Search results for ‘Subject term:"special educational needs"’ Sort:
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Jargon buster
- Publisher:
- National Autistic Society
- Place of publication:
- London
Provides explanations of terms used in the field of autism and Asperger syndrome. Some terms are central to autism, some describe related or co-occurring conditions: many are terms parents may hear, particularly from professionals working with and for them.
Hearing the voice inside
- Author:
- FRANKEL Hannah
- Journal article citation:
- Young Minds Magazine, 84, September 2006, pp.20-21.
- Publisher:
- YoungMinds
The author looks at how children with autistic spectrum disorder can be best helped to cope at school.
The outcomes from attendance on selected mainstream further education courses, for a group of learners at a specialist college for young people on the autism spectrum
- Author:
- PRIESTLEY Michael G.
- Journal article citation:
- Good Autism Practice, 12(2), October 2011, pp.69-72.
- Publisher:
- British Institute of Learning Disabilities
This article follows the ongoing experiences of a group of five students on the autism spectrum, who came together as a group in September 2006 at a specialist autism college. Their integration into course sessions at the local affiliated mainstream college at the time was first documented in the Good Autism Practice Journal in 2008. The intention of the first paper was to analyse the process of integration, so that future practice could be improved. This follow-up paper looks at the impact that these experiences had on the students’ subsequent learning and outcomes. Measured educational attainment often takes far longer for those with autism, but by allowing them to proceed at their own pace, reducing anxiety and increasing self-confidence, allows them to achieving higher ratings than would otherwise be possible.
Efficacy of three screening instruments in the identification of autistic-spectrum disorders
- Authors:
- CHARMAN Tony, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 191(12), December 2007, pp.554-559.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Screening instruments for autistic-spectrum disorders have not been compared in the same sample. The aim was to compare the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and the Children's Communication Checklist (CCC). Screen and diagnostic assessments on 119 children between 9 and 13 years of age with special educational needs with and without autistic-spectrum disorders were weighted to estimate screen characteristics for a realistic target population. The SCQ performed best (area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC)=0.90; sensitivity 0.86; specificity 0.78). The SRS had a lower AUC (0.77) with high sensitivity (0.78) and moderate specificity (0.67). The CCC had a high sensitivity but lower specificity (AUC=0.79; sensitivity 0.93; specificity 0.46). The AUC of the SRS and CCC was lower for children with IQ < 70. Behaviour problems reduced specificity for all three instruments. The SCQ, SRS and CCC showed strong to moderate ability to identify autistic-spectrum disorder in this at-risk sample of school-age children with special educational needs.
The exclusion question
- Author:
- LEPPER Joe
- Journal article citation:
- Children Now, 17.01.07, 2007, pp.18-19.
- Publisher:
- Haymarket
The Government claims exclusion of pupils with special needs have halved since it came to power but not everyone agrees. Many still feel that school exclusion is still being used to manage challenging behaviour, without looking at the reasons for this behaviour. The article emphasises the need for more guidance and training.
Mainstreaming autism: making it work
- Authors:
- MOREWOOD Gareth D., HUMPHREY Neil, SYMES Wendy
- Journal article citation:
- Good Autism Practice, 12(2), October 2011, pp.62-68.
- Publisher:
- British Institute of Learning Disabilities
Incorporating children and young people on the autism spectrum into mainstream schools is acknowledged as one of the most complex areas of education. Research suggests that pupils with autism attending mainstream schools are at an increased risk of a range of negative outcomes. However, there are schools where such children thrive, and an important part of developing practice within this field is to share the approaches taken in these settings. This paper presents a ‘saturation’ model encapsulating the work undertaken at Priestnall School, a mainstream secondary school in the north-west of England. Key elements of this model include having a central ‘agent of change’, creating a positive ethos, developing the school environment, training and development of staff, policy development and embedding practice, peer education and awareness, flexible provision, and direct support and intervention. However, for the model to be successful, the commitment must saturate all aspects of school life and work in conjunction with other models of support.
Mutual attraction? How do we identify and attract the right people to work in the field of autism?
- Author:
- SMITH Jacqui Ashton
- Journal article citation:
- Good Autism Practice, 12(2), October 2011, pp.43-50.
- Publisher:
- British Institute of Learning Disabilities
In the UK there have been significant increases in the number of students on the autistic spectrum educated in mainstream schools. This study investigated the characteristics of staff thought to be effective in working with children and young people with autism in residential specialist schools. Data were collected from 38 staff involved in leadership or management within six residential schools. This paper summarises the qualities and skills that these staff thought were most important in working with this group of students. Some of these ideas might usefully be built in to and explored within the recruitment systems and staff development processes or could be discussed as a whole school issue. Although the sample was limited to those working in specialist schools, the data can also be considered in relation to mainstream and generic special settings. Implications for practice are discussed.
At the sharp end
- Author:
- LAMBERT Sarah
- Journal article citation:
- Every Child Journal, 2(3), 2011, pp.32-36.
- Publisher:
- Imaginative Minds
- Place of publication:
- Birmingham
The launch of the Green Paper, Support and aspiration: a new approach to special educational needs and disability, in March 2011 heralds a four month consultation on the future direction of special educational needs provision (SEN) in England. This article provides an overview of current SEN provision for children with autism, highlighting the importance of: adequate resourcing; training for teachers; early intervention; joint working and appropriate support through the transitional years from age 16-24. The article concludes with a best practice example from West Cornwall CAMHS.
The provision of communication aids to children in England: an analysis of applications to the Communication Aids Project
- Authors:
- CLARKE M. T., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child: Care, Health and Development, 33(5), September 2007, pp.569-575.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Children who experience difficulties in face-to-face interaction, understanding language and developing literacy can benefit from the provision of communication aids such as speech synthesizers and specialist software applications that support their social participation and learning. The Communication Aids Project (CAP) was a national initiative by the Department for Education and Skills in England, aimed at supporting and developing the provision of communication aids to children. This paper presents an analysis of the number and type of applications to CAP. In so doing, the paper begins to explore how the need for communication aids might be understood in England.The analysis was carried out on a database of 3060 anonymized records, representing applications to CAP between January 2002 and January 2004. Applications to CAP were made on behalf of children with a broader range of disabilities than might be assumed, including a relatively high proportion of children with autistic spectrum disorder. Rates of application to CAP varied in line with Local Education Authority population size [e.g. total pupils, total pupils with special educational needs (SEN)], rather than indicators of regional variation in SEN provision (e.g. proportion of population identified as having SEN). Within a context of changing services to children in England and increasing emphasis on the plurality and contestability of services, the relevance of these findings for service providers and service commissioners is discussed.
Mothering special needs: a different maternal journey
- Author:
- KINGSTON Anna Karin
- Publisher:
- Jessica Kingsley
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 207p.
- Place of publication:
- London
This book explores the lived experience of mothers raising a child with a learning disability, through interviews with mothers of children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Down syndrome. With frequent personal accounts from mothers themselves, Mothering Special Needs encourages other women who have children with special needs to recognize and express their own aspirations and needs for self-fulfilment. It addresses the social construction of motherhood, discussing issues such as mother-blame and society's images of the self-sacrificing mother, in the context of raising a child with a learning disability. It also looks at real-life experiences of working with professionals, giving examples of both good and bad practice.