Adaptive Learning SPRING TERM 2022 ISSUE 4
Dyslexia:
Teaching Approaches By Dr Gavin Reed Click here to read the full article Dr Gavin Reed looks at the practice and principles of selecting the appropriate teaching approaches for use with children with dyslexia. Dr Reed breaks suggests that teaching approches can be broken down into four key areas: - Individualised Approaches - Support Approaches - Assisted Learning Approaches - Whole-School Approaches To decide which approach is most appropriate for the child, a number of factors should be considered. The Context It’s important that the nature of learning, teaching provision, the age and stage of the individual is considered. The Assessment In what way does the assessment of the child inform teaching? Can the individuals strengths and difficulties be readily identified from the results of the assessment? The Curriculum How can the teaching programme be related to the curriculum? Are any gains made by the pogramme readily transferable to other aspects of the curriculum? The Learner What are the individual factors which can help the learner make appropriate gains from the pogramme? Is the programme suitable for the individual’s learning style?
It is fair to say that no one single approach holds the key to completely dealing with dyslexic difficulties and many of the programmes and strategies briefly described in this article can be used together and can be complimentary to other teaching and curriculum approaches. Irrespective of the type of provision that is being provided for dyslexic children, it is important that at all times every opportunity is taken to help access the full curriculum. This can present real difficulties for some dyslexic children, but this challenge can be met through careful planning, utilising the skills of teachers and being aware of the abundance of approaches and strategies available. Other factors that are important include metacognition, study skills and learning styles. These emphasise the importance of considerations such as the learner, learning environment and the teaching and learning process. These can help programmes and approaches to be effectively integrated within the school curriculum. 2
The broad areas of need, Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs (SEMH)
NASBTT Click here to read in full
What is recognised as a pupil’s ‘primary area of need’ may chnage as they get older, or as their context changes. It is important to consider that when a child or young person is presenting with SEMH needs, some or all of these needs may have their roots in another area of need. For example, a young child with speech, language and communication needs will find it difficult to make themself understood and/or to understand others. This often leads to frustration and a need to communicate in the only way they can, i.e. through their behaviour; at the same time, they are likely to have difficulty with early literacy development due to their language difficulties. We must always try to look past any presenting behaviour (or other social or emotional indicators) to discover what may underlie it. This will in turn help us to teach the pupil in a way which is most effective for them, by meeting their primary need, which should reduce any instances of challenging behaviour. Classroom Practice That Supports Pupils with SEMH • • • • • • • •
A knowledge and understanding of an individual pupil’s profile of strengths and difficulties Follow any individual advice given by specialists who are involved with the pupil Try to understand the possible reasons for any behaviours that you may observe Aim to make sure a child has access to someone to talk to with whom they feel comfortable Create structured and predictable environments where possible, to increase security and confidence Break work down into more manageable chunks Be consistent, firm and fair in your approach and expectations Use language positively wherever possible e.g. say what behaviour you would like to see rather than what you would not
• • • • • •
For some pupils, a teacher is a ‘secure emotional base’ and should aim to offer emotional consistency It really helps to greet every pupil every day and allow a behavioural clean slate each lesson Be aware of those pupils who may be withdrawn and/or isolated, as they may have mental health needs. Always speak with the SENCO if you have any concerns Aim for your classroom environment to be as calm and relaxed as possible Think about the seating arrangements – it might be really important for some pupils to be able to sit next to a trusted friend, and/or to not sit next to specific people
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Are Girls With Autism Hiding In Plain Sight? By Marina Sarris Officially, boys outumber girls with autism by four to one. In fact, almost everything we know about autism comes from studying boys. But now some scientists are making discoveries that challenge common assumptions about autism, girls and gender. They began with questions that have dogged researchers for years. Why are so few girls diagnosed with autism? Are girls simply less susceptible? Does autism look different in girls, making it harder to detect or diagnose? A growing number of studies suggest that girls with autism, particularly those without intellectual disability, may be hiding in plain sight. They appear to have less severe symptoms than boys and to be better able to mask their social challenges at school. Although that may sound like good news, it can have a downside. According to research by the Interactive Autism Network (another online autism research community) and others, girls with milder forms of autism are diagnosed later than boys, possibly delaying intervention. Some may not be diagnosed at all. And, particularly in the teen years, girls with autism appear to suffer anxiety and depression more commonly than either boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or typically developing girls. Psychologist Rachel Hiller, now at the University of Bath in England, led two studies of gender differences in Australia. In one, her team surveyed parents or grandparents of 92 boys and 60 girls about their children’s behaviour.
The result? Boys and girls with ASD look different as early as the preschool years, according to their caregivers. Little girls were reported to be more likely than boys to mimic others in social situations and to want to fit in with other kids. “They often develop a way to camouflage their symptoms. Also, they tend to obsess over friendships and can develop them, or one or two close and like-minded allies,” says Robyn Young, an associate professor of psychology at Flinders University in Australia and a member of Hiller’s team. Boys are more likely to withdraw and isolate themselves from others. In fact, the boys’ parents tended to be more worried about their sons’ isolation, while the girls’ parents reported more concerns about emotional outbursts such as meltdowns. A separate study, of children in the Simons Simplex Collection, added irritability and lethargy to the list of problems that affect girls more than boys with ASD. Girls control their emotions better at school, where they act far differently than they do at home, according to several studies of children with autism and average-range IQ. Teachers are much less likely to voice concerns about girls than boys. 2 That is “possibly because boys are more disruptive,” Young said. Teachers appear to focus more of their attention on boys with autism, who reportedly struggle with hyperactivity and classroom behaviour. 4 Nonetheless, girls with autism are just as impaired, or more impaired, in their social and communication skills, according to some studies. 4
Boys and girls have similar problems with understanding social situations. But some girls have an edge on boys when it comes to using gestures and maintaining a conversation. “For many kids with ASD — but especially girls — parents say that their child manages to hold it together at school but then comes home and has to release the pressure built up during a day of pretending to be someone else. They call it the 4 o’clock explosion,” says researcher William Mandy, senior lecturer at University College London. Interestingly, teachers may miss more autistic symptoms in girls than clinicians or parents do. In one of Hiller’s studies, teachers reported no concerns with conversational skills in half the girls with autism; clinicians, on the other hand, had no such concerns in only 17 percent of those girls. It’s not clear why teachers, clinicians and parents see girls with autism so differently, from the preschool years on. Are girls better able to blend in at school, while falling apart at home? Teachers often make referrals for educational or disability testing for their students. Is failing to attract attention in the early school years one-way girls go undiagnosed and untreated? How can a family doctor decide whether to test for autism if teachers and parents have vastly different impressions of a girl’s behaviour? Some researchers wonder if girls’ obsessions and rituals might not show up on autism screenings or be flagged by parents because they seem neither odd nor unmanageable. Hiller says that girls are more likely than boys to have “seemingly random obsessional interests (e.g., collecting shells, pencils) from the preschool years right through to adolescence. Perhaps these interests are harder for clinicians and family doctors to identify when the girl is young, as they are more in line
with the interests of typically developing girls. However, as the girl grows older, it may become more apparent that the interest is very different from her same-aged peers. It is also possible that in the preschool years, girls’ interests are less intense or less disruptive on family life, and thus less likely to be identified as problematic.” Mandy says girls with autism may have the same interests as other girls — but with a twist. “For example, I have met quite a few females with ASD with very, very strong interest in fashion, hair and appearance in general.” American psychiatrists now require someone to have some repetitive behaviours and obsessions in order to receive a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Researchers have wondered whether girls and women will find it harder to get an ASD diagnosis under that new criterion. If diagnostic tests sharpened their focus on female autism, would the gender ratio be different? The jury is out. Mandy says, “I do believe that males are more susceptible to ASD than females, but I think we exaggerate the extent of this gender difference, especially amongst people with normal range IQ and fluent speech. If you asked me to take a bet on the true gender ratio in ASD, I would say it is two males to every female. And I think that one reason why clinics tend to find a higher maleto-female ratio is that some females never come to the attention of ASD services, because they mask their autistic difficulties more effectively than males.” If girls can learn to mask their symptoms, could boys do so as well? 5
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The Tricky Thing About ADHD Superpowers By Susan Kruger, M. ED Click here to view the full article Your superpower is a natural, ingrained. It’s so powerful that you can’t not express it. In some settings, it may help you shine. In others, it may transform into kryptonite. What is your superpower? I don’t mean the ability to crush steel with your bare hands or to leap tall buildings. I’m talking about a gift you were born with, something you do better than just about everyone else. That is your superpower. Each of us has at least one, maybe even a few. Identifying your superpower is essential, because superpowers can work for us or against us. In the wrong environment, our superpowers become our kryptonite. But if we play to our strengths, everything becomes easier. In school, we spend most of our time focused on what we can’t do. That’s especially true for those of us with ADHD. We have a lot of guilt when a teacher or parent says, “If only you’d put as much effort into geometry as you do on the football field!”. What parents and teachers don’t understand is that it’s not an “effort” thing; it’s a “superpower” thing. When an environment or activity allows us to use our superpowers, the task feels almost effortless.
Few people can identify their own superpowers. These abilities come so naturally to us that we don’t recognize them as anything special. We almost always need feedback from others to identify them. Have you ever received a compliment for something you did, but brushed it o? “Oh, that was nothing; it was simple.” The compliment was probably pointing to one of your superpowers. I had a student who was a gifted painter, but he always shrugged o compliments. “Oh, it was easy.” It was so easy that his works of art didn’t seem special to him. His superpower was hiding in plain sight. Students who are gifted on the football field often have a hard time sitting still in class. Sometimes we have limited control over our environment, but the value of identifying your superpower is the perspective it gives you, especially in school. A friendly or athletic student will begin to understand that her behaviour is not inherently “bad”; it’s just not right for certain environments. The tricky thing about superpowers is that most are subtle, not as obvious as my artistic student’s gift for painting. Here are a few examples: My son, age 11, has a superpower for mediating. When we say he can’t do something, he asks, “Why?” He’ll chew on our answer for a while. Then he will come up with solutions to get what he wants, while honouring our objections. Sometimes it’s annoying. But mostly, I admire his problem-solving skills. Success in school relies heavily on executive function, which is the usual “kryptonite” for anyone with ADHD. Knowing our weaknesses is half the battle. If we can identify our superpowers, we won’t be denied by our struggles. Our anxiety fades. We can look for ways to let our superpower shine in school through leadership opportunities, elective classes, or extracurricular activities. 7
KES Curriculum Support Team For more information about anything covered in the magazine, or general information about learning support, please contact: King Edward VI School SENDCO Mrs Ramshaw znr@kes.hants.sch.uk