I really liked that this book is based on New Zealand practice. It shows practices of NZ kaiako and educational professionals who use Evidence-based practice (EVP) and implement interventions for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the classroom. Overall the book has some great interventions and tips for dealing with the 1 in a 100 students who are diagnosed with ASD. It also has a lot of tips specifically for Māori students and talks about components of culturally responsive evidence based practice, referencing Sonja Macfarlane's work. There are also some great links throughout the book to websites that can be used for more in depth research. I have done a quick note about each chapter to give an idea of what information is available in this really practical book and added a few links for more information about each topic.
Part 1 - Interventions
Chapter 1 - Using an adapted SCERTS framework with a 4-year-old - Anna Christie
SCERTS stands for Social Communication, Emotional Regulation, Transactional Supports. This chapter has descriptions and case studies about how it can be used in the classroom, building competency in each of the three areas by using strengths and interests.
Chapter 2 - Picturing the future: A video modelling package - Tracy Watkin
This is based around Albert Bandura's Social Cognitive Learning Theory which is about behaviour acquisition through imitation. The idea is that an individual learns a behaviour by watching a video of a demonstration of that behaviour. It also talks about Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development which talks about a "more knowledgeable other".
Chapter 3 - The development of a Makaton resource for Samoan children - Heather Polson
Makaton is a signing system for hearing but can also be used for communication and learning differences. It uses sign and speech together as a bridge to verbal communication. This supports the idea that the preferred learning option for many individuals with ASD is visual rather than verbal.
Chapter 4 - Social Scripts: SpongeBob helps Sam - Tangi Jackson-Ross
There are lots of different social narratives - statements, comments and questions individuals can use in social situations they find difficult. This one is focussed around SpongeBob Squarepants where the author wrote scripts with illustrations for a child to help them with having a conversation or to deal with different situations.
Chapter 5 - Colourful semantics: An approach for teaching literacy and communication to children with ASD - Dervla Hayes
This chapter was about using colour coding to show the structure of a sentence. It is a possible intervention to show how language works, but not necessarily for Māori due to the sentence structure being different. This is based on the Colourful Semantics approach by Alison Bryan.
Chapter 6 - TEACCH in a New Zealand regular classroom setting - Sharon Ketter
TEACCH stands for Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication-handicapped Children. It is a strengths based approach based on structured teaching. This chapter gives examples in writing and mathematics, using the individual's strengths to teach them to work independently in the classroom. It is highly individualised and is based on the premise that:
If an individual with an autism spectrum disorder is not learning a skill or behaviour that we seek to develop, then we are not learning from them and we are not modifying our instructional tactics to their needs effectively. (Powers et al., 2011, p. 86)
Chapter 7 - Creating a social skills toolkit - Fran Dawson
This includes a Functional Behaviour Assessment, musically and electronically adapted Social Stories, video modelling. An example is of a group making a song and video about keeping their hands to themselves.
Chapter 8 - Pivotal response training for individuals with ASD - June Chiaroni
This was about enabling ASD students to respond to naturally occurring learning opportunities and build on their own interests. Parental involvement was very important. Lots of choices were available to students. For examples in literacy they had a choice of seat, a choice of pencil, marker or ballpoint, a choice of writing in a book, on coloured paper or on a computer. A lot of this is drawn from an Autism Internet Module on pivitol response training (which I suggest anyone with an interest in ASD signs up to and does some courses - free).
Chapter 9 - The Ziggurat Model in planning interventions for students with ASD - Jenny Tippett
This model has 5 heirachical levels that all need to be addressed for intervention. Sensory and biological, reinforcement, structure and visual/tactile supports, task demands and skills to learn. These are all unpacked in this chapter and a case study example is given.
Part 2 - Issues
Chapter 10 - The role of culture - Jill Bevan-Brown and Alexandrina Moldovanu
This chapter is about how culture has influence on how ASD is viewed. In some cultures the symptoms of ASD may be ignored or not noticed as they are considered 'normal' behaviours or may be seen just as a 'naughty child'. There is also discussion about how interventions developed in the Western world are not always appropriate in other cultures. A very strong message that it is important to listen to and be guided by parents. Bevan-Brown's three-step stairway to cross cultural competence is also mentioned. This is about understanding one’s own culture first, about the influence of the Pākehā culture on the New Zealand education system second, and third, about recognising the necessity to increase our own knowledge of the cultural background of the students.
Chapter 11 - Narrative assessments: Inclusive educational 'selfies' - Natalie Paltridge
Narrative assessments or learning stories can be used to show progressions, depth or ideas for next learning steps. They are used widely in Early Childhood, but not always at other levels. A good discussion in the chapter about how we perceive, apply and use assessment. I do like this quote:
Assessing everyone in the same way will not meet the needs of all students.
A reminder that is assessments are to be meaningful, they need to be student-centered and responsive to each student's learning needs.
Chapter 12 - Dual diagnosis of deafness and ASD - Sharyn Gousmett
This chapter discusses the challenges and implications of this diagnosis. 12% of children with a hearing loss have some form of disability and a further 12% are thought to have an unconfirmed disability. One thing that jumped out at me was not having a diagnosis until later in life meant that students "missed out on vital opportunities for intervention support". Early intervention needs to happen at age 2 or 3 and it can make a big difference.
Chapter 13 - Sensory therapies and interventions for individuals with ASD - Julianne Swanepol
A few approaches are described in this chapter. A sensory diet, where there are scheduled activities that can be integrated into a day. The ALERT programme which helps to recognise what those with ASD need to do the help themselves adjust to different situations. Handle Therapy, by Judith Bluestone, which is current not available in NZ. The chapter also has information about a Sensory room and how this works. There are a lot of resources at the end of this chapter as well.
Chapter 14 - PATH: Planning alternative tomorrows with hope - Alison Browning
This chapter was about planning transitions from school to the world. Some key issues were discussed. Transition should be over 5 years from age 14 where students would be introduced gradually to community based learning until their final year of school which should be mainly in a community context.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I learnt a bit more about some different interventions and it reinforced what I already knew. Some things that went through all of these chapters are:
Getting to know your students is most important
Consultation with the person with ASD and their whānau is so important
The need for programmes to be individualised
Interventions are all built on interests
Interventions should be used with ALL children
You need a sound knowledge of ASD characteristics and strategies
More learning - there is always more to learn
Bring on the next book.
No comments:
Post a Comment