AGQTP FINAL REPORT 2013
Due: Monday 11th November 2013
PROJECT ACTIVITY AREA:
School Name / Giant Steps SydneyProject activity area / International Best Practice Pedagogy
Project title / Best practice pedagogy to differentiate teaching instruction to support the inclusion of children with Autism using principles from the SCERTS model
Project team leader / Verity Millard
Contact number and email / Phone: 0405 190 003
Email:
There is no restriction on the amount of space used to complete your AGQTP report. Please use as much space as required to give a detailed overview of your project.
Section 1- For publication on www.aisnsw.edu.au/FundedPrograms/AGQTP
Project Summary
a) FocusWhat was the project focus?
The project focus was for the Early Learning team at Giant Steps to advance their understanding of social communication deficits in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. To achieve this, the team critically evaluated the SCERTS social communication assessment tool through a case study model. The team carried out these assessments, which can be found in the SCERTS Model Volume 1: Assessment (http://www.scerts.com/), to complement current Giant Steps social and communication assessments. Our current assessments are based on a social foundation skill framework and The Board of Studies Talking and Listening assessments whichtarget expressive and receptive communication skills (http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/go/english/introduction).
Once case studies were completed, the team used data collected to evaluate student progress against varying social communication assessments using our new found knowledge of SCERTS to enrich our current understanding of student development.
b) Successes and Impacts
In what ways did your project meet the appropriate outcomes below
· strengthen the currency and depth of teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and skills?
The SCERTS assessment process has provided opportunities for staff to strengthen the currency and depth of teacher’s pedagogical knowledge and skills. It has broken down key communication skills into more specific, discrete and observable indicators. Over the course of the project this has allowed staff to more closely assess students developing communication skills, identify areas where students require additional communication support in addition to tracking their progress. As a result of looking at much more specific indicators smaller changes in progress where able to be identified.
In students with significant communication impairments the use of specific indicators developed from the SCERTS assessment process allows for smaller steps in student progress to be measured over time. This allows staff to provide feedback regarding positive communication development as well as addressing specific areas area of deficits to parents and other key professional working with the students across environments.
The use of the SCERTS assessment tool and the development of associated indicators for students have complimented current assessment procedures and documentation already in place with the Early Learning setting at Giant Steps such as the Board of Studies talking and listening assessments, including the comprehension of oral instruction/direction, questions and nonverbal communication.
The specific nature of the SCERTS assessment tool has allowed staff to strongly focus on areas where students have demonstrated deficit. This has resulted in a more targeted approach to supporting the communication development of individuals within the Early Learning program.
· strengthen the currency and depth of teachers’ learning area knowledge and understanding?
The SCERTS assessment process has provided opportunities for staff to strengthen the currency and depth of teacher’s learning area knowledge and skills. The SCERTS social communication assessment allowed staff to identify specific, discrete edge of learning goals appropriate for each individual student. It explicitly highlighted each individual student’s breakdown in communication, which allowed for staff to develop specific and measurable goals. The assessment supported both teachers and therapist’s knowledge of how different skills could be broken up into smaller parts, such as that joint attention is made up of a number of smaller sub skills including social orienting, awareness of others etc. In addition, the assessment process allowed for staff to explore a range of different social communication areas, such as expression of emotions, social orienting, joint attention, and initiation of communication and turn taking.
The implementation of the goals identified through the SCERTs social communication assessment has allowed staff to re-focus their attention on the need for adults to vary their communication style, depending on each individual student’s needs. This assessment, along with the Board of Studies talking and listening assessments, has allowed staff to adjust the level of instruction, question and non-verbal communication (including gestures), to support students comprehension and therefore engagement. This assessment also affirms and parallels some of the other work already done at Giant Steps around social communication (including the social foundation skill assessment, play lesson engagement scales, board of studies taking and listening assessments). Social communication is one of the core deficits of students who are on the Autism Spectrum, and the SCERTS assessment tools highlighted the need for this to be an ongoing area of focus.
c) Sustainability
Howwill the school overcome the effects of changes, such as personnel and funding, to see the project initiatives sustained?
To sustain project initiatives, the school would need to adopt a ‘start small, move slow’ mentality. The SCERTS model is a highly comprehensive framework which cannot be implemented light heartedly. It is proposed the project continue in Early Learning next year, looking firstly at the process of using the SAP Report form to initially interview new parents. Exploring the effectiveness of this, when relating to families, would be seeing whether the tool is useful in supporting parents to reflect upon their child’s development. This form could potentially help families to see ‘where they are at’ and ‘where they need to go’ in regards to education for their child. This process could also be supported by a home visit program to potentially complement or replace end of year orientation programs. Trailing this resource would not impact on time or funding in the Early Learning program as it will occur natural in the context of our daily work with families.
As part of the Early Learning Coordinator’s role at Giant Steps, there is already negotiated time to develop whole school initiatives and training to start reflecting on the SCERTS framework. As time goes on, scheduled school professional development days would allow for staff training in SCERTS assessment procedures, especially in the area of emotional regulation as high importance for our student population. If the Head of School decides to train staff further in SCERTS, this will be accommodated in the school’s annual PD budget and PD calendar.
The project could also be sustained by using SCERTS assessments with certain students based on their developmental level. For example, Early Learning could trial using the SCERTS social communication assessment for students on the cusp of social and language partner stages. This assessment could be used as evidence and a basis for placing students in appropriate class groups with other students at complementing social levels. In addition, SCERTS assessment criterion could be used in relationship with social foundation skill areas, contributing to the determinationof appropriate goals and indicators for students when programming. The language of SCERTS criterion could be referenced by staff when establishing student goals at the start of the year as it breaks many social skill areas down into achievable steps.
d) Resources
Please list and describe the resources/productsdeveloped e.g. learning resource, unit/s of work, audio files, worksheets, teaching designs.
How can they be accessed?Please provide contact details for resources that are not made available for the AIS website.
Resources developed through SCERTS Project
SCERTS Social Communication Assessment Summary for Students 1, 2 and 3 and blank template: The assessment summary sheets have enabled staff to collate key information from the SCERTS social communication assessment tool relating to individual students areas of strengths and emerging skills. These assessment summaries were then used to set social communication goals for individual students based on their edge of learning.
Emotions Unit of Work:Students are encouraged to identify the feelings expressed by themselves and others through the key identifying features. These features are highlighted through film and photographs. Students are encouraged to comment about how they and their peers are feeling during the session and across their week at Giant Steps. This unit of work also encourages students to identify the items, activities, places and people that elicit each particular emotion for them. This unit will focus on providing students with education of and exposure to appropriate emotional regulatory strategies.
Livvi’s Place Park Unit of Work:The Livvi’s Place Park program aims to develop social skills within a community context, as well as allowing students to develop a repertoire of physical activities to be used a s a means of social interaction, such as bike riding, ball skills, flying fox and playground equipment, and meal time practices in which they can participate on the weekends with family and friends. Students will be paired in activity stations around the park to allow for structured turn-taking and support where required to engage with playground equipment. Students will have the opportunity to practice safety skills whilst moving through the car park and park environment, with strong adult models, key language and visual supports to communicate expectations.
Animated e-books Unit of Work: Unit of work based on Outcome 5 from the Early Years Learning Framework program across term, 3-4 This unit of work of focuses on expressive and receptive communication goals including students making comments, responding to comments made by others both verbally and non-verbally. Students will also be encouraged to make choices, play alongside their peers and take turns within a structured environment, share their experiences with others and jointly attend to the same thing as another person. This unit of work also includes a blank template of the anecdotal assessment based on SCERTS indicators for Student 3 was used to assess ongoing student progress across the duration of the unit
SCERTS Social Communication Observation Sheets for Students 1, 2 and 3 and blank template:Data collection sheets have been used by staff to capture ongoing observational data in relation to SCERTS social communication goals that were determined for each student as a result of the SCERTS Social Communication Assessment tool.
Board of Studies Talking and Listening Assessment Tools – Supporting SCERTS project Resources
Example of Comprehension of Nonverbal Communication Observational ChecklistTo assess a student’s comprehension of other people’s nonverbal communication, as separate to oral language in everyday situationsi.e. the student’s comprehension of gestures (including pointing), touching, eye gaze, facial expressions, and vocalisations. This is important given that much of the meaning (content)of messages is expressed through nonverbal communication.
Example of Comprehension of Oral Instructions Observational Checklist:To assess a student’s functional comprehension of oral instructions of increasing length and complexity, starting from simple 1-part instructions that are part of the student’s everyday routine to more complex 2-part instructions.
Example of Comprehension of Oral Questions Observational Checklist:Toassess a student’s comprehension of question forms starting from simple ‘wh’ labelling questions to more complex ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions.
Giant Steps Assessment Tools – Supporting SCERTS project Resources
Example of Play Lesson Engagement ScaleAssessment (Social Foundation Skills):To assess how students respond to other’s emotions and express their own, engage in joint attention, adjust behaviour to coordinate with others and take turns with others.
References:
English K-6 Support Materials for Students with Special Education Needs" © Board of Studies NSW for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the state of New South Wales, 2012"
Prizant,B.M., Wetherby A.M., Rubin E., Laurent, A.C. and Rydell P.J. (2011) The SCERTS model: A comprehensive communication approach for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Baltimore MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
Recognition of AGQTP 2013Team participation
Team Members
Participation in AGQTP Projects can be used by New Scheme Teachers as Institute Registered continuing professional development.
The School Project needs to be treated as an event of set length. Each school can determine the appropriate length, up to a maximum of two days (15 hours).
Professional development could include planning, review meetings, development of programs, teaching and learning activities that are to be piloted in the project, development of teaching and/or learning resources as part of the project, professional development provided by AIS Project Officers or other Professional Development providers identified in the Final Project Plan.
Professional development undertaken from Institute Endorsed providers cannot be counted as part of the AGQTP professional development.
NSWIT Standards addressed in project. These Standards must be from the key stage of Professional Competence eg6.2.3
Maximum of 3 standards / 6.2.3 / 6.2.4 / 6.2.1
Total Length of continuing professional development for school project (maximum of 12 hours) / 12 hours
Log of Professional Development Activities / Date
10.3.13
18.3.13 – 7.6.13
10.6.13
Week starting 4th Nov 2013 / Time
3.30pm -4.30pm
Ongoing over 10 weeks (total 5 hours)
9am-12 noon
9am-12noon / Activity
Initial meeting regarding project plan and roles of team members in the project.
3 case study groups conduct SCERTS social communication assessments on 1 focus child each. Case study groups finalise BOS talking and listening assessments.
Half day release to write interim report
Half day release to write final report
New Scheme Teacher Names and Institute Numbers
(add rows) / Jennifer Loughnan / 233198
Verity Millard / 200012
Sarah Rawlins / 226015
Please include a printed hard copy of this inclusion page and signed
Principal Declaration with your project materials
Checklist of inclusions
¨ Electronic copy of final report (on CD not via email)
¨ Electronic copies of all project resources (see submission guidelines; on CD not via email)
¨ AGQTP evaluation sheet/s (1 per project participant)
¨ Original work declaration/s (1 per project participant)
¨ Copyright acknowledgement form/s ¨ Not applicable to our project
¨ Permission to photograph, film and/or record student/s ¨ Not applicable to our project
¨ Authority to photograph, film and/or record teachers ¨ Not applicable to our project