Alison Eason, head of the Additionally Resourced Provision (ARP) at Chalgrove Primary School in London, describes how a few small yet important changes can enable autistic children to flourish at school.
The primary school classroom as we know it simply doesn’t work for every child.
While most pupils thrive in the bright, colourful and stimulating spaces their teachers provide for them, autistic children can find the environment overwhelming. Similarly, the everyday features of a primary school such as a busy playground, a rousing song in assembly or the different tastes and smells of a cookery activity can cause an autistic child to experience sensory overload.
Many autistic children develop coping mechanisms to help them manage these situations, like rocking their chair, but these can be discouraged by a teacher who wants everyone to sit still and listen.
So, in an attempt to fit in with their classmates and please the teacher, the child may try to hide the fact they are uncomfortable by pretending to be someone they are not.
In the long term this can be very damaging. Research suggests if a person feels they have to mask their autistic traits it can be harmful to their mental health. I was alarmed to see figures from the National Autistic Society which indicate as many as 66% of autistic adults had thought about suicide during their lifetime.
Fortunately, there is a lot primary schools can do to break these patterns of masking behaviour early in a child’s life by introducing some simple and effective initiatives.
Help children understand and accept differences
It’s important for neurotypical pupils to recognise that some of their friends and classmates have different needs. In my view, this is best achieved through a whole school approach to helping children understand conditions such as autism.
Part of our curriculum is called ‘why it’s good to be me’ and includes lessons where children share thoughts about what makes everyone unique. This encourages pupils to celebrate what is special about themselves and others.
For instance, some autistic children practice stimming, or self-stimulatory behaviour to deal with situations or feelings they find challenging. This might include repetitive movements such as hand-flapping, rocking or tapping. Stimming is important for children to regulate their emotions and process their sensory environment. However, it can make the child appear different and attract unwanted attention.
It’s a good idea to explain to the class that stimming is a natural part of being autistic, so the children recognise and accept this behaviour without judgement. This way an autistic child can use their coping mechanisms freely without trying to hide them.
Give autistic children a sense of belonging
When autistic children are able to participate fully in the school day, they can be their authentic selves. One way we help them join in is by using resources which benefit children with SEND as well as pupils of all abilities.
Makaton signs are incredibly effective at supporting speech and communication among all pupils. Likewise, both pre-verbal and verbal children benefit from using Widgit symbols to enable them to communicate and take part in class discussions.
Symbols are also useful for helping children understand what to expect during the day, and we use them in our mainstream and ARP to create visual timetables of the day’s tasks and activities. Some of our autistic pupils find unexpected changes difficult to process. So, a rain symbol can help children understand that the weather is too bad for outdoor play, or a question mark can indicate a surprise activity or visitor.
Social stories which provide an illustrated account of an event or situation are also a great way to prepare children for something that’s going to happen, whether or not they have encountered it before.
When autistic children are able to take part in everything school has to offer, they feel much more relaxed and confident in the classroom.
Assess your autistic pupils’ sensory needs
While we often tend to refer to the five senses – there are in fact seven – sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, balance and body awareness. Processing everyday sensory information in any of these seven areas can be difficult for autistic people. They may be over-sensitive or even under-sensitive to stimuli at different times.
These sensory differences can affect how they feel and act, and can have a profound effect on a person’s life.
To find out what our pupils’ sensory needs are, we carry out an assessment using a checklist from the Autism Education Trust (AET) which schools can access through the AET’s training programme.
The checklist enables schools to build a full picture of their pupils’ sensory needs using 50 different behaviour descriptors such as ‘puts hands over eyes or closes eyes in bright light’ and ‘dislikes the feel of certain fabrics and substances.’ We chat through each of these with the child’s parent, carer or even a sibling.
It doesn’t take too long to assess each child, but the insight it gives you is valuable because addressing a child’s sensory needs is an important step towards helping them be themselves.
Carry out a sensory audit of your classrooms
Having assessed the pupils, you’re ready to carry out a sensory audit of the classroom and make any necessary adaptations. It’s amazing how just a few tweaks to the environment can make such a difference to an autistic child without affecting the other children in the class or group.
Many autistic children react badly to harsh lighting or sudden, unexpected noises. But a dimmable light switch or a mat on hard floor can reduce the impact of these sensory stimuli. For children who are sensitive to smells, lunchtime can be a nightmare, but if it’s possible to allow the child to eat in a different room it could make all the difference to their school experience.
For children who have difficulty with their balance, a few minutes on the playground swing can re-set their sense of body awareness and provide a calming effect.
Carrying out a sensory audit gives you a classroom – and playground – which works for autistic children as well as their peers, ensuring everyone feels at their best when they are at school. So, I’ve put together some tips to consider when creating an environment which caters for the needs of autistic pupils.
Tips for helping autistic children with their sensory needs
Sight & Sound
- Ensure there is a well-fitting blind to keep the light down.
- Check fluorescent lights regularly to make sure they don’t flicker.
- Close the window to block out sounds from traffic or roadworks
- Switch off computers and other appliances when not being used to reduce mains hum.
- Have ear defenders available to help block out loud noises and to support with transition
2. Smell and taste
- Avoid wearing strong perfumes at school.
- Close the window to keep out any strong smells from outside.
- Find safe and pleasant items for children to smell, such as lavender or mild spice.
- During ‘messy play’ provide children with different foods to touch, smell and explore.
- Check which tastes children dislike and eliminate these from cooking activities.
3. Touch, balance and body awareness
- Allow some flexibility in uniform or clothing policy for children who are sensitive to fabrics.
- Offer a weighted blanket to a child who is under-sensitive to touch.
- Provide opportunities to explore new textures and materials.
- Give a child a wobble cushion so they can move in their seat without distracting others.
- Stick sensory stickers on tables and chairs.
- Place gym bands around the legs of a chair for children to fidget and apply pressure.
- Encourage a child to use a trampoline, if there is one available, to re-set their sense of balance.
When teachers identify autistic children’s sensory needs, and make adaptations to activities, equipment and environments, they give their pupils the opportunity to thrive at school without having to hide their autistic traits. And by promoting good autism practice throughout the school, all pupils learn to understand and celebrate their differences.
When an autistic child can be true to themselves without masking their authentic traits, they can build the self-esteem and confidence to see them into adulthood.
Alison Eason is head of the Additionally Resourced Provision (ARP) at Chalgrove Primary School
