Autistic Education - The Eagle House Approach
Autistic Education: Starting with the Individual at its Core
What is our Autism Education Approach?
The Eagle House Approach provides a unique approach to teaching and learning which is used across the Eagle House Group. The approach provides a flexible framework which characterises all Eagle House provisions.
Designed primarily for children and young people with an autistic spectrum disorder, elements of the Eagle House Approach are also used within our more mainstream provisions, Welbeck Nursery & Stowford College
The Eagle House Approach sets out an agreed system of values and practices which work across the whole group and provide a common framework for all the Eagle House provisions. Based on best practice, experience and innovation, the Eagle House Approach gives us a recognisably unique and distinctive ethos.
What is the Approach Comprised of?
The Eagle House Approach, encompassing 'the little group' Approach , provides a learning and social curriculum that is:
- Communication based
- Visually based
- Sensory based
- Practical, functional, meaningful - promoting 'real' learning situations
- Intrinsically motivating
How do we achieve this?
The philosophy of all Eagle House Group provisions is to provide an autism specific environment for all students. Taking account of current research and theory, the Eagle House autism education environment has 4 main elements:
- The Physical Environment - We aim to provide a calm and organised environment which is distraction free but without being sterile.
- The Symbolic Environment - We make use of symbols, photos, objects and artefact's to provide visual support throughout the provision
- to support the students’ communication and
- to support the students’ understanding
- The Sensory Environment - We aim to provide an environment which takes account of the students’ individual sensory needs and sensitivities
- The Social Environment - Eagle House staff aim to create an environment which maximises opportunities for communication and where the student is regarded as a communicative partner at all times.
Our Multidisciplinary Approach
Within the Eagle House Group, all teachers, support assistants, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists and other therapists (including music therapy) work together as an integrated multidisciplinary team.
Our multidisciplinary approach is a partnership approach where all those involved with the child/young person for a particular issue. Whether it is curriculum planning or delivery, target setting, behaviour management etc, our Team works in partnership each giving their own unique contribution and providing a seamless, 'joined up' approach by bringing a team around the individual.
Our multidisciplinary approach ensures:
- that the child is at the heart of everything
- working in a holistic manner
- collaborative working amongst all staff and families/carers
- professional input within the classroom and the natural environment
- professionals work effectively as a seamless communicative team
- professionals work with one common aim
- working with shared goals, ideas, knowledge and targets
- a joint and creative problem solving approach
- professional input embedded throughout the curriculum
What is Our Approach to Teaching and Learning?
Engaging students is our highest priority. Engaged learning is the process in which students actively participate in their learning. Engaged learners find excitement and pleasure in learning and to such students learning is intrinsically motivating. Engaged learners can apply and transfer knowledge in order to solve problems creatively and they can make connections at different levels (flexible thinking). Engaged learners understand that learning is social.
We achieve this with our students in a number of ways:
- by looking at the skills needed for a particular task or activity and supporting the development of physical and learning skills needed to participate
- by looking at communication from both the student and adult perspective and by giving the task a communicative goal
- by looking at the environment - both the student's sensory needs and the creation of a safe place in which to learn
- by making the task meaningful with clear expectations and a clear role for each participant
- by increasing the student's involvement in the task
- by increasing the level of reinforcement within an activity
Our Personalised Learning Approach
We feel that it is vital to know everything about each student and to create a personalised learning programme rather than a general one size fits all approach.
The Eagle House Approach adopts an eclectic 'best practice portfolio' approach to intervention which is underpinned by an in depth knowledge of:
- Autistic spectrum disorders and the distinct way of thinking (known as the cognitive style) which characterises them
- The individual
- Latest thinking, practices and research
- Learning theory - what we know about how we learn
Within our provision we make use of a number of approaches and strategies including:
- TEACCH
- SPELL
- Intensive Interaction
- Visual support
- PECS (Picture Exchange Communication Systems) & Word Exchange Communication Systems
- Communication books
- Makaton/signing/natural gesture
- Sensory diet/Alert programmes
- Conditioned relaxation
- Music therapy & musical delivery
- 'the little group' approach
- Social Stories
- Comic and cartoon scripts
- Drama
- Non-directive Communication Therapy/Commenting
- Physical exercise
Use of these interventions focuses on an individual or group basis as deemed appropriate.
Our specialist ASD curriculum
Our specialist curriculum has the following core features:
- A focus on developing the key areas which characterise an autistic spectrum disorder (The Triad of Impairments)
- To promote a healthy individual
- To provide opportunity for regular exercise as part of the daily routine
- To develop the individual’s sense of self within the community
- To support and empower parents and carers to improve day to day life through knowledge and consistency
Building and Keeping Attention
The Eagle House Approach work on attention stems from the philosophy of 'the little group'.
This assumes that in order for an individual to learn from another person, they must first lend their attention to the adult’s choice of activity and that shared attention does not come naturally to people with an autistic spectrum disorder but needs to be explicitly taught. Working on attention development is continuous as without it there are no foundations on which to build new skills and teach other areas of learning.
Developing Communication
Communication is recognised as underpinning all aspects of the whole child approach for students with autistic spectrum disorders. Functional and meaningful communication is an essential component in building the skills needed for a fulfilling and enjoyable life. Speech and language therapy within Eagle House Group is integrated at all levels into a 'whole child' approach.
Improving Flexibility
Our students on the autistic spectrum generally have difficulty with flexibility. These can be some or all of the following:
- Rigidity in thought and behaviour
- Tolerance of change and transition
- Poor decision making and problem solving
- Selectivity and/or narrow focus
- Difficulty with executive function (thinking, planning and doing)
- Poor imaginative play and understanding of abstract concepts
The Eagle House Approach to flexibility is to:
- Create a safe environment (and thus reduce stress and anxiety).
- Work with the autistic learning style (using visual structure, rule-based approaches etc)
- Explicitly teach coping strategies and new skills
- Provide opportunities to develop flexibility e.g.
- Play based problem-solving activities
- Creative activities
- Social problem-solving activities
- Choice making & decision making
- Strategies which encourage tolerance of change and transition
Developing Independence
The development of independence is a primary focus of the Eagle House Approach. Closely aligned with the development of flexibility, developing independence skills is subsumed into all aspects of the Eagle House Approach, including:-
- Daily living skills / self help skills
- Independent living skills
- Functional communication skills (to satisfy needs)
- Self expression (having a voice)
- Functional use of skills within the environment (including the curriculum)
- Self monitoring and self regulation of emotions and behaviour
Improving sensory responses
At Eagle House Group we use a sensory profile to assess students' sensory needs.
Knowing and understanding what type of sensory input our students are seeking and/or avoiding will help us to better understand their sensory sensitivities. Understanding what type of sensory input they find calming or arousing will help us work and interact with them to their best ability. We can also use this information to help our students manage their arousal levels for greater independence with every day functional tasks/activities, to challenge their ability to respond appropriately to sensory input and to enhance their learning experiences.
Improving Social Understanding and Interaction
Social understanding and social interaction are a key focus of the Eagle House Approach specialist curriculum. Taking aspects of the 'Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL)', the focus is on developing self-awareness, motivation, empathy and social and interactive play skills and in supporting children and young people to recognise and manage their feelings.
Our multidisciplinary approach means that all professionals can contribute to this area each providing their own particular expertise to support the development of social understanding and social interaction skills.
Our Integrated Curriculum
The Eagle House curriculum is a curriculum in the broadest sense comprising specialist areas related to autism and the requirements of the National Curriculum. Although separated for ease of description, all our specialist areas are embedded throughout all activities whether they address cognitive / learning or social skills.
Accepting that every child has a different learning style, we offer a flexible curriculum which is learning focused rather than content focused (DCSF Personalised Learning Agenda), using the curriculum to support the development of a set of skills rather than as an end in itself.
Our approach is to apply the core subjects of the National Curriculum and Foundation Stage Curriculum in a way that is tailored to the needs of every pupil and that is fun and meaningful.
We arrange and design the organisation, resources and curriculum around the needs of the learner, matching the aims of the National Curriculum.
Assessment in its widest sense is an essential element of the Eagle House Approach and occurs at all levels. There is a focus on multidisciplinary assessment which informs planning, personalised learning choices and supports the evaluation of progress in all areas.
Our Approach to Behaviour Intervention
The Eagle House Approach to behaviour intervention places the emphasis on behaviour change within the wider picture of overall intervention. The approach provides a whole picture which has a clear focus on preventing difficulties from arising rather than simply reacting to, or coping with behaviours which have already occurred.
We advocate the use of best practice in setting up an appropriate autism friendly environment and see this as playing the major role in preventing behaviour issues from arising and meeting the needs of the individual with an autistic spectrum disorder.
Click here for more information on our Schools For Autism; go to 'the little group' website or read about 'the little group' Approach Training.
The Eagle House Approach provides a unique approach to teaching and learning
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