Learning and Development for Children with Autism
Introduction
The National Autistic Society gives this useful description of autism:
‘Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them.’
It can also affect the way children and young people learn.
Autism Statistics
- There are estimated to be 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK – approximately 1% of the population (National Autistic Society)
- While autism is not a learning disability, around 4 in 10 autistic people have a learning disability (Autistica).
- Special educational needs data suggests that 1.8% of all pupils in England now have an autism diagnosis.
Autism and Learning
Many autistic children and young people have poor experiences within school, are not reaching their potential and are struggling in the transition to adult life.
The APPGA’s The Autism Act, 10 Years On report showed that autistic children and young people often find it difficult to get the help they need at school due to poor understanding of autism among education staff. This can result in missed opportunities to help children reach their potential or prevent children’s needs from escalating.
The report also highlighted that:
- Many autistic children find the school environment overwhelming
- Autistic children often feel misunderstood or judged by peers because of their behaviour, which can impact their ability to engage with education
- Education staff often lack the skills needed to put in place the right plans and support for autistic young people, which can result in them missing out on opportunities.
- Autistic young people struggle to access support to get into higher education or find employment.
How can autism affect learning and development?
The Autism Education Trust state that:
‘In an educational context, learners with autism are likely to show differences in three areas:
Social understanding and communication - which could include difficulties in expressing themselves or understanding what is being communicated, understanding indirect language, social interaction with others, expressing their emotions and perceiving others’ mental states
Flexibility, information processing and understanding - which could make it difficult to cope with changes, see the relevance of what is being taught, and control their own impulses.
Sensory processing - where the individual may respond in an unusual way to the sensory information (such as sound, touch, or body balance)’
Some autistic learners may quickly learn a new skill such as addition, but struggle to apply this knowledge, for example when presented in a different way or used in a different context.
Learning support for children with autism
There are various strategies that can support autistic learners:
Using a multi-sensory approach to learning
STARS state that:
‘Using sight, touch, hearing and movement in learning activities can make it easier for autistic pupils to process and retrieve information. The use of touch and movement helps to develop memories which scaffold auditory and visual learning. It also increases engagement as it includes different learning styles.
By observing pupils in the classroom and how they engage with the environment we can identify their natural learning style.’
For examples of using a multi-sensory approach to learning in Maths and English: Using a multisensory approach to learning to support autistic pupils.docx (live.com)
Differentiation
Adapting the learning task to meet the needs of the autistic learner can help. For example:
Support understanding of the task: use of resources such as Start and finish boxes and tasks boards can support an autistic learner to understand what they need to do and give clear steps to follow in order to complete it
Chunking information: present a learning activity as a sequence of short activities rather than one large task.
Differentiated instructions that reflect learner’s level of communication: give clear instructions so the learner understands the activity and what is expected of them. Use of key words and processing time also help.
Using pupil interests: autistic learners often have special interests in particular topics, for example planets and space or Paw Patrol. Including these interests in a pupil’s learning encourages engagement, attention and can stimulate a curiosity for learning.
Incorporate pupil experiences: support the child’s understanding of an activity through using their own experiences making it more relevant to them. For example, by writing about something they have recently experienced such as a trip to the zoo.
For more examples of differentiation for autistic learners: Differentiation for Autistic children 20231.docx (live.com)
Support
There is support available for schools around learning and development for children and young people with autism. For example;
- SENIT (Special educational Needs Inclusion Team): aims to promote inclusion, support social and emotional needs, and improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND of all kinds, including ASC.
- Educational Psychology Service: provide general consultation, support and advice to the child or young person’s education setting.
- STARS (Specialist Training in Autism and Raising Standards): STARS are an autism outreach service which aims to empower education practitioners to have a better understanding of autism.
Parents can access information and support from:
- School: speak to the SENCo if you need advice and support
- Groups and charities such as:
Leeds ABC Support Group: aims to provide help, support and advice about services, facilities, education, care and welfare for parents and families of children and young people with ASC, including Asperger’s Syndrome, in the local community in Leeds and surrounding areas.
The Jigsaw Tree: an online community for people affected by and involved with ASC in Leeds. They also offer a parent and carer’s support group in East Leeds.
For more details of support groups: Directory (leedslocaloffer.org.uk)
Health services: such as Occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and CAMHS
Additional support from Leeds MENCAP
Speak to other parents with children with SEN and disabilities on our closed Facebook group.
Follow us on Facebook to hear about our upcoming events.
Check out the rest of our Family Support offer. We have:
- Weekly Chats and Tots coffee morning
- Family Support workers who can offer advice, signposting and support
- Lots of tips and resources on our website
Additional support and Resources:
This information is not affiliated with Leeds MENCAP.
For tips for parents teaching their child at home: Top Tips, Strategies and Resources for Parents (autismeducationtrust.org.uk)
Read a Leeds City council guide on support for children and young people with autism: ASC_guide.indd (leedsccg.nhs.uk)
Groups and charities supporting children with autism and their families:
Home | ZigZag Leeds Autism Support Group (zigzagautismservices.co.uk)
