Make an autistic teen successful in the school

Make an autistic teen successful in the school

If your son or daughter is autistic, you have to face many problems. One of these problems has been discussed in the book 'Championing your autistic teen at secondary school' written by Debby Elley with Gareth D. Morewood. That problem is the admission of an autistic child from primary school to secondary school and his success there. 

Let us see how:

1. You cannot find a perfect school

Chapter 1 starts with the topic of finding the perfect settings. The authors make it clear that there are no perfect settings. The authors advise  the parents to do their homework by  studying school website,  consulting other parents. It would be good to make visits to the schools. While doing this, they can  prepare a chart of their requirements and fill it in as their homework progresses. Before joining the school, parents should involve their kid as well.

2. Preparation is the key to reducing anxiety:

In Chapter 2, the authors highlight  that Preparation is the key to reducing anxiety. The  authors suggest to prepare a chart called  the classroom tips chart showing specific difficulties the child would face and which approaches would work best.

The authors suggest that instead of warning the school about the child's disorders, it would be a better approach for the parents to highlight the positive qualities of the child. 

3. Ground preparation:

The Chapter 3 is about preparing the ground for secondary school. The authors comment at the outset that although getting used to a new physical environment is important for your kid,  it is equally important for the parents to prepare the kid for it emotionally.

4. Building the foundations for collaboration:

Chapter 4 is about building the foundations for collaboration. If the information is passed between school and home in the right way, trust can be built on both sides and the parents can prevent some of these conflicts from arising. For this, the authors suggest to be always proactive and less reactive. The parents should let the school know that they should consider them as part of their team and that they are happy to share knowledge that may be helpful at any point of time. 

5. Situations of commotion for the child:

There are possibilities of situations of commotion for the child. Chapter 5 discusses how to find comfort in these situations.  When the kid at school has an outburst,  more often, it's the accumulation of many smaller demands throughout the day.  These outbursts can be overcome if the  child has the favourite thing which he usually has at home. These may be toys, keychains, or any things which appear unimportant to others but are very important for the kid. 

6,7: Overcoming the barriers:

Often, the parents face different barriers. Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 talk about overcoming these barriers. The examples of such barriers are lack of experience, sudden change, difficulty with planning. 

These barriers come about as a result of an imbalance between the challenges faced and the coping resources to handle them.  

The authors recommend that the parents should develop their kid to face the barriers themselves  rather than they solving all the problems for the kid.

8. Saturation model:

Chapter 8 talks about a new concept called the saturation model. Saturation model means simply following the social model of disability. This is a way of viewing the world which says that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment or difference. This is opposed to the medical model of disability according to which people are disabled by their impairment or differences.

The aim of the saturation model is to create a 'level playing field' for autistic learners at mainstream school by setting up practices that make for automatic inclusion. The beauty of the saturation model is that it becomes part of school culture.

9. Is your kid being bullied?

There are bullies found everywhere. It is a great concern for the parents if they come to know that their kid is being bullied.

In that case the Chapter 9 gives some solutions. The authors suggest that the  parents should explain the kid what is bullying and how to analyse the situations. It is necessary to educate   the kid at home to handle such situations.  The school culture and climate should draw the line, have anonymous methods of reporting, prevent isolation, create a culture of inclusion, encourage communication, tackle problems quickly, consider seating plans. and have trusted people to turn to.

If the parents suspect that their kid is being bullied, they should keep in touch with their kid, encourage worry discussion, be mindful of their reaction, collaborate on a plan, alert school early and keep a log and keep in regular touch with school.

10. Does your kid have friends:

In school, it is necessary for the kid to have friends. Chapter 10 gives ideas in this respect. The authors suggest that the schools can establish clubs and activities and be mindful of seating plans.

The parents can develop social schools (in collaboration with school) , encourage other outlets, rather than just classmates, teach the balance model. Balance model consists of   shared conversation, effort, respect, keeping friends, body language awareness and not worrying.

11,12: What if there is a conflict with the school:

What would you do if you are in the situation of conflict with the school? In Chapter 11, the authors give some ideas. Authors suggest that the parents should be clear of the real problem. They should try to adopt a questioning attitude and examine the problem as much as they can from all sides. If the change might actually benefit their child, encourage school to show an escape route.

It is necessary that the parents should translate accurately, which means they should separate one problem from another. The parents should prepare their child for compromise 

The parents should discuss the approach. If e-mail is to be written, it should be brief and writing an essay should be avoided. The parents should not set themselves for conflict.

If there is a disagreement with the school, the authors suggest in Chapter 12 that it should be handled in a systematic way. If there is a meeting , the parents should be clear on the goals and check others' views as they go. The parents should agree on common ground and agree on the solution before they agree on the method. The parents should use neutral language and keep it real. The parents should sum up and focus on positives.

According to the authors, the things which can go wrong in the meetings are power battle, if someone says something and you blatantly disagree with it. The other factors are unreceptive dynamics, negative focus, zero common ground, repressed feelings and blame culture.

13. Saying goodbye to the school:

It is a very sad situation if the parents find that the school has turned sour. But if that has happened, the authors give in Chapter 13 some views how to act in such a situation. In that case the parents should separate in an amicable situation and leave a possibility to come back, if necessary.

14. Autism-friendly school:

The Chapter 14 discusses the autism-friendly school. The authors give their ideas about such school. According to the authors autism-friendly school should have inclusive top down culture. It should be flexible and provide expert training. There should also be peer group training in such school. It should reflect and help the children to reflect. There should be successful collaboration. It is necessary that there should be bullying policies and buddy systems. Such schools have great in-house systems . It is a good principle that prevention is better than cure. Comforts also should be respected. There should be a system  to recognize the different learners and share the inspiration.

Review 🔬 

This book is written UK settings, but the guidance provided will help all.

The guidelines in the book apply to all school preparations whether primary  or secondary, whether normal or autistic kid. Everybody has specific requirements , but the general guidelines in the book will help them. 

The book teaches you how to present your autistic  child in a positive way, not only to the school staff but to the others as well. The authors have recommended a number of books . They will be useful for those who seek further guidance.

About the book:

Name of the book: Championing your autistic teen at secondary school-getting the best from mainstream settings

Authored by: Debby Elley with Gareth D. Morewood

Outline of the book:

The book is divided in fourteen chapters. In these fourteen chapters, the authors discuss at length the various aspects of transitioning the kid from the primary school to the secondary school and enlightens upon a number of related factors.

About the authors:

The book is authored by Debby Elley with Gareth D. Morewood. Debby is a sub-editor in regional newspapers, then co-founder of AuKids magazine which ran from 2008-2021. She works as a freelance trainer, writer and consultant. She has written a number of articles and books on autism.

Gareth D Morewood is the Educational Advisor for Studio III (www.studio3.org). Previously he has worked for 25 years in U.K. schools; the last 17 of which were as SENCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) in a large, inclusive secondary school in the North West of England.

Disclaimer:

This is a brief review of the book 'Championing your autistic teen at secondary school-getting the best from mainstream settings', a book authored by Debby Elley with Gareth D. Morewood.

This is only a book review. The reviewer  does not claim any copyright over the book. The copyright rests with the author/publisher. The references to the book and discussion about its content are only for educational/entertainment purpose

Book Review:

-by Dr Hemant Junnarkar 

© Dr Hemant Junnarkar, All rights reserved