1. Formatively self-assessing wellbeing with ASD students
Kayleigh Hardy

2. Areas of interest Assessing and supporting wellbeing
Participatory research with young people with ASD

3. Wellbeing SEN – holistic approach
Positive links to progress and ability to learn
Negative links to concerning behaviours, slowed progress, mental health conditions
Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.
WHO's definition of health as contained in its constitution: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

4. Assessing wellbeing
Young people with ASD are more likely to have mental health needs
Lack of familiarity and easy vocabulary for my students; we didn’t comfortably talk about mental health – despite several students being referred to CAMHs
Concerns over how you monitor wellbeing over periods of time and changes in staff
Experienced ‘reactive’ practice; responding to poor mental health and challenges rather than ‘proactively’ encouraging good mental health

5. Participatory and emancipatory research
"Nothing About Us Without Us!"
Pupil voice
Pupil power - ‘people with special needs and disabilities to recognise the importance of taking control of their own lives.’ Charlton (2000)
Not necessarily empowering people but facilitating people empowering themselves (Oliver,1992)

6. ‘parasitic researchers’ (Hunt, 1981) – biased research which does not take into account the views / experiences of the subjects
Disabled people historically left out of decisions concerning their own lives (Shakespeare, 2104)
‘Disabled people have come to see research as a violation of their experience, as irrelevant to their needs and as failing to improve their material circumstances and quality of life.’ (Oliver 1992, p.105)

7. What this would look like…
Pupils involvement throughout the project
Acknowledging that the pupils brought their own experiences and judgements
Making as many adjustments as needed to make the project accessible
Asking the pupils to evaluate

8. The intervention Week Action 1 Well being lessons 2
Student questionnaires / Staff Questionnaires 3
Writing Pupil Plans with student
Staff interviews
4-8
Students work on plan
End of week 8
Review Pupil Plans with students and self-assess wellbeing

9. The big question!
Are you happy? What can you do about that?

10. Ethics Informed consent – pupils and parents
Concerns that I was opening a can of worms
Pupil led

11. Conclusion Happier pupils! Process or outcome?
Similar views across the school

12. What did I learn? To ask and to listen To check my presumptions
To encourage talking

13. Going forward… The relationship between behaviour and wellbeing
Teaching self-care
Pupil friendly language relating to mental health
The importance of staff wellbeing in supporting student wellbeing