ASD & Learning

Positive Outcomes using an Inclusive Team Approach

For students with Austism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the journey through the education system can be plagued with difficulties. Not only are there the academic challenges of managing and completing schoolwork, there are also many emotional, social and sensory needs that may not be understood by teachers and other students.

Both parents and teachers want students that are happy in the classroom environment and learning to the best of their ability. Parents also hope to have a child that comes home from school content and ready for the rest of the day. For students with ASD, achieving these aims is certainly more challenging, but not impossible. (If you would like a more comprehensive list of the challenges faced by students with ASD, you can find them here…)

Using the Wheel of Success and an Inclusive Team Approach, which I have developed through years of experience and research, helps students on the Autism Spectrum succeed in mainstream schools.

Benefits to the student when this approach are incorporated are:

  • Increased awareness of the challenges involved in teaching students with autism, and greater understanding of effective strategies for overcoming these challenges.
  • Everyone is working together to ensure the student is not receiving mixed messages.
  • Strategies are being customised to a specific student’s needs.
  • The individual is the centre of attention, ensuring goals are accurate, and learning is taking place, with the primary purpose of helping them achieve and succeed.
The Four Stage Positive Success Model

The Wheel of Success

Educating = Educating parents, schools and other professionals working with an individual is vital to helping them achieve their goals. Each person on the student’s Team needs to have background knowledge about how ASD affects this particular individual, what strengths can be drawn on to help overcome any challenges, the student’s personal goals as well as the goals of the school, and what are some effective ways in which they can be achieved.

Understanding = While Educating is getting everyone on the same page, Understanding goes far deeper. Pulling together the goals and aspirations of the student, and the specialist knowledge and experience of each Team member, the Team can formulate a plan, based on how the student best learns in different environments, and provides a framework for the student to meet their goals independently. It is at this stage that parents, teachers or specialists develop a fuller knowledge about how their actions and roles can positively influence the process.

Achieving = Achieving on a regular basis helps motivate students to learn. Ensuring goals are realistic and outcomes are measured accurately means that achievement can be recognised and nurtured on an ongoing basis. Expectations should not be too high and extra steps or adjustments may need to be made in order for the goals to be more readily obtainable. The teacher or specialist needs to ensure goals are measured accurately by the entire team in order for improvements to be made, and for the student to know when goals have been successfully achieved.

Success = Once a student has achieved success they are more likely to keep trying. Smaller goals become the foundation for achieving bigger goals, and over time an individual will develop the skills they need to reach their full potential.

For example:

wanting the student to communicate more, you would first assist the student to communicate with just one person, before building it up until they are speaking to the entire class. Therefore the goal of talking to the class has been achieved, but not in one big leap where the student may have failed.

Teachers, parents and specialists at this stage can also celebrate their part in the success as a team, knowing they have contributed to the overall success and wellbeing of the student. Having successfully experienced the achievement of one desired outcome, they know they can undertake the process again with another goal.

The Inclusive Team Approach

The Inclusive Team Approach is a positive and crucial element toward achieving successful outcomes for students on the Autism Spectrum. This approach brings together everyone who is involved in working with the student – including parents, school principals, teachers, aides, speech therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists etc – to work from a shared knowledge base and toward mutual goals. By working as a team and sharing communications, systems and results, the team can pool their experience and expertise for the benefit of each other, and above all, the student.

This Inclusive Team Approach ensures:

  • The right people are being educated about how the approach benefits the individual
  • Professionals have a greater understanding of what strategies and actions need to be put in place in order for the individual to achieve and succeed
  • The individual is being challenged appropriately and is regularly achieving successful outcomes

The benefits of the Inclusive Team Approach are:

  • Creating a positive atmosphere and environment, where everyone feels appreciated and supported on the learning journey
  • Specific goals that are tailored to the each individual, with everyone on the students team working towards these same goals
  • Team Leaders record and collate all information, ensuring everyone is on the same page
  • Each member’s professional expertise, skills and strengths are combined to provide the “strength in numbers” of having all professionals and family members working together
  • To provide a unique understanding from everyone at certain times throughout the year.
The Inclusive Educational Approach

“Team tactics, with parents, school, and therapist all working together,
will produce the greatest results.”

Ellen Bohm from “Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes you Knew” (p50)