Note: To reference this guide, give the following details:
Guldberg, K., Bradley, R., Wittemeyer, K., Briscombe, J., Phillips, C. and Jones, G. (2019)
Good Autism Practice: Practitioner Guide. London: Autism Education Trust.
Supported by:
GOOD AUTISM
PRACTICE:
PRACTITIONER
GUIDE
Karen Guldberg
Ryan Bradley
Kerstin Wittemeyer
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Contents Page
About the guidance ........................................................................................6
Acknowledgements .........................................................................................6
About the Autism Centre for Education and Research ................................... 6
Introduction .....................................................................................................7
The Autism Education Trust .............................................................................8
New Ofsted Inspection Frameworks ..............................................................8
Terminology ....................................................................................................8
The autism spectrum .......................................................................................9
Subgroups within the autism spectrum .......................................................... 9
Pathological Demand Avoidance ............................................................................. 10
Key priorities .................................................................................................10
Why is it important to reduce rates of exclusions? ..................................................... 11
Why focus on mental health? .................................................................................. 11
Why do we need to understand more about how gender affects children and young
people on the autism spectrum? .............................................................................. 11
What are the issues facing cultural and linguistically diverse autistic children and
young people and their families? ............................................................................ 11
Why there is a need to focus on friendships, peer relationships and bullying? ........... 12
Perspectives from the AET Young People’s Panel ....................................................... 12
Eight Principles of Good Autism Practice ........................................................ 13
Principle One: Understanding the strengths, interests and challenges
of the autistic child and young person .........................................................15
Key points .............................................................................................................. 15
Implications for practice .......................................................................................... 15
SEND Code of Practice recommends ....................................................................... 16
Links to the Teacher Standards ................................................................................ 16
Links to the AET Standards ...................................................................................... 16
Links to the Case Studies ......................................................................................... 17
Relevant resources and references ........................................................................... 17
Principle Two: Enabling the voice of the autistic child and young person
to contribute to and influence decisions ......................................................18
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Key points .............................................................................................................. 18
Implications for practice .......................................................................................... 18
SEND Code of Practice recommends ....................................................................... 18
Links to the Teacher Standards ................................................................................ 19
Links to the AET Standards ...................................................................................... 19
Links to the case studies .......................................................................................... 20
Relevant resources and references ........................................................................... 20
Principle Three: Collaboration with parents and carers of autistic children
and young people .........................................................................................21
Key points .............................................................................................................. 21
Implications for practice .......................................................................................... 21
SEND Code of Practice recommends ....................................................................... 22
Links to the Teacher Standards ................................................................................ 22
Links to the AET Standards ...................................................................................... 22
Links to the Case Studies ......................................................................................... 22
Relevant resources and references ........................................................................... 23
Principle Four: Workforce development to support children and young
people on the autism spectrum .................................................................... 24
Key points .............................................................................................................. 24
Implications for practice .......................................................................................... 24
SEND Code of Practice recommends ....................................................................... 25
Links to the Teacher Standards ................................................................................ 25
Links to the AET Standards and Competency Frameworks ........................................ 25
Links to the Case Studies ......................................................................................... 26
Relevant resources and references ........................................................................... 26
Websites ................................................................................................................. 26
Principle Five: Leadership and management that promotes and embeds
good autism practice ....................................................................................27
Key points .............................................................................................................. 27
Implications for practice .......................................................................................... 27
SEND Code of Practice recommends ....................................................................... 28
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Links to the Teacher Standards ................................................................................ 28
Links to the AET Standards and Competency Frameworks ........................................ 28
Links to the Case Studies ......................................................................................... 29
Relevant resources and references ........................................................................... 29
Principle Six: An ethos and environment that fosters social inclusion for
children and young people on the autism spectrum ...................................30
Key points .............................................................................................................. 30
Implications for practice .......................................................................................... 30
SEND Code of Practice recommends ....................................................................... 31
Links to the Teacher Standards ................................................................................ 31
Links to the AET Standards ...................................................................................... 32
Links to the Case Studies ......................................................................................... 32
Related resources and references ............................................................................ 32
Principle Seven: Targeted support and measuring progress of children
and young people on the autism spectrum .................................................33
Key points .............................................................................................................. 33
Implications for practice .......................................................................................... 33
SEND Code of Practice recommends ....................................................................... 35
Links to the Teacher Standards ................................................................................ 35
Links to the AET Standards ...................................................................................... 35
Links to the Case Studies ......................................................................................... 35
Relevant resources and references ........................................................................... 36
Principle Eight: Adapting the curriculum, teaching and learning to
promote wellbeing and success for children and young people on the
autism spectrum ............................................................................................37
Key points .............................................................................................................. 37
Implications for practice .......................................................................................... 37
SEND Code of Practice recommends ....................................................................... 38
Links to the Teacher Standards ................................................................................ 38
Links to the AET Standards ...................................................................................... 38
Links to the Case Studies ......................................................................................... 39
Relevant resources and references ........................................................................... 39
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Concluding points .........................................................................................41
List of references and resources given in this guide ................................................... 43
Websites ................................................................................................................. 45
Appendix 1: About the authors ....................................................................46
Professor Karen Guldberg ....................................................................................... 46
Dr Ryan Bradley ..................................................................................................... 46
Dr Kerstin Wittemeyer ............................................................................................. 46
Jo Briscombe .......................................................................................................... 47
Claire Phillips ......................................................................................................... 47
Dr Glenys Jones ..................................................................................................... 47
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About the guidance
These guidelines are a summary of a more detailed report commissioned by the AET
(Guldberg et al., 2019). They are designed for all those working in education in early
years settings, mainstream and special provision and in the Post-16 sector. Readers are
advised to read that report as it provides the evidence as to why each of the eight prin-
ciples within this guidance is important. The full report and this guidance links to eight
case studies developed by Jo Briscombe and Claire Phillips from Integra Services in
South Gloucestershire and further references are given within this guidance to show how
settings can adapt their practice to meet the needs of autistic children and young people.
Acknowledgements
With thanks to all the staff in Early Years, Schools and Post-16Post-16 settings that
agreed to share their practice. Thanks also to the AET Youth Panel for their views and to
all those working in the AET training hubs who gave suggestions on which settings might
provide some good practice examples.
About the Autism Centre for Education and Research
The authors are members of the Autism Centre for Education and Research (ACER).
ACER is based in the Department of Disability, Inclusion and Special Needs (DISN), at
the School of Education, University of Birmingham. ACER’s research recognises the di-
versity of the autism spectrum population and the need to adopt an eclectic person-cen-
tred ethos. Members of ACER work have worked collaboratively within the AET part-
nership since the AET’s inception. ACER members led on the development of the initial
School-based programme, and the Early Years programme and on the Parents and
Carers Guide.
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Introduction
These guidelines outline eight key principles that provide a framework for the develop-
ment of good quality education for all autistic Children and Young People (CYP) and
their families. They set out the principles that should inform good autism practice in edu-
cation across Early Years Settings, Schools (5 to 16) and Post-16 settings. They should be
consulted alongside statutory guidance. These principles have emerged from an exam-
ination of the current evidence base from research and practice, as well as key policies
and the perspectives and insights of autistic children and adults.
The underpinning ethos and values focus on the need for mutual adaptation on behalf
of the autistic CYP and those who live or work with the CYP. Settings and practitioners
have to reflect on the dynamic relationship between the CYP and those around them,
and understand the way the CYP processes and experiences the world and find ways to
give the autistic CYP control over their learning. There are several ways of approaching
the development and delivery of good autism practice, and more than one solution or
approach to an intended outcome. The approach that is chosen and how this is deliv-
ered should therefore be sensitive to the wishes and needs of the individual CYP con-
cerned and their family. It should also be within the skill set of those who work with the
CYP. The process of achieving an outcome is also crucial and the views of the CYP and
their parents and carers and key professionals involved on what they feel would work
should be sought.
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The Autism Education Trust
The AET was launched in November 2007 with support and funding from the De-
partment of Education in England and consists of a unique partnership involving the
voluntary, public and private sectors. It is dedicated to coordinating, supporting and
promoting effective education practice for all children and young people on the autism
spectrum. Central to this has been the development of the AET Schools, Early Years and
Post-16 programmes, which offer professional development for all staff working with
Children and Young People (CYP) on the autism spectrum.
There are five main elements of the AET programme for the three age phases (Early
Years; 5 to 16 and Post-16). All of these, apart from the training materials are free to
download from the AET website and there are many resources attached to these.
1. Professional development materials on autism delivered by training hubs through-
out England (see www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk for details of your nearest
hub).
2. AET Autism Standards which set out the key areas of practice and provision within
a setting that underpin good practice in autism.
3. AET Autism Competency Framework which sets out the key understandings and
knowledge required by staff working with children and young people on the au-
tism spectrum
4. AET Progression Framework which enables staff to record and monitor a CYP’s
progress and to set learning intentions.
5. AET Parent/Carers Guide to be completed by parents and carers to identify what
they feel is most important for their son or daughter’s education.
New Ofsted Inspection Frameworks
Ofsted has recently revised its frameworks for Early Years, Schools and Post-16 settings
and these will be implemented from September 2019. The full inspection frameworks
can be found by searching on the government website. (www.gov.uk). The Education
Inspection Framework sets out how Ofsted inspects maintained schools, academies,
non-association independent schools, further education and skills provision and regis-
tered early years settings in England.
Terminology
Terminology is a widely debated issue in the autism field and there is no single way of
describing autism. Terms that are used include autism; autism spectrum condition; autism
spectrum disorder and, on the autism spectrum. The authors of this report see autism as
a different rather than deficient or disordered way of being. So, the term ‘disorder’ is not
used when describing people with a diagnosis on the autism spectrum.
Whether to use ‘person first’ language or not is also widely debated (e.g. autistic person
or person with autism). In a study which elicited the views of different stakeholders it was
found that the term ‘autistic’ was preferred by a large percentage of autistic adults and
their families, with the term ‘on the autism spectrum’ being endorsed by the majority of
professionals (Kenny et al., 2015). Many autistic individuals see autism as a core part of
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their identity, and view themselves as autistic rather than ‘with autism’. However, not all
autistic individuals view their autism in the same way. There are some young people who
would prefer the term ‘with autism’. In this report, the terms ‘with autism’ and ‘autistic’
are used interchangeably to acknowledge different perspectives and includes all those
who have a diagnosis on the autism spectrum.
The autism spectrum
Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that affects how people perceive,
communicate and interact with the world. Autism is referred to as a spectrum because
while there are similar core areas affected, each child or person diagnosed will experi-
ence them differently. To make a diagnosis, there must be evidence of difference (from
typical development) in the following core areas and evidence that the person’s everyday
life has been and continues to be affected by these:
1. Social communication and interaction (including non verbal communication and
the ability to use and understand body language, eye contact, facial expression
and gestures; and the development and maintenance of friendships and relation-
ships).
2. Restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests or activities (including
repetitive speech or movements; adherence to routines or resistance to change;
or intense interests).
3. Sensory perception and responses.
In education, this leads to four areas of difference that can impact on learning:
• Interacting, playing and developing relationships with others
• Processing information
• Taking in and perceiving sensory information
• Communicating, understanding and using language.
Like all children and young people, individuals will vary in terms of their intellectual abil-
ity, their personality, their profile of strengths and needs, the presence of other conditions
(e.g. learning disability; ADHD; epilepsy) and their life experiences. No two individuals
on the autism spectrum are the same as their profile interacts with their life experiences,
the environment and the support they receive. So autistic CYP have different needs from
each other and this should be reflected in the way teaching staff work.
Subgroups within the autism spectrum
Since autism was first identified, there have been a number of attempts to define differ-
ent subgroups in recognition that not all autistic individuals share the same characteris-
tics. For example, there have been three terms used to describe CYP who do not have a
learning disability, thought to make up two thirds of the autistic population (MacKay et
al., 2018). These are Asperger syndrome, High Functioning Autism and Able Autism, the
latter two terms being used for those people who were language delayed in childhood,
whereas those with Asperger syndrome developed speech at the usual age. However,
research has shown that it is very hard to separate out these three groups in adulthood
as many who were delayed as young children learn to speak fluently and become very
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articulate as they get older. The terms High Functioning Autism and Able Autism have
also been criticised as autistic CYP individuals rarely perform at a high level across all
areas of everyday life and learning. Their profiles are often much more uneven than in
the typical population, with peaks of ability and talent, and areas where ability and func-
tioning is much lower than one would expect relative to their intellectual ability.
Pathological Demand Avoidance
A further subgroup, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), has also been suggested
as part of the autism spectrum. This was first suggested by Professor Elizabeth Newson
(Newson et al., 2003). As a very experienced clinician with several years experience of
assessing autistic children, she identified a group who were similar to those with autism
but who were much more avoidant than autistic children and who did not appear to
respond to some of the educational approaches found to be effective in autism. Since
that time, clinicians and researchers have been attempting to establish whether there
are clear and distinct differences between PDA children and those with autism. As yet,
there is insufficient evidence and PDA has not met criteria for acceptance as a separate
diagnosis (MacKay et al., 2018). That said, different strategies have been developed for
CYP with a PDA profile, there is an increasing literature on PDA (e.g. Dura-Vila and Levi,
2018; Fidler and Christie, 2019) and the Government’s current review on their autism
strategy has included PDA. There is also a website developed by the PDA society which
gives details of resources developed for this group (www.pdasociety.org.uk).
Key priorities
Key priorities include the need for teaching staff to find ways to:
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• Enhance their understanding and knowledge about autism and ways to consult
and support autistic CYP
• Reduce exclusions from schools and other education settings
• Address mental health and wellbeing
• Increase awareness of gender differences and cultural and linguistic diversity
• Promote social and emotional development and reduce bullying
• Become better at planning and following through transitions.
Why is it important to reduce rates of exclusions?
The exclusion of children on the autism spectrum in schools in England is of particular
concern. Every region in England has had an increase in the number of school exclu-
sions for CYP on the autism spectrum of between 45% and 100% in the last five years
(Cooke, 2018). The AET has produced a number of booklets on different aspects of
exclusion which can be downloaded from the AET website.
Why focus on mental health?
From a young age through to later adult life, autistic individuals are more likely to have
a mental health condition and experience poorer mental health than the general popu-
lation. In a UK questionnaire in which 1500 people responded, for example, the highest
priority for autistic people, parents and practitioners was that they wanted to know how
to improve mental health in people with autism. Understanding how to reduce anxiety
was also a high priority (Autistica, 2016).
Why do we need to understand more about how gender af-
fects children and young people on the autism spectrum?
All cultures, races, ethnicities and genders are represented within the population of those
diagnosed with autism. Recent research on the implications of gender on autism indi-
cates that females often do not receive accurate or early diagnosis or appropriate sup-
port in educational settings. This can have an impact on their experiences and can lead
to a lack of engagement in education.
Autism used to be viewed as a largely male condition with ratios of between 4 and 10
males to 1 female. However, many more girls and women are now being identified and
diagnosed and recent studies suggest the ratio may be as low as 2 males to 1 female
(MacKay, 2018). There are a number of areas in which differences are thought to exist
between the experience and presentation of women and men with autism. At the cur-
rent time, more research is needed to establish what these differences are. There is an
increasing number of books and papers published which focus on girls and women on
the autism spectrum, many of these being accounts written by autistic women and girls.
Several authors have contributed to an edited book published in 2019 entitled Girls and
Autism edited by Carpenter, Happe and Egerton.
What are the issues facing cultural and linguistically diverse
autistic children and young people and their families?
Research on the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse pupils with autism and their
families has found that minority populations are under-represented in research studies,
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and there is little understanding of how different cultures and beliefs influence the edu-
cational needs of autistic pupils from diverse backgrounds. Culturally and linguistically
diverse families also find it difficult to access the information, help and resources they
need and to navigate the education system.
Why there is a need to focus on friendships, peer relationships
and bullying?
Autistic CYP experience a higher frequency of bullying than non-autistic peers. This in-
dicates the need for education staff to receive training on how to reduce bullying whilst
facilitating quality and lasting peer relationships. Friendships and peer relationships are
ways to promote social and emotional understanding and development. It is important
to ascertain the CYP’s social preferences and to increase their social understanding in
everyday situations.
For those in education, labels serve as a signpost and can be helpful, but for all CYP,
teaching staff and parents should base their actions and strategies on the needs of the
CYP which are identified by close observation and assessment across settings and situa-
tions and in consultation with the CYP concerned, wherever and whenever possible.
Perspectives from the AET Young People’s Panel
There is now clear recognition of the value and importance of asking autistic children
and adults for their views on what is offered and provided. In this work, the Autism Edu-
cation Trust Young People’s panel offered their perspectives on what they deemed to be
good practice in autism education.
They were asked to comment on the environment, the staff and the peer group. In re-
lation to the environment, they highlighted the importance of safe spaces, classrooms,
queuing and transitions. It was felt to be important to have more than one breakout
room, as just having one space defeated the object of the space. In the playground area
there needs to be quiet places to go, away from the noise. Classrooms should be large,
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where possible, and fluorescent strip lighting should be taken out. Rooms are often clut-
tered with displays and the panel felt that displays should be limited to communal areas.
Queuing with other people was an issue, particularly in the canteen as it was hard to
cope with the noise and the smells that can be overwhelming for some autistic students.
Transition to secondary school needs to be supported and opportunities for meeting new
staff should be given. The panel recommended that all autistic students are given a map
of the school before they start which is colour coded according to subjects. Fire alarms
and end of lesson bells should be demonstrated and have different sounds. In one
school, bells were not used for the end of lessons, the staff merely kept the time on their
watch.
The panel highlighted the importance of staff understanding autism and sensory issues,
the importance of pastoral staff and adjustments to the curriculum. The first point made
was that staff should have training and understand autism, including how to understand
and manage meltdowns, shutdowns and behaviours that challenge. The panel also
highlighted that sensory issues need to be taken into account when planning lessons,
as work with textiles, food and design and technology can pose problems with different
smells and textures. The panel would like pastoral staff available all of the time. Having
a counsellor or someone that knew them well was incredibly helpful. They would also
like to choose which member of staff was their mentor. Supporting students to access the
curriculum should be given more priority than the exam grades they achieved. The panel
also wanted praise for low marks or grades as it can be very disheartening to students
when they do less well. They would like more extra-curricular activities to ‘escape from
exams and homework.’ The panel also wanted better careers advice that was specific to
autism.
In terms of the peer group, the panel addressed the issue of relating to other CYP with
autism. Some on the panel felt they had been pressured to help other autistic students
or to run groups. Although this might work for some autistic students, some felt over-
whelmed and emotionally drained by the experience. The panel also said that support
groups or classes that only had autistic students within them could be problematic. These
may trigger behaviours in each other and the needs of each student may be very differ-
ent. The panel said that it is hard to know what to do at lunch and break-times if they did
not have a friendship group. Being given the opportunity to share their diagnosis with
their peers can be helpful in enhancing their understanding.
Eight Principles of Good Autism Practice
Eight principles emerged from research evidence, practice and policy, and the perspec-
tives and insights of autistic children and adults. The eight key principles are presented
within the four themes developed by the AET:
• Understanding the individual with autism
• Positive relationships
• Learning and development
• Enabling environments
Although the principles are presented in numerical order, they do not indicate the order
or importance and all interrelate with each other. The eight principles are as follows:
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1. Understanding the strengths, interests and challenges of the autistic child and
young person
2. Enabling the voice of the autistic child and young person to contribute to and
influence decisions
3. Collaboration with parents and carers of autistic children and young people
4. Workforce development to support autistic children and young people
5. Leadership and management that promotes and embeds good autism practice
6. An ethos and environment that fosters social inclusion for children and young
people on the autism spectrum
7. Targeted support and measuring progress of children and young people on the
autism spectrum
8. Adapting the curriculum, teaching and learning to promote wellbeing and success
for autistic children and young people.
Figure One: Four themes and eight principles
Understanding
the strengths,
interests and
challenges of
the autistic child
and young
person
Collaboration with
parents and carers
of autistic children
and young people
Enabling the voice
of the autistic child
and young person
to contribute to and
influence decisions
Workforce
development to
support autistic
children and young
people on the
autism spectrum
Leadership and
management
that promotes
and embeds
good autism
practice
An ethos and
environment that
fosters social
inclusion for children
and young people
on the autism
spectrum
Targeted
support and
measuring progress
of children and
young people on the
autism spectrum
Adapting the
curriculum,
teaching and
learning to
promote well-
being and
success for
autistic children
and young
people.
Individual
P
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Principle One: Understanding the strengths, interests and
challenges of the autistic child and young person
Key points
• Key areas of difference in autism influence the way in which CYP learn and expe-
rience educational settings. Autism is a spectrum condition leading to wide varia-
tion within the autistic population. Staff need to get to know the specific individual
and how autism affects them.
• CYP with autism have an uneven profile of abilities (e.g. may be more or less
advanced in different areas of academic, social and emotional functioning, which
may affect the development of independence and life skills).
• Other conditions often co-occur with autism and knowledge of these conditions
should influence educational planning. Practitioners need to take into account
potential disturbed and erratic eating and drinking, sleeping and personal care
routines.
• Autistic CYP are likely to experience high levels of anxiety and stress and this will
impact on their wellbeing and mental health, their learning and on their levels of
interaction and communication.
• Autistic CYP have strengths and interests which need to be recognised and built
upon within their educational programmes
• The needs and abilities of an individual CYP will change over time and vary
across settings so regular review of these is required with appropriate action tak-
en.
Implications for practice
Good Autism Practice requires an understanding and awareness of how the main areas
of difference impact on the learning, participation, independence and emotional state
of autistic CYP. Settings need systems in place to identify the individual strengths, inter-
ests and challenges of individual CYP as a starting point to understanding and meeting
their needs. Information can be gathered through observations and/or discussions with
the CYP, discussions with their caregivers and other professionals who have worked
with them or from reports and supporting documents. In addition, staff should prioritize
the strengths and interests of CYP on the autism spectrum to support their engagement,
learning and motivation. Key information should be regularly updated and shared
through appropriate means, such as pupil profiles or passports, with strategies identified
to promote inclusion and progress. A flexible educational approach should be adopt-
ed, based on an understanding of the individual requirements of CYP on the autism
spectrum within their setting. For example, adjusting the timetable, where the CYP sits in
class, how and when they do their homework, facilitating their inclusion with peers in a
way that respects their preferences and reducing social demands, are some of the ways
in which CYP can be helped to feel comfortable in an educational setting. Consideration
must be given to the impact of the sensory environment and the identification of ways to
reduce and manage this. This might include conducting an audit of the sensory environ-
ment and providing a designated safe/quiet space within a setting.
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SEND Code of Practice recommends
“A detailed assessment of need should ensure that the full range of an individual’s needs
is identified, not simply the primary need. The support provided to an individual should
always be based on a full understanding of their particular strengths and needs and seek
to address them all” (p.96).
Links to the Teacher Standards
Teachers must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with
SEND (special educational needs and disabilities). They need to demonstrate an aware-
ness of the physical, social and intellectual development of children, and know how to
adapt teaching to support pupils’ education at different stages of development.
Key question for practitioners
How does your setting identify the strengths, interests and challenges of children and
young people on the autism spectrum?
Links to the AET Standards
Early Years
Section One, Unique child, Standards 1 to 4
Schools 5 to 16
Section One, The individual pupil, Standards 1 and 3
Post-16
Section One, The individual, Standards 1, 2 and 3
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Links to the Case Studies
Case Study A: This is set in a mainstream primary school and gives details of the work
that staff did with advice from the Autism Advisory teacher to ascertain the strengths
and challenges of an 8 year old autistic boy. Details are then provided as to how the
staff adjusted the environment to address his needs and how they built his interests and
strengths into the curriculum.
Case study E: This is a secondary mainstream school for pupils aged 11–16. Within
the case study is an interview with a Year 9 pupil called Max who describes his positive
experiences at the school.
Case study H: This is a mainstream primary school for children aged 3–11 years which
has a unit for 10 children with moderate learning difficulties. The work done to enable a
four year old autistic child to adjust to and succeed within the school is described. Ascer-
taining the child’s profile of strengths and needs was paramount to the success achieved.
Relevant resources and references
Carpenter, B., Happe, F and Egerton, J (Eds) (2019) Girls and autism, educational, fami-
ly and personal perspectives, Abingdon: Routledge
Miller, A (2018) All about me: a step by step guide to telling children and young people
on the autism spectrum about their diagnosis, London: Jessica Kingsley
Priestley, M, Fitzpatrick, M and Swift, G (2008) A year in the life of learners with ASD in
mainstream courses in a Further Education College: lessons learned, Good Autism Prac-
tice Journal, 9, 1, 52–56
Individual profiles and passports for autistic children and young people: examples can
be downloaded from the AET website for all three age groups (EY; School and Post-16).
www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk
www.gdmorewood.com is a website which contains resources developed by the staff in
Case Study E for children and young people with autism.
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Principle Two: Enabling the voice of the autistic child and young
person to contribute to and influence decisions
Key points
• Include and consult the CYP in decisions about their education (e.g. day to day
activities and tasks, social preferences, review meetings and transition planning).
• Regularly discuss current and future needs and wishes with the CYP (e.g. by ar-
ranging times to ‘discuss’ the support they receive and what might help; and
reviewing their pupil passport or profile).
• Identify the most appropriate and developmentally relevant means for CYP to
communicate their views. This may involve the use of alternative and augmenta-
tive forms of communication.
• Work with the CYP to develop their understanding of the way autism affects them,
when parents and the young person consent to this (e.g. individual or group work
with other autistic CYP).
Implications for practice
Good Autism Practice promotes a partnership approach to decision-making based on
building positive relationships between staff and autistic CYP. There should be flexibility
in the curriculum to give CYP regular opportunities to be involved in giving feedback on
their experiences and in decision-making, and the skills needed to do so. The most ap-
propriate and developmentally relevant means should be identified and used to enable
them to communicate their views. For some CYP, this will involve the use of alternative
and augmentative forms of communication whilst others may be able to discuss issues
directly with the staff who work with them. This could include using a photo-voice ap-
proach where CYP take photographs of the places where they felt listened to and the
people who they felt listened to them.
Educational approaches need to consider the preferences of CYP on how they can best
be supported in their day-to-day activities. Staff should proactively listen to the voice of
CYP across the range of activities in which they engage, not only at points of transition or
review meetings. This should include the nature and level of one-to-one adult support;
the use of technology for academic and learning needs; planning, organisation, and
time management; and the social aspects of their education (e.g. working as part of a
group and peer relationships; understanding and managing their emotional state and
the need for time alone when needed; managing sensory needs and times of transition
or change).
SEND Code of Practice recommends
“Children have a right to receive and impart information, to express an opinion and to
have that opinion taken into account in any matters affecting them from the early years
onwards. Their views should be given due weight according to their age, maturity and
capability (Articles 12 and 13 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child).” (p.20).
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Links to the Teacher Standards
As part of their responsibility to promote good progress and outcomes, all teachers
should guide pupils to reflect on the progress they have made and their emerging needs.
Key question for practitioners
How does your setting gain the views of children and young people on the autism
spectrum and enable them to participate in decision-making about their educational
experience?
Links to the AET Standards
Early Years
Section Two, Positive relationships, Standard 3
Schools 5 to 16
Section One, The individual pupil, Standards 7 and 10 Section Three, Learning and de-
velopment, Standard 9 Section Four, Enabling environments, Standard 2
Post-16
Section One, The Individual, Standard 10 Section Two, Building relationships, Standard
9
Section Three, Curriculum and learning, Standards 7 and 8 Section Four, Enabling par-
ticipation, Standard 10
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Links to the case studies
Case study F: This is a community special school for pupils aged 3–19 years. Pupil
voice is promoted across the school. Staff use Talking Mats (www.talkingmats.com),
MAPS (Making Action Plans) (O’Brien and Pearpoint) and ideas based on the ideal self
technique (Moran, 2008). Every pupil has a PowerPoint presentation that they help to
produce for their Annual Review.
Case study G: This is a specialist, all age academy for students on the autism spectrum
aged 5–19 years. Staff are currently piloting a research-based three- pronged approach
to capturing the autistic voice. This includes a visual bulletin board where students post
a message on one of three topic boards, creating their own scrapbook of poems,
pictures, and diary entries and the use of a secret box where students can post anony-
mously.
Relevant resources and references
Honeybourne, V (2016) Girls on the autism spectrum in the classroom: hidden difficul-
ties and how to help, Good Autism Practice Journal, 11–20 (reports on the views of 67
autistic women about their school experiences)
Moran, H. (2006) A very personal assessment: Using a Personal Construct Psychology
assessment technique (Drawing the Ideal Self ) with young people with ASD to explore
the child’s view of self, Good Autism Practice Journal, 7
Muggleton, J (2012) Raising Martians from crash landing to leaving home: London: Jes-
sica Kingsley (the account of a young man with Asperger syndrome on his experiences of
school and leaving home to attend University)
Sainsbury, C. (2000) Martian in the playground, Bristol: Lucky Duck Publishing (a book
written about her school days by a woman on the autism spectrum)
Williams, J., & Hanke, D. (2007). ‘Do you know what sort of school I want?’: optimum
features of school provision for pupils with autistic spectrum disorder. Good Autism
Practice Journal 8(2), 51–63. – can be accessed from the AET website in the National
Standards for Schools and gives a template for discussing the Ideal school with autistic
pupils.
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Principle Three: Collaboration with parents and carers of au-
tistic children and young people
Key points
• Proactively engage with parents and carers to establish and develop ways to com-
municate and share information, ideas and progress.
• Signpost parents and carers to appropriate services and support and, if they are
seeking diagnostic assessment, inform them about the referral pathway in their
local area through the Local Offer.
• Understand the needs of parents and caregivers who themselves may have au-
tism, as well as families from a diversity of cultural and religious backgrounds.
• Co-ordinate and disseminate important information from all key stakeholders
(including parents/carers and other family members) and ensure this information
is shared with all, including the CYP.
• Parents and carers of autistic CYP should be signposted to helpful local services
such as those set out in the authority’s Local Offer and to parent autism support
groups.
Implications for practice
Good Autism Practice means that staff should actively seek ways of engaging with par-
ents and carers of all autistic CYP to share concerns, ideas and strategies. Staff must be
mindful of the impact of stress on caregivers and establish a positive approach to autism
and the individual CYP they support. This is especially important at points of transition
between year groups or educational settings. Providing information and support in the
early years and timely support and information to parents and carers on possible post-
16 options and post-18 education and training can help to reduce some of their anxiety
around transition into adulthood.
Staff should ask caregivers what the priorities are for their child and agree effective ways
in which to communicate and to whom. The AET developed a parent and carer’s guide
designed specifically for this purpose – ‘Working together with your child’s school’. This
recognises that caregivers’ concerns are often as much about their child being safe, se-
cure, accepted, respected, valued and nurtured as they are about curriculum issues.
Creating a pupil profile or passport that contains key information on the CYP should be
done collaboratively between caregivers and staff. A partnership approach should be
established through planned opportunities for informal communication and more for-
mal review meetings. Settings should consider whether staff need to adapt the way they
communicate with individual parents and carers to enable them to fully participate and
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engage in their child’s education (e.g. always providing written confirmation of any ac-
tions agreed verbally). Settings can provide a forum where caregivers can meet togeth-
er to share information (e.g. through training events or signposting parents and carers
to support groups and other services via their local offer). Creating a wider network of
support and help has been shown to be beneficial for addressing parental stress and
isolation for families. This can be particularly helpful for caregivers of newly diagnosed
children and young people.
SEND Code of Practice recommends
“Local authorities, Early Years providers and schools should enable parents to share their
knowledge about the child and give them confidence that their views and contributions
are valued and will be acted upon. At times, parents, teachers and others may have
differing expectations of how a child’s needs are best met. Sometimes these discussions
can be challenging but it is in the child’s best interests for a positive dialogue between
parents, teachers and others to be maintained, to work through points of difference and
establish what action is to be taken.” (p.21).
Links to the Teacher Standards
A key expectation is that teachers should work with parents in the best interests of their
pupils.
Key question for practitioners
How does your setting work in partnership with parents and carers to enhance your
knowledge of the autistic child and young person and to inform effective support?
Links to the AET Standards
Early Years
Section Two, Positive relationships Standards 1 and 4
Schools 5 to 16
Section Two, Building relationships, Standards 2 and 8
Post-16
Section Two, Building relationships, Standards 1 and 9
Links to the Case Studies
Case study D: This is a primary special school for autistic children aged 3–11. The
school demonstrates a commitment to parental involvement through an extensive train-
ing programme. They run 40 workshops a year for parents. The school’s Family Support
Worker, Middle and Senior leaders and Speech and Language Therapists and the Oc-
cupational Therapist run these. They focus on topics that particularly link to life at home
and they share strategies used at home and school.
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Case study E: This is a secondary mainstream school for pupils aged 11–16. Within the
case study is an interview with the mother of a Year 9 pupil who describes the school as
a ‘beacon of excellence’.
Case study F: This is a community special school for pupils aged 3–19 years. The
school won an award from NASEN (National Association for Special Educational Needs)
for its creative ways of working with parents, being nominated by the parents themselves.
Case study H: This is a mainstream primary school for children aged 3–11 years which
has a unit for 10 children with moderate learning difficulties. It describes the very gradu-
al inclusion of a four year old child into the nursery. The close involvement and collabo-
ration with his mother was an essential element to their success.
Relevant resources and references
Boorn, C. (2010) Parents’ responses to having a child on the autism spectrum: Issues,
challenges and ways to address these. Good Autism Practice Journal, 11(1), 58–68
Bradley, R., Jones, G., & Milton, D. (2014) AET working together with your child’s school,
London: Autism Education Trust – can be downloaded free from the AET website
Elley, D (2018) Fifteen things they forget to tell you about autism: the stuff that trans-
formed my life as an autism parent, London: Jessica Kingsley
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Principle Four: Workforce development to support children
and young people on the autism spectrum
Key points
• All staff new to the workforce (including non-teaching staff and governors) receive
autism training as part of their induction (e.g. new staff attend AET Making Sense
of Autism training in their first year).
• Every setting has access to an autism champion/lead practitioner who co- ordi-
nates support and information between CYP, staff, parents and other services.
• Settings regularly audit staff confidence levels, understanding and knowledge of
autism and link this to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and the Per-
formance Management system (e.g. settings use the AET Competency Framework
to audit staff skills and identify areas for staff development).
• Leadership and management have a commitment to an ongoing programme of
CPD in autism to update the knowledge, skills and practice of their workforce.
Implications for practice
Good autism practice means that settings provide access to professional development
on several levels to meet the range of needs of autistic CYP and the staff who work with
them. This requires leadership and management to understand the professional de-
velopment and resourcing requirements of staff, for instance, using the AET National
Standards and Competency Frameworks to identify the CPD needs of all staff. The im-
pact of any professional development on the learning and wellbeing of autistic CYP and
staff confidence and ability to meet their needs should also be considered, for example,
through performance appraisal and management. There should be a focus on devel-
oping an understanding of autism and how this might affect the learning of individual
autistic CYP, how specific approaches may address one or more areas of development
such as communication and social inclusion and effective engagement and partnership
with parents and carers.
CPD can include a wide range of activities such as self-directed learning, mentoring and
coaching, discussion and collaboration with colleagues, internal and external training
courses, such as the AET Programme, and studying for accredited qualifications. It is
essential that all those working within a setting receive basic awareness training in au-
tism as autism affects the way in which CYP understand and interact with their environ-
ment and other people. This should be included as part of the induction programme for
new governors and all staff, and focus on understanding autism as a difference rather
than a deficit. Enhanced professional development would enable staff to adapt teach-
ing and learning to meet the needs of individual CYP and provide more opportunities
for the development of shared practice and strategies. At a specialist level, professional
development will support the skills and knowledge needed for staff taking a lead role in
co-ordinating the support of CYP in their setting (e.g. having a lead autism practitioner
or autism champion. Having an identified lead for autism would enable a more co-or-
dinated approach between staff, CYP, families and other services whilst providing ongo-
ing opportunities for identifying and meeting professional development needs within a
setting.
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SEND Code of Practice recommends
“The local authority must set out information in its Local Offer on securing expertise
among teachers, lecturers or other professionals to support children and young people
with SEN or disabilities. This should include professional development to secure expertise
at different levels.” (p.68).
Links to the Teacher Standards
All teachers much take responsibility for improving teaching through appropriate profes-
sional development as part of fulfilling their wider professional responsibilities.
Key question for practitioners
How does your setting provide Continuing Professional Development on autism and
how do you measure the impact of this?
Links to the AET Standards and Competency Frameworks
Early Years
– see the AET Early Years Competency Framework for staff working in Early Years
Schools 5 to 16
Section Two, Building relationships, Standards 3 and 7 Section Three, Curriculum and
learning, Standard 5 Section Four, Enabling environments, Standards 7 and 10
– see the AET Schools Competency Framework for staff working with CYP 5 to 16 years
Post-16
Section Two, Building relationships, Standard 10 Section Three, Curriculum and learning,
Standard 10
Section Four, Enabling participation, Standard 2, 7, 8 and 9
– see the AET Post-16 Competency Framework for staff working with CYP 16 to 25 years
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Links to the Case Studies
Case study B: The setting is a mainstream academy for children aged 3–11 years. A
whole school ethos has been developed and visual prompts are used throughout the
school to remind staff on how to enable communication. A coaching model is used to
support staff in developing their practice.
Case study D: The setting is a primary special school for autistic children aged 3–11
years. There is a strong commitment to whole school training and to having a highly
trained staff who then train staff across the school.
Case study E: This is a secondary mainstream school for pupils aged 11–16. The
school employs its own Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapists and
a Psychotherapist to address the needs of pupils with SEND, including pupils with autism.
In addition to individual assessment and therapy work, these professionals work with
groups of pupils and also train the staff who attend the groups.
Case study H: This is a mainstream primary school for children aged 3–11 years which
has a unit for 10 children with moderate learning difficulties. Training for all the staff was
given high priority and this was seen as crucial to the success of the work done in en-
abling a four year old autistic child to be successfully included.
Relevant resources and references
Bradley, R. (2018) AET Early Years Competency Framework. London: Autism Education
Trust (sets out the skills and knowledge staff require when working with autistic children
in the Early Years) – (free to download from http://www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk)
Daly, M., English, A. & O’Brien, A. (2016) AET Schools Autism Competency Framework.
London: Autism Education Trust (sets out the skills and knowledge staff require when
working with autistic students Post-16) – (free to download from http://www.autismedu-
cationtrust.org.uk)
Gerland, G (2013) Secrets to success for professionals in the autism field, London: Jessi-
ca Kingsley (written by a woman on the autism spectrum)
Kossyvaki, L, Jones, G and Guldberg, K (2012) The effect of adult interactive style on the
spontaneous communication of young children with autism at school British Journal of
Special Education 39,4, pp.173–184.
Morewood, G. D., Humphrey, N., & Symes, W. (2011). Mainstreaming autism: making it
work. Good Autism Practice Journal 12(2), 62–68.
Websites
Inclusion Development Programme: Autism (free to access at (http://www.idponline.org.
uk). This is a free online set of materials about pupils with autism aged 5 to 16 in
schools commissioned by the Department for Education in 2008.
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Principle Five: Leadership and management that promotes
and embeds good autism practice
Key points
• Leaders create an inclusive educational environment through changing attitudes
and behaviours towards CYP with SEND, including autistic CYP
• Leaders enact their statutory obligation to create enabling environments through
making reasonable adjustments. Learning and working environments that do not
accommodate such differences will disable young people on the autism spectrum.
• Leaders recognise the needs of autistic CYP and take proactive steps to reduce
formal and informal exclusions.
• Leaders promote the use the AET National Standards to identify areas of good
autism practice and areas that need development (e.g. EY, School or Post-16 set-
tings use this information as part of the development plan for their setting).
Implications for practice
Good autism practice means that leadership and management have a commitment to
inclusive values and to meeting the needs of all CYP on the autism spectrum within their
settings. Enabling environments through making reasonable adjustments is a statutory
obligation in disability law and leadership and management, including the governing
body, must ensure that this is applied to autistic CYP. They have a responsibility to estab-
lish an inclusive culture and ethos towards autism through influencing the attitudes and
beliefs of staff, CYP, their families and the wider community. For example, delivering a
whole school assembly on autism, inviting autistic speakers to present, or creating a lead
practitioner role to lead and co-ordinate autism support across their setting. Having high
expectations for all learners and a strong commitment to equal opportunities means
that leadership and management enable staff to proactively meet the needs of autistic
through making reasonable adjustments in their practice. This requires a commitment to
an ongoing programme of CPD so that staff, including themselves and governors, have
the appropriate skills and knowledge to support CYP on the autism spectrum.
To ensure that actions are integrated, sustained and monitored for impact, it is important
that a commitment to addressing the needs of autistic CYP is referenced within improve-
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ment plans, policies and practice. For example, leaders and managers can use the AET
Standards to identify areas of good autism practice and areas that require development
and then use this information as part of the development plan or Equality Duty objectives
for their setting. Specific consideration must be given to the management and reduction
of exclusions. Leaders and governing bodies must be aware of the different forms of
disability discrimination and their setting’s legal duties under the Equality Act (2014). For
example, sharing and discussing the AET’s ‘Guide to help Governing Bodies comply with
equality law when considering a Headteacher’s decision to exclude an autistic pupil’ at
a full Governors meeting. In considering whether exclusion is an appropriate and pro-
portionate measure and whether alternatives have been explored, they must understand
how autism affects an individual CYP (including levels of anxiety and stress) and whether
reasonable adjustments have been made to support them.
SEND Code of Practice recommends
“The leaders of Early Years settings, Schools and Colleges should establish and maintain
a culture of high expectations that expects those working with children and young people
with SEND to include them in all the opportunities available to other children and young
people so they can achieve well. There is a significant overlap between children and
young people with SEN and those with disabilities and many such children and young
people are covered by both SEN and equality legislation.” (p.27).
Links to the Teacher Standards
The Teachers’ Standards set a clear baseline of expectations for the professional practice
and conduct of teachers and define the minimum level of practice expected of teachers
in England. Leadership and management should use the Teachers’ Standards to improve
standards of teaching, by setting minimum expectations and assessing performance
against them.
Key question for practitioners
How does the leadership and management team promote and support the inclusion
of children and young people on the autism spectrum?
Links to the AET Standards and Competency Frameworks
Early Years
– see the AET Early Years Competency Framework for staff working in Early Years which
sets out the knowledge and skills needed by staff when working with autistic CYP
Schools 5 to 16
– see the AET Schools Competency Framework for staff working with CYP 5 to 16 years
which sets out the knowledge and skills needed by teaching staff when working with
autistic CYP
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Post-16
– see the AET Post-16 Competency Framework for staff working with CYP 16 to 25 years
which sets out the knowledge and skills needed by teaching staff when working with
autistic CYP
Links to the Case Studies
Case study A: The setting is a mainstream primary school and details are given on how
a whole school consensus was developed on how to understand and communicate with
a very anxious 8-year old autistic boy.
Case study B: The setting is a mainstream academy for children aged 3 to 11 years.
Senior staff maintain that it is the people and practice that have to change (and not the
pupils) and illustrations are given on how they aim to achieve this.
Case study E: The setting is a mainstream secondary school for pupils aged 11 to
16. The SENCo and Director of Curriculum support, Gareth Morewood, has developed
many links with professionals and researchers outside the school to inform and enhance
practice and inclusion. In a similar way, Sarah Parsons and colleagues at the University
of Southampton have set up a network of practitioners and researchers which aims to
improve the flow of ideas between the two groups (Parsons and Kovshoff, 2019).
Relevant resources and references
Miller, P., Hards, M., Gore, N., & Brady, S. (2013). The Autism Champions Project:
strengthening capacity within and across schools. Good Autism Practice Journal, 14(2),
33–37.
Morewood, G. D., Humphrey, N., & Symes, W. (2011). Mainstreaming autism: making it
work. Good Autism Practice Journal 12(2), 62–68.
Parsons, S and Kovshoff, H (2019) Building the evidence base through school- research
partnerships in autism education: the Autism Community Research Network @ South-
ampton (ACoRNS), Good Autism Practice Journal, 20, 1, 5–12
www.gdmorewood.com – a website which contains resources developed by school staff
and others for children and young people with autism.
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Principle Six: An ethos and environment that fosters social in-
clusion for children and young people on the autism spectrum
Key points
• Reasonable adjustments are made to remove barriers to participation and that
enable autistic CYP to access the curriculum, break and lunchtimes, extra-curricu-
lar activities, residential trips, work experience or exams.
• Learning environments are structured, understandable and predictable. This in-
cludes providing a clearly organised environment, a variety of means to commu-
nicate with CYP on the autism spectrum and an environment which encourages
and facilitates communication.
• Policies and proactive strategies are in place to reduce the increased risk of bully-
ing to CYP on the autism spectrum.
• Autistic CYP are supported to develop positive relationships with their peers. De-
velopmentally appropriate autism awareness sessions are delivered to peers to
increase understanding and promote a supportive attitude to CYP on the autism
spectrum.
• Staff consider the accessibility of the learning environment for autistic CYP by tak-
ing into account potential physical barriers and processing difficulties as well as
social demands of working with or being with their peers.
• Policies and proactive strategies are in place to reduce the increased risk of bully-
ing to autistic CYP and to minimize possible adverse effects on peers.
Implications for practice
Good autism practice means settings are aware of the increased risk of social exclusion
for autistic CYP and have proactive strategies in place to support their inclusion and to
develop peer understanding and friendships. This requires a multi layered approach
based on improved autism awareness for everyone within the setting, strong partner-
ships with parents and the local community and implementing strategies that enable
autistic CYP to engage socially and be better understood by their peers. Social inclusion
requires settings to make reasonable adjustments and to adapt systems and structures
to remove barriers to participation. This can, for example, include additional planning
and accommodations to enable individuals to access and enjoy break and lunchtimes,
extra-curricular activities, residential trips, work experience and exams. This may require
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adaptations to the curriculum or physical environment and in the attitude, expectations
and language of staff. The SPELL approach (Structure, Positive approach and expecta-
tions, Empathy, Low arousal and Links) developed by the National Autistic Society is a
useful framework to consider for the development of environments and for thinking more
widely about what society needs to do to become a place where autistic individuals can
feel comfortable and accepted.
A whole setting priority should be around the development of effective anti-bullying
policies and practice that supports the social inclusion of children and young people on
the autism spectrum. Anti-bullying policies are most effective when all school staff un-
derstand the principles and purpose of the school’s policy, its legal responsibilities, how
to resolve problems, and where to seek support. Leadership and management should
ensure that staff are given information and training to raise the profile of this issue for
autistic CYP and integrate it into their practice. For example, using the Anti-Bullying Alli-
ance materials on bullying and autism to inform the settings anti-bullying strategy.
CYP on the autism spectrum will need specific guidance on how to recognise the signs
of bullying and what they should do if they feel they, or others, are being bullied. This
should include information on cyber-bullying and how to stay safe online whilst recognis-
ing the benefits of technology in enabling many CYP on the autism spectrum to increase
their social contact and networks through activities such as online gaming and social
media. Some settings have a system where children can report incidents to staff anony-
mously via an online site, which is likely to increase the reporting rates. The implemen-
tation of approaches to develop the mutual understanding, communication and support
between CYP on the autism spectrum and their peers will help promote social inclusion
and lessen the risk of bullying (e.g. introducing peer mentoring programmes autism
awareness sessions or setting up lunchtime clubs based on shared interests).
SEND Code of Practice recommends
“Public bodies, including further education institutions, local authorities, maintained
schools, maintained nursery schools, academies and free schools are covered by the
public sector equality duty and, when carrying out their functions, must have regard to
the need to eliminate discrimination, promote equality of opportunity and foster good
relations between disabled and non-disabled children and young people.” (p.17).
Links to the Teacher Standards
Teachers should establish a safe and stimulating environment based on mutual respect
and consistently demonstrate the positive attitudes, values and behaviour which are
expected of learners. This includes having a secure understanding of how a range of
factors can inhibit an individual’s ability to learn, and how best to overcome these.
Key question for practitioners
How does your setting reduce bullying and promote the social inclusion of autistic
children and young people and respect the social preferences and needs of each
individual?
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Links to the AET Standards
Early Years
Section Two, Positive relationships, Standard 2 Section Three, Learning and development,
Standard 2
Schools 5 to 16
Section One, The individual pupil, Standards 2 and 8 Section Two, Building relation-
ships, Standard 9
Post-16
Section One, The individual, Standards 8 and 9Section Two, Building relationships, Stan-
dards 3, 4, and 5
Links to the Case Studies
Case study B: The setting is a mainstream academy for children aged 3–11 years. A
number of different safe spaces have been created and these are described, explaining
how these aim to address the needs of some of the autistic children on roll.
Case study D: This is a primary special school for autistic pupils aged 3–11. The whole
environment has been designed with the needs of autistic young people in mind and
with input from the staff.
Case study F: This is a community all age special school for pupils aged 3–19 years.
The staff make detailed assessments of the pupils’ sensory needs and have developed
strategies to address these. The school is also enhancing their knowledge and practice in
relation to autistic girls.
Related resources and references
Andras, M (2012) The value of LEGO® therapy in promoting social interaction in prima-
ry-aged children with autism, Good Autism Practice Journal., 13,2, 18–25
AET (2018).A guide to help governing boards comply with Equality Law when consider-
ing a headteacher’s decision to exclude an autistic pupil. London: Autism Education Trust
(free to download from http://www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk)
Bradley, R. (2016). ‘Why single me out?’ Peer mentoring, autism and inclusion in main-
stream secondary schools. British Journal of Special Education, 43(3), 272–288.
Caldwell, P (2007) From isolation to intimacy: making friends without words, London:
Jessica Kingsley
MacKay, T and Greig, A (2013) The Homunculi: a flexible CBT approach to social and
emotional wellbeing in children and adolescents on the autism spectrum, Good Autism
Practice Journal, 14,1, 62–69
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Principle Seven: Targeted support and measuring progress of
children and young people on the autism spectrum
Key points
• When assessing progress towards learning goals, data is collected on social and
emotional awareness, communication, social understanding and inclusion, daily
life skills, independence and autonomy (working in partnership with parents, car-
ers and other professionals).
• A graduated approach and the ‘Assess, Plan, Review and Do’ cycle should ascer-
tain the process and quality of the learning experience (not just outcomes) from
the perspective of the autistic CYP.
• ICT (Information and Communication Technology) is used as a tool for communi-
cation and leisure for the autistic CYP and to enhance their learning experience.
• Autistic CYP are given opportunities to increase their independence and facilitate
their transition to adulthood (e.g. develop and practice their knowledge and skills
in a range of real life situations in the community and the workplace).
Implications for practice
Good autism practice means settings that provide a flexible curriculum that promotes
social inclusion, wellbeing and prepares autistic CYP for transitions between educational
stages and into further education or the workplace. This should ensure that all learn-
ing environments and teaching methods are adapted to enable learners on the autism
spectrum to participate and succeed in both academic and non-academic areas. Such
an approach could benefit other learners without lessening the importance, or the im-
pact, of strategies for CYP on the autism spectrum. For example, a whole class approach
to using the zones of regulation to identify and monitor emotional wellbeing in a Primary
school. Or the use of visuals to support an understanding of the order of daily activities
for all learners. This requires teaching staff to take responsibility for the teaching and
learning of all autistic CYP in their class, including planning for the work of support staff.
This would allow more opportunities for direct teacher input and rather than educating
autistic CYP with Teaching Assistants outside the classroom.
As part of the graduated approach, settings must embed effective assessment process-
es to identify progress for CYP on the autism spectrum across non-academic areas as
well as on attainments in academic areas. This can include, for example, using the AET
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Progression Framework to identify the impact of a social communication programme
for learners in a secondary school rather than focusing solely on outcomes, staff should
actively involve autistic CYP as part of the Assess, Plan, Review and Do cycle to better
understand the learning experience from their perspective. This process will be enhanced
through engagement with parents, carers and other services such as Speech and Lan-
guage Therapy Autism Advisory Team and Educational Psychology.
There should be a focus on identifying and addressing barriers to learning in areas, such
as, communication, play, social understanding and sensory issues. Many of these may
be addressed through quality first teaching and making reasonable adjustments whilst
others may require ‘small step’ planning and more personalised support to provide the
structured development and understanding of skills. This may involve the use of specif-
ic interventions or approaches that have been identified as likely to be most effective in
meeting an individual’s needs through the ‘assess’ stage of the graduated approach.
Staff should draw on the latest research about the likely impact of particular interventions
and consider the views of children and young people as part of this process.
A priority should be on developing their sense of agency and ability to carry out tasks
with lessening support from adults providing appropriate scaffolds and strategies to
achieve this. Technological advances have opened up many new possibilities in this re-
gard. For example, educational apps on iPads can be adapted to accommodate differ-
ent learning styles, whilst the number of repetitions of material to be learned, the quan-
tity and type of scaffold to support learning, and the level of difficulty can all be adjusted
automatically based on the learner’s response.
Good Autism Practice means settings have systems to identify, monitor, build and main-
tain the mental and emotional wellbeing of CYP on the autism spectrum. Opportunities
exist to develop and promote social and emotional skills through relationships and sex
education (RSE), personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE), as well as in
the wider curriculum. This should include programmes of social and emotional learn-
ing adapted for autism that have the potential to help CYP acquire the skills they need.
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Autistic CYP should be taught about sex, gender and relationships, friendships, bullying
and online safety, using autism friendly and developmentally appropriate materials.
Continued Professional Development programmes should focus on the wellbeing, good
mental health and resilience of CYP on the autism spectrum.
SEND Code of Practice recommends
“Early years providers, schools and colleges should know precisely where children and
young people with SEN are in their learning and development. They should ensure de-
cisions are informed by the insights of parents and those of children and young people
themselves; have high ambitions and set stretching targets for them; track their progress
towards these goals; keep under review the additional or different provision that is made
for them; promote positive outcomes in the wider areas of personal and social develop-
ment, and ensure that the approaches used are based on the best possible evidence and
are having the required impact on progress.” (p.25).
Links to the Teacher Standards
Teachers must have a secure understanding of how a range of factors can inhibit pupils’
ability to learn, and how best to overcome these. This includes making use of formative
and summative assessment to secure pupils’ progress and using relevant data to monitor
progress, set targets, and plan lessons.
Key question for practitioners
How does your setting measure outcomes and reflect on and evaluate the processes
by which tasks and goals are taught to autistic children and young people?
Links to the AET Standards
Early Years
Section One, Unique child, Standards 1 to 4
Section Three, Learning and development, Standard 3
Schools 5 to 16
Section Three, Curriculum and learning, Standards 6 and 7
Post-16
Section Three, Curriculum and learning, Standards 6 and 9
Links to the Case Studies
Case Study B: The setting is a mainstream academy for children aged 3 to 11 years.
This case study describes the ways in which staff ascertain the strengths and the chal-
lenges of the autistic pupils from early years to when they leave at 11, and make adjust-
ments accordingly.
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Case study D: This is a primary special school for autistic children aged 3 to 11 years.
The school initially operated a subject-based curriculum but realised this was not meet-
ing the needs of their students or leading to success. Staff identified they had three types
of learner which they characterised as leaves, trunks and roots. The curriculum was
therefore modified into these three strands which are described in the case study.
Case study F: This is a community special school for pupils aged 3 to 19 years. The
school measures the impact of their interventions through a series of questionnaires.
Learning objectives are printed on students’ work using symbols and words. The school
uses MAPP (Mapping and Assessing Personal Progress) which is a suite of materials
developed by Mike Sissons at the Dales School in North Yorkshire. The case study also
gives details of how students work is accredited by external bodies, such as ASDAN.
Relevant resources and references
Farrell, S., Fidler, R., Christie, P., & Lyn-Cook, L. (2017) AET Progression Framework. Lon-
don: Autism Education Trust
Henault, I (2005) Asperger’s syndrome and sexuality: from adolescence through adult-
hood, London: Jessica Kingsley
Hendrickx, S (2008) Love, sex and long-term relationships, London: Jessica Kingsley
Lawson, W (2005) Sex, sexuality and the autism spectrum, London: Jessica Kingsley
O’Reilly, C (2019) An evaluation of the Autism Education Trust’s Progression Framework
in three mainstream primary schools, Good Autism Practice Journal, 20,1,29–40
Part 2 of MAPP, the Continuum of Skill Development can be found at http://www.theda-
lesschool.org/article/assessment-progression-mapp/275. ASDAN https://www.asdan.
org.uk/courses
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Principle Eight: Adapting the curriculum, teaching and learn-
ing to promote wellbeing and success for children and young
people on the autism spectrum
Key points
• Staff provide a broad and balanced curriculum that addresses not only the learn-
ing needs of CYP with autism (including preferred styles of learning and uneven
ability profiles) but also addresses their social, emotional well-being, communica-
tion needs and life skills.
• The emotional wellbeing of CYP on the autism spectrum is monitored and priori-
tised alongside their academic progress. (e.g. CYP are taught about staying safe,
sex, gender and relationships, online safety and bullying, using autism friendly
materials and resources).
• Staff work with CYP, their families and other services to identify triggers for anxiety
and stress (e.g. staff observe and assess the potential sensory challenges, both
indoors and outdoors, and consider how to address these).
• CYP on the autism spectrum are taught how to identify, understand and regulate
their emotional state.
• Staff understand the potential vulnerability of CYP on the autism spectrum to
abuse and neglect (e.g. staff have specific training on safeguarding CYP on the
autism spectrum).
• Staff consider how to reduce the academic pressures on autistic CYP when need-
ed, especially around tests and public exams and ensure that appropriate adjust-
ments and accommodations are applied for and implemented.
Implications for practice
Good autism practice means settings have systems to identify, monitor, build and main-
tain the mental and emotional wellbeing of CYP on the autism spectrum. Opportunities
exist to develop and promote social and emotional skills through dedicated relation-
ships education, relationships and sex education (RSE), and personal, social, health and
economic education (PSHE), as well as the wider curriculum. This should include pro-
grammes of social and emotional learning that have the potential to help children and
young people acquire the skills they need to have good mental health and wellbeing,
as well as benefitting their academic progress
(10)
. Targeted learning opportunities should
focus on emotional understanding and regulation across all ages. Furthermore, autistic
CYP should be taught about sex, gender and relationships, friendships, bullying and
online safety, using autism friendly and developmentally appropriate materials. Contin-
ued professional development programmes should focus on the wellbeing, good mental
health and resilience of children and young on the autism spectrum. This will support
staff to prevent, identify and meet needs through effective practice in settings and work
with children and young people, their families and specialist services (e.g. Educational
Psychology, Autism Advisory Teams and CAMHS).
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SEND Code of Practice recommends
“Early years providers, schools and colleges should know precisely where children and
young people with SEN are in their learning and development. They should: promote
positive outcomes in the wider areas of personal and social development.” (p.25)
Links to the Teacher Standards
Teachers must have a secure understanding of how a range of factors can inhibit pupils’
ability to learn, and how best to overcome these. This includes making use of formative
and summative assessment to secure pupils’ progress and using relevant data to monitor
progress, set targets, and plan lessons.
Key question for practitioners
How does your setting adjust the curriculum, teaching and learning to meet the
needs of children and young people on the autism spectrum?
Links to the AET Standards
Early Years
Section Two, Positive relationships, Standard 3
Section Three, Learning and development, Standards 1, 2 and 4 Section Four, Enabling
environments, Standards 1 to 4
Key question for practitioners
How does your setting adjust the curriculum, teaching and learning to meet
the needs of children and young people on the autism spectrum?
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GOOD AUTISM PRACTICE:
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Schools 5 to 16
Section One, The individual child, Standard 7
Section Two, Building relationships, Standards 7 and 9 Section Three, The individual
child, Standards 1, 4, 7, 8, 10
Section Four, Enabling environments, Standards, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7
Post-16
Section One, The individual, Standard 5 Section Two, Building relationships, Standard 7
Section Three, Curriculum and learning, Standards 1, 2, 4, 5
Section Four, Enabling participation, Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 10
Links to the Case Studies
Case Study C: This is a primary special school for autistic children aged 3 to 11. The
school has introduced a number of interventions which the staff feel are very successful
for children on the autism spectrum. These include Yoga, a Forest school and outdoor
learning, the SCERTS approach (Prizant et al.,2006), the Attention Autism approach
(http://www.attentionautism.com) and Colourful Semantics (Bryan, 1997).
Case study D: This is a primary special school for autistic children aged 3 to 11 years.
The staff now use Skills Maps to ascertain progress, as well as other measures. These
maps form the scheme of work for the children. An example might be a ‘using my
hands’ skills map. This starts off with touching textures and builds in a progression all the
way up to writing.
Case study E: This is a mainstream secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16. There is
a person on the staff responsible for exploring adjustments for exams and she explains
her role and what has helped the autistic CYP.
Case study G: This is a specialist, all age academy for students on the autism spectrum
aged 5 to 19 years. Examples are given on the Key stage 4 curriculum which prepares
students aged 16 and over for further education and employment.
Relevant resources and references
Autism Education Trust (2017). Post-16 National Autism Standards. These set out the key
elements of a Post-16 setting thought to lead to effective autism provision (free to down-
load from http://www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk)
Ambitious About Autism (2017) A guide to the use of the AET Post-16 programme by
local authorities, support services and colleges, London: Autism Education Trust (free to
download from http://www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk)
Autism Education Trust (2018). AET exam accommodations guidance to support students
with autism at GCSE. London: Autism Education Trust (free to download from http://
www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk)
Chown, N., Baker-Rogers, Hughes, L., Cossburn, KN., Beardon, L and Leatherland, J.
(2018) The achieving more in college project: support for autistic students attending Fur-
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ther Educational Colleges, Good Autism Practice Journal, 19, 1, 50–59
O’Brien, A. (2015). Finished at school guide. London: Ambitious About Autism – can be
accessed free from http://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/
O’Brien, A. (2018) AET Post-16 Autism Standards. London: Autism Education Trust
O’Brien, A. (2018) AET Post-16 Autism Competency Framework. London: Autism Educa-
tion Trust
Vermeulen, P (2014) The practice of promoting happiness in autism, in G. Jones and E.
Hurley (Eds). Promoting happiness, wellbeing and mindfulness with people with an autis-
tic spectrum condition and their families, Birmingham: BILD
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GOOD AUTISM PRACTICE:
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Concluding points
The way in which autistic CYP are understood by others has implications for the ap-
proaches taken in Early Years, Schools and Post-16 settings. The performance and ac-
tions of an individual CYP depend very much on the context, in addition to their profile
of skills and understanding. One can create an environment where the CYP feels uncom-
fortable and anxious and excluded or one where they feel relaxed, included and confi-
dent where they can learn. The type of environments created for typical individuals are
often very difficult for autistic CYP to operate within. Without knowledge of this fact and
of autism, generally, and the CYP as an individual, teaching staff and others can unwit-
tingly create serious problems for autistic CYP.
These guidelines serve to give those working in education the key principles that should
underpin their work together with references and real life examples from the eight case
studies and published literature. It is hoped that the guidelines will inspire those working
with autistic CYP in Early Years, Schools and Post-16 settings to develop their understand-
ing of autism and to make adjustments in their current settings to the physical, sensory
and social environments and to adapt what they offer and how autistic CYP are support-
ed to enable all those on the autism spectrum in their setting to flourish and succeed.
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GOOD AUTISM PRACTICE:
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The AET schools autism progression framework has been developed for the AET by Autism Associates in consultation with a range of partners.
Project team: Suzanne Farrell (Team leader), Ruth Fidler, Phil Christie, Linda Lyn-Cook. AET schools autism progression framework. London: AET.
Updated 2019
SUPPORTED BY: DEVELOPED BY: DESIGN:
Autism Education Trust c/o National Autistic Society, 393 City Road, London EC1V 1NG, UK e: [email protected] t: 020 7903 3650
Further information and resources can be found on the AET website at www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk
AET’s award-winning autism education training programme includes:
AET AUTISM PROGRESSION
FRAMEWORK
A comprehensive interactive
assessment tool for children and young
people on the autism spectrum.
AET AUTISM STANDARDS
A set of standards from the AET, to enable educational
settings to evaluate their practice in addressing the needs
of children and young people on the autism spectrum.
We help autistic children and young
people to have equal opportunities
and a positive educational experience
that empowers them to achieve their
ambitions.
www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk
MAKING SENSE OF AUTISM
Basic autism awareness training for
all staff within any education setting
(including office staff; governors;
caretakers; drivers and escorts).
GOOD AUTISM PRACTICE
Practical knowledge, hands-on
tools and techniques for all staff
working directly with pupils on the
autism spectrum (including teaching
assistants; lunchtime staff; teachers).
With optional certification.
LEADING GOOD AUTISM
PRACTICE
For staff who may train or lead other
staff in their setting, focussing on
developing good autism provision.
With optional certification.
COMPLEX NEEDS AND
PARTICIPATION
Focussed training for staff in a specialist
provision to support a pupil with
complex needs and aid participation
(including development of their
personal or EHC plan).
PROGRESSION FRAMEWORK
Introduction to the framework
(download free), with key features
and guidance on how to use it.
Hands on training for all staff
involved in setting learning goals
and recording progress for pupils.
EXTENDING AND ENHANCING GOOD
AUTISM PRACTICE
Deepens delegates’ understanding,
including theories of autism. Advancing
skills in developing and applying strategies
to facilitate progress and achievement, for
teachers, teaching assistants and SENDCos.
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GOOD AUTISM PRACTICE:
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List of references and resources given in this guide
Ambitious About Autism (2017) A guide to the use of the AET Post-16 programme by
local authorities, support services and colleges, London: Autism Education Trust (free to
download from https://www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk/)
Andras, M (2012) The value of LEGO® therapy in promoting social interaction in prima-
ry-aged children with autism, Good Autism Practice Journal.,13,2, 18–25
Autism Education Trust (2017). Post-16 Autism Standards. These set out the key elements
of a Post-16 setting thought to lead to effective autism provision (free to download from
https://www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk/)
Autism Education Trust (2018) AET exam accommodations guidance to support students
with autism at GCSE. London: Autism Education Trust (free to download from https://
www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk/)
Autism Education Trust (2018). A guide to help governing boards comply with Equality
Law when considering a headteacher’s decision to exclude an autistic pupil. London:
Autism Education Trust (free to download from https://www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk/)
Autistica (2016). Personal tragedies, public crisis. London: Autistica
Boorn, C. (2010) Parents’ responses to having a child on the autism spectrum: Issues,
challenges and ways to address these. Good Autism Practice Journal, 11(1), 58–68
Bradley, R. (2018) AET Early Years Competency Framework. London: Autism Education
Trust (sets out the skills and knowledge staff require when working with autistic children
in the Early Years) – (free to download from https://www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk/)
Bradley, R. (2016). ‘Why single me out?’ Peer mentoring, autism and inclusion in main-
stream secondary schools. British Journal of Special Education, 43(3), 272–288.
Bradley, R., Jones, G., & Milton, D. (2014) AET working together with your child’s school,
London: Autism Education Trust – (free to download from https://www.autismeducation-
trust.org.uk/)
Caldwell, P (2007) From isolation to intimacy: making friends without words, London:
Jessica Kingsley
Carpenter, B., Happe, F and Egerton, J (Eds) (2019) Girls and autism, educational, fami-
ly and personal perspectives, Abingdon: Routledge
Chown, N., Baker-Rogers, Hughes, L., Cossburn, KN., Beardon, L and Leatherland, J.
(2018) The achieving more in college project: support for autistic students attending Fur-
ther Educational Colleges, Good Autism Practice Journal, 19, 1, 50–59
Cooke, J. (2018). We need an Education. Ambitious About Autism. Available at: https://
www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/why-is-this-campaign-important.
Daly, M., English, A. & O’Brien, A. (2016) AET Schools Autism Competency Framework.
London: Autism Education Trust (sets out the skills and knowledge staff require when
working with autistic students Post-16) – (free to download from https://www.autismedu-
cationtrust.org.uk/)
Dura-Vila and Levi, T (2018) Me and my PDA: a guide to PDA for young people. London:
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Jessica Kingsley
Elley, D (2018) Fifteen things they forget to tell you about autism: the stuff that trans-
formed my life as an autism parent. London: Jessica Kingsley
Farrell, S., Fidler, R., Christie, P., & Lyn-Cook, L. (2017) AET Progression Framework. Lon-
don: Autism Education Trust
Fidler, R and Christie, P. (2019) Collaborative approaches to learning for pupils with PDA.
London: Jessica Kingsley
Gerland, G (2013) Secrets to success for professionals in the autism field. London: Jessi-
ca Kingsley (written by a woman on the autism spectrum)
Henault, I (2005) Asperger’s syndrome and sexuality: from adolescence through adult-
hood. London: Jessica Kingsley
Hendrickx, S (2008) Love, sex and long-term relationships, London: Jessica Kingsley
Honeybourne, V (2016) Girls on the autism spectrum in the classroom: hidden difficul-
ties and how to help. Good Autism Practice Journal, 11–20 (reports on the views of 67
autistic women about their school experiences)
Kenny, L., Hattersley, C., Molins, B., Buckley, C., Povey, C. & Pellicano, L. (2015). ‘Which
terms should be used to describe autism? Perspectives from the UK autism community.
Autism, 20,4, 442–462
Kossyvaki, L, Jones, G and Guldberg, K (2012) The effect of adult interactive style on the
spontaneous communication of young children with autism at school British Journal of
Special Education 39,4, pp.173–184
Lawson, W (2005) Sex, sexuality and the autism spectrum. London: Jessica Kingsley
MacKay, T and Greig, A (2013) The Homunculi: a flexible CBT approach to social and
emotional wellbeing in children and adolescents on the autism spectrum, Good Autism
Practice Journal, 14,1, 62–69
MacKay, T., Knapp, M., Boyle, JM., Iemmi, V et al., (2017) The microsegmentation of
the autism spectrum: economic and research implications for Scotland. Edinburgh: The
Scottish Government
Miller, A (2018) All about me: a step by step guide to telling children and young people
on the autism spectrum about their diagnosis, London: Jessica Kingsley
Miller, P., Hards, M., Gore, N., & Brady, S. (2013). The Autism Champions Project:
strengthening capacity within and across schools. Good Autism Practice Journal, 14(2),
33–37.
Morewood, G. D., Humphrey, N., & Symes, W. (2011). Mainstreaming autism: making it
work. Good Autism Practice Journal 12(2), 62–68.
Muggleton, J (2012) Raising martians from crash landing to leaving home: London: Jessi-
ca Kingsley (the account of a young man with Asperger syndrome on his experiences of
school and leaving home to attend University)
Newson, E., Le Marechal, K and David, C (2003) Pathological demand avoidance de-
mand avoidance syndrome: a necessary distinction within the pervasive developmental
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disorders. Archives of Diseases in Childhood, 88(7), 595–600.
O’Brien, A. (2015). Finished at school guide. London: Ambitious About Autism – can be
accessed free from http://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/
O’Brien, A. (2018) AET Post-16 Autism Standards. London: Autism Education Trust
O’Brien, A. (2018) AET Post-16 Autism Competency Framework. London: Autism Educa-
tion Trust
O’Reilly, C (2019) An evaluation of the Autism Education Trust’s Progression Framework
in three mainstream primary schools, Good Autism Practice Journal, 20, 1, 29–40
Parsons, S and Kovshoff, H (2019) Building the evidence base through school- research
partnerships in autism education: the Autism Community Research Network @ South-
ampton (ACoRNS), Good Autism Practice Journal, 20, 1, 5–12
Priestley, M, Fitzpatrick, M and Swift, G (2008) A year in the life of learners with ASD in
mainstream courses in a Further Education College: lessons learned, Good Autism Prac-
tice Journal, 9, 1, 52–56
Sainsbury, C. (2000) Martian in the playground, Bristol: Lucky Duck Publishing (a book
written about her school days by a woman on the autism spectrum)
Vermeulen, P (2014) The practice of promoting happiness in autism, in G. Jones and E.
Hurley (Eds). Promoting happiness, wellbeing and mindfulness with people with an autis-
tic spectrum condition and their families, Birmingham: BILD
Williams, J., & Hanke, D. (2007). ‘Do you know what sort of school I want?’: optimum
features of school provision for pupils with autistic spectrum disorder. Good Autism Prac-
tice Journal 8(2), 51–63. – can be accessed from the AET website in the National Stan-
dards for Schools and gives a template for discussing the Ideal school with autistic pupils.
Websites
Autism Education Trust (www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk)
www.gdmorewood.com is a website which contains resources developed by the staff in
Case Study E for children and young people with autism.
Ofsted Frameworks (http://www.gov.uk)
Inclusion Development Programme: Autism (free to access at (http://www.idponline.org.
uk). This is a free online set of materials about pupils with autism aged 5 to 16 in schools
commissioned by the Department for Education in 2008.
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Appendix 1: About the authors
Professor Karen Guldberg
Karen Guldberg is Professor in Autism Studies, University of Birmingham and Director
of the Autism Centre for Education and Research (ACER). Her research focuses on ed-
ucational approaches and practice, the training needs of practitioners, and technology
enhanced learning for autistic pupils. Karen runs the first year of a Masters programme
in autism studies by distance learning. She has also been involved in producing a num-
ber of online training resources, for educators as well as health practitioners. She led the
development of the Autism Education Trust partnership school-based training and the
adaptation of this to Early Years. She has been principal investigator on research projects
working in partnership with schools, practitioners and parents. Recent international re-
search includes leading an Erasmus Plus strategic partnership (2014–2017) to research
good autism educational practice in Greece and Italy and conducting research for the
World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) on how to improve autism education in
Qatar.
Dr Ryan Bradley
Dr Ryan Bradley is a manager for the Communication and Interaction Team in Oxford-
shire. This service supports the inclusion of children and young people with communi-
cation and interaction needs in schools, including those on the autism spectrum. He has
collaborated extensively with ACER on various research projects and on the development
of training programmes for the Autism Education Trust. He was a lead author of the
AET schools and Early Years programmes and recently revised the Early Years training
materials, National Standards and Competency Framework. Ryan also developed the
AET ‘Receiving and Understanding a Diagnosis’ materials on autism and co-wrote the
‘AET Parent Guides’. He worked as a Research Associate with ACER on the Erasmus Plus
strategic partnership project to research good autism educational practice in Italy and
Greece and on the project to develop autism education in Qatar for the World Innova-
tion Summit for Education (WISE).
Dr Kerstin Wittemeyer
Dr Kerstin Wittemeyer has been a lecturer in Autism Studies at the School of Education,
University of Birmingham for a number of years. She led on the campus- taught autism
programmes at the School of Education. Kerstin’s PhD was an evaluation of an eclectic
early intervention approach for children with autism in Toulouse, France. Since joining
the Autism Centre for Education and Research (ACER) in 2009, Kerstin has taken part
and led on several projects funded by the AET, including the report on “Educational
provision and outcomes for people on the autism spectrum” in 2011 and the develop-
ment of a Professional Competency Framework in 2012. For a number of years, Kerstin
was part of a unique project in London called the Pan London Autism Schools Network
(PLASN) Research group, a partnership project between specialist autism schools and
autism researchers from different universities.
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Jo Briscombe
Jo Briscombe (BEd (Hons), MA Education) has worked in education for 26 years in edu-
cation. She is a Teaching and Learning Adviser for Integra and is the service and team
leader for Integra’s Inclusion and Behaviour Support teams. Jo’s role involves advisory
work with schools and covers a wide range of activities including school improvement;
school review; moderation; and online safety support and technology. As the lead for
professional development for School Support in Integra she oversees a comprehen-
sive programme of conferences and events. She is also a Lead Moderator for KS1 and
KS2 and an accredited assessor for the ICT and online safety marks. Previous national
work has involved the delivery of the National College Strategic Leadership in ICT pro-
gramme, as well as delivering Lead Teacher training and producing materials for the
Primary Strategy.
Claire Phillips
Claire Phillips (BEd (Hons) and MEd Inclusion and Autism) has worked in education for
33 years and is South Gloucestershire’s Local Authority Autism Adviser through Integ-
ra. She is the Autism Education Trust (AET) Training Hub Lead for South Gloucestershire
and Bristol. Her role involves work with mainstream and special schools across all age
groups, providing expert advice and training around autism to teachers, teaching as-
sistants, SENCos, head teachers, senior leadership teams and parents. Claire has also
trained and supported parents and carers extensively through Cygnet, NAS EarlyBird Plus
(parents’ programmes) and through Integra’s Autism South West service, which provides
autism support, conferences and networks for professionals and parents. She is com-
missioned by the Local Authority to provide guidance and advice around autism and she
also sits on a multi-agency local autism group. Claire is also Vice Chair of Governors at
a Free School for autistic pupils.
Dr Glenys Jones
Dr Glenys Jones is a Chartered Psychologist and an Honorary Lecturer within the Autism
Centre for Education and Research (ACER) at the University of Birmingham. She has
been engaged in research into educational interventions for autistic children and adults
for over 30 years and is Editor of the Good Autism Practice Journal, published by BILD.
She currently works within a diagnostic service in the West Midlands set up to assess
adults who are thought to be on the autism spectrum. For the Autism Education Trust, she
led on the work in 2008 which identified the issues and challenges in the education and
also on the Standards in Autism Education for schools and educational settings (5–16).
She was also involved in producing the AET Parent/Carers’ Guide. Glenys has been a
member of the AET Programme Board since its inception and is a Trustee of Autism West
Midlands which provides services for autistic adults and supports and advises families,
carers and children and young people.
