More information
Description
The project entitled ”I have an autistic child in a class” is a response to the lack of a training program for mainstream teachers who are not prepared to work with a child with autism spectrum disorders. The project creates a training program for teachers-non-therapists in order to increase the availability of education in public schools for children with autism spectrum and to reduce the amount of difficult behaviors in autistic students by adapting teaching methods and organization of the environment to their specific needs. The benefit for children will be the normalization of perception and lowering the frustration threshold, as well as creating conditions for autistic children to develop their potential through proper interpretation of their behavior, enabling them to function in the surrounding reality and, in the future, to fully integrate into social and professional life. In addition, the correct determination of the needs and limitations of non-neurotypical people in the questionnaire survey will enable the determination of further education and professional development of a student with ASD in order to achieve full social inclusion. The instrument developed in the project will help to determine the type of support needed for an autistic student, and at the same time it will indicate the therapeutic needs of the educational institution. The applicant is a licensed trainer and neurodevelopment therapist of reflex and bilateral integration method, Partners are: child clinical psychologist and licensed sensory integration therapist, association working to support autistic people and their families, special school and public primary school. The project is aimed at 150 people working with an autistic pupils in primary schools in smaller towns and in peripheral areas of pomeranian voivodeship. The results will be communicated to a wide range of schools, and teachers will share the results through collaborative networks.
Summary of project results
Project titled “I have a child with autism in the classroom” was a response to the lack of a training program for teachers of mainstream schools who are not prepared to work with a child on the autism spectrum. Enabled the development of a training program for non-therapists in the areas of supporting students with autism. The program was prepared by institutions with professional experience in systemic care and education of children and youth, and in providing psychological and pedagogical support to children with autism.
The diagnostic tests carried out highlighted the fact that not all children on the autism spectrum had a supporting teacher and the existing discrepancies in the assessment of teachers'' methodological preparation, which additionally justified the need to develop training for teachers of mainstream schools where children on the spectrum are sent.
The analysis of factors hindering the teaching and educational process indicated that the training program should in particular cover the issues of attention disorders, self-stimulation and dealing with difficult behaviors.
The project, through the developed RPI, provided teachers with knowledge on how to interpret the behaviors of people with ASD, perceived as difficult, while these are strategies used by a given person to achieve balance, their strengths, which are a response to the circumstances in which they try to navigate the a neurotypical world, not adapted to recognize her needs to enable the realization of her potential and social inclusion, and difficulties in social relationships and communication have an undesirable impact on the teaching process.
The development of teaching staff in the area of supporting students with autism and Asperger''s Syndrome means improving the quality and matching of education in various forms and at all levels of the education program for non-therapist employees of the formal and non-formal education system. Moreover, in the diagnostic survey at the beginning of the project, half of the parents indicated that their level of preparation for working with a child on the autism spectrum was low, so it was important to equip the students'' parents, as one of the final beneficiaries, with knowledge and tools.
The long-term effect of the project will be enhanced by including the project results in the curriculum of bachelor''s studies in Pedagogy with an extended inclusive education program at the Kashubian-Pomeranian University of Applied Sciences in Wejherowo.