What is Good Practice in Autism Education

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What is Good Practicein Autism Education?Research Team: Tony Charman, Liz Pellicano, Lindy V Peacey,Nick Peacey, Kristel Forward, Julie Dockrell (2011)Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE),Department of Psychology and Human Development,Institute of Education, University of London


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h1. Purpose of the researchThe Autism Education Trust (AET) was

established in November 2007 with fundingfrom the then Department for Children, Schoolsand Families. It is dedicated to co-ordinatingand improving education support for allchildren on the autism spectrum in England.It is estimated that one in 100 children ison the autism spectrum. Their developmentand education are the primary concern formost parents and carers. The AET aims tocreate a platform for statutory, independent,

and voluntary providers to plan and developappropriate autism education provision acrossall education settings, including early years.In April 2011 the AET was awarded aGovernment grant to develop a set ofstandards for the delivery of good practice ineducation provision for children and youngpeople with autism. These standards couldform the basis for nation-wide training ineducation provision for children and youngpeople with autism to be delivered by localpartners and accredited by the AET.

A. Identify and recordexisting practice inschools perceived as

providing excellentcare and education forchildren and youngpeople with autism.

B. Identify areasof commonalityand difference

between theseproviders.

C. Document a setof good practiceguidelines based on

existing practice inthese schools.

Note that the remit of the research specically excluded the comparison of the effectiveness ofspecic interventions or programmes.

AET Report: What is Good Practice in Autism Education ? 2

This research was commissioned to provide context to the development ofthis set of autism education standards in the following areas:


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AET Report: What is Good Practice in Autism Education ?3

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2.

Index

2.1 Executive summary 5-72.2 Setting the scene 8-14

2.3 Describing the research methods employed 15-182.3.1 Timetable 152.3.2 Review of existing literature 152.3.3 Selection of schools 15-162.3.4 Ethical considerations 17

2.3.5 Methods of data gathering employed 172.3.6 Methods of analysis 18

2.4 Elements of good practice in autism education 19-412.4.1 Ambitions and aspirations 192.4. 2 Monitoring progress 21-222.4.3 Adapting the curriculum 23-252.4.4 Involvement of other professionals/services 26-28

2.4.5 Staff knowledge and training 29-322.4.6 Effective communication 33-342.4.7 Broader participation 36-382.4.8 Strong relationships with families 39-41

2.5 Conclusions 42-44

2.6 Knowledge gaps and 43-45priorities for future research

2.7 Abbreviations 47

2.8 References 48

2.9 Acknowledgements 49

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The AET has been asked

by the Department forEducation to develop aset of standards for thedelivery of good practice

in education provisionfor children and youngpeople on the autismspectrum . . .

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2.1

Executive summaryThe AET has been asked by the Department for

Education to develop a set of standards for thedelivery of good practice in education provision forchildren and young people on the autism spectrum.These standards could form the basis for country-wide training in education provision for children and

young people with autism to be delivered by localpartners and accredited by the AET. The remit ofthe current research was to characterise aspects ofgood practice in autism education through in-depthstudy of schools considered to demonstrate suchpractice by AET, Ofsted and external agencies.Sixteen schools were included in the research,ranging from early years provision to provision for19yearold pupils, educating pupils with autismacross the ability range in special schools, specialistautism schools, and autism resource bases withinmainstream schools. The primary data collectionencompassed in-depth interviews with school staffand, in some schools, with pupils and parents andcarers also.

Key ndings

Despite the very diverse range of schools includedin this research, which educate pupils from rightacross the autism spectrum, several consistent themesemerged.

Schools hadhigh ambitions and aspirations for pupils with autism; for them to reach their fullpotential and to be included in school and society.They recognised the importance of helping pupilswith autism to develop problem-solving skills topromote their independence both at school andinto adult life. Schools were interested in hearing

the pupils own voice about their learningand other school activities. They also took time tounderstand and establishstrong relationships

with pupils seeing this as the starting point forsupporting their learning and well-being.

Schools went further than individualising andadapting the curriculum for each pupil. Theysaw the need for a unique autism curriculum ,which captured not only childrens learning needsbut also sought to address the social, emotional andcommunication needs of children and young people

with autism, and to nurture their independence andwell-being. Schools usedmultiple assessments

beyond those statutorily required in order to monitorprogress in terms of attainments and also withrespect to social and behavioural outcomes, again

acknowledging that the education of children withautism must be broader than for children without autism.

Staff in the schools were both highlytrained andhighlymotivated and the expectations placedon staff by school leaders were high. There wasa considerable amount of joint working withspecialist health practitioners , in particularspeech and language therapists, occupational therapistsand mental-health professionals, and with social careprofessionals and the voluntary sector. Training for all staff , including for support staff, was a priority for

schools, and many schools were active in disseminatingtheir expertise to other schools and practitioners.

Senior school staff provided strong leadershipand vision that encompassed not only their ownschool but also the broader community where they tooktook on the role of ambassadors for autism to raisecommunity awareness . Schools strove towardsinclusive education both within their own school andthrough joint activities with other local schools.

School staff had very high levels ofreciprocalcommunication with parents and carers ,both about approaches to learning and on strategies topromote positive social and behavioural outcomes andwell-being. They recognised that families of childrenand young people with autism can often be vulnerableand require additional support , which theydid their best to provide within the resources available although they wished they could do more. Schoolsworked inpartnership with families , aware thatthere is reciprocity in such relationships and that parentsand carers have expertise and knowledge to share withschools, just as the schools do with parents and carers.

Many of the themes that emerged from the researchare reected strongly in the proposals outlined inthe SEND Green Paper, including joint workingbetween education, health, social care and voluntaryorganisations; the need for staff to have highexpectations, to be well-trained, and to understandautism and for networks of schools to work together withspecialist schools working as centres of excellence inautism education practice.

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Knowledge gaps and priorities for futureresearch

The research also identied challenges for practice and policy in the

implementation of good practice as well as gaps in the research and practiceevidence base that should inform future commissioning.

1. If good practice in autism education is practice that is informed by strongempirical evidence, then we need to address the considerable gaps inknowledge abouteffective practice.

2. We need further research on the delity or faithfulness of implementation ofgeneric, and particularly specialised, practice and programmes.

3. We need to evaluate whether school staff are choosing the best measuresto monitor progress, including progress in social and communicationcompetence, well-being, and progress towards independence.

4. We need to test the effectiveness on outcomes of education, health andsocial care professionals working jointly.

5. We need to evaluate the ways in which mutual partnershipsbetween schools and families have benecial effects for childrenand young people with autism in terms of learning, behaviouralor well-being outcomes.

6. We need more research to develop and disseminategood practice on accessing the pupils voicewithin both mainstream and specialist schools.

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Tony Charman, Liz Pellicano, Lindy V Peacey,Nick Peacey, Kristel Forward, Julie Dockrell (2011)


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2.2

Setting the sceneThis section provides an overview of autism and the

way that autism may affect the experiences of childrenand young people in school. It contextualises thecurrent report against the background of previous AETcommissioned work and other guidelines on autismgood practice from the UK and internationally.

What is autism?

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) or autism spectrumconditions (ASC) are the common terms used todescribe the range of neurodevelopmental conditionsthat are characterised by qualitative difculties in socialinteraction and communication and rigid and repetitiveways of thinking and behaving1 (see Table 1). Thesecore behaviours are thought to be underpinned byfundamental difculties in both the exible generationof ideas and the understanding of, and thinking about,other people and other situations. Sensory atypicalities,including either hyposensitivity or hypersensitivity,and unusual interests in some sensations (e.g., thefeel of clothes or the smell of hair) are common, asare childhood psychiatric or mental health disorders,especially anxiety and attentional difculties2.

There is, however, much variation in the way thatchildren and young people with autism manifest thesedifferent behaviours. A large proportion of childrenwith autism (around 50%) have an additional learningdisability; while some children and young peoplemay also have a severe intellectual disability, otherswill have average or advanced intellectual abilities.Difculties with receptive and expressive language alsovary enormously. For some children, spoken languageis limited or absent altogether, while for other childrenspeech can be uent, but their use of language to

communicate in social contexts (e.g., conversations) canbe odd, awkward, and often one-sided. Stereotypedand inexible behaviours range from hand-appingand nger-twisting to idiosyncratic special interests(e.g., prime numbers, train timetables, drain pipes)and an insistence on sameness (e.g., preferringenvironments and routines to stay the same). The fullspectrum therefore includes children and young peoplewith very different presentations an observation thatrst prompted Lorna Wing to coin the term the autismspectrum to capture this wide variability3 and which

is also reected by the use of levels of symptoms(mild, moderate, severe), language and intelligencein the proposed revision to the American Psychiatric

Association diagnostic guidelines4

. Furthermore, autismis a developmental condition and the presentation inany individual will change with age, with some childrenexperiencing periods of rapid improvement and othersshowing stasis or plateau-ing of development.

Table 1 describes the core behavioural features ofautism, and suggests how these might affect learningand behaviour in the classroom. Note that withineducation, health and social care practice the use ofthe terms autism spectrum disorders, autism spectrumconditions and autism is highly variable for a range

of reasons. Throughout the report for simplicity we willrefer to autism taken to include all children and youngpeople who fall on the autism spectrum, includingthose meeting diagnostic criteria for childhood autism,Asperger syndrome, atypical autism and pervasivedevelopmental disorder.

The population prevalence of broadly dened autismspectrum disorders is now known to be around one ina hundred children5, meaning that all schools are likelyto include pupils who lie somewhere on the autismspectrum. The prevalence of autism is 4 times higher

in boys than girls, although the reasons for this sexdifference have not yet been determined. Autism is astrongly genetic condition although it is now recognizedthat this consists of both heritable and sporadic (non-inherited) forms. Non-genetic causation in some caseshas not been ruled out, but such instances probablyaccount for only a small minority of cases6. Untilrecently, many children with autism were not diagnoseduntil 4 or 5 years of age, and for some children withAsperger syndrome or autism with good language skillsand of average or above average ability (sometimescalled high functioning autism) even later. However,progress has been made in the earlier identicationof autism, and many children, especially those with amore classic presentation of autism in combination withlanguage delay, are now rst identied well before theage of 5 years7.

Researchers investigating the adult outcomes for childrenwith autism often report striking variability, even forindividuals at the more intellectually able end of theautism spectrum. While some individuals go on tolive independently and obtain qualications, many

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1 ICD-10 (1992). WHO.2 Simonoff et al. (2008). JAACAP.3 Wing (1996). Robinson.4 Proposed DSM-5 ASD diagnostic criteria. APA.

5 Baird et al. (2006). Lancet.6 Levy et al (2009). Lancet.7 Charman & Baird (2002). JCPP.


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are unable to achieve independence, to attain full-time employment, or to enjoy friendships and socialinteractions8,9 . It is increasingly recognised that there arevery signicant gaps in our knowledge of what affectsadult outcomes. One largely unexplored possibilityis that the very wide variability in outcomes forindividuals with autism may, in part, be associated withvariable support, ineffective interventions and lack ofknowledge by professionals working with the children.This uncertainty regarding the life-long outcomes forchildren with autism is worrying for parents andcarers, and practitioners alike and underscores theimportant role of education, especially since children

spend most of their childhood in school. This reportseeks to characterise what is good practice in autismeducation, and identies some ways that might improvesuch outcomes, ensuring that children and youngpeople lead rewarding and fullling lives.

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8 Howlin et al (2004). JCPP.9 Farley et al (2009). JADD.


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Behavioural characteristics of autism 1 Possible impacts upon learningand behaviour

Qualitative difculties in social interaction shown by:

the limited use of non-verbal behaviours such aseye gaze and body posture to regulate socialinteractionproblems developing peer relationshipslimited spontaneous showing and sharing ofinterests

limited social emotional reciprocity

difculties in forming reciprocal peer relationshipsand friendshipsdifculties in picking up on non-verbal or emotionalcuestaking what is said to them literallydifculties in picking up on social cues, particularly

in group activitiesunpredictable emotional responses(e.g., anxiety, outbursts) for no apparent reason

Qualitative difculties in social communication shown by:

delayed language development without non-verbal compensationproblems starting/sustaining conversationsrepetitive and stereotyped languagelimited imaginative and imitative play

problems understanding spoken language/verbalinstructionsnot responding when spoken topoor comprehension of written text even if readingdecoding is goodsolo or parallel play in place of group play

Restricted repertoire of interests, behaviours and activities shown by:

over-focus on particular topicsrigid adherence to routines/ritualsrepetitive, stereotyped motor mannerismspreoccupation with object parts ratherthan whole

preference for only one or a few activitiesdifculty with transitions, changes in routine andunexpected eventsdifculties maintaining attention without externalstructure/supportdifculties moving from one activity to anotherless likely to pick up on the gist of a situation oractivity

Hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment:

aversive responses to particular environmentalstimuli (e.g., lights, colours, sounds, patterns,smells, touch)sensory seeking behaviour

shuts eyes or blocks earsremoves self from the source by leaving a room orpeopleneeds one person/thing at a timefascination with (looking, smelling, licking) objectsor people

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t h e s c e n eTable 1 What does autism look like and how might it affect learning

and behaviour in the classroom?

1 ICD-10 (1992). WHO.


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How this report relates to other AET reports and practice guidance

This research is intended to provide a snapshot of

good practice in autism education, as exempliedby a number of schools perceived to provide excellenteducation and support for independence. In this senseit builds on the previous report published by the AET, Education provision for children and young peopleon the autism spectrum living in England: A review ofcurrent practice, issues and challenges 10. Jones andcolleagues used mixed methods including a literaturereview, survey questionnaires and interviews with schoolstaff and other relevant professionals, and interviewswith parents and carers, and children and youngpeople with autism. That reports aim was to describethe wide variety of provision, and experiences of thisprovision, available to children and young peoplewith autism in England; to identify organisationalchallenges to ensuring equal access to the provision ofgood quality education for pupils with autism and theirfamilies; to identify the information and support given tofamilies; and to highlight examples of innovative inter-agency working.

The current report has a different focus. It is intended toidentify and highlight aspects of good practice in autismeducation; that is, to identify successes and makepositive practice recommendations that can be takenup by other schools, leaders, trainers and practitionerswith the aim of improving educational experienceand outcomes for children and young people withautism and their families in England. The AET has alsocommissioned a piece of research on meaningfuloutcomes for children and young people with autism11 .Where relevant to good practice the current report willreport on the outcomes used in the participating schoolsbut it will not attempt systematically to review outcomemeasures used in autism education practice as this will

be one of the foci of this companion piece of work.Other relevant recent guidance on autism goodpractice includes theAutistic Spectrum Disorders:Good Practice Guidance 12 published jointly by theDepartment for Education and Skills (DfES) and theDepartment of Health (DH) in 2002; theEducationfor Pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorders 13 publishedby the Scottish Her Majestys Inspectorate of Education(HMIe) in 2006; and the forthcoming National Instituteof Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines onAutism

Spectrum Disorders in Children and Young People:Recognition, Referral and Diagnosis (publication dueSeptember 2011; draft for public consultation accessedMarch 2011 14). There are also a number of recent orongoing initiatives on autism education and interventionpractice internationally. Whilst these internationalreports contain important and useful informationdescribing the evidence base for various programmesand approaches, the ease with which they can betranslated into everyday practice recommendationsfor staff working with pupils with autism in schoolsin England presents signicant challenges due todifferences in service provision, workforce trainingand local and national policy. Nonetheless, theseinitiatives were consulted as relevant backgroundliterature for the current report to ensure that education

practice in the UK is informed by international effortswhere relevant and possible, notwithstanding variationacross international boundaries in service organisation,funding, training and delivery.

Previous UK guidelines

The DfES/DHAutistic Spectrum Disorders: GoodPractice Guidance 12 had two purposes. First, it wasintended as an introduction to health and educationpractitioners to the nature of autism, in particular

identifying principles underlying effective practice.Second, it provided a list of school, local authority andregional pointers to good practice which could beused as an audit tool for local authorities and districts tomonitor their current and future practice and policy. Thekey principles highlighted were:

practitioner knowledge and understanding ofautismthe need for early identication and interventionpolicy and planning at all strategic levelsthe importance of supporting families and workingin partnershipthe need to involve children and young peoplewith autism in decisions affecting their educationmulti-agency co-operationclear short-term and long-term goals, in particularto develop the social skills of children and youngpeople with autismthe need to monitor, evaluate and research theeffectiveness of provision

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10 Jones et al. (2008). AET.11Wittemeyer et al. (2011). AET.12DfES/DH Good Practice Guidance (2002).13Scottish HMIe (2006).

14NICE consultation draft public access (2011).


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The overall aim of this report, now almost 10 years old,was similar to the current research in terms of identifyingprinciples related to good practice and these closelyinformed the content of the structured interviews thatwere undertaken (see below).

The Scottish HMIe report Education for Pupils withAutism Spectrum Disorders 13 was designed to identifyand report on the range of educational provisionavailable for pupils with autism in Scotland, to evaluatethis provision and to identify good practice. Many ofthe reports conclusions concerned the challenges andgaps that needed to be overcome in order to ensureconsistency in the quality of services provided in theScottish education system. An accompanying literaturereview assessed the evidence base for particularprogrammes or approaches. Several best practicerecommendations emerged, including

the desirability of the integration of speech andlanguage therapy (SALT) targets into the primaryschool curriculumlinking individualised educational programmes(IEPs) to the core characteristics of autism withwhich pupils may require additional supportmodifying procedures and practices toaccommodate the preferences of pupils with autism(e.g., sitting in the same seat for mocks and exams;

building time out periods for pupils with autisminto their lesson plan)effective transfer of information and knowledgeabout the pupil with autism in the transition fromprimary to secondary schoolhead teachers in good practice schools had clearknowledge and understanding of autism andensured their knowledge was up-to-date

The forthcoming NICE guidelines onAutism SpectrumDisorders in Children and Young People: Recognition,Referral and Diagnosis 14 and the Scottish IntercollegiateGuidelines Network (SIGN) onAssessment, Diagnosisand Clinical Interventions for Children and YoungPeople with an Autism Spectrum Disorder 15 do notmake recommendations about education practice andpolicy, beyond the critical role of nurseries and schoolsin the identication of children and young people withautism and emphasising the need for autism awarenessand training for all professionals working with childrenand young people.

International guidelines

In 2007 the US Department of Education, Ofce ofSpecial Education Programs created the NationalProfessional Development Center on Autism SpectrumDisorders (ASD). The NPDC has a remit to review anddisseminate evidence-based practice on autism via trainingpartnerships with State Departments of Education andopen access training materials on the interventions (AutismInternet Modules)16. Another recent report from the USA theNational Autism Center National Standards Project:Evidence-Based Practice and Autism in the Schools17 provided both a summary review of the effectiveness ofvarious intervention programmes and expert guidance onthe implementation of these approaches within educationservices in the USA. Broadly, both of these reportssummarise the evidence base for a variety of interventions.Both emphasise the need for professional judgementregarding which interventions and approaches toimplement as well as the need to use data (on anindividual childs progress) to inform decision-making; theneed for family values and preferences (including of pupilswith autism) to be taken into account; and the capacity ofthe school and practitioner to reliably implement theintervention/programme.

Similar content was reviewed for the Irish NationalCouncil for Special Education report onEvidence forBest-Practice Provision in the Education of Persons with anAutism Spectrum Disorder 18. The report concluded thatthe evidence base for the impact of specic educationalsettings and interventions was insufcient to makedenitive, universal recommendations. However, expertconsensus indicated that working with families, multi-agency working, an emphasis on transitions and includingthe voice of individuals with autism were consistent withbest practice.

Other relevant international guidelines make similarrecommendations on education for learners with autism,including theNew Zealand Autism Spectrum DisorderGuideline 19, which in addition emphasised that modelsadopted should t the characteristic of the child and thelearning situation, that social progress (e.g., spontaneouscommunication, socialisation and play) was a prioritytarget, carefully planned individual instruction should betailored to the individual needs and abilities of the learnerwith autism, and that positive behavioural support shouldfocus on understanding the function of a child or youngpersons behaviour in order to develop an appropriateintervention plan.

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13Scottish MHIe (2006).14NICE consultation draft public access (2011).15SIGN Guideline (2007).

16National Professional Development Center onAutism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

17 NAC Report (2009).18Parsons et al (2009). NCSIE.

19NZ ASD (2008).


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Recent policy and practicedevelopments

In 2006, Jones20 summarised the literature on what is

known about good practice in the education of pupilswith autism and identied the need for a dual focus on the one hand helping theindividual child/youngpersonto develop skills and strategies to understandsituations and communicate needs; while on the otherhand adapting theenvironmentto enable the childto function and learn within it. Jones described that aconsensus was developing on the characteristics ofapproaches to intervention and education for pupilswith autism, including involving parents and carers,teaching in a natural setting and in a natural sequence,the use of visual strategies and involvement of typicallydeveloping peers. In addition, Guldberg21emphasisedthe importance of practitioners rst having a goodunderstanding of autism before implementing evidence-informed approaches to learning or managingbehaviour. Whilst these principles have good commonsense face validity, the research evidence base foreach of these elements having a direct impact onimproving education and life outcomes is only justbeginning to be examined systematically.

Jordan22 covered similar ground to Jones and reachedsimilar conclusions, reminding us that teachersunderstanding of autism was fundamental to correctlyidentifying an individual pupils learning needs andenabling him/her to meet them. In their overview ofthe specialisation of teaching for pupils with specialeducational needs (SEN), Norwich and Lewis23 highlight that autism is one of the categories of SENwhere understanding the nature of the SEN group isa particularly critical lter through which teachingstrategies for a particular learner should be developed.In their model, the practitioners knowledge about thepupils SEN is regarded as valuable in its own right as

underpinning the learners development (p.141). Thesubsequent layers of relevant knowledge required forthe professional to adapt the curriculum to the pupilslearning style include self-knowledge and professionalidentity, the psychology of learning, and knowledge

of curriculum areas and general pedagogic strategies.It is well-established that autism (even compared toother diagnostic categories of SEN) is characterisedby a particular prole of cognitive strengths andweaknesses, as well as associated behavioural andother features (e.g., sensory atypicalities)24,25, 26 .Therefore, practitioner understanding of autism is anessential starting point for developing good practice inthe education of pupils with autism.

Another relevant piece of recent good practiceguidance for all pupils with SEN, the Training andDevelopment Agency for Schools (TDA) Pillars ofInclusion for planning and teaching pupils with SENand/or disability can also provide a framework forthinking about good practice in autism educationas well as the essential components of quality-rstteaching.27 All of the above evidence was reviewedand drawn upon to develop a framework for the datacollection and analysis of the current research.

Our framework for investigating good practice inautism education is shown in Box 1. It shows therelation between (i) quality rst classroom and schoolpractice28;(ii) specialist approaches that are relevantfor working with many pupils with SEN and theirfamilies; and (iii) highly specialist approaches thatmight be required specically for pupils with autism. Itis important to emphasise at the outset that all goodpractice in autism education will rest on the foundationof quality rst teaching practice. The remit of thisresearch was to conduct an in-depth study with a smallgroup of schools to identify those approaches thatcharacterise good practice in autism education.

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20 Jones (2006). CCHD.21Guldberg (2010). BJSE.22 Jordan (2005). PR.23Norwich & Lewis (2007). JCS.

24Charman et al. (2011). Brain Research.25Happ & Ronald (2008).Neuropsychological Review.

26Pellicano (2010). Developmental Psychology.

27 TDA (2011).28DfES (2004). RemovingBarriers to Achievement.


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AET Report: What is Good Practice in Autism Education ? 14 AET Report: What is Good Practice in Autism Education ? 14

Tier 3:highly

specialist

Tier 2:specialist

Tier 1:quality-rst teaching

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Tier 1 reects quality rst good practice for children generally, including schoolpolicies, staff, leadership, classroom practice, and approaches to learning, andrepresents the bulk of educational practice. Tier 2 reects more specialist support

for children with special educational needs generally (e.g., support for families,which is particularly critical because families of children with SEN are a vulnerablepopulation). Tier 3 is highly specialist approaches to education(e.g., augmentative communication approaches).

28DfES (2004). Removing Barriers to Achievement.

Box 1 Contextualising good practice in autism education(adapted from DfES28)


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2.3

Research methods

2.3.1 TimetableFollowing the award of the research in January 2011,the review of the literature was completed in March2011, the interviews with school staff, pupils andparents and carers completed in April 2011 and theanalysis in May 2011.

2.3.2 Review of existing literature

We have identied the key features identied to date inrecent reviews of good practice that are relevant to thecurrent research remit. The current policy and practiceguidelines served as an infrastructure to guide our topicsfor interview and the ways in which we developed thethematic analysis.

2.3.3 Selection of schools

A list of schools was developed between the researchteam and the AET from suggestions made in the AETresearch tender. Broadly, the criteria were to identifyschools with known good practice in educating pupils

with autism. For autism specialist schools and specialschools for pupils with SEN that included pupilswith autism this was largely on the basis of recentOutstanding or Good with Outstanding featuresOfsted reports. Since autism resource bases withinmainstream schools are not currently assessed byOfsted, those bases included in the current report werederived from mainstream schools who had receivedan Outstanding or Good with Outstanding featuresOfsted report with positive mention of provision suchas a resource base for pupils with autism. The samplewas therefore purposive and not comprehensive ofsuch schools. It was intended to capture the breadth

of current educational provision for pupils with autismin England from the early years to provision for 19

year old pupils, as well as provision for pupils with

autism across the ability range from severe intellectualdisability to above average intelligence. The schoolscovered a number of geographical areas of Englandbut since the primary means of data collection wereface-to-face interviews with school staff, time/resourceconstraints meant that the largest number of schoolswere from London and the South of England. The latestStatistical First Release (SFR) from the Department forEducation/Department for Business Innovation and Skills(2010) indicated that 70% of pupils identied withautism spectrum disorders in the School Census were inmainstream schools, with the remainder in maintainedand non-maintained special schools29. Our sampleof schools is thus weighted towards special schoolswith signicant number of pupils with autism andautism specialist schools. This sampling bias reectedthe selection process outlined above and the timeconstraints for completion of the research.

In all, 16 schools participated in the research. Theyincluded maintained and non-maintained schools,special schools for pupils with SEN with a high ratioof pupils with autism, specialist schools for pupils withautism, mainstream schools with an autism resourcebase, City Academies and an early years setting. Thecharacteristics of the participating schools are shownin Table 2. The participating schools are listed in theAcknowledgments in alphabetical order. Due to thelimited number of schools involved, quotations are notattributed, even by the type of school, to minimise thepossibility of individual respondents being identied.Unless otherwise indicated (for quotations by parentsand pupils) quotations are from unattributed school staff.

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29DfE/BIS (2010). Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics.


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Table 2 Characteristics of the participating schools

Key: ASD school = School for pupils on the autism spectrum. MS with ARB = Mainstream School with AutismResource Base or Centre; LA = Local Authority; NAS = National Autistic Society.

Age range Type Sector Ofsted Report

School 1 2 to 5 years ASD school Non-maintained Outstanding

School 2 11 to 18 years MS with ARB LA Outstanding


School 4 3 to 19 years ASD school Non-maintained Good withoutstanding features

School 5 11 to 19 years Special school LA Good withoutstanding features

School 6 3 to 19 years Special school LA Outstanding


School 8 4 to 19 years ASD school LA Outstanding

School 9 3 to 19 years ASD school LA Outstanding


School 11 3 to 11 years MS with ARB LA Good with

outstanding featuresSchool 12 3 to 11 years MS with ARB LA Good with

outstanding features




School 16 3 to 11 years MS with ARB LA Good withoutstanding features

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2.3.4 Ethical considerations

The research protocol was approved by the Instituteof Educations Faculty of Children and LearningResearch Ethics Committee (FCL 273). School staffand parents and carers who were interviewed gavewritten consent for the interview to be audio-recorded.Participants were told that no quotations would beattributed to any individual in the report, but that forreasons of transparency the participating schools wouldbe identied in the report and therefore participantsunderstood that complete anonymity was not assured.Parents and carers of pupils who were interviewedgave written consent and verbal assent was given bypupils at the time of pupil interviews.

2.3.5 Methods of data gatheringGiven the nature of the practices that the research wasattempting to capture it was decided to use interviewsas the sole means of data collection. After initialconsideration it was felt that survey or questionnairemethods would be unlikely to capture complex aspectsof school organisation and practice. In-depth qualitativeinterviews provided the opportunity to explore therange of practices in place for this diverse population.All interviews were audio-recorded and subsequently

transcribed verbatim and analysis was conducted fromthe transcripts.

A topic guide for the interviews was developedby the research team and piloted with one of theschools. The primary respondents were school staff.The majority of the schools were visited in person andinterviews conducted by one or two members of theresearch team. In 4 cases interviews were conductedby telephone. In some schools 2 interviews wereconducted whilst in others two members of staff wereinterviewed at the same time. The target respondents

were identied on a school-by-school basis followinga telephone call between the school staff and theresearch team the focus of which was to determinewho would be best to comment on practice. Theresearch team was therefore guided by the schoolas to the most appropriate staff to interview. Theselection of interviewees reected the demands of theschools and the time line for the project. Across the16 schools, 20 interviews were conducted with atotal of 29 members of staff. In some cases, the headteacher or deputy head was interviewed; in othersclass teachers, the head of inclusion or the head of theautism resource base. Some interviewees also includedoutreach support workers, head of childrens services,

head of further education, teaching assistants/learningsupport assistants, SENCos, and speech and languagetherapists (SALTs). See Table 2 for a full list of staffinterviewed. In one school a focus group was run with6 parents and carers, and in another school 1 parentwas interviewed. In ve schools a total of 11 pupilswere interviewed.

Table 2 List of staff interviewed

RoleNumber of staffinterviewed

Head of Service 2

Head Teacher/Principal 8

Deputy Head 2

Head of Inclusion 2

Head of Autism ResourceBase

3

Head of FurtherEducation

1

Outreach Team Member 2

Class Teacher 3

Teaching Assistant 2SENCo 2

Speech and LanguageTherapist

2

Total 29

2.3.6 Methods of data analysis

A qualitative thematic analysis was undertaken ontranscripts of the interviews conducted using theprinciples outlined by Ritchie and Lewis30 and Braunand Clarke31. Following completion of the interviews theresearch team identied a series of themes based ontheir experience of conducting the interviews and notesmade immediately following the interviews. Themesand sub-themes were agreed by the research team,following initial independent theme identication byeach of the researchers who conducted the interviews.The 20 interviews were shared out amongst threemembers of the research team with 5 interviews codedindependently by two members of the team.

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30Ritchie & Lewis (2003). Sage. 31Braun & Clarke (2006). QRP.


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1. Ambitions andaspirations2. Monitoring progress3. Adapting thecurriculum4. Involvement of other

professionals/services5. Staff knowledge andtraining6. Effectivecommunication

7. Broader participation8. Strong relationships

with families

Eight themes were identied:

These themes are listed as per the order of progression of the interviewsrather than with regards to how frequently they were raised by participants.


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2.4

Elements of good practice in autismeducation2.4.1 Theme 1: Ambitions and Aspirations

One consistent theme that characterised the schools was the highlevels of ambition and aspiration that staff had for their pupils(see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Ambitions and Aspirations

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Theme 1:

ambitionsandaspirations

Category 1:school ethos

independent/life skills

included inschool/society

socialcommunication

maximisepotential

academicskills

pupilwell-being

Category 2:achieving

key skills


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School ethos

A consistent message across the interviews wasthe importance of enabling pupils to reach theirpotential and this was seen as an over-arching goalfor the schools. Reaching potential included gainingacademic qualications, going on to college or asadults and holding down a job. Helping pupils toidentify activities that they enjoyed and to build on theirstrengths and talents was also a priority.

the same that youd have for anychildren or young people actually theyhave the opportunities to full to theirhighest potential, that we recognise theirindividual talents and abilities and encouragethem to develop their strengths; supportthem to overcome some of their challenges.

Another ambition was for pupils to be included, both inmainstream school and broader society. In mainstreamschools this meant taking part fully in all school activitiesand developing strategies to promote the skills the childrenand young people needed in order to achieve this.

To be fully inclusive, as much as possiblefor every child. Thats it. I think its the rightof every child to be included into everyactivity and take part in the school

School ethos also included a broader sense of ensuringand being proud of the fact that the pupils enjoyedbeing in the school and wanted to be there. Therewas a satisfaction that pupils found the school a safeenvironment to be in and an emphasis on promotingtheir well-being.

in walking round the school, themajority pretty well all of the youngpeople who attend here enjoy attendinghere and enjoy learning here. And that they

can see a purpose to it.

Achieving key skills

Schools strove for pupils to be as independent as possiblein their future adult life, to discover what they enjoyeddoing and to pursue this not only at school but alsobeyond, and to be able to cope and have meaningfullife choices. Schools had a strong emphasis on promotingindependence skills, recognising that children and youngpeople with autism, including those with average orabove average intelligence, often struggle to cope ineveryday situations.

Id hope that theyd be as independentas possible by the time that they leave thisschool, as independent as its possible forthem to be.

One pupil at a specialist school that allows local pupilsto spend occasional weeks staying overnight at theboarding facility commented:

It denitely has merits. It denitely helpswith independence and also learning skillslater on in life that you are going to need. [pupil aged 19 years]

Schools emphasised the need for pupils to be supportedto develop communication skills and the highest levelof social understanding that they can. Sometimes thiswas explicitly couched in terms of wanting to helppupils to learn strategies to cope with their autism;whilst at other times the emphasis was on functionalcommunication and social skills.

learning to manage your condition.Its not about reducing autism; its aboutmanaging what youve got.

So thats the key thing for these childrenis that they have poor communicationskills; we are focused on getting them tocommunicate and to interact.

Some schools explicitly talked about their aims andaspirations for their pupils achieving academically, atwhatever level they were able to, although this themedid not emerge in all the interviews.

Were here to teach them how to read,write its all about academic terms andthats for every child. I think weve got togo with that.

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2.4.2 Theme 2: Monitoring progress

There was an emphasis on using multiple systems for monitoringand recording progress. Schools had developed internal systemsfor communicating amongst staff about pupil progress, as well asinnovative ways of sharing information on progress with parentsand carers (see Figure 2).

Figure 2: Monitoring progress

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Theme 2:monitoring

progress

Category 1:recording

systems andpractices

multiplemeasurement

systems

creativeapproaches

for measuringprogress

sharingchildrens

progress withparents

uidstafftostaff

communication

celebratingpupils

achievements

monitoringsocial

progress

whole schoolpractices

recordingbehaviour

Category 2:sharing

informationon progress


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Recording systems and practices

The schools saw measuring progress againstbehavioural and social outcomes, which extendedbeyond National Curriculum targets, as a part of theirrole. This was reected in the fact that alongside theNational Curriculum Key Stages and P level assessmentsthat schools are required to complete, schools haddeveloped over time formal and informal recordingprocedures to capture a broader range of pupilsprogress. In part, this reected the fact that practitionersfound that Key Stages and P level assessments onlyfullled a partial role in monitoring relevant progress.This was particularly true for schools with pupils with themost severe and complex needs (i.e., special schoolsfor pupils with SEN and autism specialist schools), butthis was also true for mainstream schools with more ablepupils.

it looks at communication, adaptedbehaviours and obviously social progressas being with others, working in a group,and maintaining themselves to be able tocope with unstructured time.

Monitoring progress was not just about capturingtargets achieved; assessment played an important rolein determining whether particular approaches wereworking with the child. That is, monitoring progress wasseen as part of an ongoing evaluation of the successof the approaches they were using with an individualpupil.

and that is about us knowing ourchildren very, very well here; assessingthem in a lot of detail; and kind ofconstantly reassessing how something isgoing and reecting.

Some schools used standardised measures/toolsthat assess adaptive skills and developmental ability

[e.g., Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS)32 ; Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills(ABLLS)33] whilst others used assessments that measureprogress against a social curriculum [e.g., SocialCommunication, Emotional Regulation and TransactionalSupport (SCERTS)34], including emotional developmentand self regulation targets.

School staff described how they had developedbespoke measures of pupil progress in areas wherethey felt that standard assessments did not capture

the behaviours they saw themselves as targeting, inparticular for sensory behaviours and mental health/well-being difculties.

So were actually involved [in] doing

some particular work at the moment tryingto look at this whole issue of how youmeasure, reect and report on outcomeson emotional wellbeing. And part of ourfunding through specialist schools statushas been to enable us to develop thatwork Were trying to develop our ownmeasures.

Sharing information on progress

Schools placed a great emphasis on sharing informationon progress via the use of written materials andshared access to computerised data both betweenschool staff and with parents and carers. Schools gaveexamples using videotape and photographs to capturepupils achievements and being able to share this withparents and carers and with school staff. This reecteda number of different concerns: that Key Stages and Plevels do not capture all the progress relevant for pupilswith autism; that pupils with autism, especially thosewith limited communication, may not share with parentswhat they have done at school that day; and thatvideo and photographic evidence is very tangible andconcrete evidence of achievement for parents, schoolstaff and the pupils themselves.

And email as well sometimes I emailphotos of things to the parents; like whenthey did the work experience and stuff.Because I think some of the children dontgo home and communicate to the parentswhat theyve done, so its quite nice forthem to have an email or something.

One resounding consensus from school staff wasthe importance of capturing and celebrating theachievements of pupils, however minor.

We actually tried something called themagic moments thing, where every classhad little mini whiteboards where theywrote the achievements of the children sothat those children who do utter a singleword the rst time they tie up theirshoelace.

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32VABS (2005). AGS.33ABLLS (2006). WPS.34Prizant et al. (2006). Paul H. Brookes Publishing.


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2.4.3 Theme 3: Adapting the curriculum

Schools took the view that alongside following National Curriculumguidance there was a need for purposive differentiation of thecurriculum for pupils with autism. A number of autism specicapproaches were used to learning and behaviour principally topromote social and communication competency and independence

with several respondents using the term autism curriculum(see Figure 3).

Figure 3: Adapting the curriculum

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Theme 3:adapting the

curriculum

Category 1:modifying

the NationalCurriculum

differentiationof NationalCurriculum

imaginativeways ofteaching

emphasison learningabout social

world

toolboxapproach

utilitybeyond children

with autism

modicationsto delivery

individualisedprogrammes

for pupils

Category 2:autismspecic

approaches


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Modifying the National Curriculum

Curriculum differentiation was implemented on anindividualised basis aligning targets with individualpupil needs and proles. This individualisationwas informed by a thorough understanding of thecharacteristics of children and young people withautism and how these need to inform the setting ofindividual education plan (IEP) targets and the deliveryof the curriculum. In addition, in special schools andautism-specic schools in particular, staff spoke of theirdevelopment of an autismspecic curriculum to guidetheir practice alongside the National Curriculum.

Were supporting children in a mainstreamschool; theyre following the mainstreamcurriculum. Were looking at thedifferentiated needs that need to be offeredfor their development.

But we would be setting an IEP andindividual targets that contain bothelements of the National Curriculum andwhat we would see more as the autism specic curriculum. And the autismspeciccurriculum is much more about, in a sense,focusing on areas related to the triad andsensory differences I suppose in simpleterms.

The only modication should be what agood teacher would do normally for therange of ability. We leave it to the AutismOutreach Team to say these are the bitsof the curriculum that we think would beappropriate as a strategy for meeting thischilds needs.

One consistent theme from the parents and carersinterviewed was that the school excelled because itwent beyond the remit of the National Curriculum, and

prepared their children for what they saw as critical lifeskills (e.g., toilet training, eating independently, beingcalm).

This school has everything; it is a 24hrpackage. [parent]

Autism specic approaches

Schools reported using a number of autismspecicapproaches, including the Picture ExchangeCommunication System (PECS), SCERTS, Treatmentand Education of Autistic and related CommunicationHandicapped Children (TEACCH), Applied BehaviouralAnalysis (ABA), visual timetables/schedules, SocialStories, Intensive Interaction and sensory integration (seeGlossary, section 2.7). School staff outlined the differentways in which these approaches can be applicableto teaching and learning for pupils with autism, fromcommunication and language understanding, tohelping with attention and minimising distraction, to theacquisition of new skills, promoting social understandingand social interaction, and minimising behaviourdifculties and anxiety. Autism-specic approaches wereused exibly depending on the Key Stage level thepupils were working at and on an individualised basis.

Well we use PECS where appropriate We have visual schedules always; we haveTEACCH style work stations which get usedsometimes; more so when the children aretransitioning from Key Stage 1, becausetheyre often using it a lot more there. But we do a lot more group work in KeyStage 2 because Im thinking very muchabout the different demands of integrationat Key Stage 2. They need to be able towork within a group and alongside otherchildren they cant be in completelydistraction free areas all the time. But whenthey need to we use that.

Staff in mainstream schools commented that theseapproaches can be useful when working with otherpupils who do not have autism.

Social stories, cartooning and I think,by sharing in our meetings and so on thebenets, you then get people thinking, wellIve got a situation with so-and-so here; Icould use that with them.

Mainstream schools had taken care to adapt thedelivery of lessons and expectations about theimplementation of school rules and standards so thatthey were applied in an equitable manner for pupilswith autism. They made the necessary adjustments forpupils with autism, who might, for example, requirea break between lessons or time to prepare for thechange from break time to lessons.

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They will have perhaps an individualprogramme that recognises that theyfollow the National Curriculum, but theremay be a differentiated approach such asthey may need rest breaks or they mayneed slightly different approaches orhomework support and study support, helpwith doing exams, college applications,getting to school on time.

Schools catering for pupils with a very wide range ofability showed imaginative approaches to adaptingthe curriculum for pupils with autism and ensuring thatthe materials and activities were fun, motivating andrelevant to pupils. Staff had found that modern foreignlanguages can be highly successful subjects for somepupils with autism because of their explicit teaching ofbehaviour in social situations.

[Staff member A]We did Macbeth andRomeo and Juliet and basically its reducingthat text down and down and down itsa teeny bit of tokenism to Shakespeare,but I think the enjoyment as long as yourstudent is enjoying [Staff member B] Especially Macbeth [A] Yes, theywere running round the cauldron lots ofdrama, lots of role-play.

They have a tailored curriculum forsomething like modern foreign languages we call it European Studies and they learnabout the culture of the country. And theylearn each language to a basic level wherethey can communicate and understand howthat sort of culture works; and they learn tocook the food as well as speak at a basiclevel.

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2.4.4 Theme 4: Involvement of other professionals

There was broad recognition that meeting the many core andassociated cognitive and behavioural needs of children and youngpeople with autism required external expertise, in particular froma range of health, as well as education, professionals (see Figure4). Joint working between school staff and other professionals onlearning and behaviour was widespread.

Figure 4: Involvement of other professionals

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Theme 4:Involvement

of otherprofessionals

Category 1:recognition ofissues which

require externalexpertise

SALT and OTexpertiseessential

access toCAMHS and EP

services

some staffwith healthbackground

Category 2:joint working with other

professionals


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Recognition of issues whichrequire external expertise

There was high recognition of both the core, dening

difculties that pupils with autism have, in particulartheir social and communication difculties, as well ascommon associated features, including emotional,behavioural and sensory difculties. For example, therewas recognition that when pupils are over-arousedor highly anxious they are not in a good position toengage with the curriculum and to learn. Schoolsengaged specic professional expertise to addressthese issues.

We spend the whole time balancing were trying to keep the child in his comfort

zone, at the top end of his comfort zone sohe can learn. Our occupational therapistscall it a calm, alert state weve employedour own occupational therapists for thepast four years now and theyve changedour practice radically.

Joint working with otherprofessionals

Linked to this, in many schools there was involvement

with a wide variety of health practitioners andservices, in particular Speech and Language Therapists(SALTs), Occupational Therapists (OTs), EducationalPsychologists (EPs), and professionals from Child andAdolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) andsocial services. The level and structure of involvementvaried widely between schools, reecting different typesof provision.

Several of the more specialist autism specic schoolsand some mainstream schools employed SALTs andOTs, seeing them as central to the way in which

classroom practice and IEPs were developed andmonitored. This joint working was seen by school staffas a key to educating pupils with autism in order topromote their learning, behaviour and development.

I think one of the things thats veryimportant about [school] in the whole whenit was set up and going forward, is the wayin which the specialist teacher and SALTwork hand in glove.

Academic progress is done initially, whenthey come in on key levels and using IEPsand setting targets. Thats done often inconjunction with the SALT and of course theOT as well.

SALTs and OTs worked on developing programmes forclassroom staff to implement, as opposed to workingwith individual children, although direct classroomworking, including modelling approaches for classroomstaff, also existed. The focus of this joint working wason promoting communication (SALTs) and addressingsensory issues (OTs). The input of health professionalswas highly valued and some settings felt that theyrequired more input than was available locally andthat if their own budget or community health budgetsallowed they would increase their access to thisexpertise.

If the childs not moving on, how thendo we adapt the strategies that wereusing? And that should be very muchbased in the class. So the SALT has regularcommunication meetings with theclass staff.

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We could denitely have our ownspecialists speech and language therapistsId like, occupational therapists; if we hadthose in situ in the building and enough ofthem

EPs were primarily involved in reviewing progress andannual statements, but other schools had arrangementsfor regular visits to review progress of pupils withautism. However, schools commented that they wouldvalue more input from EPs but that currently this was

not possible as access to EP services for any individualschool was limited.

we have an EP who has six 3hourvisits for the children with autism sosome of the EP time is set up so that peoplecan just turn up and talk about a child thattheyre concerned about so its quiteuseful to have that EP to reect.

We tend to only see EPs we dont haveour own and we dont tend to see themexcept when theyre coming to review achilds needs for a statement or somethinglike that.

Some schools have contact with a range ofprofessionals including social workers, in severalschools a child psychotherapist (to advise onbehaviour), counsellors and community nurses (for eatingor toileting issues). Schools, in particular secondaryschools, had well developed relationships with CAMHSservices with some having regular meetings to be ableto discuss pupils about whom they have concerns orwanted advice. There was a high level of recognitionof the mental health and well-being needs of pupils withautism right across the spectrum. Many of the seniorstaff interviewed linked this to inclusion and access tothe curriculum.

So I go to a meeting at CAMHS on afortnightly basis where we can discusscases.

And also the childrens wellbeing, whichwill include their anxieties and socialunderstanding, so that they can be includedand have access to the breadth of thecurriculum.

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2.4.5 Theme 5: staff knowledge and training

Great emphasis was placed on well-trained and expert staff,on high expectations and of delivery by staff, and on strongleadership (see Figure 5). Many schools were also involved intraining other schools and parents and carers.

Figure 5: Staff knowledge and training

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Theme 5:staff

knowledge

and training

Category 1:staff

characteristicsand expectations

highexpectations of

staff

providetraining for

parents

offer trainingfor other

professionals

frequenttraining for

all staff

inhouseand external

training

dedicated

staff

spreadinggood practice

strongleadership

pride instaff group

Category 2:training and

dissemination


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Staff characteristics andexpectations

A strong aspect of practice and school culture was high

expectations of and pride in the expertise of the schoolstaff and having a highly motivated and dedicated staffgroup. Senior staff commented that their staff teamswere highly dedicated, empathic and caring towardsthe children and young people with autism.

Because of that high level of empathy,then there is listening on an almost minute-by-minute basis to what the young personis saying.

Thats what Im most proud of actually the staffs ability to work with such terriblydemanding, challenging young people andabsolutely really loving it and seeing theresponse that you get from children.

Parents and carers also recognised the commitmentand attitudes that school staff brought to their work withchildren and young people with autism.

Its their absolute commitment to thechildren and its their, children rst,attitude and its their exibility. [parent]

Schools were characterised by strong and visionaryleadership that aimed high for their pupils with autism butalso recognised the key role of the staff team in achievingthese aims. Head teachers and other senior staff hada deep and wide understanding of autism and set theexpectations high for all their staff in terms of knowledge,training and commitment to working with pupils withautism.

And I think thats probably key to makinga successful provision is you really dohave to have someone who is actually ableto speak with authority.

Training and dissemination

Senior staff placed great emphasis on training withmany emphasising how all school staff receivedregular training including administrative and supportstaff, school bus drivers and catering staff. Schoolsemphasised the regularity and ongoing nature oftraining required, in part because of staff turnoverbut also so that, where possible, knowledge andunderstanding of autism and approaches to supportthe learning and behaviour of pupils with autism wentbeyond an introductory level. Some of the training wason autism in general, from in-school use of InclusionDevelopment Programme materials in mainstreamschool to (more commonly in specialist schools andResource Bases/Centres) Diploma and Masters-levelcourses. Other training was on approaches commonlyused in schools for children with autism, includingTEACCH, PECS, sensory integration and behaviouralmanagement techniques (see Glossary, section 2.7).

Most of our teachers have got someaccredited training for autism One of ouradmin ofcers keeps a data base of all thetraining weve been on.

We have a whole tranche of training,right from autism awareness, which is sortof two hours with the bus drivers rightthrough to Masters.

We do autism awareness training; andwe train people like transport escorts andour catering staff because they couldntunderstand why our youngsters would onlyeat custard and nothing else.

In some mainstream schools with specialist bases theautism specialist staff provide training for the staffand pupils in the mainstream school or to other localschools. Schools and units were involved in training

and dissemination of knowledge around good practiceto other schools in their local area, allowing a broadercommunity of practitioners and schools to benet fromtheir autism expertise and experience.

We engage strongly with mainstreamschools the local network of schools thats 23 of them meet here once amonth; so they can all come on site andchange their views We also lead theSEN network and put on professionaldevelopment opportunities.

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[autism resource base] teacher comes downand does regular training for the staff,teaching assistants and teachers.

Parents and carers recognised that staff were

knowledgeable about autism and that they continuedto learn more about autism in an effort to inform theirpractice.

We dont have to keep thinking what willbe good for them. The teachers are alwaysresearching what will make their livesbetter. [parent]

Another notable feature was that a number of schoolsalso provided some training for parents and carers. Thiswas motivated by recognition both that consistency ofapproach at school and at home would be benecial

for the pupils with autism, and that there is a lack ofeasily accessible and affordable training opportunitiesfor parents and carers in many communities.

we run specic training courses

on things like physical intervention,communication etc. etc.

[transition liason ofcer] and theyve had akind of rolling programme of workshopsfor them including things like wills andtrusts and disability living allowances

We provide training for parents. Infact, Im just running the Triple P positiveparenting programme here at the moment.

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2.4.6 Theme 6: Effective communication

Communication amongst staff, between staff and parents andcarers, and between staff and pupils was a high priority for allschools. Levels of communication were remarkably high: staff spenta lot of time communicating with each other about pupils progress;staff were readily available for parents and carers and pupils;and schools adopted a variety of methods of communicating withparents and carers. Schools had mechanisms for involving pupils indecision making. Figure 6 shows the themes and sub-themes.

Figure 6: Effective communication

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Theme 6:effective

communication

Category 1:

communicationbetween staff

Category 3:listening to

pupils importance

of transitions

high levelsof staff-to-staff

communication

multiplemethods of

communication

high levelsof staff

availability

day-to-dayinput from

pupils

formalstructures

observationof otherspractice

Category 2:communicationbetween staffand parents


joint inputin setting

pupil targets


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Communication between staff

Staff-to-staff communication was organised differentlyin different schools but most had several mechanismsto ensure that information about pupils was regularlyshared. These mechanisms required a signicantamount of time for school staff but were prioritised andconsidered essential by the schools.

So we always have [a group meeting ofall staff] one or two a month after schooljust as a time to discuss anything that wewanted to.

They also have time to plan the curriculumtogether We have meetings on a regular,weekly, basis actually.

And then every Friday we have adepartmental meeting and one of theitems on the agenda is always sort of ASDissues.

Communication between staffand parents and carers

School staff described the efforts they made to beavailable to parents and carers to share informationand concerns and provide feedback. This went farbeyond the usual home-school daily or weekly (forboarding pupils) communication book. Many staff hadregular telephone and email contact with parents andcarers and there were opportunities in some schools forparents and carers to meet with each other in groups todiscuss experiences.

I tend to phone the parents quite a lot; iftheres something that comes up I normallyjust phone and talk to them because Ind its usually the most effective way ofcommunicating and resolving something.

and I do think our parents of autisticchildren do tend to come in if they have anyproblems at all they are in, and werevery open to that. I think thats important,isnt it?

Parents and carers also valued the opportunity to usea variety of methods of communication to bridge thehome-school divide, for example by updating school iftheir child had a particular issue on any given day sothat the school staff might anticipate how best to support

the pupil and look out for warning signs of any possiblemeltdown.

That was the key thing. Could email andsay [child]was particularly upset aboutsomething today. Warning of triggers.[parent]

Moreover, there was a strong emphasis on ensuring thatschools worked in partnership with parents and carers,especially when planning IEP targets.

And I think an awful lot of schools thattalk about parental liaison, actually whatthey do is they send the parents a copy ofthe programme. But thats not the same asactually involving the parents in planningthe programme in the rst place, is it?

And with parents, because they alwayshave input into the IEPs and anything theywant to add or focus on we can always dothat.

Listening to pupils

Perhaps reecting the range of pupils across the spectrumin the schools, there was some variability in practice inincluding pupils in decision-making both about their IEPsand about choices of activity. Nevertheless, across therange of provisions, there were some notable examplesof ensuring that pupils voices were heard, and thesewere reected in work with individual pupils, andinclusion in school decision making.

Many schools had put in place a formal mechanismfor listening to students views and for ensuring thatlearning and/or extra-curricular activities in the schoolwere informed by these views. This mechanism wasnot only empowering for the pupils but it also informedthe management team about the main issues for these

young people. It represented a thorough commitment tomeaningful involvement of pupils on the autism spectrumin their education.

On a formal level we have a studentcouncil and they have regular meetings And we then, as a management team,receive the outcomes of those meetingsand we will respond to any of the issuesraised.

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So looking at specic things that wouldmean things to children and getting them tochoose and recognise that they can choosethings ... [organisation] were kind enoughto donate a playground to us; so all thechildren every single child had some sortof input at their level, whether it was usingobjects, or whether it was using photos, onwhat things they wanted to do.

Those sorts of sessions [individual personaltutorials] encourage pupils to advocatefor themselves, express their choices,preferences, and all that sort of stuff.Which enables them to participate in thingslike pupil surveys, student council and, aspart of our school development planningprogramme, we interview students in thatrespect. Students have been to talk to thegoverning body at the governing bodyaway day about some of the things thatthey think are important in school.

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2.4.7 Theme 7: Broader participation

Schools saw a broader role for themselves as communityambassadors, spreading understanding and acceptance of autismin the wider community (see Figure 7). Many schools also haddeveloped imaginative practices for joint activities withmainstream schools.

Figure 7: Broader participation

Theme 7:

broaderparticipation

Category 1:ambassadors

promotinggenuineinclusion

pupils inthe local

community

raisingawareness ofneurodiversity

raising autismawareness inthe community

invitecommunityinto school

Category 2:joint activities

with mainstreampupils

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Ambassadors

Schools saw themselves as community autismambassadors with a role to raise awareness aboutautism in the local community more broadly. This wasachieved by a number of activities such as holdingannual public events (e.g., picnics, Autism AwarenessDay events), visiting local schools to hold assemblies,and making parents and carers and other schoolsaware of the autism provision within the school. Manyof these activities involved outreach into the communitybut also involved inviting local school staff and pupilsinto their schools.

on an annual basis weve run an eventcalled Picnic in the Park and it is reallyabout autism awareness for [town]andaround, with parents having an opportunityto get together.

the other parallel ambition is to workwith the wider community as much aspossible to teach them as much as possibleabout autism.

we are looking at opportunities to bringthe community on to the school site. I wantpeople who wouldnt normally come intocontact with the young people here to come

onto the school site and recognize whothese young people are.

And Ive done talks for their 6th formerson autism. Particularly the 6th formerswho are going on to either medicine orpsychology or teaching or something likethat. And we get work experience studentsfrom there coming here too.

Schools described a wide range of ways in which theirpupils made use of community facilities that served adual purpose of helping pupils to develop life skillsbut also gave the pupils a visible presence within thelocal community. For older pupils this included workexperience placements with local businesses.

we make sure our youngsters go outinto the local community in terms oflocal supermarkets, the local leisure centre,cafes go and order something. End ofterm as well we use what we call our classfun and youngsters make a choice aboutwhere they want to go; and its usually andbowling and Pizza Hut.

Were very successful with workexperience with different providers forwork experience that are working reallywell, such as local supermarkets and anursery.

Joint activities with mainstreampupils

Schools had a variety of schemes that enabled theirpupils to interact and spend time with pupils from otherlocal schools both special schools and mainstreamschools and for autism resource bases, joint activitieswith mainstream pupils, including in some casestaking on roles with responsibility for younger pupils.Schools saw these joint activities as benecial for theirown pupils but also as part of their mission to raiseawareness about autism in the local community.

We use a lot of mainstream or otherschools for experience for youngsters,whether thats a local pre-school setting foran early years child or whether its collegelinks for our oldest students we mightbe providing them with training aroundissues to do with autism, and in return forthat theyre giving some of our youngstersopportunities to experience particularcurriculum activities.

So when we had the rst intake it wasYear 9 and we had all of Year 9 do aproject using The Curious Incident of theDog in the Nighttime and they did somecross-curricular work with drama, art,music and English staff because one ofthe things we had to do was to prepare theboys and girls here to be accepting.

he runs inductions for new parents are

brought round and told about the Centreand the expectation is that their childrenwill sometimes be coming to work with us.

And on the whole its really, really positive.The children love coming to us.

in Year 10 and 11 they do the juniorsports leaders, so theyre working with thelocal primary school children and teachingthem, so that they can get their reward.

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2.4.8 Theme 8: Strong relationships with families

One topic that came up in every interview was the schoolsperception that they would like to do more to support parentsand carers, in terms of working jointly with them to enhance theirunderstanding of approaches that might be useful in managingtheir child or young persons behaviour outside of school(see Figure 8).

Figure 8: Strong relationships with families

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Theme 8:

relationships with families

Category 1: workingtogether

reciprocalrelationships

challengesof working wi

What is Good Practice in Autism Education

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