1. “Wake-up groups" in a residential school setting: Starting the day with occupation
Emily Frost & Miriam Crowe
June 2018
@EmilyFrost01 @DrMiriamOT
@Childrens_Trust

2. Our Service: The Children’s Trust Daily routine
3 residential houses: Chestnut, Jasmine and Willow
23 children and young people
Profound and multiple learning disabilities
Daily routine
Start getting up around 8am
The Children’s Trust School starts at 9.30am
The Children’s Trust | Wake Up Group Presentation (June 2018)

3. Observations of behaviours:
Self-stimulating behaviours
Fluctuating level of alertness
Withdrawal
Reduced social interactions
Mansell and Beadle Brown (2012)
Zijlstra and Vlaskamp (2005)
The Children’s Trust | Wake Up Group Presentation (June 2018)

4. Introducing the Wake-up groups
Engagement
Social interactions
Orientation
Transition from home to school
Modelling best practice
Aims:
Duration: 30 minutes
Environment: Residential houses
Staffing: The therapy team and volunteers (other members of the organisation or external volunteers)
Mansell et al (2003)
The Children’s Trust | Wake Up Group Presentation (June 2018)

5. Group format: 1. ‘Wake-up song’ 2. Say “hello” to everyone
3. What day is it?
4. Multi-sensory activity
5. Music
Rainy days
Spring time
“It’s cold today!”
Ten Brug et al. (2015); Maes et al. (2007); Moir (2010)
The Children’s Trust | Wake Up Group Presentation (June 2018)

6. Service Evaluation – 1 year on…
S.W.O.T. (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis
Online survey
Included therapy, volunteers, care and school staff
Questions about: content, resources, aims and training ?
The Children’s Trust | Wake Up Group Presentation (June 2018)

7. Survey results Strengths “It’s a great reminder of why we are here”
It is an opportunity for staff to get to know the children and young people
Consistency of the groups’ content
Multi-sensory aspect of the groups
Weaknesses
Variable/inconsistent numbers and people attending the groups
Repetition
Inconsistency between groups
Aims not consistently being achieved
Threats
Unpredictable numbers attending
Reduced number of resources
Skills and confidence of volunteers
Staffing levels
Opportunities
Volunteers wanting to increase their knowledge and skills
Wide range of people wanting to be involved across TCT site
The Children’s Trust | Wake Up Group Presentation (June 2018)

8. Our thoughts going forward…
Learning points
Think creatively about filling gaps in daily routine
Balance between consistency and variety
Involving volunteers from within the organisation benefits the running of the groups and upholding the values of the organisation
Need to ensure training of non-clinical staff – not taking skills for granted
The Children’s Trust | Presentation Title Name DD Month 2016

9. References
Maes B, Lambrechts G, Hostyn I, Petry K, (2007) Quality enhancing interventions for people with PMLD: A review of the empirical research literature, Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 32(3), pp Mansell J, Beadle-Brown J, Macdonald S, Ashman B (2003b) Resident involvement in activity in small community homes for people with learning disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 16(1), Mansell J, Beadle-Brown J (2012) Active support: enabling and empowering people with intellectual disabilities. London: Jessica Kingsley. Moir L, (2010) Evaluating the effectiveness of different environments on the learning of switching skills in children with severe and profound multiple disabilities, British Journal of Occupational Therapy 73(10), pp Ten Brug A, Munde V, van der Putten, Vlaskamp C, (2015) Look closer: the alertness of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities during multi-sensory storytelling, a time sequential analysis, European Journal of Special Needs Education, 30(4), pp Zijlstra HP., Vlaskamp, C, (2005) Leisure provision for persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities: quality time or killing time?, Journal of Intellectual Disability Research; 49(6):
The Children’s Trust | Wake Up Group Presentation (June 2018)