The Autism Inclusion Toolkit

Training Materials and Facilitator Notes

Maggie Bowen, Lynn Plimley

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2008
• ISBN:
  9781446245484
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Inclusive Education

?This resource will be very valuable for professionals planning in-service training to assist settings to develop as Autistic Spectrum Disorder-friendly environments…the training would also help all settings become truly inclusive and friendly for all children and young people? - Special Children

Includes CD-Rom

A growing number of pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are educated in mainstream settings. To support them effectively and maximise their learning potential, it is essential that all school staff fully understand their needs.

This complete training package can be delivered during staff meetings and on INSET days, to ensure autism-friendly practice throughout the school.

This toolkit demonstrates the value of using self-evaluation tools to improve services and includes:

-a CD Rom with PowerPoint slides

-guidance on how best to deliver INSET

-activities and case studies to facilitate discussion

-discussions of issues for consideration in relation to School Access Plans and the Disability Equality Duty

-advice on useful resources, literature and web sites.

Teachers, SENCOs and management staff in primary and secondary schools will find this an essential training resource.

1

Planning INSET and Using the Training Materials in your Setting

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This section will examine different ways of delivering INSET to colleagues, giving details of the issues for consideration, such as where should the INSET take place? What media should I use? What is the message I want to convey? Is there going to be a follow-up session? It will also suggest different ways in which schools can build up a resource bank of materials on Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). It will tell the reader about the ways in which the training package can be used in school. Some schools may want to focus on one or two particular sections, e.g. 2 and 3 to raise general awareness of ASD in the school, others may wish to focus on an issue that is causing concern, e.g. challenging behaviour. This section also offers examples of how the package can be used in a flexible way to meet individual needs.

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Learning outcomes

This Toolkit can be used to deliver INSET at a number of levels. It may be important in some schools just to concentrate on raising awareness of ASDs, using Section 2, whilst in other schools that have a number of pupils with ASDs, it might be considered essential to work through a number of the sections over a period of time. It is advisable therefore to think carefully about the needs of the audience before planning a training package. Training is only valuable if participants leave enthused and ready to improve their practice. Very often people attend training sessions because they have to, not because they want to. In such circumstances, training becomes a waste of time and effort for both the facilitator and the participant.

School staff are constantly bombarded with paper work so another questionnaire to complete may not go down very well. However, it is important to have some idea of what people want to know and their existing knowledge base of ASDs. A selection of short sharp points with a tick box may be the best option. Examples of questions may include:

• Would you like to know more about Autistic Spectrum Disorders?
• Do you teach any pupils with ASDs at the moment?
• If the answer is ‘No’, have you ever taught a pupil with ASDs?
• Do you know about the Triad of Impairments?
• Would you like to know how to help pupils with ASDs maximize their learning potential?

A short questionnaire for this purpose is included on the CD-Rom as Figure 1.1.

Having the answers to just a few questions like this can help the facilitator to plan to meet the needs of an audience. He/she will be able to judge their level of knowledge and understanding of ASDs and whether or not the potential audience is interested in the proposal for training. Making a list of the Learning Outcomes or Expected Goals on a flip chart and referring to them at the beginning and at the end of your training can help keep facilitator and participants focused.

It is important to remember that not everyone is going to be enthusiastic about ASDs and so training does need to be as motivating as possible. Using videos/DVDs often helps in this respect. Each section of the Toolkit gives ideas about useful resources that can be used to this effect.

When and where?

The length of the training will vary depending upon the needs of your audience. The facilitator may have been tasked with raising awareness during a staff meeting, and if is this case, may have to be selective in the slides that are used. For example, he/she might decide to use a few slides from each of the first three sections – Living with ASDs, the Triad and Sensory issues or alternatively, may decide to concentrate on issues addressed in Section 6 – ‘Creating an ASD-friendly Environment’ and Section 12 which focuses on schools’ Access and Inclusion plans and the Disability Equality Duty. He/she may find it useful to supplement basic training like this with some information about ASDs, e.g. a poster on the staff noticeboard or in reception area highlighting some of the issues relating to the Triad or containing a list of what makes an ASD-friendly environment.

It is important that at the very least staff are made aware of the issues in a staff meeting or for some time in a whole school professional development day. ASD is a disability and so the school has a legal obligation to meet the needs of pupils with ASDs as best it can. If it is difficult to persuade some staff that it is important to know about ASDs, this might be a good argument.

The Toolkit can also be used to put together a training day. Some issues or sections might be essential in this situation especially if the audience has a mixed knowledge of ASDs. We would recommend that it is important to cover issues relating to the Triad, sensory anomalies, environment and curriculum. It is also important to point out that breaktimes and lunchtimes may be particularly stressful for individuals with ASDs.

Once the core content/sections have been decided upon, the audience can then be given a choice of one or two other topics, e.g. Behaviour Management (Section 7), Tried and Tested Strategies (Section 11) or Working with Parents and other Professionals (Section 9). In order to break the day, and if two or more trainers are available, the audience could be given a choice and split into groups. This would give participants the opportunity to move around at the end of the day thus improving their concentration span and would allow them to focus on a topic that is of relevance/interest to them.

In the case of a staff meeting or a slot in the whole school professional development day, it may not be possible for the facilitator to influence where the training will take place. However, this is an issue that needs careful consideration for a whole day’s INSET. The budget may be such that the training does have to take place at school and the audience may be happy with this. However, the venue still needs to be as comfortable as possible and times set aside at approximately 90-minute intervals for comfort breaks and refreshments. Seating can often be an issue. There is a need to consider how seating will be arranged based on numbers in the audience, e.g in rows (theatre style) or in groups around tables (cabaret style). If it is likely that the audience will be seated at a distance from the trainer, it may be necessary to use microphones or at least check for audibility at the start. Always make sure that any audiovisual equipment is working and can be seen and heard by the audience. However, in this respect always expect the unexpected and have contingency plans in place if a DVD/video player suddenly breaks down.

Plastic chairs can get quite uncomfortable after a long period so it is important that trainers are sensitive to this fact and watch out for times when participants are at their most fidgety. It may be that participants need a five-minute break to stretch their legs or stand up for a few moments. Some exercises suggested by the trainer in a humorous way, e.g. ‘Everyone stand up. Shake your left leg! Now, shake your right leg!’ can provide a bit of light relief and make people feel relaxed and ready to concentrate again.

At the end of any session, whatever the time span, provide participants with an evaluation form. Include on the form a question relating to future training needs on ASDs. Evaluation forms can be a bit daunting for the trainer/facilitator to read, especially if some participants have been negative about the presentation. It is important to view them objectively and not take any criticism too much to heart but bear any constructive comments in mind for the future. It is not unusual for s...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• CD contents
• Key of icons
• Acknowledgements
• About the authors
• Glossary
• How to use this book
• Preface
• 1 Planning INSET and Using the Training Materials in Your Setting
• 2 Living with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs): Same World; Different Perspectives
• 3 The Impact of the Triad of Impairments on Everyday Life
• 4 Sensory Issues
• 5 The Educational Implications of Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs)
• 6 Creating an ASD-Friendly Environment
• 7 Behaviour Management
• 8 Pupil Participation and Peer Group Awareness
• 9 Working with Parents and Other Professionals
• 10 Planning for Transition
• 11 Intervention Programmes – TEACCH, PECS and Social Stories
• 12 Carrying Out a School Audit and Planning for Access and Inclusion
• Useful organizations
• References
• Index