1. Strategies for Supporting People
in Employment who are on the
Autistic Spectrum
including
Asperger Syndrome,
ADHD and
Tourette’s Syndrome

2. Learning outcomes
To establish the accepted features and behaviours associated with Autistic Spectrum Disorder including Asperger Syndrome, ADHD and Tourette Syndrome
To explore a variety of approaches that can support and/or exacerbate the difficulties that learners with these conditions experience
To identify an appropriate approach to responding to a learner and reporting when any of these conditions are suspected
To reflect on personal preferences attitudes and beliefs associated with the behaviour exhibited by learners with these conditions and consider how these can impact on practice
Delivery Overview
L/O Activities
Welcome and Introduce self
H&S, Domestics
1 Activity Task - Icebreaker
Sharing information and understanding
Activity Task details and card matching sets, handout
2/3 Question and Answer Activity
3 When may a condition show itself and how?
4 Completion of reflection in journal
2 Analysis of Case studies Paper based or DVD Case
Studies
2/3 Building Case Studies through ‘Consequences’
4 Completion of reflection in journal and completing the AQ test
Exploring the Accreditation process

3. Icebreaker Activity
In small groups you will be using all the information and experience you have of all of the conditions included in this unit.
This activity involves matching the information on cards under the headings Title, Definition, Symptoms and Causation.
You need to work across all the groups to share views, opinions and gain information about each other.
This activity is supported by pages 4 and 5 of the Learning Resource and pages 21 to 25 of the Delivery notes

4. Question and Answer Activity
On your own, design a non-ambiguous question to find out from a partner how they like to learn. You can base this question on your own preferences for learning i.e. reading, working in a group, being shown, trial and error etc., your understanding of learning styles or your understanding of these conditions or ideally a combination of all three. In pairs identify who will be A and who will be B (A will need to be able to pretend they do not understand the question)
You will need to give some support to the participants prompting them to refer to any previous training they may have received and what they have enjoyed in the process – they do not have to use any technical terms for the different learning styles but if they do, enable them to explore the reaction from their partner and consider how appropriate it would be with learners.

5. B answer as yourself – this is not a role play B ask A your question,
A ask B your question,
B answer as yourself – this is not a role play
B ask A your question,
A answer as yourself but after you have thought about it for 2 minutes (this will be timed)
Give them a maximum of 10 minutes to complete each question session (less if you judge that they have run out of steam) – at the end of each question give the participants an opportunity to note down their experiences including how they felt and the significance this has for their work with learners with these conditions.

6. B answer using images and/or pictures and/or symbols.
A ask B your question again with any modification, expansion or reduction you would like to make from your previous experience
B answer using images and/or pictures and/or symbols.
B ask A your question again with any modifications you would like to make from your previous experience
A answer as if you have not understood the question – this is a role play!
After all 4 question and answer sessions give each pair the time to discuss their experiences and then reorganise the discussion groups so that all the As share their experiences and all the Bs share their experiences.
Then bring the whole group together and, through discussion bring out the key points e.g.
Difficulties with designing an unambiguous question
Use of subject specific language i.e. pragmatist, reflector
Difficulties with waiting for the learner to answer – what sort of reaction this provoked
Type of adjustments made to their question the 2nd time round
Difficulties and ease of using images, pictures and/or symbols
Challenges presented to both when the question was not understood

7. When may a condition show itself and how?
Historically in a previous educational setting e.g. school or previous course of learning
Presenting at application stage to the organisation
At the first meeting with a Support Worker
During an induction/learning programme while support is being given
For this activity divide the group into 4 and allocate a category to each group. You may find it useful to be selective so that each group has individuals who have knowledge and experience that they can share with the others. The groups will find it useful to use the table on Pages 10 and 11 of their learning resource to prompt their discussion and support and inform their conclusions.
The prompt cards for this activity are in the Delivery notes.

8. Plenary
Each group read out the title and questions from your prompt card and feedback your conclusions
How would you report your observations and who in your organisation would it be most appropriate to report to?
Each group could make a formal presentation on the conclusion of their discussions or the feedback could be less formal depending on the needs of the group. It may be helpful to show the previous slide again while the presentations are being conducted to remind the group of the 4 headings.
The final question needs to be answered for each establishment represented – you may need to give some time for the discussion about the restrictions to this practice and prompt the identification of best practice and consideration of how they may be able to effect the practice in their workplace.

9. Analysing a Case Study
For this session use any of the following Film Clips See page 28 of the Delivery Notes.
These can be found at Supporting the Learner Journey.
They are included in the list of resources as “Media Clips for all modules and units”
You will need Windows Media Player or similar to be able to view and use them.

10. Building Case Studies through ‘Consequences’
In 4 groups we will develop 4 Case studies reflecting the
knowledge and experience you have brought with you and
the information and understanding you have gained.
You will make contributions to the case studies under the
following headings:
History
Presentation at Learning Programme
Initial meeting with Support Worker
Appropriate and Inappropriate Support
The Return of Your Learner
Use pages 15 and 16 from the learning resource to explain how this Activity Task will work. Reinforce that they should use the knowledge they have and the materials from the unit to inform their contribution at each stage of the activity. It would be useful if the case studies could be produced using PCs as they could then be ed to each participant for future reference.
Ensure that each group has a mix of people who are creative enough to design and respond to each aspect and knowledgeable enough to include the appropriate details. As each step is introduced ensure that they focus on what is written and respond to the details only adding extra if required as opposed to redesigning it to fit what they want to say – this is to reinforce the practice that they need to recognise that with learners with these conditions they can only work with what is there and not make the learners what they want them to be.
At the final stage – the return of your learner, reinforce the message that this is a learning opportunity and not a test of any ones practice, beliefs, prejudices etc. This is a chance for them to explore the issues and points for further learning that they may have. Each group should feedback their collective observations, issues and experiences.
On completion of the feedback and discussion each participant should be encouraged to reflect on their personal experience of the activity and their points for further learning

11. Unit Accreditation Overview
Accreditation
• To be used in conjunction with the systems and procedures published by apt
Level
• The assessor level recommended to assess this unit is Level 3
Suggested reading or useful resources
• apt Centre Handbook

12. apt Unit Title: Strategies for Supporting Learners in the Autistic Spectrum including Asperger Syndrome with ADHD and Tourette Syndrome
Level: 2 Credit Value: 2 GLH: 16
Level: 3 Credit Value: 2 GLH: 14
Guidance:
Please refer to the apt Handbook for definitions of each activity and the expectations for assessment practice and evidence for moderation.
The assessment activities for this unit are indicated in the table below:
Key: P = Prescribed – this assessment method must be used to assess the unit.
O = Optional – this assessment method could be used to assess the unit.
Level 2
Case study P
Essay O
Oral question and answer O
Written description P
Reflective log / diary P
Practice file O
Level 3
Case study P
Essay O
Report P
Written description O
Reflective log / diary P
Practice file O

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