Transcript SUPPORTING STUDENTS WITH AS IN HE.

SUPPORTING STUDENTS WITH A.S IN H.E.(Info also
relevant to F.E.) Dr. Nicola Martin
• AS =Asperger’s
syndrome
• A form of autism
associated with more
able people
• Objectives
• Brief overview of AS /
possible impact relevant
H.E (emphasising
individuality)
• To explore support
strategies together
focussing on mentoring
and feedback
(emphasising Social
Model)
Background
• Research with 179 university staff who have worked with
110 students with AS in 17 institutions suggests that a
package of support which is not dependant on one
individual is most effective
• Support structures which are reliable, have clear
boundaries, and involve people in a range of roles (eg
study skills tutor, home help, mentor to assist with personal
organisation, work best)
• A high level of parental support is common
• Increased independence over time is not unusual
• Early assistance is recommended
• Some students are embarrassed about having AS-be
sensitive
Support that works
• Pre entry DSA /links with university/ Assessor
who understands AS. (Staff development).
• Support in place pre start /Summer school
/familiarisation /phone contact /advocacy.
• Help during Fresher’s week to join in socially –
regular timetabled activities (eg chess, aerobics, pool,
martial arts, local activities outside university, eg church)
• Timetable including non academic time (eg regular
academic, social & practical support slots, social activities)
• Reliability
Academic-Practical-Social
• An academically able person with AS may be finding the
practicalities of daily life very difficult and may be feeling
left out and socially isolated .
• This can lead to depression.
• Help with cooking, doing the washing, finding the way to
the supermarket, organising regular meals, engaging with
social activities may well be as important as academic
backup.
• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. If someone feels hungry,
thirsty, unsafe and isolated they are not likely to be able to
engage effectively in higher order activities (learning).
Mentoring
• What does this mean to you?
• Ideally• someone who can help the student with AS to find
their way through the confusions and difficulties
they encounter, particularly in the early days of
university
• has a clear role and defined boundaries
• can help the student with AS to learn from
experience
• does not have a stereotyped view of AS
Feedback
• Mechanisms which facilitate learning ,
develop independence and confidence and
help the student to make links between
experiences
• Learning goes beyond academic
engagement
Triad of Autistic Impairment
(emphasis on individuality-continuum).
• Social
• Communication
• Rigidity and inflexibility
• Apologies for Medical Model terminology
Prevalence –Gender-Location
• More common in males (4-1). Some evidence of
hereditary component.
• Around 1 person in 500 (at least. Baron Cohen suggests 1 in 200)
• Dyslexia may also be present, can occur alongside
other impairments (eg puberty onset epilepsy, dyspraxia,
Irlene’s syndrome)
• Able Autism is a slightly different manifestation
• Engineering, ICT, Sciences, Maths most common
courses with students often coming via A levels.
• People change over time, and not everyone is
comfortable with the idea of AS
DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA
Gilberg 1991
• Severe impairment in reciprocal social
interaction
• All absorbing narrow interests
• Imposition of routines and interests
• Speech and language problems
• Non verbal communication difficulties
• Motor clumsiness
• Medical Model
EMPATHY -THEORY OF MIND
Empathy is a two way street
• A difficulty with –
• seeing the world from
someone else's point
of view
• seeing self through
the eyes of another
• reading faces
• applying emotional
intelligence
• Lack of sensitivity to
other peoples feelings
• Inability to take into
account what other
people know
• Difficulty with reading
others intentions/
motivation
• Vulnerability
Individuality
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Emphasis on continuum
Effect of environment (which can be disabling)
Personality
Ability
Diagnosis may be recent
Reaction to diagnosis may alter over time
Difference v disability (other people’s reactions
can be disabling)
• Possibly being very good at some things
Pattern of reaction?
Able to talk openly about Not diagnosed but
having AS & it’s
suspecting. (Possibly
implications.
accessing dyslexia
support).
Aware of & unhappy
Not diagnosed and not
about diagnosis. Possibly apparently aware of
depressed-hostile –trying possible AS.
to keep info quiet.
BEHAVIOURS
• Rigidity• Resistance to changefinding new experiences
difficult
• Imposition of rituals
• Anxiety-perfectionism
• Obsessive behaviourattention to detailcompleter/finisher
• Generalisation problems
• Lack of /difference in
imagination
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Obsessive behaviour (not OCD)-
Motivational differences
Social clumsiness
Narrow (deep) focus
‘Challenging
behaviour’(eg as a retreat
from stress-e.g. around
changes in routine
• sensory overload)
COMMUNICATION
literal
interpretation
poor eye
contact
misunderstandings lack of
sensitivity to
personal space
limited vocabulary boring people
to describe feelings
difficulty
fitting in
pedantic
tone
social
isolation
Feedback-Planning
• Clarity is essential
• A mentor may be an intermediary helping the student to make sense of
what is required
• Language may be interpreted literally so avoid ambiguous phrases (eg
‘Take a leaf out of his book’)
• Be specific (eg ‘spend half an hour on this task’)
• Assume organisational difficulties so provide back up and assist with
planning (write things down, use email etc)
• Don’t move the goal posts (and avoid this expression unless the
student is taking Football Studies)
• May need to feed back to student about aspects of their behaviour (eg
‘Even if you are bored don’t say so out loud’)
Academic Feedback
• Vague feedback is hard to interpret (eg ‘Beef this section
up a bit’)
• Support to develop an Action Plan for a referred piece of
work may be needed
• The student may not have a clear idea about the amount of
effort required or the relative weighting of a piece of work
• Making decisions-choices may provoke anxiety
• Knowing who’s opinion /advice to take seriously may not
come automatically
• Relationships between aspects of learning may need to be
pointed out as generalising across contexts can present a
challenge
Social Feedback
• Be direct but sensitive to causing embarrassment (eg ‘You
should take a shower every day’-NOT ‘You smell’)
• Help the student to develop strategies to generalise advice
(eg a list of daily things to do- which could include taking
a shower)
• The impact of a behaviour or the motivation of another
person may need to be pointed out-sensitively (eg ‘Limit
yourself to spending £5 a night on buying other people
drinks in the bar. If you buy someone a drink, they should
buy you one next time’)
• Empathise –don’t catalogue flaws-think how that would
make you feel
• Help the student to join in socially (eg Fresher’s week
support)
Changes in routine
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Course relatedTransitions
Change of modules
Preparation for exams
New staff
Visits -field trips –
placements
• Leaving
• Life related• Moving into -out of
halls
• Changes at home
/returning home
• The first time the
condition is explained
• Unfamiliar routines
/food /bed /people
Emotional
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low self esteem
anxiety
sadness
rejection
isolation
confusion
embarrassment
Strategies
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Enable student to build on their strengths
Be aware of learner style
Manage transitions
Anticipate anxieties /Warn of changes
Make things clear
Communicate with the student before start of
course (& with other agencies –parents, with permission)
• Keep in touch between interview and starting
• Manage post college transition-support into work
• Be reliable and empathic
Disclosure
• ‘Informed Consent’ under DDA• Establish what the student understands about the
impact of their AS-abilities as well as impairments
• Negotiate with the student about how their
requirements should be described, two whom and
why (including emphasising positives)
• Involve residential staff (by negotiation)
• Arrange empowering staff development activities
which give people confidence and emphasise
abilities and a Social Model response
Support Structures
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Must be reliable
Must be relevant to the individual
Must have boundaries
Avoid dependency relationship developing with
one person
Think of DSA as wider than technology
Think wider than the course
Avoid ambiguity
Avoid negativity
Reasonable adjustments
• Potential Issues
• Lack of empathy may
impact on understanding
of what is reasonable
• Not all students with AS
are willing to accept
support
• Inflexibility arising from
lack of problem solving
skills may seem like
unreasonableness
• Potential Solutions
• Provide guidelines on
purpose/ nature of support
• Help with non academic
areas to facilitate coping
• Advocates /Buddies
• Choice between limited
options might be easier
• Consider learner styleplay to strengths
Enabling Practical-Academic Support
• Do not assume that the
student will understand
how to solve problems
relating to money
management, public
transport, benefits etc
• Try and understand the
way the student does
things
• Avoid genius pressure
while emphasising
positives
• Assume organisational
difficulties / work with the
student to find solutions
• Make expectations
absolutely clear
• Make links explicit
• Problem solving skills
involving generalisation
may be limited –assist
with making links