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AHP Practice Education Programme

Webinar series

Supporting the return to educational settings for autistic children and young people

#autisticlearners

@NAITScotland @NESnmahp@gailnahped @marcbeswickahp @ailidhAHPed

NHS Education for Scotland

Organisers:

Marc Beswick, AHP Practice Education Lead, NHS Shetland

Carol Curran, Programme Officer, NHS Education Scotland

Ailidh Hunter, AHP Practice Education Lead, NHS Lothian

Gail Nash, AHP Practice Education Coordinator, NHS Education Scotland

Panellists:

Lorna Johnston, Education Lead, National Autism Implementation Team

Dr Marion Rutherford, Health Lead, National Autism Implementation Team

Who are we?

© NATIONAL AUTISM IMPLEMENTATION TEAM 2020

Supporting the return to educational settings for autistic children and young people

Lorna Johnston and Dr Marion Rutherford June 2020

#autisticlearners

Plan• Context

• Autistic learners

• Key Messages

• Resources

• Parent/ autistic voice

• Q & A


#autisticlearners

Context• Returning during COVID-19

• 25% of learners with additional support needs

• Good autism practice benefits all children

• Local policy and guidance

• Getting it right

• The planning cycle

• NAIT Returning to school framework

• Partnership working


Context for health professionals• Facilitating remote communication across services and with families

• Communicate effectively and regularly

• Request for assistance

• Remember autism is lifelong

• Continue diagnostic assessments where possible

• New ways of delivering training

• Adapting practice

• Create and provide resources

• Video modelling and coaching

• Follow up on advice/ resources given

• Parent programmes online


Autistic learnersEach learner is an individual and we need to understand some key things about them:

• Communication

• Sensory Preferences

• Thinking Style

• Interests and motivation

• Sources of anxiety/ responses to anxiety

• Individual context

• Developmental stage


Developmental stage

Before wordsEmerging language

Conversation level


Social Partner Language Partner Conversational Partner

difficulties commonly arise are when there is a mismatch between expectations and the child’s developmental stage

1. Ensure adjustments are anticipatoryEquality Act 2010

• Direct discrimination

• Indirect discrimination

• Discrimination by association

We have a duty to make reasonable adjustments


2. Listen to parents• Many different family responses to COVID-19 changes

• New experiences and insights

• Contact with school whilst off

• Worries

• Changing communication systems

• Need to feel prepared

• Need time to prepare their child



He will have a new class teacher so they will need to spend time trying to gain his trust. I hope they

can think carefully about their tone of voice because if they are some distance away he might feel they are shouting at him. I think they’ll see that the reduced numbers in class may make it

quieter and he’ll likely thrive in that environment..

Parent of an autistic boy, 2020

3. Provide predictability

“The opposite of anxiety is trust”

Barry Prizant (2015)



Learning at home with some online teacher sessions

Home learning and homework, I feel like it’s blended into one.

I suppose cos we don’t do any physical work on a call. It’s like talking and then you

go off and do the work.

When you come off the call. You need a break and you can take one.

I like that. Because it’s broken into pieces it’s quite manageable.

Mainstream secondary autistic learner, 2020

4. Use Visual Supports


5. Provide a Safe Space


6. Plan for movement breaks

• For one child or a group

• Timetabled across the day

• Before a less preferred activity

• Provides an opportunity to step away from an activity and return

• Supports transition between two activities


7. Seek to understand distressed behaviour• Seek to understand why?

• Think about predictability and desirability

• Big problems don’t always require big solutions

• The last thing that happened might not have been the real issue

• Avoid ‘post match analysis’ with the child

• Make adaptations to avoid the same situation arising again


8. Two Key Adults• Two consistent key adults

• Ideally including one from the Senior Leadership Team

• A conduit for communicating with the wider school staff

• If the young person needs to seek support or advice during the school day, they should be prepared and know how to access one or both adults


What is OK and not OK when we go back?



Parent/ autistic voices


… to emphasise how important a simple and “low demand” environment is for my daughter to have capacity to

function well, as was our home learning environment

Parent of an autistic girl, 2020


I have learned that my girl is resilient and really wants to learn new things –

even when her anxiety or language processing difficulties can make it so challenging, and how important the right support at a particular time is, however “unconventional” it looks.

Parent of an autistic girl, 2020


I’ve learned that he is very capable when he’s interested in his school work. He does best in a quiet, calm environment and likes a routine. He

hasn’t really missed his friends and in fact his self sufficiency has been a real strength at this

time. He’s coped very well and been less anxious than usual.



I would like them to understand that because he’s self sufficient he’s not

likely to need a lot of emotional support so lots of time spent asking

him how he’s feeling in endless surveys will be very boring for him.


Key messages for supporting the return to school

1. Ensure adjustments are anticipatory

2. Listen to parents

3. Provide predictability

4. Use visual supports

5. Provide a Safe Space

6. Plan for movement breaks

7. Seek to understand distressed behaviour

Additionally at the secondary stage

8. Two Key Adults


References and linkshttp://www.autismtoolbox.co.uk/home

https://www.thirdspace.scot/nait/education-resources

https://youtu.be/F18FsiPMFhc

Prizant B (2015) Uniquely Human


http://www.autismtoolbox.co.uk/home

https://www.thirdspace.scot/nait/education-resources/

https://youtu.be/F18FsiPMFhc

NAIT resources list :https://www.thirdspace.scot/nait• Supporting Autistic Learners Returning to School

• Key Messages for Returning to School Guidance and Poster

• OK/ Not OK Guidance, Boards and Visual Supports

• Safe Space Guidance (including additional guidance for Social Partners)

• Movement Break Guidance

• Information Sharing Guidance and Forms for Parents and Young People

• Home School Communication

• Two Key Adults Guidance

• Visual Support Resources and Guidance

• Information for Parents and Carers About Support at Home

• Risk Assessment Template


https://www.thirdspace.scot/nait

Q & A


AHP Practice Education Programme

for listening and to all our speakers

REMEMBER to capture learning and reflection; and record for HCPC+NMC and appraisal purposes!

Consider using the TURAS AHP Professional Portfolio or Nursing and Midwifery Professional Portfolio

A link to this and other webinar recordings will be available at: https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/29104/allied-health-professions-ahp-learning-site

https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/29341/allied-health-professions-ahp-learning-site/resources-to-support-your-practice/children-and-young-people

https://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/education-and-training/by-discipline/allied-health-professions/ahp-professional-portfolio.aspx

http://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/education-and -training/by-discipline/nursing-and-midwifery/careers-and-recruitment/nursing-midwifery-professional-portfolio.aspx

https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/29104/allied-health-professions-ahp-learning-site

https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/29341/allied-health-professions-ahp-learning-site/resources-to-support-your-practice/children-and-young-people

© NHS Education for Scotland 2019. You can copy or reproduce the information in this resource for use within NHSScotland andfor non-commercial educational purposes. Use of this document for commercial purposes is permitted only with the writtenPermission of NES.

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