaviour? Is this information
  included in a policy?
• Are strategies in place to warn about possible
  changes in routines/activities?
• Are pupils given the opportunity to follow or
  discuss a special interest?

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ASDs issues continued

• Does the school provide opportunities for pupils
  to develop their social skills as part of the
  curriculum?
• Are information booklets on ASDs available for
  new staff and visitors ?
• Are alternatives on offer at break and lunch
  times to avoid stress overload and possible
  bullying?

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Every School is Different!

• It is important to emphasise to schools that the
  audit is there to help not hinder. Each will be
  at a different starting point and have different
  experience and knowledge of ASDs.
• The following slides show that targets need to
  be SMART.

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Priorities for School 1

• Continue to modify the school environment to take
  account of sensory issues
• Staff will share information on ASDs in a formal
  way when they attend a training event
• There will be an up to date bank of resources on
  ASDs
• The school will develop a specific policy

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Priorities for School 2

• To develop a policy document with outside
  agencies and the voluntary sector
• Pupils with ASDs will be more involved in
  decision making
• Time will be allocated to follow a special
  interest
• A section of the library will be used as a safe
  haven

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Priorities for School 3

• To develop a policy document with outside
  agencies
• To have a whole school training day on ASDs
• To create a resource bank of materials
• To put posters up in strategic placesin school
  explaining how everyone can help pupils with
  ASDs
• To examine noise levels in the environment
• To consider arrangements at break and lunch times

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Priorities for School 4

• Introduce a buddy system at break and lunch times
• Create a bank of relaxing resources for pupils
  with ASDs
• Use more visual cues throughout the school-
  visual timetables for everyone!
• Place pupils with ASDs in position of
  responsibility e.g. a monitor during transition
  times to alleviate stress
• SENCo to visit other schools in the authority to
  examine best practice

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School Access Plan and Disability Equality Duty

• Evidence from the Self-Evaluation Tool can be
  used to inform the Schools Access and Inclusion
  Plan and provide evidence that duties are being
  met under the Disability Equality Duty (2006)

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School Environment

• Is there access to a quiet area at break and
  lunch times away from the main hub of activity?
• Have you considered heating, lighting, noise
  levels in and around school?
• Is there a safe haven indoors?
• What safety and security does the environment
  offer?

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School Environment

• Are resources/materials durable and how is
  seating and furniture arranged ?
• How are classrooms/corridors decorated-are they
  over stimulating?
• Are signs and visual cues in place to help pupils
  move around school and from activity to activity
  with ease?
• What issues need addressing in the hall at dinner
  times and Assembly?

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Curriculum- Points to Consider

• Language and Communication
• Audits of timetables to ascertain times/subjects
  that are likely to cause stress
• Use of visual timetables and other clues to
  assist learning e.g. colour coded books, use of
  picture symbols

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Curriculum-Points to Consider

• Opportunities are provided to follow a special
  interest
• There is access to a safe haven during times of
  stress- the opportunity to indicate when stress
  levels at all time high.
• Arrangements at break and lunch times to relax or
  follow an interest
• The use of sensory experiences to understand
  different times and cultures
• There are opportunities to generalize skills
  across subjects and in different settings

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Information- Points to Consider

• Information given to pupils especially pre
  transition is clearly written, unambiguous and
  visual
• Information for reviews is written in friendly
  format and is jargon free
• Parents have information about the schools
  provision for pupils with ASDs and a list of
  relevant support groups and contacts

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Information- Points to Consider

• Production of accessible leaflets for parents and
  pupils about the schools arrangements/timetable
  for that year group
• There is a resource bank of materials on ASD for
  staff
• Information on ASDs is available to new staff and
  visitors to the school
• Awareness raising takes place in a number of ways

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Disability Equality Duty

• Examine your schools plan. Are the needs of
  pupils with ASDs addressed under the duties?
• Remember ASDs is a disability and so the school
  has a legal obligation to consider and meet the
  needs of pupils with ASDs.

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Workshop Activity (in 2s or 3s)

• Is there someone in your setting with
  responsibility for individuals with ASDs?
• What support/information do you give to
  parents/carers during and following a diagnosis?
• What ASD specific strategies are in place to
  manage transition?
• How do you involve individuals with ASDs in
  policy and planning?

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The Inclusive Schools and ASDs Whole School
research and Training Programme

• Offered to Local Authorities
• Who select schools and staff to participate
• Run for 2 days intensive CPD
• Follow up a term later for half a day
• Up to 40 delegates per LA teachers, managers,
  support assistants from mainstream primary
  secondary

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Local authority take up

• Swansea
• Monmouth
• Rhondda Cynon Taff 3 programmes
• Bridgend 2 programmes
• Conwy 2 programmes
• Wrexham
• Gwynedd and Mon

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Statistics

• Through our work directly with 8 Local
• Authorities we have trained staff
• representatives from around150 schools.

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The 2 day Programme

• Aims to recognise and build on knowledge of ASDs
• To attain an understanding of the condition
• Its key characteristics
• The view of the individual
• The challenges of being at school
• Sensory anomalies
• Making schools and staff more ASD friendly

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Day 1

• Focus on what people with ASD tell us about their
  lives
• Look at the school experience of the individual
• Relate this to the Triad of impairments
• Examine the impact of sensory differences
• Explore the common curriculum difficulties across
  3 Key stages

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Day 1

• Look at universal strategies that can help in
  schools
• Focus on looking at the messages underlying
  episodes of inappropriate behaviours
• Use of multimedia presentation including DVD
  video footage small group discussion CD ROM
  materials books

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Day 2

• Reflection on key messages from Day 1
• The concept of what makes a school ASD friendly
• Whole school issues
• Useful strategies in the school environment
  TEACCH PECs and Social Stories
• Use of multimedia presentation as Day 1 and
  checklists and a quiz.

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Disseminating the Training

• Delegates are asked to fulfil the following tasks
  on their return to school
• Build up a bank of resources on ASDs for staff
• Disseminate the training to staff group/s
• Conduct a whole school audit which will then lead
  to
• Identification of strengths
• Short, medium and long-term target planning

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Feedback on the Training

• On the final half day of the training package,
  delegates are invited to feedback on how they
  have fulfilled the 3 dissemination activities and
  the response of staff

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Resource Bank ideas

• Looked at school resources and were returning
  them all to one place
• Resource shelf for all staff games box of
  stress relief calmers maths games story
  sacks books documentation library facility for
  borrowing
• Laminated coloured symbols for every type of
  activity
• Labelling areas of the school
• Using visual timetables
• Creating a safe haven maybe just a corner of
  the room

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Training of school staff

• Most of staff have a good idea of how to work
  with children school visits to Plas Brondyffryn
  and Wargrave House school in Merseyside
  reinforced what we are doing in school
• Questionnaire for all staff on their knowledge of
  ASDs, collated and fed back in staff meeting
• Welsh presentation (Wenglish) True and false
  quiz staff reported more knowledge as a result
  more confident social story books in Welsh
  staff training for 2 LSAs

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• Teacher meeting held, sheet produced for all
  staff
• Audit given to year groups action plan drawn up
• Departmental SENCo meeting awareness raised
  True or false quiz raise discussion staff feel
  school is ASD friendly Audit tool given out to
  staff talk to NQT teachers
• Staff meeting held everyone is now talking about
  autism S4C programme with Carol Parry-Jones
  helped staff to answer quiz joint planning begun
  with paired school rep

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Reported Impact on schools

• Play co-ordinators targeted for information
  Buddy system at break times has started to pay
  off
• Updating SEN handbook
• Awareness raising for pupils in PSE lessons and
  with cross curricular themes in the coming
  academic year
• Strategies found useful with other children,
  including young children
• Friday Award celebration needed toning down
• Adoption of 3 or 4 strategies by whole school
  visual timetables benches and quiet areas
  created in playground Circle time to raise
  issues with all children
• Staff more cautious about what behaviours to pick
  up on give more time to process other children
  so accepting acceptance is praised by staff

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• Workshop held turn taking daily schedule for
  places in the line visual timetable very helpful
  for staff, including supply teachers too ! spin
  off for other children
• Outreach support service has accessed further
  Unlocking potential funding mainstream support
  service developed examples strategies taken
  into schools SAMS referral and response service
  
• School is post-Inspection looked at using GP
  audit and developed an Action Plan instead of
  awareness raising 10 things a child with autism
  wished you knew given to school by a Mum head on
  LEA Outreach committee were looking at ALL
  children in a different light
• Moving from Year 2 to Year 3 - transition well
  prepared for booklet (Passport) for each child
  to take out with them so all staff know about
  their preferences and dislikes
• Summer care workers invited into school and also
  informed about the PECs system

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• Plan to improve communication PECs training to
  be given to new staff, timetabled member of staff
  to support others and for her to be Makaton
  trainer
• Professional development plans for members of
  staff re ASDs
• Ways to bring parents into school and involve
  them in their childs learning
• Child is not the same person he was before
  Christmas 2005
• All ASD training has been very relevant to other
  children
• Staff are now aware that there are children in
  school who may have associated ASD issues and
  strategies could be used for all children
• There is an interest and a staff need to know
  more it has got people talking together in
  departments
• Everyone wants to learn more Curious incident
  copies are circulating around the staff
• Idea of having a film night - Snowcake Whats
  eating Gilbert Grape ? Rainman As good as it
  gets
• Staff more aware of the hidden disabilities and
  more prepared to consider their needs

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• If you are interested in learning more about this
  training programme or want to pass on contact
  details
• We are
• Maggie Bowen maggie_at_autismcymru.org
• Lynn Plimley - lynn_at_autismcymru.org