Teach Secondary - Issue 14.6

Independence, financial management and community belonging. These are the biggest concerns that parents of autistic children have regarding their child’s transition into adulthood. Withmore than 180,000 autistic students in England (see tinyurl.com/ts146-LL1 ), schools play a crucial role in helping autistic children to develop the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to navigate adult life by incorporating these into students’ learning. At The Cavendish School, our mission is to enable the self for all our students, ensuring they develop the skills needed to succeed as independent and socially confident young adults beyond academic success. Through our Personal, Social, Health and Relationships Education curriculum, our students develop essential life skills – including how to manage their money, navigate public transport and societal expectations in the workplace – to ensure they’re equipped to thrive independently when they leave us. Based on our experience, here are three areas schools should focus on to support autistic students’ transition into adulthood. 1. TRANSPORTTRAINING Like many of us, autistic individuals can face difficulties with using public transport: 75% of autistic people report that unexpected changes can cause them distress, with 52% saying that this fear stops them fromusing the services altogether (see tinyurl.com/ts146-LL2 ). Autistic individuals may also experience sensory sensitivities, anxiety and difficulty navigating the transport systems themselves, further contributing to a fear, or avoidance of using public transport. We include travel training in our students’ learning to help themunderstand how to use different methods of transport, so they can travel independently for college, work, social and leisure activities. The training can be tailored to children’s individual needs, and covers journey planning and preparation, safety and coping strategies in case of unexpected cancellations and delays, which can cause discomfort for those who rely on routine and predictability. 2. FINANCIALMANAGEMENT Being able to manage a budget is another important skill our students will use throughout their lives. Autistic adults tend to have lower financial literacy and greater uncertainty around money, often due to difficulties with understanding abstract concepts such as saving, budgeting and managing debt. To build students’ financial literacy, it’s important to provide explicit and detailed instructions on financial management. We introduce our students to basic money skills in Y4. By Y8, they will be learning budgeting skills with bank accounts, and have explored the function of wage slips and tax by Y10. Students in Y12 will practice budgeting by planning purchases for our dedicated on-site life skills flat. This way, they’ll be better prepared for those small, but often unforeseen costs that are sometimes involved with purchasing essential items for adult living, such as a kettle, crockery and bedding. 3. INTERPERSONAL SKILLS Classroom dynamics and informal learning outside of subject teaching can build children’s understanding of social cues, values and beliefs. Known as the ‘hidden curriculum’, autistic children can find this learning particularly challenging, since they benefit most from explicit, rather than implicit teaching and guidance. Teaching autistic students about the social expectations they might encounter in the workplace – rather than relying on them to infer these – can help them feel better prepared to navigate new social situations and participate in their communities as much as they choose to. As educators, we can ensure that all of our students experience smoother transitions to, and develop a better understanding of the changes that come with adulthood. Because if education doesn’t equip all children for successful, fulfilling futures – then what is it for? Geography teachers have two subjects: geography and behaviour management. Science teachers have up to four subjects: the three core sciences and behaviour management. In other words, behaviour management is integral to teaching. Consequently, you must view yourself as a behaviour management practitioner. In fact, more than that, you must embrace the role – because when you do, you put student behaviour at the forefront of your thinking. Behaviour management practitioners don’t wing it. They don’t leave it to chance, and simply hope that the students will behave for them. Instead, they plan for, promote and normalise the behaviour they want. They’re also quick to correct any behaviour they don’t want, and will do so calmly, efficiently and effectively. It’s a skilled role – so skilled, in fact, that hardly anyone (if anyone) comes into teaching as an expert from day one. It takes time, effort and practice to get behaviour right. Yet, the teachers who get it right the quickest are those who embrace the role.When you see yourself as a behaviour management practitioner , you think and act like one. And that makes all the difference in the classroom. Robin Launder is a behaviour management consultant and speaker; this column is adapted from his book, Brilliant Behaviour in 60 Seconds or Less (Routledge, £18.99) DOTHIS BE ABEHAVIOUR PRACTITIONER ROBINLAUNDER PRESENTSHIS TIPS FOR OVERSEEINGBRILLIANT BEHAVIOUR... FOCUS ON… AUTISMAND ADULTHOOD STEPHANIE SMITH IS HEAD OF SCHOOL AT THE CAVENDISH SCHOOL – CAMBRIDGESHIRE’S FIRST STATE-MAINTAINED SPECIAL AUTISM SCHOOL; FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT THECAVENDISHSCHOOL.ORG.UK 86 teachwire.net/secondary