Reflective Report on Inclusive Resource

University Degree Education and Teaching

Diversity and Inclusion Report

This report reflects the process taken to design, make and evaluate an inclusive resource.

1.1 Background into Inclusion and Diversity

The UN Rights of a Child linked to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognises education as a basic human right. As a guideline, it is a means to reflecting the processes in which children can be provided opportunities within education (Hornby (2004)). As confirmed by Barton (1997) P: 234; “inclusive education is part of a human rights approach to social relations and conditions. The intentions and values involved are an integral part of a vision of the whole society of which education is a part”.

Policies within the British political system have been influenced by reviews of the current system for supporting children beyond the classroom. Excellence for All Children: Meeting Special Educational Needs (DfEE (1997)), along with the Meeting Special Educational Needs: Programme of Action (DfEE (1998))both provided a commitment to making improvements which lead to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (2001) developing the SEN Code of Practice (DfES (2001). To extend this commitment the Audit Commissions Report Special Educational Needs – a Mainstream Issue (Audit Commission (2002)) identified issues which needed to improve to help children with additional needs to a better education (Removing Barriers to Achievement (2004)).

The National Curriculum confirms inclusion as a provision of “effective learning opportunities for all pupils based on their cultural, physical and learning needs” (Evans (2007) P:2). The statutory inclusion statement includes three principles: “setting suitable learning challenges, responding to pupil’s diverse learning needs, effective learning opportunities for all pupils based on their cultural, physical and learning needs” (QCA, National Curriculum (1999)).

Inclusion is focused upon by professionals, authorities and schools as special educational needs; however inclusion is a focus on a wide range of diverse socio economic backgrounds, differing ethnicities, gender imbalances with regards to attainment and also those who are described as “gifted and talented”. Hence a more appropriate definition is “Inclusion is about the quality of children’s experience; how they are helped to learn, achieve and participate fully in the life of the school.” (DfES, Removing Barriers to Achievement (2004)).

Kandola & Fullerton (1998) describe diversity as a range of attributes which are visible and non visible that vary between people. By acknowledging diversity productive environments can be created where everyone can feel valued, maximising their talent. The importance of ensuring the arrangements such as visual displays within the classroom to reflect the diverse mix of children is important as this is a way in which children can help boost confidence and in return add value to the child’s ability to learn at the best of their ability. It is about giving each child the opportunities to advance.

So, diversity can go hand in hand with inclusion as having the understanding of children’s diverse needs and strengths and this can only be done through acceptance and tolerance; however the challenge to this can be finding the unique balance for individuals and that of effective teaching (Hornby (2002)).

The Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda re-enforces “schools responsibility’s in including children with a diversity of additional needs” (Evans (2007) P: 2). Identifying children who need help to achieve their potential as well as addressing the preventative measures have been the overall emphasis of ECM (DfES, Removing Barriers to Achievement (2004)).

Mittler (2000) discusses inclusion as a social model which is holistic in re-structuring the school: “with the aim of ensuring that all pupils can have access to the whole range of educational and social opportunities offered by the school. This includes the curriculum on offer, the assessment, recording and reporting of pupils’ achievements, the decisions that are taken on the grouping of pupils within schools or classrooms, pedagogy and classroom practice, sport and leisure and recreational opportunities” (Mittler (2000) P: 2).. It is a positive approach against the “defect” model, where the resolution is through segregation (Mittler (2000)).

The Salamanca Statement on Special Needs Education: “Schools should assist them to become economically active and provide them with the skills needed in everyday life, offering training in skills which respond to the social and communication demands and expectations of adult like” (UNESCO (1994) P: 10, cited in Tod (2002)).

1.2 The Resource

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1.2 The Resource

In reviewing the statements regarding inclusion we can conclude that an inclusive approach is an important process as it can help children to feel valued and therefore help better the outcomes for children. It was with this view that we hoped to work in conjunction with a local school to assist a vulnerable child to feel inclusive within school. The challenge in achieving this was difficult due to time constraints, ethical implications on confidentiality faced by schools. However, in light of this we soon realised inclusion must form part of the society outside the classroom and it was with this view that the group hoped to explore creating a resource.

It is important to realise there are challenges for the children themselves, caregivers and professionals. However in exploring the term of a special educational need, the important aspect of intervening to provide support to children to allow for them to develop the necessary skills to support themselves independently within an accepted society (Wall (2004)).

In having a range of speakers from a host of multi agencies demonstrating how they work to support a social inclusive approach as per legal requirements and reviewing the whole host of resources which could be used to support inclusion and raise awareness and acceptance to these diverse social issues, it was felt appropriate to design a resource specific to the child individual needs.

As we already knew a child with special educational needs, it seemed the best approach to contact the parents to see if there was anything that could be done to help within the home environment. As the parents were family friends to a group member this process was much easier than anticipated. We drew up agreements regarding obtaining permission about creating the resource.

The child which the group intended to support has already been diagnosed with moderate autism; profoundly deaf however, was undergoing assessment for epilepsy. The child is a 6 year old boy of a friend. Having had assessments through with the Educational Psychologist, who confirmed the diagnosis and the Inclusion Support Services become more active with forms of support within the mainstream school where he attends.

With an IEP set in place, arrangements for specific times when he is withdrawn from his peers (Cheminais (2007)), he was continuing to find it difficult to relate to his peers within class and also at home. Having approached the parents regarding the possibility of making a resource as an intervention and they agreeing it was necessary to make to make the process a sensitive one. From discussions with the parents it had been identified that there had been a range of interventions within the school which were in the process of being implemented through the school and inclusion service and hearing service, lead through the local authority, it had become a challenge to try and discuss and gain access within the school environment.

In reflecting on the triad of impairments it had been highlighted by the parents that they wanted help to his emotional development, social communication between siblings, especially sharing Thomas. The starting point for the resource were the parent, they know him better (Tod, cited in O’Brien (2004)). In listening to their concerns we as a group were able to discuss the possibilities in supporting the family.

TEACCH provides an accessible definition: “Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that prevents individuals from properly understanding what they see, hear and otherwise sense. This results in severe problems of social relationships, communication and behaviour. Individuals with autism painstakingly learn normal patterns of speech and communication, and appropriate ways to relate to people, objects and events in a similar manner to those who have had a stroke” ( cited in Wall (2004)).

To continue to develop ideas, we referred to the National Autistic Society website, , which provided a foundation for understanding the diverse needs of children diagnosed with the varying forms of Autism. Having looked at social stories within the Autism presentation, we explored the foundations of this interventionist approach.

Social Stories were developed by Carol Gray in 1991 in order to help those with Autistic Spectrum Disorder develop an understanding of social situations. As social interactions are a vital part of everyone’s lives, so a social story is ““a short description of a particular situation, event or activity, which includes specific information about what to expect in the situation and why.” ( (2010)).

Through close interactions between the family and a group member in observing the child at play, and in listening to the parents about this process, we had highlighted three possible titles for the story. In discussions we realised there were social skills and emotional aspects of development, the approaches discussed by Gray (1994), and Smith (2003) which needed to be addressed. We agreed to concentrate on emotions with the main plot of the story being sharing.

The aim of the social story was to make an explicit statement about emotions. In using Thomas, we related and kept the book as a focus for the child’s interest. The story hoped to provide the child with an answer to sharing toys with his sister and the emotions which go with this process. In writing it the team had to consider what was happening, who is doing what and why and how we could make it socially acceptable to him (Smith (2003).

Having researched Thomas the Tank engine through the National Autistic Society we found that the expressions have been found to really help other Autistic children understand feelings (57% of children related to Thomas more than their peers (NAS (2001)).

Then it was necessary to consider the layout of the book. Firstly we looked at how we wanted to present the book to the child. We liked the approach that pages could be removed and added to develop stories to continue to meet the needs of the child (Smith (2003)). As a result of the discussion it was agreed that it would be more practical to have document sleeves, as this would protect the pages and would be easier to change as and when required. When considering the sleeves, we noted that some children can have issues handling the textures of certain products, however, as we knew the child at a personal level we knew were able to confirm that this would not be a problem. The sleeves within the blue folder (the child’s favourite colour) would also make it easier for pages to be turned.

We continued ahead using ICT, PowerPoint as our main presentation tool for each page. This again related to the knowledge and “gifted” ability of the child and ICT. We developed all three stories about the issues concerned and then agreed on the one which would be more suited. “Social stories have a huge range of applications including as a behavioural strategy (e.g. what to do when angry, how to cope with obsessions etc)” ( (2010)).

When focusing on language it was important to value that the child needs to cope with one instruction at a time, hence one picture and the writing to collaborate. This would allow the child time to digest the instruction on the page and also allow for them to repeat it back t the parent (Cheminias (2007).

The use of appropriate language, the amount of words to be considered along each page and the pictorial representations needed to be considered (Howley, Arnold (2005). It was necessary to consider the child’s ability to communicate and so writing in a language which he could relate to and also the use of pictures taken of him and sister were used. In requesting feedback from a professional within this area confirmed that we had used the right amount of language.

An additional comment by the professional also informed us of putting in why the child is feeling the way that they are. In considering feelings, we decided to concentrate on two forms, happy and sad. In making it easier for the child to process these opposites and then exploring whether they would be able to extend the understanding of why they were sad. We therefore modified once we had trialled the story and extended with the reasoning (Smith (2004).

It was agreed that the parent would share the story daily at the same time to maintain a routine. Instructions were devised on how to use the book and we wanted to make the session fun; so they remain interested and focussed and not a “bossy book” (Smith (2003)).

Using this medium allowed us to help the child understand facial expressions and body language which can be challenging for those with autism (Wall (2004)). We also made recommendations to point to things within the pictures – naming the feelings and the people in the story. As extension it was also important to use eye contact and have the child facing the parent to allow them to concentrate and develop the speech element of the story (Wall (2004)).

Furthermore as an extension it allows the child to use the book on the PC. The child had quite a talent for his ICT skills and so the parents agreed to use book through this medium allowing for his sister to continue recording the speech on each page and making the book interactive. This is a development they will continue without the group (Wall (2004)).

We made a very important decision to focus on the positive re-enforcement within this story which we found challenging as it harder to manage the behaviour if they do not understand that the behaviour is not acceptable, however considering the feedback from peers, we realise the use of not wanting to play but this was necessary for the realisation process to take hold (Wall (2004)).

1.3 Reflections on Working Process

Having the feedback and evaluating responses, we can review how we will continue to address support in this manner and how we may change the way we work. The team process was challenging. Motivating members to take responsibility for the work which needed to be done was difficult as I personally felt that too much responsibility was passed to the member whom had contact with the child. I realise that there were difficulties getting the family to open up to other members of the group, however the shared responsibilities were balanced, however keeping each member informed of the progress of the delegated tasks was difficult to manage. The challenges were managing time frames and managing communication effectively. These things can occur when teamwork is involved, I will hope to continue to improve my communication style and maybe need to be more assertive with regards to time frames and objectives of the task in hand.

I feel the benefits of working within the team allowed for different perspectives regarding resolutions, a wide array of non judgmental attitudes and the balanced level of responsibilities.

It is felt that this experience has confirmed that doing the simplest of tasks and doing it a basic level can be the most effective method of working. In trying to complicate things when supporting inclusion, it can make the process of raising awareness of the issues, support the child and family more difficult. In exploring intervention we have really been able to notice the changes in behaviour for this child. In obtaining feedback having used the book, demonstrated his understanding of what we wanted to achieve. In getting the child to examine his feelings and understand other feelings he has been able to make an adjustment with his peers. Both parents have taken this social story into school to express how this has helped at home, with a view to the teaching assistant using it within the classroom. This really demonstrated for itself how well a tool such as social story can work for individuals, the flexibility and creativity provided.

Word Count: 2643

Appendices:

References
Group Logs: Communication to Parents; Communication between members
Feedback Email: Professional Response
Resource Design Notes
Draft Resource & Final Resource

References:

Wall, K., 2004. Autism and Early Years Practice: A Guide for Early Years Professionals, Teachers and Parents. London: Paul Chapman Publishing

Cheminais, R., 2007. Every Child Matters A Practical Guide for Teachers. New York: Routledge

Hornby, G., 2002. Promoting Responsible Inclusion. In: O’Brien, T., 2002. SEN Leadership: Enabling Inclusion Blue Skies..Dark Clouds. 2nd Edition. London: Optimus Publishing

Tod, J., 2002. Enabling Inclusion for Individuals. In: O’Brien, T., 2002. SEN Leadership: Enabling Inclusion Blue Skies..Dark Clouds. 2nd Edition. London: Optimus Publishing

Barton, 1997. In: Allan, J., 1999. Actively Seeking Inclusion Pupils with Special Needs in Mainstream Schools. London: Falmer Press.

Evans, L., 2007. What does Inclusion Mean? In: Evans, L., 2007. Inclusion. Abingdon: Routledge

DfES, 2004. Removing Barriers to Achievement. London: DfES. [Available Online: ] Accessed online 28/03/2010.

UNESCO, 1994. The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Educational Needs. New York, UNESCO (Accessed online 15/04/2010) www.unesco.org.

Gray, C., 1994. The New Social Story Book. Arlington: Future Horizons

Smith, C., 2003. Writing & Developing Social Stories Practical Interventions in Autism. Milton Keynes: Speechmark Publishing.

Howley, M., Arnold, E., 2005. Revealing the Hidden Social Code: Social Stories for People with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Mittler, P., 2000. Working Towards an Inclusive Education. London: Taylor & Francis Ltd.

Kandola, R., Fullerton, J., 1998. The Diversity Mosaic. In: Diversity in Action, Managing the Mosaic, 2nd Edition. London: Institute of Personal Development.

DCSF, 2004. Every Child Matters. London: DCSF. [Available online: ] Accessed online 16/04/2010.

QCDA, 1999. National Curriculum. [Available at: ] Accessed online 28/03/2010.

The National Autistic Society, 2010. Social Stories and Comic Strip Conversations. [Available at: http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1574] Accessed online 15/14/2010

The National Autistic Society, 2010. Children with Autisim and Thomas the Tank Engine. [Available Online: ]. Accessed online 15/01/2010.