Page 67 - Issue 112 May-June 2021

ASD About the author Debbie Craig is a parent to a child with ASD. Driven by her own experiences to remove barriers to learning and improve outcomes for children with SEND, Debbie developed and founded the app BOOP. limejar.co.uk @boop_app @limejar.boop “Specific interests as part of a bespoke learning programme” in a school environment. This has led to increased stress and anxiety for teachers too. Concern remains that school closures may have had a disproportionate impact on children with SEND, but could technology hold the key to support teachers, parents and students with learning and wellbeing moving forward? Is technology part of the solution? The use of technology has been a key element in the overall strategy to help children to continue to learn during the pandemic, so it would seem obvious that it could have a part to play in this SEND context too. The truth is that deciding how technology can be deployed here is as complex as autism itself. So, before considering the role of technology, it is important to reflect on exactly how it might assist. First, any attempt to use technology to support in the SEND context must take into account the level of complexity referred to above. In so doing, it is helpful to consider three Ds: 1. The extent to which autism is a Disability in the true SEND sense, and in what way can technology assist. 2. The Difficulties autistic children face; and then 3. How to exploit positive traits in the way autistic children function to take advantage of these Differences. Disability As an example, given some autistic people have sensory processing impairment disabilities like sensitivity to noise, the best technology solutions must base their communication approaches on visual supports/objects of reference. Difficulties The difficulties autistic children face can be many and varied, which makes this ‘D’ the hardest to address, particularly as they have been exacerbated by Covid-19. For example, the mental health and wellbeing of children, and indeed of their families, has been jeopardised by an increased risk of social isolation during the pandemic. Equally, teachers required more targeted resources, better suited to the individuals’ specific needs, while therapists and health workers who were forced to work at a distance needed help with how to actively support families. Families also needed specific advice and guidance in respect of the best way to help autistic children in a context that was dominated by remote learning and home-schooling, and today, the support must be steered towards recovery for everyone. Differences The differences offer real possibilities. Many autistic children have outstanding attention to detail, can be very focused and display great organisational skills. It is also well established that being able to harness their specific interests as part of a bespoke learning programme, can make a huge difference. There are many examples; for instance, a child motivated by making films had an entire learning programme designed by his teachers to be delivered through this medium. Another, fascinated by machinery such as lifts, was able to develop his literacy, numeracy and other skills through studying their design specifications and manuals. These examples show that if the technology solution can exploit such interests, autistic youngsters can make outstanding progress quickly. Technology solutions, therefore, help in a number of ways. They remove barriers to learning by overcoming specific autism related issues, such as reducing the stress caused by unexpected change at home. Whilst in school, they provide an intuitive and easy-to-use interface to interlinked resources and activities that help students achieve tasks independently, and also provide the means to track achievements. Although no technology is likely to address all the elements of such a varied and interconnected set of challenges, solutions developed by those who really understand the distinct, core needs arising from autism will be the most effective. Technology: Key areas to consider In simple terms, technology must be based, specifically, on both the nature of the learners conditions, and the operation of the support network that surrounds the individual learner. For this senmagazine.co.uk SEN112 67