Taking a lead on autism

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A timely project to introduce a designated adult for autism into mainstream schools

Knowledge and understanding about autism have increased markedly in both medical and education circles in recent years. Our ability to recognise signs of autism has improved, and diagnoses have become more focussed as they have increasingly included input from multi-disciplinary professional teams. Improvements in diagnosis also seem to have brought about an increase in the number of those diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). Indeed, during the four years that I worked as an advisory teacher for autism, I saw my caseload grow from just 80 diagnosed cases to almost 250.

Despite continued efforts by schools to adapt their learning environments for children with ASD, it is increasingly difficult for educational settings to manage. Students who meet the criteria for special schools are often not given these placements due to a lack of available places. Consequently, mainstream schools have to meet this challenge by increasing their knowledge and skill base, adjusting their special needs provision maps to suit the increasing demand.

In 2009, the Autism Support Service in Birmingham offered training to my Masters Degree cohort for a role called “designated adult for autism”, in which one staff member in a school takes a lead on issues relating to students with ASD. With the pressures of increasing caseloads, I recognised that the amount of time available for support interventions for ASD in Plymouth, such as group work for social and communication skills and one-to-one support, was becoming severely limited. The new designated adult scheme seemed to be an obvious and practical solution to some of these problems. I decided to make it the focus of my dissertation for my Masters in Special Education (Autism).

My research involved four mainstream schools in Plymouth – one primary and three secondary – that were piloting the scheme. All had relatively high numbers of pupils with ASD.

The role of designated adult for autism

Once selected and trained, the designated adult was asked to carry out the role for 15 hours each week alongside his/her regular job. The plan was for the scheme to run for an academic year, after which time it would be assessed for its impact and effectiveness. In each school, five pupils with ASD were chosen randomly as a focus group.

The main duties of the designated adult included:

  • delivering social and communication skills groups
  • running social clubs
  • one-to-one intervention
  • acting as a point of contact for students, staff and parents
  • developing resources
  • dissemination of good practice
  • liaison with outside agencies
  • attendance at relevant autism training
  • raising the profile of autism needs across the school
  • being an advocate for the autistic population within the setting.

In each school, the occupant of the role was allowed some flexibility to meet the school’s specific needs. As the scheme became more established, each designated adult became more self-sufficient and autonomous. Many began adding work systems for the students, creating safe spaces and specific talk times to help solve student and staff concerns. Parent coffee meetings were developed, which in turn fostered great support networks, benefitting the families and helping to create a joined-up approach to support. In my advisory role, I was able to help the designated adults develop support networks and disseminate information.

As the research concluded, it was obvious that the quality and consistency of support that I was able to offer as an advisory teacher for autism was being enhanced by the hard work and organisation of the designated adults. Problems with time restrictions, as a result of high caseloads, were eased, even through the overall caseload did not actually decrease in size. Direct support could be provided to pupils on a more individual and high-quality basis.

By working with the designated adults, I was able to reach a wider range of students; any advice and resources I supplied could be followed up by the designated adult, ensuring greater continuity of support for students.

The schools involved noticed improvements in the confidence and ability of their staff to work with students with autism, and I was able to look forward and plan the next steps for each student, offering more specific one-to-one support with emotional and independent life skills.

A positive force

As the academic year came to an end, I began interviewing the staff, students and parents involved. Students with autism said that they were happier in school now that they had the support of the designated adult. Many talked about how they felt their social skills and communication had improved. Some mentioned new friends they had made in the social clubs, and that they were now joining new clubs outside of school. Their feelings about school in general had improved, with some feeling more confident about school and less anxious about attending. This was often attributed to the fact that they had someone they felt more comfortable with and could go to for help, if they needed it.

One parent said: “A year ago, my child was completely depressed…Since the designated adult has been in place, my son feels someone really understands him and he trusts them to help solve his worries. Now my child loves school and I can’t believe the complete turn-around”.

Similar sentiments were echoed by other parents. Many really enjoyed the coffee sessions, welcoming the opportunity for better contact and communication with the school. All of the parents interviewed said they hoped that the role would be made into a permanent full-time post.

Staff members’ responses, even those from the initially sceptical, were positive, with many commenting that since the scheme’s introduction, the frequency of major incidents had reduced due to a quicker response time. They all appreciated having access to an in-school autism “expert” who could suggest practical strategies and help deal with incidents and problems.

The main negative from the school leaders’ perspective was that the role needed to be full-time. However, all four of the participating schools were planning to instigate this as a next step; indeed, in one of the schools, two people were eventually appointed to the role, both as full-time employees.

Overall, the designated adult for autism scheme in the trial schools received an overwhelmingly positive response. In addition to the clear benefits of having a trained member of staff on site and available to ease the pressure on the SENCO, such a role can also give much needed confidence to parents, pupils and school staff. The All Party Parliamentary Group for Autism is currently calling on the Government to ensure that every school has a designated autism lead. As the research showed, such an initiative could do much to improve the school experience, and ultimately the life chances, of children with autism.

Further information

Andrew Mercer has worked with people with autism for 12 years, starting as a support worker. He is a qualified teacher, has worked as an advisory teacher and is now an Autism Advisor for Cornwall Council.

Andrew Mercer
Author: Andrew Mercer

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