1. Specialist Support Teams
Supporting Enhanced
Transition in Autism
Ana Stokes – Social Communication
Specialist Teacher. ASC Team
Schools Psychology

3. The transition starts in Yr5 Pointers to identification… (Keep a child/young person in mind – Individual Transition Plan)

4. Identifying need for Enhanced Transition
Social Communication (a few indicators)
Too much or too little eye contact or lack of facial expressions
Little interest in others
Difficulty making or keeping friends – few or no friends
Preoccupation with certain topics or objects
Long winded talks – talking to rather than with peers
Trouble starting or holding a conversation
Trouble understanding figurative language
Lack of connections/generalisation in the learning
Odd ways of communicating (monotone / loud/ whispers)

5. How to Identify the Child in Yr5
2 - Emotional Understanding (a few indicators)
Experience meltdowns or shutdowns
Might appear shy / self contained
Parents report reluctance to come to school
Self-sooths in a not so obvious manner
Difficult identifying / describing own emotions
Decreased empathy response to others

6. How to Identify a Child in Yr5
3 – Flexibility of Thought and Behaviour
Need for sameness or routines
Uneasy with changes
Reluctance to try something new / new
situations
Preoccupation with certain topics or objects
No consideration of other’s points of view

7. How to Identify a Child in Yr5
4 – Sensory Issues
Gets too close to others
Dislikes proximity
Moves away from certain smells
Dislikes some words
Light, sound, movement, materials
Fine / gross motor skills issues

8. KP – AS

9. Start Preparing (in Yr5)
Personalised Transition Plan Promote Growth Mindset Encourage Social Communication Build Emotional Understanding Support the development of Independent skills Create Self-awareness Initiate a PCP / OPP

10. Relationships are at the core of any interventions

11. GROWTH MINDSET – Carol Dweck
The belief that one's intelligence or abilities can be changed or
It is fixed and immutable

12. Growth Mindset (GM) / Fixed Mindset (FM)
We have both mindsets in different situations. GM is a set of skills If we are happy with our lot, then we will be ok with a FM. If we want to change our lot, the GM skills will help

13. When are the GM thinking skills appropriate?
When we do not know an answer
When we make error
When we experience failure
When we are anxious
When we look at our abilities in a negative
way

14. GM misinterpretations
Confusing growth mindset with an open-minded
or positive outlook
Assuming we are either GM or FM people
Assuming that a growth mindset is about praising
and rewarding effort
Having mission statements and "I can" posters
Teachers endorsing claims of "growth" in their words
but not in their actions and particular reactions to
children's mistakes

15. Supporting Growth Mindset Strategies
Basic human abilities can be grown. We all have the capacity for growth, it is for everybody, it’s never too late. Introduce and acknowledge the concept of effort / practice Talk about the plasticity of the brain Create a risk-tolerant learning zone Establish high expectations (what to expect) Encourage children to take a risk. Ask open-ended questions Use role models

16. Communication
Through communication we:
Connect with others
Forge relationships
Express wants / needs / feelings
Share / receive ideas and intentions
Persuade
Solve problems

17. Promote Social Communication
How to ask for help
Share comments / views
Listen to others
Respond / ask questions
Initiate communication
Participate
Key factors of successful strategies:
Early intervention
Developmentally sensible
Reduced verbal input
Power of everyday
Pivotal role of parents

18. Social skills
Prioritise
Motivate
Adapt
Practice
Maximum of 3 per academic year
A Talent Book:
Helps recognise own strengths and develop self-concept

19. Support Emotional Understanding
How to sooth/cope by themselves:
Access to sensory supports
Sensory break / quiet place
Visual choices of coping strategies
Viewing others as a source of emotional
support

20. Explore different coping strategies for different levels of anxiety Explore the physicality of feelings

21. Core elements of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Programmes
But
Uses understandable language
Real life examples
Practical exercises
Worksheets

22. How Can Aspects of CBT Help?
Helps the child/young person to find:
The thoughts and feelings they have
The link between what they think, how
they feel and what they do
More helpful ways of thinking
How to control unpleasant feelings
How to face and overcome problems

23. To be able to access CBT, children / young
BEFORE YOU START…
To be able to access CBT, children / young
people have to be able to undertake tasks such as:
■ accessing and communicating their thoughts;
■ generating alternative attributions for events;
■ being aware of different emotions;
■ linking thoughts, feelings and events.
These can be assessed in a variety of age-appropriate
ways by using games, quizzes, puppets, drawing and
cartoons.

24. Originally developed in Australia by Professor Paula Barrett, Webster and Turner (2000)
Intervention proven to reduce anxiety and depression and promote positive mental health for children and young people.
Based on CBT
Recognised by the World Health Organisation as the only evidence based effective programme#
Recommended by the UK Department of Education (Mental Health & Behaviour in Schools: Departmental advice for school staff, 2016).

25. Fun FRIENDS (4 – 7 years)
FRIENDS for Life (8 – 11 years)
Special FRIENDS (Autism)
My FRIENDS Youth (12 – 15 years)
Adult Resilience for Life (16+)

26. THE PSYCHOLOGY TREE

27. SENSORY
Adapt the environment
Light
Noise
Smells
Touch
Movement
Words

28. P Promote Independent skills
More structure and information =
A more independent child / young person
What they have to do
Why - motivation
Steps within activity
What’s happening next

29. ONE PAGE PROFILE Re-visiting OPP Training Opportunity 20th March 2019
Melissa Carey
Rachel Kenny

30. Evaluate strategies and Plan for Yr6
End of Yr5
Evaluate strategies and Plan for Yr6

31. Year 6 (from beginning) Update Social Skills and Continue with:
Emotional Regulation support
Social Communication
Book of Talents
Ask parents not to discuss worries
in front of the child

32. YR6 (from mid April)
Start ‘The Big Book About Me’ Learn how to read a Yr7 timetable Learn how to use a Planner Arfur Moes – optional

33. Start gathering questions from child Learn how to organise the day (game) Learn about life in Secondary school Prepare for change – insist on sameness

34. YR6 (end of May/early June)
School to arrange a transition meeting
Invite parents
Invite a secondary school representative
Prepare a very thorough PCP /Profile
to be discussed

35. At the transition meeting
Arrange extra visits to secondary school
Arrange taster sessions
Discuss
Daily arrangements
Summer school
Homework club
Find answers to the young person’s
questions