east sussex children’s services annual report for autism ...€¦ · east sussex children’s...

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East Sussex Children’s Services Annual Report for Autism Spectrum Disorder 2011-12

Date: August 2012

Document summary Annual report of the activities of the ASD Monitoring and Support Groups

Contents

Introduction....................................... .................................................................................4

Data.....................................................................................................................................5

Short Breaks ASD bursary........................... .....................................................................6 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................6 Activity Days ........................................................................................................................6

Activity Day 3rd March for secondary aged young people: 6 Activity day 17th March for primary children aged 7-11 years. 8

ASD Bursary: Bexhill High School .....................................................................................13 ASD Bursary Hailsham Community College ASD Facility..................................................14 ASD Bursary Manor School ASD Facility...........................................................................14 ASD Bursary Funding Blacklands Cotton Tree ASD Facility..............................................15 ASD Bursary Funding Heathfield Community College ASD Facility ..................................16 ASD Bursary Funding St Leonards Academy....................................................................16 Short breaks funding for parents/carers guide to East Sussex ..........................................16

National Autistic Society Autism Accreditation Awar d ................................................17 Introduction ........................................................................................................................17 Acorns Short Breaks Centre, Bexhill-on-Sea.....................................................................17 Manor School, Uckfield ......................................................................................................18 The Bungalow short breaks residential centre, Eastbourne:..............................................19 Bexhill High School ASPie Pod..........................................................................................21

Recent Developments ................................ .....................................................................21 The Cotton Tree ASD Facility Blacklands School, Hastings ..............................................21

ASD Monitoring and Support Groups .................. ..........................................................24 Introduction ........................................................................................................................24 Newsletter for the ASD Monitoring and Support Groups....................................................24 Training for parents/carers and professionals....................................................................24

Sex and relationship education 25 Peer Awareness of ASD: 26 ASD and play 26 Developing visual materials 27 Discussion groups for Teaching Assistants and Individual Needs Assistants................27

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ASD training with the Behaviour & Therapeutic Intervention Service 28 Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND) Green Paper Pathfinder project .........28

ASD Single Pathway................................. .......................................................................29

And finally – good news!........................... ......................................................................30

Stop Press! Update to Annual Report 2010-11....... ......................................................31

LEAP of

FAITH

!

Activity Days at Hind Leap Warren (page 6-10)

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About this document:

Enquiries: ASD Coordinator

Author: Heather Sharp

Telephone: 01892 655244

Email: [email protected]

Download this document from: www.eastsussex.gov.uk/autism

Version number: Annual report 5

Related information

Annual report (1) 2007-8




Accessibility help

Young people

with ASD

having fun and learning

new skills

HIND LEAP WARREN

ACTIVITY CENTRE

March 2012

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Introduction

This is the fifth annual report outlining some of the work done by the East Sussex multi-disciplinary Autism Spectrum Disorder Monitoring and Support Groups.

2011-12 has been an even more challenging year for Inclusion Support Services, of which the ASD Monitoring & Support groups form a small part. Reorganisation of Inclusion Support has meant some colleagues leaving the service and this has led to a reduction in the number of professionals attending the group meetings.

On the plus side, the new Augmentative and Alternative Communication service was set up and the newly appointed AAC Coordinator is available to advise the group on alternative methods of written communication for children with ASD, who find handwriting problematic. We have also gained a third Inclusion Support Worker for two days a week, working mostly in the Seaford community of school.

Highlights of 2011-12

Blacklands Primary school in Hastings became the second primary school to open an ASD facility. Continuing with the school’s theme and links to Africa, it has been named The Cotton Tree and was opened by Dean Beadle, a motivational speaker who has a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome (more details pages 21-3)

Celebrations were held at Manor Primary School, Uckfield, our first primary school with an ASD facility. The school gained Autism Accreditation from the National Autistic Society, not just for the ‘Blue Room’ (the ASD facility) but for the whole school. They are only the second school in the country to achieve this magnificent feat.

(see pages 18-19 for details).

Building on the success and feedback from last year’s ASD activity day for young people with ASD, it was decided to run two sessions this year; one for the adolescent group that attended last year’s day and one for younger children aged 7 – 11 years. We managed to find the only two wet Saturdays in March but

that did not dampen the fun! (more details pages 5-12)

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Data

The number of families supported by the ASD Monitoring & Support groups has risen again this year. We now have 663 families registered with the groups, compared to 568 last year; an increase of 95 families. As the graph below shows, there is a steady and continual growth in families needing the support the groups offer. This is at a time when there are fewer professionals to attend the multi-agency group meetings.

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Number of Families

Jul-08Jul-09Jul-10Jul-11Jul-12

This year in order to reduce the number of ASD Monitoring and Support group meetings professionals attend, the Eastbourne and Wealden groups have been combined. This reduces the number to two groups, one meeting in the East of the County, and one in the West.

A further change to the key contact role will take effect this year. With such a large number of families requiring the key contact service, where a named professional rings the family and school every three months, families will now be given a contact number to use if they need information or advice. This will hopefully give families a better service, in that they can phone if they have an issue rather than waiting for the 3-monthly call. Some families will find the change difficult, as they will have built up a good relationship with their key contact but with fewer professionals and on-going changes to services, it is unfortunately unsustainable to continue the old model.

The annual schools census data shows that there are 837 children with either a primary or additional need diagnosis of ASD. These children and young people are spread across the range of provisions, (special and mainstream). As at January 2012, provisional data shows that 539 children attend mainstream schools, with 298 in special schools.

School placement type

64%

36%

mainstream special

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Short Breaks ASD bursary

Introduction The ASD service was given a bursary from the short breaks funding again this year. After the very successful inaugural activity day for mainstream children with ASD last year, it was decided to make it an annual event, if the funding was available. Using the comments on the evaluation forms, both from parents and the young people; it was obvious that what was wanted was more of the same but with the chance to try different and more outdoor activities. Investigations suggested that Hind Leap Warren Outdoor Activity Centre, at Wych Cross, would be the ideal venue, as their staff had experience of working with children and young people with ASD. As a further development, it was decided to run two days this year; one for the secondary age range again, and one for primary aged children 7-11 years.

Activity Days Eighty five children and young people, with almost as many volunteer adults, descended on Hind Leap Warren on the only two wet Saturdays in March. The two days followed similar formats. The children were put into groups of 10, with an instructor from the centre. Each group then had an additional minimum of two further trained staff with them. The days started at 9:30 and finished at 4:40. The older age group experienced the following activities:

Activity Day 3rd March for secondary aged young peo ple:

Archery...

This activity was about skill acquisition. It was possible to progress rapidly and by the end of the session to be able to hit the target with reasonable accuracy

Climbing Wall...

This session provided the opportunity for individuals to challenge themselves as well as emphasising effective teamwork.

The best bit of the day was archery.

Y 7 Student

I loved the high adventure (leap of faith) but I think the rock climbing was the best.

Y9 student

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What did parents think of the day and what did they think their child got out of it?

I was so concerned, I spied on him… He was running with a girl from his group across the field when I saw him with a huge smile o n his face. It made me so happy to see him out, in the fresh air, enjoying himself and interacting with others. I have never seen him like this. He made a friend (someth ing else he does not usually do) and came second in his group for archery – wonderfu l!!

He really enjoyed himself and told me a lot about t he team building activities which is quite surprising as normally it would be the sol o activities that he would focus on. He just really benefitted from being with other peo ple with ASD.

Team Exercises.

The aim of this activity was to develop an understanding of the importance of teamwork. The group was presented with a series of problem-solving exercises which were carefully selected to ensure that everyone in the group played a full part.

High Adventure...

For this session the group was kitted out with helmets, harnesses and ropes, to undertake a variety of challenges up in the trees. Ranging from almost ground level to 50’ the individual set his/her own challenge. Tremendous for building confidence and self-esteem.

I liked all the activities. My favourite was the blindfolded course .

Y 10 student

I’m so proud of myself that I was brave enough to try the ‘leap of faith’.

Y 8 student

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My daughter told me about all the activities she’d done in great detail! This is a sign that she really enjoyed her day as often she says v ery little about what she has done. It boosted her confidence and was helpful fo r her to realise she is not the only one with ASD.

That he enjoyed himself (not an expression I ever really hear from him!). It reminds and reassures him that he is not the only one with ASD – we have no contact at all with any other children or organisations which is a shame. It gave him the confidence to try new activities he wouldn’t otherw ise get a chance to do – he lives a very limited life sat in his bedroom on computers /Xbox all day otherwise!

I know when something worked for her as she is at p eace with herself. When I collected her she was happy and relaxed and at one with the world. She sang all the way home in a gentle way and her body was relaxed w hereas usually it’s always tense.

His sense of achievement at being able to manage th e high walking. He was thrilled – kept telling us about it. He will be less fearful now of joining in events where he knows no one, in places where he’s never been befor e.

Activity day 17 th March for primary children aged 7-11 years.

The primary aged children had a slightly different menu of activities, but still in the rain!

They spent time completing the team building exercises in the woods and developing their skills at archery but they also had the chance to try animal tracking and learning bush craft skills.

Bush craft and Shelter building

The bush craft session aimed to inspire young minds by demonstrating some of the skills needed to survive in the wild. The session started with an introduction to the basic elements of wilderness survival. The creation of a debris shelter was next, built from anything found lying around the forest. The session ended with fire lighting – a big hit!

The den building – brilliant!

The shelter building was awesome!

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Hindleap animals...

The children had to think about which animals might be found in the Hindleap Warren grounds, and what evidence they might leave behind. They then went out to explore the forest looking for evidence of the animals.

I liked being out in the countryside and seeing birds and finding a bone!

Y 3 pupil

The best part of the day was looking for animals.

Y 4 pupil

I loved doing the archery. I liked hitting the targets with the sharp arrows. FANTASTIC

Year 5 pupil

We got to do lots of fun activities and all of the activities are fair. It is loads of fun meeting lots of other people and they make you comfortable if you are feeling a bit funny.

Year 6 pupil

AWESOME! I would definitely go again and I would definitely recommend it to other people. The activities were fun and the archery and building a camp were fun too.

Year 6 pupil

10 out of 10!

The best day ever. I want to go again.

Year 6 pupil

Apart from my birthday the best day of the year so far!

Year 5 pupil

Forgetting about my family because I was having such a nice time with my new friends.

Year 5 pupil

EPIC!

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What did parents think of the day and what did thei r child get out of it?

It is very difficult to get him to take part in any thing new so this was an important experience giving him a confidence boost and helpin g us to let him realise that new things can be fun. He has since that day been with 2 friends to the woods where they heated up and made hot chocolate and made a ca mp/den and enjoyed several hours there. I feel we’ re moving forward now.

The day has had a huge impact on him as he now want s to go on his school’s residential trip at the end of term to Blacklands f arm!!

He was proud that he came first at archery and thor oughly enjoyed the day. He made a new friend who we hope to see in the holiday s. It has improved his confidence. He noticed that other children were ‘li ke’ him.

He loved the obstacle course best and was proud he was brave enough to do everything. He enjoyed ‘learning teamwork’. He cam e back seeming more grown up and it has given his confidence a great boost.

He really enjoyed it and made a new friend. He was happy and exhausted! He especially enjoyed the shelter building. He has tro uble fitting in at school because he is a bit ‘different’. The activities day has ma de him feel special and important.

He talked a lot about the team exercise activity wh ich was his favourite part of the day although he said he enjoyed it all. I think it helped him to understand there are other children like him and it is possible to make friends in other places outside of school.

She will remember this for a very long time. The ce rtificate was a nice touch for lasting memories. I can’t fault this day so more of the same. If it isn’t broke don’t try to fix it. Lovely day !

A fabulous idea, I am so glad my son was invited as he has never done anything like this before. He absolutely loved it!! He loved bein g out in the woods and doing something different. He made friends with someone i n his group and had a lovely day. I think it has shown me and him that he can m ange for a day at least without mum’s supervision and control. He loved the obstacl e course when team members were blindfolded. I think it has been great for him from a team building perspective and obviously social skills – dealing with differen t people and situations on his own.

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Bush craft skills

Fire lighting

Shelter building

The Obstacle Course

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Both days ended with a presentation ceremony, with the families present. The group instructors reminded the children and young people of the new skills they had learnt, including problem-solving, trust, helping others and working as part of a team. Each participant was then awarded a certificate to take home.

Then it was time to depart, in what may have seemed like organised chaos!

(photograph: Rohan Van Twest)

The children, if they were happy to be photographed by the professional photographer, were each sent a copy of the group photo and their own personal portrait after the event, as a memento of the day. The only down side of the day – not the rain but the parking problems!!

The final word must go to an observer of the day:

I shall never forget the image of 7 children with A SD blindfolded and hanging on to each other, being guided by the other 2 through obs tacles in the mud and the rain –

who would have thought it!!

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ASD Bursary: Bexhill High School The ASPie facility at Bexhill High School used their share of the bursary to fund reward trips for the students. The first at the end of the Christmas term was to bowling and Laser Quest.

This is one student’s account:

The ASPie (Autism Support Pod) went on a reward trip on Friday 16th of December.

We went to the Bowling & Laser Quest in Eastbourne.

The first activity was Laser Quest & it was fun,

exhausting & very energetic. We spent most of the

session running around in the dark trying to score

points. At the end they decided who the winner was

by adding up our results on the computer. It then

came up on the plasma screen who won. My team did

not win, however I got the highest score in my team.

The next activity was

bowling; we lined up at

reception & handed over

our shoes & swapped

them for bowling shoes. We then headed over to the

bowling lanes & started our game. There were no teams,

just playing individually. We whizzed the ball down the

lane & hoped for strikes. I came second in the

competition; I was quite pleased with my results.

After the games, we headed to the canteen with

exhaustion & hunger. I demolished my burger & chips. It

was good to socialise with the staff & to sit together having a natter about what we

had planned for the Christmas holidays. It was a really nice way to end the term.

A second reward trip for the ASPie students was to Knockhatch Activity Park, Eastbourne at the end of March.

The students enjoyed rides like: the Ringo run, Demon Death slide, Jumping Pillows and Creepy Crawly show.

After the excitement of the rides, the group went for lunch at McDonalds in Eastbourne.

The staff reported it was a really successful trip and the weather was brilliant. Mr Edkins, ASPie facility manager, 3rd from the

right, looking rather worried!

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ASD Bursary Hailsham Community College ASD Facility

The ASD facility at Hailsham Community College used their funding to run after school music sessions. There were 15 sessions in all run by the music charity, Rhythmix. It works with a team of over 50 professional community musicians, continually developing innovative and exciting new programmes that challenge young people to express their creativity.

Claire Murray, the ASD Facility manager writes:

Five of our students participated in an

interactive Music group supported by Rhythmix

and ASD staff after school club each Thursday.

Students have accessed a variety of instruments

such as "boomwackers" handbells, guitars, drums

as well as electronic equipment. Specialised

recording equipment has allowed students to

create, record and show their own compositions,

mixes and ideas with ease. We have been

impressed with the natural talent shown by our

students and are hoping to continue through next term.

ASD Bursary Manor School ASD Facility

The pupils in the Blue Room (ASD Facility) at Manor School Uckfield enjoyed weekly swimming sessions with their funding.

The children have been able to access the pool at a quiet time for swimming lessons. The instructors have been brilliant with the children. They have been into school to learn about the strengths and challenges of children with ASD.

Parents’ perceptions:

He loves swimming lessons and looks forward to it every week. It has given him a lot

more confidence in the water and finds it less stressful than the lessons I used to take

him to as he is with people he knows.

I have found these lessons really good for my son. He has enjoyed them immensely.

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ASD Bursary Funding Blacklands Cotton Tree ASD Faci lity

This is the account of the Cotton Tree outing, written by Debbie Hunnisett, ASD Facility manager:

At The Cotton Tree we used some of the Short Break

Funding money for a Bowling and Supper trip which took

place on the 12th July 2012. Four members of staff and

two of The Cotton Tree boys were picked up from

school at 3.00 p.m. They were driven, by taxi, to Ocean Bowling in Bexhill where they

had a pre-booked Bowling lane waiting for them.

We had decided that there would be two teams, made up of the child and their

supporting adults. Before they all left school we had drawn

lots to set out the Bowling order. After they had played

their game the group had something to eat and then

returned to school by taxi at about 5.30 p.m.

The boys thoroughly

enjoyed this activity,

they behaved well and

were very good sports

whilst playing the game.

They enjoyed their

supper and engaged in conversation with the adults

whilst enjoying their meal. They both seemed very

secure in the fact that they were a part of a team

and so the fact that one group would be the

winners and the other group would not was not an

issue at all. One

of the boys

continually said

“It’s not about the winning it’s about the taking

part”.

The trip was a huge success and both boys were

really appreciative of the opportunity to spend

some time with their Teaching Assistants outside

of school, fun was had by all!

Thank you for taking

me bowling. I had a

lovely time. Aiden

I really enjoyed it

and would love to go

again. Riley

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ASD Bursary Funding Heathfield Community College AS D Facility Elaine Burgess, ASD Facility Manager writes:

We used our money to start a youth club for students with ASD. It ran once a week on a Wednesday and we did quizzes, craft activities and a lot of lego and star wars risk! It was well attended and many students who had never stayed to an after school club chose to stay and kept coming back. We would like to run this again next year.

ASD Bursary Funding St Leonards Academy

St Leonards Academy continued the after school youth club that was set up last year.

The activities range from Art and Craft, cooking, board games, sport, listening to music and watching DVD’s. The students have the opportunity to relax, have fun but also to begin to build friendships, in a safe and structured environment.

Short breaks funding for parents/carers guide to Ea st Sussex Dr David Blakesley contacted us in November 2011. He outlined a project that he was keen to undertake in East Sussex to introduce the health and benefits of nature and the countryside to families with children with ASD.

He had recently completed a guide listing the various natural places to visit in Kent and was keen to produce a similar one for East Sussex.

Funding has been agreed and it is hoped that the guide will be available for families in the next twelve to eighteen months.

The Kent guides introduces each location and adds useful information about the terrain, toilets, facilities, and useful information for families with children with ASD, like whether any lakes or ditches are fenced off.

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National Autistic Society Autism Accreditation Awar d

Introduction

Autism Accreditation is internationally recognised as the mark of excellent practice in the field of autism.

Achieving Autism Accreditation is recognition that a school or setting meets a set of standards that ensure good autism practice and policy is embedded in every aspect of the work of that school or setting. It can take several years to achieve and then is reviewed on a three year cycle. Over the last few years, schools and settings across East Sussex have been striving to achieve this award.

The following schools and services have now achieved accreditation:

• Torfield School • Torfield ASD Outreach Service • Heathfield ASD facility • St Leonards Academy ASD facility • The South Downs Special school • Saxon Mount Special School • The Lindfield school • Manor Primary School & ASD facility • Acorns residential short breaks centre • The Bungalow residential short breaks centre • Sussex Coast College Hastings supported education

Acorns Short Breaks Centre, Bexhill-on-Sea Acorns, short breaks centre has just received its reaccreditation award. The accreditation report states:

The panel recognise the developments that have take n place and the progress made since the last review and are pleased by the commit ment that the service has shown to the accreditation process.

Data from observations provides evidence of sound a utism practice. The standard of care evident at Acorns Respite Centre is appreci ated and acknowledged by parents.

This is a significant achievement and a credit to a vey competent, dedicated and enthusiastic staff.

Dr Stephen Tyler (Lead Panel Member)

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Manor School, Uckfield As reported in the last Annual Report, Manor School Uckfield achieved Autism Accreditation for the whole school. This was a remarkable achievement not only for being the first school in East Sussex to have the entire school accredited but became only the second school in the country to gain this accolade.

Huge celebrations were held at the school in October. All the children packed into the school hall, along with staff, parents, Cllr Bennett, Lead Council Member for schools, Cllr Sparks, Lead Member for Uckfield, and the director of Autism Accreditation, for a celebration assembly.

The certificate was presented by the director of the NAS Accreditation and much to the delight of the children; every one was given a slice of the celebration cakes.

Margaret Coleman (Head Teacher) & Liz Randall (blue Room Manager) with the

certificate.

The cakes!

Y6 pupil from the Blue Room cuts the cake.

Making sure everyone gets a slice!

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Comments received included:

Cllr Colin Bennett , the County Council’s Lead Member for Children and Families

“I am absolutely thrilled for everyone at Manor. It is extremely rare for a whole, mainstream school to achieve this award and so it is a huge achievement of which they can be justifiably proud. It is far from easy achieving accreditation from the NAS and to get it for the whole school is a remarkable achievement.”

Delighted Head Teacher, Margaret Coleman , said:

“We are thrilled to bits. This is a fantastic achievement and recognises the quality of teaching and learning for children with ASD. It also recognises the fantastic inclusion opportunities and challenges for all our children, not just those with ASD in the facility. It has a positive effect for everyone. It has been hard work but definitely worth the effort.”

Matt Dunkley , Director of East Sussex Children’s Services said:

‘It is extremely rare for a whole, mainstream school to achieve this award and a huge achievement of which they can be justifiably proud. My congratulations go out to the Inclusion Support Services team who have supported them.’

The Bungalow short breaks residential centre, Eastb ourne:

The Bungalow at Sorrell Drive offers residential care and short breaks for young people aged 10-19 years who have disabilities. About one third of the young people who attend the Bungalow are diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The Bungalow has been judged as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, which means that the standard of care is exceptionally high, however the managers and staff were keen to ensure that the service met the specific

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needs of young people with ASD to the same standard.

To achieve accreditation, they had to demonstrate compliance with 28 standards, such as continuity and consistency, communication, transition, sensory issues, support practice and promoting independence.

As well as providing written evidence of how the standards are met, the Bungalow was subject to a three day autism accreditation review. Two representatives from the NAS spent this time at the home observing activities, speaking to staff, meeting parents and professionals, and gaining the views of the young people themselves.

In November Robert Pritchett, the director of Autism Accreditation visited the bungalow to congratulate the staff and present the certificate.

Unit Manager, Helen Simmons said:

We are extremely proud that we have been successful in gaining the award. Over the past few years that we have been working toward s it, we have made a number of changes to the environment and the way we work with young people with ASD.

The review team recognised that we have a thorough understanding of how best to support young people with ASD and were particularly impressed with the positive relationships between the Bungalow staff and the yo ung people.

The accreditation panel report states:

The review team considers the positive relationships between staff and young people to be a strength of the service, which is highly valued by parents giving them reassurance and hope for the future, knowing that their child is able to form positive relationships with non-family members in settings such as the Bungalow.

It is clearly evident that each individual child is a priority and all are relaxed within this caring and positive environment for which all must be congratulated.

Graham Birtwell (Lead Panel Member) 12 October 2011

This award now means that within the Disabled Children’s Service both the residential short break units, The Bungalow and Acorns, have achieved Autism Accreditation.

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Bexhill High School ASPie Pod The ASD facility at Bexhill High School will undergo its first Autism Accreditation review in November 2012. It is hoped to be able to report a positive result in next year’s annual report.

In preparation for this, Phil Edkins, Manager of the ASD Facility, has undergone training to become an Autism Accreditation reviewer. He

recently completed his first review of the Gateway Centre, in the London Borough of Richmond-Upon-Thames. He found the experience a useful way to gauge developments at Bexhill High and a good way of further developing his skills and knowledge. He hopes to be able to carry out more reviews in the future.

Recent Developments

The Cotton Tree ASD Facility Blacklands School, Has tings

Remember this from last year’s annual report?

October saw the official opening of the new ASD facility at Blacklands School, Hastings. This is the second facility attached to a mainstream primary school in East Sussex. The facility is called ‘The Cotton Tree’, continuing the theme of naming classes associated with their partner link school in Sierra Leone.

The environment in the facility has been purpose built and designed to take account of the needs of the pupils. It includes quiet safe spaces and low arousal environments. The accommodation is divided into designated defined areas for teaching and learning, play and recreation as well as sensory activities.

The official opening of the facility was attended by parents, children, dignitaries and Dean Beadle, a young man with Asperger’s Syndrome. Dean has become an honorary member

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of the ASD team, having spoken to school staff and parents across East Sussex. He also spoke on the first young people’s activity day to a mixed audience of students with ASD and their parents. Dean has forged close links with Blacklands, having visited the school and spoken to the staff, so he was the natural person to ask to open the facility.

Enclosed play space for the Cotton Tree

Dean with the ASD team

The grand opening!

Having fun!

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The Cotton Tree has a bright, airy teaching space with six individual workstations as well as a sensory area. Leading from the main teaching space is a group room with a portable interactive white board. The provision has a toilet and shower facilities, a large cupboard for resources, and an outside play area which is completely self-contained and very safe. The Cotton Tree also has an office space, a safe room and its own entrance.

The facility took its first child on 31st October 2012 and by the end of the school year this had slowly increased to four children. Three of the children are in class for 90% of the week, which is as Debbie Hunnisett, Cotton Tree manager, says ‘is fantastic!’

Sensory area

Outside play space

Fine motor skills

Music therapy

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ASD Monitoring and Support Groups

Introduction The ASD Monitoring and Support Groups were formed six years ago, as a result of parent focus groups held around the County. Parents wanted support from professionals to manage difficulties, usually at school, before they escalated. Three multi-agency groups were set up: Wealden & Lewes, Hastings & Rother and Eastbourne. These were attended by a variety of professionals from Education, Health and Social Care.

As times and services have changed, the Wealden and Eastbourne groups have been amalgamated, so that there is one group serving the East of the County, and one for the West.

This year has seen a further increase in the number of families registered with the group. We now have 663 families, an increase of 98 since last year. The numbers are increasing year on year and as a result there will be a change to the key contact role. Instead of phoning families every 3 months, contact details will in future be provided so that parents can get in touch if they have a particular problem or require support and information. It is hoped this proves to be a better way for families, who under the old system did not know when their key contact would ring and perhaps did not need the phone call at that time.

Newsletter for the ASD Monitoring and Support Group s Each year a newsletter is sent to all parents registered with the groups. This outlines the work of the groups over the year and gives a variety of information to parents. The East Sussex ASD training programme is sent out at the same time so that parents can see the range of training and parent groups that can be accessed across the county. The information is also available separately to schools and is posted on C Zone.

Parents/carers and interested people from outside the County can access all the information produced by the groups on the ASD web page at: www.eastsussex.gov.uk/autism.

Training for parents/carers and professionals

The ASD Monitoring and Support Groups have delivered a wide range of training in all aspects of ASD this year. Training has been attended by parents, professionals from a variety of schools and settings and colleagues from other agencies. A new course developed and added to the training programme this year has been one covering sex and relationship education (SRE).

Parents at practical session

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Sex and relationship education

The course has been developed to supplement the materials available to parents/carers and professionals, which now form part of the East Sussex Parent Information Pack (www.eastsussex.gov.uk/autism). After much thought and discussion, it was decided to deliver the course separately to parents/carers and professionals. The objectives of the course were to give participants more confidence to address SRE with their child/pupil, to give a better understanding of the importance of giving children on the spectrum accurate information from an early age, ideas on how to differentiate SRE for children and young people with autism and to facilitate open discussion on this topic.

This is obviously a difficult area for both parents and professionals to address. Examples of the feedback received are:

Parents/carers:

Teachers

For children and young people with ASD, making and keeping friends is a core difficulty. The course explains that the skills required to form friendships, are the ones that are used to develop relationships. This message was thought-provoking for many on the courses!

Really pleased that this training is being offered to parents, carers and teachers

Parent

Raising points to consider in helping my son & also reassuring we’re on the right track. Parent Very informative in a

relaxed, friendly environment. Good information and ‘tools’ I can use. Parent

The understanding of sexual feelings and forming relationships for children with ASD. A really useful course.

Teacher

Thank you. Lots of useful information. Helped me to think through the language I use and subjects to prioritise.

Teacher

I know the message is start early with info but some of the young people I work with have had little info prior to puberty. The course was great. Thank you. Teacher

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Peer Awareness of ASD:

As schools become more aware of the difficulties faced by children and young people with ASD, the requests to help develop peer awareness materials are increasing. This year the ASD Monitoring and Support Groups have run two peer awareness courses for primary and secondary school practitioners.

Many schools are keen to develop peer awareness as part of their PSHE curriculum and some require help to develop assemblies on the subject. This is an area that the groups intend to develop further next year.

Feedback from the courses was extremely positive:

A really practical course. Initially I was concerned we would have to plan ourselves but lots of ideas to get started. Thank you.

I am feeling much more confident about addressing this subject with peers.

Very informative and something I hope I can filter back down in my setting.

Lots of ideas about how to help everyone understand. It has given me ideas to go back and tell my colleagues.

ASD and play

Last year a session on the importance of play and the development of play skills was introduced into the training schedule. Children and young people with ASD find unstructured times particularly challenging and part of the training looks at how playground activities can be structured, to better support them. This will help them to develop the skills needed to make and keep friendships - another area of difficulty for many children. The workshop also

includes hands on experience of sensory play and how to develop this both in the classroom and playground – a fun and popular part of the session!

The workshop was delivered to a mixed audience of teachers, teaching assistants and parents.

Many thanks for the course. Lots of ideas for home and school. (Parent)

Validating my belief that play is important for all ages. Being given fresh ideas and a new way of using current skills. (Teacher)

Very interesting, glad I came and will introduce some of the ideas to my school. (Teaching Assistant).

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Developing visual materials

The ASD Monitoring and Support Groups run training on developing visual materials for parents and practitioners. These are very informal, practical sessions. A wide variety of visual resources are available and there is the opportunity to make, and take away at the end of the morning, resources specific to their child.

The workshops are also an opportunity for parents and professionals to meet and chat over a cup of coffee. Members of the group are on hand to answer questions and make practical suggestions of resources which may help with specific problems.

Feedback from the evaluation forms:

Lovely welcoming morning, focussed on ideas appropriate to my son’s individual needs. Lots of ideas to make life easier. Thank you. (Parent)

Practical hands on making – I need something/someone to help get me started. (Parent)

Hearing from parents (i.e. their side of the story). Seeing and noting ideas of resources. Finding out about other courses. Thank you – a great morning. (Teacher)

I was able to find out how to do something on Communicate in Print (computer programme) which I was struggling with at school. We need to look at how parents treat each other due to ignorance e.g. in the playground. (Teacher)

Talking with other professionals/parents and sharing experience and ideas. Listening and being listened to. (Individual Needs Assistant).

Discussion groups for Teaching Assistants and Indiv idual Needs Assistants

This year the ADS Monitoring and Support Groups held four sessions across the County for Teaching Assistants (TAs) and Individual Needs Assistants (INAs). Each session had a focus, for example: transitions and building independence, and was an opportunity to discuss, share good practice and network.

I liked the relaxed atmosphere – it made me feel comfortable to talk and discuss issues, strategies. Thank you!

Discussion with other professionals – invaluable!!

Being able to talk to people with experience of relevant situations.

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Feeling you are not alone in the problems faced.

I will be working on a pupil’s behaviour in my class who can no longer go out to play at break on his own.

Really helpful to be reminded about ASD behaviour and how to help. I will try to be more understanding about the underlying reason for certain behaviours.

As a result of the feedback, it is intended to run four discussion groups again next year. A newsletter specifically targeted at

TAs and INAs will be sent to schools in September, with the new training programme. This will give information about the training/networking sessions, useful information about resources and helpful websites. An email information service is also being set up which will alert support staff to local activities taking place in the County.

ASD training with the Behaviour & Therapeutic Inter vention Service

Pevensey and Westham School was the first school to receive a joint package of training from the ASD Monitoring and Support Groups and the Behaviour & Therapeutic Intervention Service.

This was aimed at supporting the staff in the school to manage the behaviour of a pupil with ASD but for whom school had become increasingly difficult. The pupil was at risk of exclusion. A package of intensive intervention was put into the school along with the training, which aimed to raise awareness of how the challenging behaviour stemmed from the difficulties

associated with a diagnosis of ASD.

The training, along with the intensive support package was well received and acted on, resulting in the pupil remaining in the school.

It is planned for the two services to deliver more joint training to schools in the new academic year.

Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND) Green Paper Pathfinder project

March 2012 saw the government’s Green Paper, Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disabilit y, on the future of Education published.

East Sussex, along with six other counties in S E England, has been chosen as a Pathfinder authority to trial new ways of working.

The Pathfinder aims to design better, more transparent, less adversarial systems. Families will have more choice and control over the provision they receive. It will also improve the way local services and agencies share information and work together.

Through the Pathfinder process it is hoped to:

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• Develop and implement a new single assessment process which has parents and children at its heart from the beginning

• Test the idea of an Education, Health and Care Plan for children with SEND from 0-25

• Provide greater clarity to parents and professionals about the range of services and provision – called the Local Offer

Several of the families registered with the ASD Monitoring and Support Groups have volunteered to be part of the process. Each family has chosen a key worker to oversee the development of their plan, which is hoped to be finalised in September 2012. The project will run until March 2013 and there will be independent evaluations of the process, the parents’ and key workers’ views.

This is a new, exciting and sometimes daunting process both for the families and the professionals involved. It is hoped to report further on the findings in next year’s ASD Annual Report.

ASD Single Pathway

Work to establish an East Sussex single ASD pathway continues. The pathway will cover all aspects of receiving a diagnosis of ASD from the raising of initial concerns, through the process of diagnosis, to the help and support that families can access, once a diagnosis has been made.

Traditionally paediatricians have made the diagnosis for school aged children, based on the available information. In the past year, diagnosis has been split between the paediatric service for children aged up to 11 years of age and the post 11 years diagnosis has been passed to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).

In September 2011, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) produced guidelines for the diagnosis of ASD (Recognition, referral and diagnosis of children and young people on the autism spectrum

http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG128)

In order to ensure that the diagnosis process in East Sussex is robust, accurate and complies with the guidelines 26 professionals undertook the 5 day training on the Autistic Spectrum Observation Schedule (ADOS) in January 2012. Those trained included: consultant paediatricians, educational and clinical psychologists, speech and language therapists and specialist early years service representatives.

A further piece of work has resulted in a single information gathering form, which meets the needs of the agencies involved in diagnosis, parents, health and education. This ensures that full and complete background information is gathered and passed to the teams completing diagnosis, thus ensuring timely and robust diagnosis.

It is hoped to produce a leaflet for parents to outline the process in the next few months. This will of course be written jointly with parents and other agencies to ensure that the information it contains is informative and in the most accessible format.

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And finally – good news!

It is good to know that our ASD Annual Reports and the information available on our web page www.eastsussex.gov.uk/autism is helping other local authorities to produce their own materials to support families and schools in their areas.

We have had requests from St Helens Children’s Disability Service, the Shropshire Autism Project Coordinator CAMHS Learning Disability Team and the Autism Coordinator, Social Inclusion Service, Shropshire in the last month, wanting to use our information to develop their

services to children and families.

It is always rewarding to receive evidence that East Sussex has been innovative in developing services for ASD and that we are recognised outside the County boundaries as an example of excellent practice.

Selection of information available on C Zone and www.eastsussex.gov.uk/autism

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Stop Press! Update to Annual Report 2010-11

It was reported in the last ASD Annual report 2010-11 that East Sussex ASD Monitoring and Support Groups had played host to two Romanian psychologists. They were sponsored by an English charity to develop provision for children with ASD in Romania. The psychologists attended training sessions, visited a wide range of educational provisions in the County and attended problem-solving sessions in April 2012.

In the past, children with ASD in Romania have not received educational support and have often been excluded from school. In extreme cases the children were left at home with parents who were unable to try to integrate them into society.

It was great to hear that a day centre for children aged 2 – 12 years has now opened in northern Romania. A recent visit from the Charity reports that the centre is helping to educate children with ASD, many showing remarkable progress. The centre has been so successful that another daycare centre for children with learning difficulties and disabilities will open later this year.

It is heart-warming to hear that our work with the psychologists is helping to transform young lives.

east sussex children’s services annual report for autism ...€¦ · east sussex children’s...

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