Q.1
Having read the Case Study, the first thing I would do as an early years practitioner to support Emily’s transition, is organise a detailed meeting with Emily’s parents. I would aim to find out as much information as possible about Emily, her general behaviour, her likes/dislikes, her daily routine, things that cause her upset, things that relax her etc. I would ask Emily’s parents if they would like to share any professional reports they may have to help me get further insight into Emily and her special educational needs, and help me to ensure Emily feels included in my classroom. From the beginning I would work towards building a strong relationship with Emily’s parents as I feel this is essential when integrating a child with special educational needs into the preschool setting. Graham (2017, p.121) states “When educators work effectively with parents they can provide quality continuity of care, where the child is supported between both parts of their own world – the home and the early years setting”. I think that getting information from the parents of a child with special educational needs is paramount in creating a smooth transition and providing a positive, enjoyable learning experience for the child. Graham (2017, p.124) also states “Parents can provide information about their child’s temperament and ability to cope with change”.
I understand as an experienced early year’s practitioner, that the transition from home to a setting can be difficult for any child and I realise that this transition may be even more difficult for a child with ASD, particularly here in Emily’s case whereby it is her first transition away from her parents. I would take a look into the many characteristics and traits of a child with ASD, such as difficulties with social interaction, behaviours, sensory issues, communication barriers etc while concentrating specifically on the characteristics I already know about Emily, the positive and the negative. These methods would help me identify any gaps that I may have in the service I am already providing, and allow me to make changes where necessary before the beginning of the school year.
Taking into consideration Emily’s difficulties communicating and making eye contact, I would prepare Visual Aids for her so that she can use them to point to or show her teachers if she wants/needs something or point out what activity she would like to do next. These could also be used by Emily’s teachers/parents to explain to Emily what is happening now or next in the classroom. Knowing what is happening next can be important to a child with ASD and help them feel comfortable in their surroundings whilst visual aids also allow the child to communicate better and hopefully make the daily transitions between activities smoother and easier. I would ensure my visual aids contain real life pictures of toys, activities, and areas in our actual classroom.
“ PECS is a type of augmentative and alternative communication technique where individuals with little or no verbal ability learn to communicate using picture cards” (www.autismireland.ie)
Considering Emily displays certain repetitive behaviours such as rocking and hand flapping I would provide adequate sensory toys and equipment such as messy trays containing sand/water/shaving foam/pasta, peg boards etc and activities such as play dough, ball playing and plenty of outdoor play, I would also provide homemade toys such as carefully sealed bottles of water containing different materials inside such as bright glitter, sand, fluffy balls etc.
Emily’s interests include dress up, music and dancing which are all already huge parts of our daily routine. I would use these strengths of Emily’s to help her feel comfortable in her surroundings and hopefully, providing lots of fun, manageable, interesting activities will help Emily successfully integrate into preschool, reach her learning potential and become confident and competent in the classroom.
It is important to mention that all the strategies, activities etc mentioned are ones which are beneficial to all children within a preschool setting and would all be incorporated into our (play based) daily curriculum/routine for all children to use and enjoy, therefore encouraging Emily’s participation in the curriculum, and encouraging Emily’s social development, whilst also ensuring inclusion.
Graham (2017, p.86) states that “All Children must see themselves reflected in the environment”
Q.2
One barrier I may encounter while trying to provide positive learning experiences for Emily is when we are moving from one activity to the next, for e.g. if Emily is enjoying playing dress up then she may find it difficult to move on to the next activity, for e.g. going outside with her peers. Children with Autism can be “upset by and resists change to routines or environment” (Irish Autism Action 2017). To overcome this barrier I would provide a digital timer along with her visual aids, I would use this to indicate that there is a certain amount of time left before we have to tidy up and move on to the next activity. I would use it give two warnings before the end of play time, for e.g. 10 minutes to tidy up and 5 minutes to tidy up. I would explain to Emily how this timer works and hopefully it would make her feel more in control of her playtime and more prepared for when we have to tidy up and move on to the next activity. Again this method would be used for all of the children in the setting.
Another Barrier I may encounter when supporting Emily’s transition is her social interactions. As Emily has difficulties with communicating and making eye contact I feel that she may have difficulties participating in group activities and making friends within the setting. To encourage Emily’s interaction with her peers I would encourage her to pair up with another child for e.g. when going outside, a child I know likes to be helpful and considerate. For group activities I would encourage Emily to join in with a small group of one or two other children with similar interests and ensure that the activity is something that Emily particularly likes such as dancing, she may enjoy dancing with her friends if encouraged. Children bond and create friendships with one another through play therefore I would encourage lots of group activities for Emily to get involved in. It may also be a good idea for me to explain to the other children why Emily sometimes doesn’t like to play with them or look at them and why she behaves certain ways sometimes. This allows for inclusion both ways and allows the other children to understand and be more considerate towards Emily’s special educational needs.
References
Graham, I (2017) Realising Potential Equality, Diversity and Inclusive Practice in Early Years, Dublin:Barnardos.
Irish Autism Action (2017) Therapies + Interventions, Available: https://autismireland.ie/therapies-interventions/ [Accessed 23 October 2017]
Irish Autism Action (2017) Characteristics of Autism, Available: https://autismireland.ie/about-autism/characteristics-of-autism/ [Accessed 24th October 2017]