Supporting Enhanced Transition in Autism Ana Stokes – Social Communication

1. Specialist Support Teams • Supporting Enhanced • Transition in Autism • Ana Stokes – Social Communication • Specialist Teacher. ASC Team • Schools Psychology

3. The transition starts in Yr5 • Pointers to identification… • (Keep a child/young person • in mind – Individual Transition Plan)

4. Identifying need for Enhanced Transition • Social Communication (a few indicators) • Too much or too little eye contact or lack of facial expressions • Little interest in others • Difficulty making or keeping friends – few or no friends • Preoccupation with certain topics or objects • Long winded talks – talking to rather than with peers • Trouble starting or holding a conversation • Trouble understanding figurative language • Lack of connections/generalisation in the learning • Odd ways of communicating (monotone / loud/ whispers)

5. How to Identify the Child in Yr5 • 2 - Emotional Understanding (a few indicators) • Experience meltdowns or shutdowns • Might appear shy / self contained • Parents report reluctance to come to school • Self-sooths in a not so obvious manner • Difficult identifying / describing own emotions • Decreased empathy response to others

6. How to Identify a Child in Yr5 • 3 – Flexibility of Thought and Behaviour • Need for sameness or routines • Uneasy with changes • Reluctance to try something new / new • situations • Preoccupation with certain topics or objects • No consideration of other’s points of view

7. How to Identify a Child in Yr5 • 4 – Sensory Issues • Gets too close to others • Dislikes proximity • Moves away from certain smells • Dislikes some words • Light, sound, movement, materials • Fine / gross motor skills issues

8. KP – AS

9. Start Preparing (in Yr5) • Personalised Transition Plan • Promote Growth Mindset • Encourage Social Communication • Build Emotional Understanding • Support the development of • Independent skills • Create Self-awareness • Initiate a PCP / OPP

10. Relationships are • at the core of any • interventions

11. GROWTH MINDSET – Carol Dweck • The belief that one's intelligence or abilities can be changed • or • It is fixed and immutable

12. Growth Mindset (GM) / Fixed Mindset (FM) • We have both mindsets in different • situations. GM is a set of skills • If we are happy with our lot, then we will • be ok with a FM. • If we want to change our lot, the GM skills • will help

13. When are the GM thinking skills appropriate? • When we do not know an answer • When we make error • When we experience failure • When we are anxious • When we look at our abilities in a negative • way

14. GM misinterpretations • Confusing growth mindset with an open-minded • or positive outlook • Assuming we are either GM or FM people • Assuming that a growth mindset is about praising • and rewarding effort • Having mission statements and "I can" posters • Teachers endorsing claims of "growth" in their words • but not in their actions and particular reactions to • children's mistakes

15. Supporting Growth Mindset Strategies • Basic human abilities can be grown. • We all have the capacity for growth, it is for everybody, • it’s never too late. • Introduce and acknowledge the concept of effort / practice • Talk about the plasticity of the brain • Create a risk-tolerant learning zone • Establish high expectations (what to expect) • Encourage children to take a risk. • Ask open-ended questions • Use role models

16. Communication • Through communication we: • Connect with others • Forge relationships • Express wants / needs / feelings • Share / receive ideas and intentions • Persuade • Solve problems

17. Promote Social Communication • Key factors of successful strategies: • Early intervention • Developmentally sensible • Reduced verbal input • Power of everyday • Pivotal role of parents • How to ask for help • Share comments / views • Listen to others • Respond / ask questions • Initiate communication • Participate

18. Social skills • Prioritise • Motivate • Adapt • Practice • Maximum of 3 per academic year A Talent Book: Helps recognise own strengths and develop self-concept

19. Support Emotional Understanding • How to sooth/cope by themselves: • Access to sensory supports • Sensory break / quiet place • Visual choices of coping strategies • Viewing others as a source of emotional • support

20. Explore different coping strategies • for different levels of anxiety • Explore the physicality of feelings

21. Core elements of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Programmes But Uses understandable language Real life examples Practical exercises Worksheets

22. How Can Aspects of CBT Help? • Helps the child/young person to find: • The thoughts and feelings they have • The link between what they think, how • they feel and what they do • More helpful ways of thinking • How to control unpleasant feelings • How to face and overcome problems

23. BEFORE YOU START… • To be able to access CBT, children / young • people have to be able to undertake tasks such as: • ■accessing and communicating their thoughts; • ■ generating alternative attributions for events; • ■ being aware of different emotions; • ■ linking thoughts, feelings and events. • These can be assessed in a variety of age-appropriate • ways by using games, quizzes, puppets, drawing and • cartoons.

24. Originally developed in Australia by Professor Paula Barrett, Webster and Turner (2000) • Intervention proven to reduce anxiety and depression and promote positive mental health for children and young people. • Based on CBT • Recognised by the World Health Organisation as the only evidence based effective programme# • Recommended by the UK Department of Education (Mental Health & Behaviour in Schools: Departmental advice for school staff, 2016).

25. Fun FRIENDS (4 – 7 years) • FRIENDS for Life (8 – 11 years) • Special FRIENDS (Autism) • My FRIENDS Youth (12 – 15 years) • Adult Resilience for Life (16+)

26. THE PSYCHOLOGY TREE enquiries@thepsychologytree.com

27. SENSORY • Adapt the environment • Light • Noise • Smells • Touch • Movement • Words

28. PPromote Independent skills • More structure and information • = • A more independent child / young person • What they have to do • Why - motivation • Steps within activity • What’s happening next

29. ONE PAGE PROFILE Re-visiting OPP Training Opportunity 20th March 2019 Melissa Carey Rachel Kenny

30. End of Yr5 • Evaluate strategies and • Plan for Yr6

31. Year 6 (from beginning) • Update Social Skills and • Continue with: • Emotional Regulation support • Social Communication • Book of Talents • Ask parents not to discuss worries • in front of the child

32. YR6(from mid April) • Start ‘The Big Book About Me’ • Learn how to read a Yr7 timetable • Learn how to use a Planner • Arfur Moes – optional

33. Start gathering questions from child • Learn how to organise the day (game) • Learn about life in Secondary school • Prepare for change – insist on sameness

34. YR6 (end of May/early June) • School to arrange a transition meeting • Invite parents • Invite a secondary school representative • Prepare a very thorough PCP /Profile • to be discussed

35. At the transition meeting • Arrange extra visits to secondary school • Arrange taster sessions • Discuss • Daily arrangements • Summer school • Homework club • Find answers to the young person’s • questions