Teaching Students w/Autism 1.3: School Processes and Supports

Diagram created by me using Powerpoint

At my school, we have a Response to Intervention model that we use the classroom teacher is responsible for working with the family to try to meet the needs of the student in class through differentiation and changing and implementing strategies and may consult with the resource teacher for strategies to use to help meet the child’s needs. Some of the strategies include:

• Adapt curriculum (difficulty, amount)

• Adapt materials (literacy, numeracy) 

• Adapt teaching strategies (groups, pairing) 

• Provide extra time

• Provide preferential seating

• Adjust classroom layout/environment

• Use of movement breaks

• Use visuals to support program/outlines

• Use positive reinforcement

• Implement Positive Behaviour Supports (PBIS)

                                                          (Vancouver School Board, n.d.)

If these implementations are not enough, the teacher collects information from the family, observations, and student’s work and submits a Pre-referral intervention form (PRIS form) to bring the child to the school-based team (SBT) with the approval of the parent. 

Once in Tier 2, the SBT meets with the teacher and a case manager is assigned. The SBT works with the teacher to collect information more rigorously used to collaboratively come up with new strategies to implement. If after about a month these strategies have not yielded results, the student is brought up again, more data is collected, and new strategies are implemented. 

If a month later no strategies have not been helpful, the administrator, teacher, and SBT can ask for help from the District Learning Services staff and move on to Tier 3. In Tier 3  the district learning services staff work with teachers to come up with strategies and help teachers implement them. The SBT also enlist the help of specialists to help assess the student such to collect more information that will be used to build a case for a possible ministry designation. The duration of this whole process can vary. I've added a chart that I created that explains the RTI model at my school.

If a student with a designation enrolls in the school, that student is assigned to the caseload of a resource teacher -in my school, we have a primary resource teacher and an intermediate resource teacher -who works with the family, specialists, and classroom teacher to review/create IEP goals and helps support through either push-in or pull-out support. 

Vancouver School Board (n.d.). Pre-referral intervention form. Vancouver School Board.

District Level Supports

When searching my district's literature, I was surprised to find very little information and resources available to support teachers in supporting learners with ASD. What I did find was literature on specific programs, Elementary Autism Resource programs available to students with ASD for students whose needs cannot be met inside the mainstream classroom. I also learned that there is an Inclusion Consultant that supports the SBT in supporting ministry designated students with developmental disabilities. 
According to the VSB, the responsibilities of the Inclusion Consultant are:

• to provide or facilitate requests made by the SBT for students with low incidence disabilities and low incidence program placement like the one mentioned above
• liaise with special education low incidence program teams
• recommend evidence-based interventions and positive behavior support plans for individual students when consulted by the SBT to do so
• provide/facilitate in-service training for supporting students with low incidence designations
• consult on the IEP process and attend IEP meetings when requested
• liaise with outside agencies and home teams when needed

The Inclusion Consultant can be consulted when a student reaches Tier 3 and not beforehand.

                                                                (VSB, 2018)

By contrast, the Surrey School District has a very comprehensive Guide to Inclusion which includes:

• A handbook for positive behavior supports
• A handbook for supporting students with Autism
• A list of helpful resources for more information on ASD as well as other exceptionalities and diverse groups pages 104-108
• Details about processes for transitions and interventions etc.

                                                (Surrey Schools, 2019)

Surrey Schools. (2019). Guide to inclusive education for surrey schools [PDF]. Retrieved from https://www.surreyschools.ca/departments/EDSC/Documents/SPECIAL%20EDUCATION%20GENERAL%20Information/Guide%20to%20Inclusive%20Education%20for%20Surrey%20Schools.pdf

VSB. (2018). Learning support programs and services: inclusion consultant. Retrieved from https://www.vsb.bc.ca/Student_Support/Learning_Support_Services/district-support-services/Case%20Manager%20-%20Inclusion/Pages/default.aspx

Reflection

My school district can do a better job of guiding families toward resources to support students with Autism and share how it supports inclusion for students with exceptionalities as a whole. Many other districts show up when I search for information on "ASD" or "Autism" but very little comes up when specifying my school district. I wonder where the resources are kept or families are just directed to ministry resources. When other districts have made an effort to share how they support students with ASD, it seems my district should also be sharing that information clearly for the sake of all stakeholders.

When meeting with parents, I can support them by sharing the Surrey Schools document, sharing a list of helpful links, or my own brochure.