Where are we now? Current perspectives on good practice in ASD Dr. Rita Jordan Reader in Autism Studies The School of Education The University of Birmingham, UK 2004 Autism Cymru 04

Education & ASDs Entitlement – –access – –relevance – –breadth Remediation – –specialist – –congruence – –success?

Difficulties & Differences Executive functions – –‘monotropic’ attention – –impulse control – –idiosyncratic perception Imagination & reality testing Empathy & emotional/ conscious understanding Concept development – –problems abstracting – –rigidity of concept & schema boundaries

Learning Style Visual rather than verbal Memory – –cued – –rote ‘Social’ a dimension of difficulty Emotions and cognition – –use interests for engagement At sensory stage of meaning – –presentation --> reference Repetition & consolidation Explicit strategies for problem solving

Life-long education Early intervention programmes Empowering parents & key workers Support in further & higher education Vocational training and support Recreational education - risk & quality of life Educational focus to care

Range & Inclusion Asperger’s core disorder? ASD to identify needs Inclusion – –Maintain ‘relevance’ – –Challenge to systems – –Train personnel – –Involve peers – –Recognise as process – –Continuum and stages

Working with families Empathy with parents Range of services Transactional relationship Added resource Complementary involvement

Identifying & Sharing Good Practice Journals e.g. GAP/ Autism UK National initiatives – –NIASA - National Plan for Autism – –DfES - Best Practice Guidance Community research shows no single approach best – –depends on purpose – –extravagant claims unsupported International conferences

Move away from ‘deficit’ model SEN from – –Condition – –Strengths – –Interests – –Environment Difference and transactional nature – –Work to strengths – –Match to style – –Respect for compensation – –Teach for meaning

Working Towards: Services available to all from point of need Education as a human right for all Making parents less vulnerable to exploitation by giving them informed choices More co-operation, less commercial competition between service providers and developers of teaching approaches

Principles for Education Relevant, meaningful & engaging Least restrictive Current and future quality of life Advocacy, and realism Stress reduction Holistic approach – –Biology – –Psychology – –Environment and culture

Conclusion More ‘bottom up’ understanding and approaches needed More co-operation for truth and dignity and less exploitation Accepting and using professional & personal knowledge Less rhetoric Recognition of values as well as ‘evidence’- base of education – –‘ placebo effect’ – –benefits, not just constraints