Advice

[ScaredOne]

Hey everyone,

I hope it is ok if I post in here. I know you are all incredibly busy but I would love some advice.

I am a student and am doing work experience in a special needs school. So far my time has been incredible and I greatly enjoy myself but all the teachers are always so busy that I sometimes don't really know what to do.

The students have a variety of special needs from autism to down syndrom, some are in wheelchairs etc. I know that it's therefore almost impossible to get one answer on here but I often feel insecure in how to behave around the children.
Some are very open about me being there but others seem to reject me completely. I am of course aware that some children have difficulty to engage with strangers and I don't want to in any case do anything that makes them uncomfortable.

Studying Psychology I have talked to some teachers of mine but they all seem to see the special needs as a very theoretical thing, with one thing working for everyone... I don't think they have any practical experience. And my books only deal with treatments and so on. It just doesn't seem to help.

Not really sure what I am trying to achieve with this post but I thought some of you might have some advice. Maybe some reading that does not just deal with theory and medication but with typical behaviours, how to behave and what to do/not to do around children with special needs. I know this is very broad and there is not one answer but I would love to learn some more from unjudgmental sources who tell you that medication can 'cure' everything.

I hope I am not offending anyone with my broad questions or asking for generalisation. I just think that a bit more knowledge on special needs could help me (and the children) a lot.

Thank you

Agh, I mean who don't tell you that medication and therapy are the cure to everything. Sorry about that!

the National Autistic Society website, www.nas.org.uk has some useful basic advice about behaviour/communication. I imagine it would also be worth you looking at the mencap website as well. Oh and if you are interested in looking at ASD in more depth, Donna William's website is good, you might be particularly interested in her article www.donnawilliams.net/learningdifferences.0.html

www.teachers.tv/videos/reaching-ricky

Worth a look. Phoebe Caldwell working with a lad on the autism spectrum. (I love watching it just to see how he interacts with the shadows from the railings, the brick wall etc. Watch when he uses the sweetcorn in the tray - he uses light and shadow there as well)

Also browse Youtube for the National Autistic Society videos - there's good short ones that explain what it's like for us (I'm on the autism spectrum) e.g. the one about the Morning Commute where it shows what a simple bus journey is like for us, thanks to (often) hypersensitive hearing and vision.

In a classroom, it's often like that all day...no wonder we retreat, panic, hide, back away from people. Too much, too loud, too unpredictable. Think about how to make it interesting and educational, but allowing people the space to retreat to somewhere quiet if they need it. Works for me when I do classroom work

Might also be useful to look at differe`nt communication methods,PECs, Makaton, symbols and communication books. Children may also have individual 'communication passports' to explain their individual needs.

Good luck, (and as a Uni lecturer, (Social work, not teaching though)Good evidence of reflective practice and a willingness to work in partnership!

I just came on to check and am surprised I have so many answers already! Thank you so much. I will have a look at the things you suggested later tonight as I am about to run some errands now.

TotalChaos, I will give the article a read.

Amberlight: The videos sound great. It's so hard to imagine how the children percieve me and the stressfull classroom experience. Unfortunately the school is pretty small and often there is no chance to get out of the classroom.

Signandday: I know that some children do a speech and language therapy with pecs. They also use signing but no one explained the signs to me. I will ask about both for a better communication.
Social Work sounds great, I am doing my Psychology undergrad at the moment and am not sure what to do afterwards exactly. Thinking about teaching but might come back at some point to you and ask some more about your job

Have a look at the Intensive Interaction website, here, some excellent principles.

IME (about 20 years of working with/ fostering/ teaching people with SN) the main thing to remember is that all people deserve a basic level of respect (don't speak about them in front of them, always warn them before you touch or move them, do as you would be done by!)

If a child doesn't care about you (e.g. isn't interested in you, or dislikes you, or wants you to move out of the way because they want to look at the fish, or any of a million other reasons) and isn't paying attention, then all the PECS and signing in the world won't help you to communicate - get their attention.

There is no one do/ don't list, but the main huge issues for me are respecting personal space (and dignity if you are involved in personal care, but I expect you aren't as a student) and observe, observe, observe before you interact.

And of course, this is all anecdotal! And mainly JMO. HTH x