Inclusive education in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) for children on the Autism Spectrum Erica Dixon and Lou Ambrosy

Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Sector in Victoria Maternal and child health: 250,000 children (pregnancy to 6) Early childhood education and care centres: 148,000 children (birth to 5) Kindergarten – teacher-led learning in year prior to school: 70,000 children annually Early childhood intervention: services and support for 13,000 children with disability or developmental delay

Early childhood development is at the heart of the Victorian Government’s vision for the Education State. The Victorian Government is committed to giving children the best start in life by strengthening the services delivered to parents and children. The needs of families are changing and early childhood services, including Maternal and Child Health (MCH), childcare, kindergarten, playgroups and Early Childhood Intervention Services (ECIS) must change to meet family needs. Policy Context: The Education State

Current approaches are largely through third party funded provision Supports usually commence only once a child has arrived in a service Autism Friendly Learning website has better recognition in the school space Development of ASD specific online learning for ECEC professionals Improving experiences for families and outcomes for young children requires investment in the professional workforce Analysis showed:

To be successful, we needed to collaborate with a partner, who demonstrated: understanding of families of young children on the autism spectrum on the ground experience with ECEC settings understanding of the workforces’ interests and needs service provision experience experience in online learning course development in disability New provision to build skills in ECEC professionals in ASD The first time the Department is providing direct online learning in ASD in ECEC

Free anyone with an internet connection anywhere you are meets AA web accessibility guidelines Equity and accessibility can update content in line with current best practice guidelines content will be available for re-access Currency and longevity can be used as part of a focus on inclusion of learners with differing needs can be accessed as soon as a new child is enrolled Proactive and ‘just in time’ Advantages of online course provision

Video

This module is designed to build understanding of young children on the autism spectrum. It covers: Module 1 – An introduction to young children on the Autism Spectrum What is Autism Spectrum Disorder How educators learn from observing the child Importance of working in partnership with families Collaborating with early childhood professionals and support services

This module looks at: ways in which legislation and frameworks support us to plan and provide a program that supports the inclusion of children on the Autism Spectrum in learning and development opportunities offered in early childhood education and care environments. **Please note this module is very focused on the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF) and may not be as useful for parents**. Module 2 – Practice to support planning for the learning and development of a child on the autism spectrum

a framework of adapting the program to support the meaningful participation and ongoing learning and development of children on the autism spectrum programming with an aim to foster independence for children on the autism spectrum a Team approach to inclusion how to support ongoing learning by using the child’s strengths and interests as a starting point Module 3 – Developing a responsive program

Here’s the situationEnvironmentActivityMaterialsInstructionsAssistance A child is having difficulty sitting still and listening to a story Provide different seating options, e.g. small carpet squares or cushions to define spaces Dim the lighting if the child is sensitive to bright lights Have the story time in an area without too many distractions Shorten the length of group time activities or consider smaller, spontaneous groups activities throughout the day Choose the child’s favourite book or song to gain his/her attention Offer activity choices using visuals, e.g. choose a photo or picture to represent a song or book Provide a balance between sitting still and doing actions or movement Use visual props to gain children’s attention, e.g. puppet, felt board Use visuals/photos to show children what will happen next, e.g. first we will sing a song, next we will listen to a story etc. Have some quiet activities set up nearby so children can move away from the group if needed Provide individual instructions and directions where possible Use the child’s name. He/she may not respond to directions given to the whole group Sit the child close to you Have an educator sit beside the child for a short period of time and then move away when the child is settled, or direct the child to a quiet activity nearby Creating Adaptations for Routines and Activities (CARA’s Kit) Least intrusive Most intrusive

VIT Registration, focus on the following Standard Descriptors: 1.6 – design and implement teaching activities that support the participation and learning of learners with disability and address relevant policy and legislative requirement 1.5 – develop teaching activities that incorporate differentiated strategies to meet the specific learning needs of learners across the full range of abilities 4.1 – establish and implement inclusive and positive interactions to engage and support all learners in learning activities. It is estimated that completing this course would provide teachers with approximately 4 hours towards their Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) registration requirements. VIT Registration

individual professional learning (through targeted time release or own time) team professional learning (at team meetings) How could you use this course in your service?

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