The Inclusive Schools and ASDs
Whole School Training and
Research Project
Autism Cymru in partnership with
LEAs and TES Cymru
Working In Partnership With LEAs
and TES Cymru
The Inclusive Schools and ASDs Whole
School Training and Research Programme
was first piloted in RCT following
discussions with LEA officers.
The first cohort of schools were presented
with their certificates by the Minister for
Education and Lifelong Learning and
Skills, Jane Davidson in March 2006
What does the project entail?
• 2 days training
• At least a term of whole school activity
relating to ASDs e.g. training, using a self
evaluation tool to address short, medium
and long term plans
• ½ day for feedback and to discuss the way
forward
What does the project aim to do?
• Have a long-term impact on schools and
the way they cater for pupils with ASDs
• Impact on schools is measurable
• Make ASDs a whole school responsibility-
involving not only teaching staff and LSAs
but lunch time staff, caretaker, governors
etc
What do schools say about the
project?
• An informative course which has certainly
clarified issues regarding my knowledge
and understanding of ASDs
• I feel a big impact has been made on me. I
feel more confident to support the pupils
with ASDs in my school
• Every school should be made more aware.
Project should be compulsory.
What issues does the Project
cover?
• Living with ASDs
• The Triad of Impairment
• Sensory Issues
• Educational Implications of ASDs
• Behaviour Management
• Common strategies
• Creating an Enabling Environment
Task 1:Raising Staff Awareness
• Building up a bank of resources- videos,
user friendly books, examples of
resources etc
• Training in Staff meetings and on CPD
days using power point, videos, DVD,
interactive CD Rom, posters and quizzes
• ASDs section on the staff notice board
Staff Awareness
• Using pupils with ASDs and parents to
give presentations to whole school
• Dedicated INSET for LSAs and lunch time
supervisors
• Using the Power points provided and
Autism NI Toolkit
• Having a film night with cheese and wine-
‘Snow Cake’.
Staff Awareness
• Large portable notice board with facts
about ASDs
• Using true/false Quiz and How ASD
Friendly Are You? Questionnaire
• Books such as ‘Blue Bottle Mystery’ and
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night’
circulated around all staff
• A is for Autism
Self-Evaluation Tool
• Ensures that schools can assess where
they are in relation to ASDs
• They can use it to plan, monitor and
review their approach to pupils with ASDs
• Encourages them to think creatively e.g.
the provision of a ‘safe haven’,
arrangements at lunch and break times,
using strategies to remove barriers to
communication etc
Impact on Practice
• Providing ‘safe havens’ and considering
arrangements for lunch and break times
• Audit of timetable to consider times which
are likely to cause the most stress
• Considering the sensory environment of
the school
• Information leaflets for all staff
• Visual timetables and use of structure for
all pupils
Impact on Practice
• Traffic light system introduced so that
pupils with ASDs can indicate stress levels
• Re writing policies- behaviour, inclusion,
homework, DES etc
• Using range of strategies to prepare for
change
• Audit of staff development needs
• Pupil passports
• Colour coded books and Timetables
Impact on Practice
• Buddy System introduced
• Looking closely at Assembly
• Not insisting upon eye contact and giving
time to process
• Thinking about language
• Recognising that ASD is a ‘hidden
disability’ and so there is a need for
flexibility.
Moving Inclusion Forward
The project has helped other pupils with
additional learning needs:
• Structure and visual cues can be useful to
a number of pupils
• Looking for triggers for inappropriate
behaviour
• Relaxation exercises and sensory gardens
The Future?
• Lot of interest in Project across Wales
• LEAs who have participated to date plan a
rolling programme across their authorities
• All Wales Steering Group to continually
revise and up date the content of the
project in the light of Welsh legislation
• To avoid the Post Code Lottery!
Maggie Bowen – maggie@autismcymru.org
Lynn Plimley – lynn@autismcymru.org
Co-authors of
•Autistic Spectrum Disorders in Secondary school
•Social skills and Autistic Spectrum Disorders
•Autistic Spectrum Disorders in the Early Years
•Supporting pupils with autistic spectrum disorders
•The Autism Inclusion Toolkit to be published in
2008