ASD Advisors Forum 18 th February 2013

Authority wide CPD ICT additional support resources & Kidspiration Siblings ASD School Training Autism Friendly School/Class Primary 7 transition Programme Programme Overview

Authority wide CPD  NQT training  1 day training course foe schools staff (pre 5 – primary/secondary)  Twilights for wider education staff

ICT additional support resources  Resources audit  Kidspiration – in schools? - Used for ASD pupils?

Siblings  Background  Cluster programme  Resources

Sibling issues  Small group activity  Discuss what you believe are the key issues/concerns for siblings of individuals with ASD.

A sibling’s story  I wish I could accept his autism  A bond that nobody can break

Issues for siblings  Increased vulnerability of whole family Risk of social isolation Risk of increased stress levels  Individual need – resilient to high level of need  Quality of sibling relationships

Key components in keeping families strong  Open, supportive communication between core family members  Supportive social networks  Development of practical skills and a positive outlook  Positive relationships with professionals  Needs for help being met appropriately by services

Possible thoughts/feelings of a sibling  Conflicting emotions –intensely protective vs Angry/Embarrassment  Am I responsible for my brother/sister in school?  Overshadowed by sibling  Frustration, sadness and resentment at the impact ASD has on the relationship with their sibling.  Don’t want to talk to parents in case they upset them further  Parental expectations might be overwhelming  Home life may be tense and exhausting

What can school do to help?  Positive home/school relationships – understanding of their individual situation  Provision of age appropriate information about ASD  Teaching siblings some simple skills in play  Being interested in them as individuals in their own right  Encourage them to talk about their feelings - mentor  Acknowledge their caring role  Develop their coping skills  Sibling workshops

Useful reading for brothers and sisters  Mr brother or sister is different - NAS information sheet - HANDOUT

For younger brothers and sisters  Bleach, F. (2001). Everybody is different: a book for young people who have brothers or sisters with autism.  Davis, J. (1994). Able autistic children children with Asperger syndrome: a booklet for brothers and sisters.  Fairfoot, E. and Mayne, J. (2004). My special brother Rory.  Gorrod, L. (1997). My brother is different.  Hunter T. H. (2006). My sister is different  Koutsis, A., De Clercq, G., and Galbraith, R. (2006). What about me? The autism survival guide for kids.  Welton, J. (2003). Can I tell you about Asperger syndrome? A guide for family and friends.

For adolescent brothers and sisters  Hoopman, K. (2000). Blue bottle mystery.  Haddon, M. (2003). The curious incident of the dog in the night-time.  Jackson, L. (2002). Freaks, geeks and Asperger syndrome.

Support for siblings of people with autism  Autism Helpline – NAS  NAS Website – section for siblings  Barnardo’s Scotland – small groups  The Den – Interactive site fromt eh Autism Education Trust  SibsKids – for younger brothers and sisters

ASD School Training  Current arrangements?  Consider the existing programme  What would you include?  Show it be a cycle of training?

Autism Friendly School/Class  Creating standards Would this be useful What would the impact be What would you include

Primary 7 transition Programme Learning IntentionActivities Change To reflect on changes pupils have experienced in their lives and discuss impending transition to high school  Team game  Group rules  Discussion – what is change, what changes have they experienced  Life journey road map  Question/worry board  Confidence rating 1-10 Primary-Secondary To know some of the differences and similarities between primary and secondary school and have strategies to cope with these  Team game  Group rules  Discussion – differences between primary and secondary  Flash card activity  Question/worry board  Confidence rating 1-10

Friendships To have strategies to make new friends in high school To know how to deal with developing and changing relationships  Team game  Group rules  Discussion – primary friends and memories  What makes a good friend? Flipchart  Role-play activity  Question/worry board  Confidence rating 1-10 Teachers and Expectations To be able to cope with the varying expectations of teachers and their teaching styles To know and understand the reasons for school rules and expectations  Team game  Group rules  Discussion – primary teacher memories, differences between teachers  Role-play activity  Discussion – school expectations and reasons for rules  Question/worry board  Confidence rating 1-10 Subjects and timetable To understand the structure of the school day To know what subjects they will be learning and what each means  Team game  Group rules  Discussion – structure of current school day and subjects  Timetable – complete S1 example  Matching game – subjects to content  Question/worry board  Confidence rating 1-10

Organisation To be able to organise themselves more independently (homework, schoolbag, timekeeping etc)  Team game  Group rules  Discussion – what, why and how to be organised  Schoolbag activity – packing for each day  Homework – how to complete diary and practise, when and where to do homework  Question/worry board  Confidence rating 1-10 Dealing with problems To be able to deal with manageable problems assertively To know when and where to go to get help with problems in and out of school  Team game  Group rules  Discussion – primary problems and how to deal with them, who to tell at high school  Role-play – problem scenarios  Question/worry board  Confidence rating 1-10 Putting it all together To be able to put all their knowledge about high school to use in hypothetical situations To discuss their feelings about transition to high school in light of new knowledge and strategies  Team game  Group rules  Discussion – what have we learned?  Moving On Up board game  Discussion – how we feel about transition now, looking forward to, what we will miss about primary  Confidence rating 1-10  Goodbye P7 booklets

National needs analysis