SELF EVALUATION TOOLS
FOR ASDs
Or
No not more paperwork!
Why ASDs?
ASDs is often referred to as the ‘hidden
disability’. Like every other disability,
careful thought and consideration needs to
be given to services provided for
individuals on the spectrum.
Why is Self-Evaluation
Important?
Self- evaluation helps schools to look
at their evidence base for a set of
targets in order to improve provision
Pupils with ASDs- what should you
consider in any evaluation?
• Is there someone in school/service with
experience of and responsibility for ASDs?
• Are all staff aware of the educational
implications of the Triad of Impairment i.e
how much awareness raising/CPD has
taken place?
• Are timetables and activities differentiated
to meet the needs of pupils with ASDs
ASDs issues continued
• Does the school provide opportunities for skills
to be generalised from one setting to another?
• Has anyone examined the setting in relation to
sensory issues?
• What information/support do you offer parents?
• What are your lines of communication with other
agencies/people involved with pupils?
ASDs issues continued
• Are there opportunities to share
information with other schools/services?
• Are staff aware of the impact of the Triad
and sensory issues on behaviour? Is this
information included in a policy?
• Are strategies in place to warn about
possible changes in routines/activities?
• Are pupils given the opportunity to follow
or discuss a ‘special interest’?
ASDs issues continued
• Does the school provide opportunities for
pupils to develop their social skills as part
of the curriculum?
• Are information booklets on ASDs
available for new staff and visitors ?
• Are alternatives on offer at break and
lunch times to avoid stress overload and
possible bullying?
Every School is Different!
It is important to emphasise to schools that
the audit is there to help not hinder. Each
will be at a different starting point and
have different experience and knowledge
of ASDs.
The following slides show that targets
need to be SMART.
Priorities for School 1
• Continue to modify the school environment
to take account of sensory issues
• Staff will share information on ASDs in a
formal way when they attend a training
event
• There will be an up to date bank of
resources on ASDs
• The school will develop a specific policy
Priorities for School 2
• To develop a policy document with outside
agencies and the voluntary sector
• Pupils with ASDs will be more involved in
decision making
• Time will be allocated to follow a special
interest
• A section of the library will be used as a
‘safe haven’
Priorities for School 3
• To develop a policy document with outside
agencies
• To have a whole school training day on ASDs
• To create a resource bank of materials
• To put posters up in strategic placesin school
explaining how everyone can help pupils with
ASDs
• To examine noise levels in the environment
• To consider arrangements at break and lunch
times
Priorities for School 4
• Introduce a buddy system at break and lunch times
• Create a bank of ‘relaxing’ resources for pupils with
ASDs
• Use more visual cues throughout the school- visual
timetables for everyone!
• Place pupils with ASDs in position of responsibility e.g. a
monitor during transition times to alleviate stress
• SENCo to visit other schools in the authority to examine
best practice
School Access Plan and Disability
Equality Duty
Evidence from the Self-Evaluation Tool
can be used to inform the School’s Access
and Inclusion Plan and provide evidence
that duties are being met under the
Disability Equality Duty (2006)
School Environment
• Is there access to a quiet area at break
and lunch times away from the main hub
of activity?
• Have you considered heating, lighting,
noise levels in and around school?
• Is there a ‘safe haven’ indoors?
• What safety and security does the
environment offer?
School Environment
• Are resources/materials durable and how
is seating and furniture arranged ?
• How are classrooms/corridors decoratedare they over stimulating?
• Are signs and visual cues in place to help
pupils move around school and from
activity to activity with ease?
• What issues need addressing in the hall at
dinner times and Assembly?
Curriculum- Points to Consider
• Language and Communication
• Audits of timetables to ascertain
times/subjects that are likely to cause
stress
• Use of visual timetables and other clues to
assist learning e.g. colour coded books,
use of picture symbols
Curriculum-Points to Consider
• Opportunities are provided to follow a special
interest
• There is access to a safe haven during times of
stress- the opportunity to indicate when stress
levels at all time high.
• Arrangements at break and lunch times to relax
or follow an interest
• The use of sensory experiences to understand
different times and cultures
• There are opportunities to generalize skills
across subjects and in different settings
Information- Points to Consider
• Information given to pupils especially pre
transition is clearly written, unambiguous
and visual
• Information for reviews is written in friendly
format and is jargon free
• Parents have information about the
school’s provision for pupils with ASDs
and a list of relevant support groups and
contacts
Information- Points to Consider
• Production of accessible leaflets for
parents and pupils about the school’s
arrangements/timetable for that year group
• There is a resource bank of materials on
ASD for staff
• Information on ASDs is available to new
staff and visitors to the school
• Awareness raising takes place in a
number of ways
Disability Equality Duty
Examine your school’s plan. Are the needs
of pupils with ASDs addressed under the
duties?
Remember ASDs is a disability and so the
school has a legal obligation to consider
and meet the needs of pupils with ASDs.
Workshop Activity (in 2s or 3s)
• Is there someone in your setting with
responsibility for individuals with ASDs?
• What support/information do you give to
parents/carers during and following a
diagnosis?
• What ASD specific strategies are in place
to manage transition?
• How do you involve individuals with ASDs
in policy and planning?
The Inclusive Schools and ASDs Whole
School research and Training
Programme
• Offered to Local Authorities
• Who select schools and staff to participate
• Run for 2 days intensive CPD
• Follow up a term later for half a day
• Up to 40 delegates per LA – teachers,
managers, support assistants from
mainstream primary & secondary
Local authority take up
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Swansea
Monmouth
Rhondda Cynon Taff – 3 programmes
Bridgend – 2 programmes
Conwy – 2 programmes
Wrexham
Gwynedd and Mon
Statistics
Through our work directly with 8 Local
Authorities we have trained staff
representatives from around150 schools.
The 2 day Programme
• Aims to recognise and build on knowledge
of ASDs
• To attain an understanding of the condition
– Its key characteristics
– The view of the individual
– The challenges of being at school
– Sensory anomalies
– Making schools and staff more ASD friendly
Day 1
• Focus on what people with ASD tell us
about their lives
• Look at the school experience of the
individual
• Relate this to the Triad of impairments
• Examine the impact of sensory differences
• Explore the common curriculum difficulties
across 3 Key stages
Day 1
• Look at universal strategies that can help
in schools
• Focus on looking at the messages
underlying episodes of inappropriate
behaviours
Use of multimedia presentation including
DVD & video footage; small group
discussion; CD ROM materials; books
Day 2
• Reflection on key messages from Day 1
• The concept of what makes a school ASD
friendly
• Whole school issues
• Useful strategies in the school
environment – TEACCH; PECs and Social
Stories
– Use of multimedia presentation as Day
1 and checklists and a quiz.
Disseminating the Training
• Delegates are asked to fulfil the following
tasks on their return to school :
– Build up a bank of resources on ASDs for staff
– Disseminate the training to staff group/s
– Conduct a whole school audit which will then
lead to
• Identification of strengths
• Short, medium and long-term target planning
Feedback on the Training
• On the final half day of the training
package, delegates are invited to
feedback on how they have fulfilled the 3
dissemination activities and the response
of staff
Resource Bank ideas
• Looked at school resources and we’re returning
them all to one place
 Resource shelf for all staff – games; box of
stress relief “calmers”; maths games; story
sacks; books; documentation; library facility for
borrowing
• Laminated coloured symbols for every type of
activity
• Labelling areas of the school
• Using visual timetables
• Creating a safe haven – maybe just a corner of
the room
Training of school staff
 Most of staff have a good idea of how to work
with children; school visits to Plas Brondyffryn
and Wargrave House school in Merseyside
reinforced what we are doing in school;
 Questionnaire for all staff on their knowledge of
ASDs, collated and fed back in staff meeting
 Welsh presentation (Wenglish); True and false
quiz; staff reported more knowledge as a result;
more confident; social story books in Welsh;
staff training for 2 LSAs
• Teacher meeting held, sheet produced for all
staff
• Audit given to year groups; action plan drawn up
 Departmental SENCo meeting; awareness
raised; True or false quiz raise discussion; staff
feel school is ASD friendly; Audit tool given out
to staff; talk to NQT teachers
 Staff meeting held; everyone is now talking
about autism; S4C programme with Carol ParryJones helped staff to answer quiz; joint planning
begun with paired school rep
Reported Impact on schools
• Play co-ordinators targeted for information; Buddy
system at break times has started to pay off
• Updating SEN handbook
• Awareness raising for pupils in PSE lessons and with
cross curricular themes in the coming academic year
• Strategies found useful with other children, including
young children
• Friday Award celebration needed toning down
• Adoption of 3 or 4 strategies by whole school – visual
timetables; benches and quiet areas created in
playground; Circle time to raise issues with all children
• Staff more cautious about what behaviours to pick up on;
give more time to process; other children so accepting;
acceptance is praised by staff
• Workshop held; turn taking daily schedule for places in
the line; visual timetable very helpful for staff, including
supply teachers too !; spin off for other children
• Outreach support service has accessed further
Unlocking potential funding – mainstream support
service developed; examples & strategies taken into
schools – SAMS referral and response service
 School is post-Inspection; looked at using GP audit and
developed an Action Plan instead of awareness raising;
10 things a child with autism wished you knew given to
school by a Mum; head on LEA Outreach committee;
we’re looking at ALL children in a different light;
• Moving from Year 2 to Year 3 - transition well prepared
for; booklet (Passport) for each child to take out with
them so all staff know about their preferences and
dislikes
• Summer care workers invited into school and also
informed about the PECs system
• Plan to improve communication – PECs training to be given to new
staff, timetabled member of staff to support others and for her to be
Makaton trainer
• Professional development plans for members of staff re ASDs
• Ways to bring parents into school and involve them in their child’s
learning
• Child is not the same person he was before Christmas 2005
• All ASD training has been very relevant to other children
• Staff are now aware that there are children in school who may have
associated ASD issues and strategies could be used for all children
• There is an interest and a staff need to know more; it has got people
talking together in departments
• Everyone wants to learn more; “Curious incident” copies are
circulating around the staff
• Idea of having a “film night” - Snowcake; What’s eating Gilbert
Grape ?; Rainman; As good as it gets;
• Staff more aware of the hidden disabilities and more prepared to
consider their needs
If you are interested in learning more about
this training programme or want to pass on
contact details –
We are
Maggie Bowen – maggie@autismcymru.org
& Lynn Plimley - lynn@autismcymru.org