Autism+Spectrum+Disorders

__**ITEM NO. 1**____**﻿**__ [|Positive Partnerships] run education workshops for parents and carers, and professional development programs for teachers and other school staff, in supporting children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The aim is to improve educational outcomes for school aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. There is no cost for the parent/carer workshops as they are funded by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) through the Australian Government's Helping Children with Autism package. Positive Partnerships also provides an online course and individual online learning modules aimed at parents/carers and teachers. The modules are available for anyone to access, and **pre-service teachers are encouraged to utilise this valuable on-line learning opportunity**. Useful [|information links]can also be found on the website.

Positive Partnerships provides many tools and strategies which are appropriate to inform the teaching of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The program is highly regarded. The Allen Consulting Group undertook a comprehensive evaluation of the program, and concluded that it is appropriately designed in response to an 'increasing number of children being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and the current deficit in knowledge about providing a learning environment that supports their achievement of good educational outcomes' (2010, p. 5). The report suggests that one of the most successful outcomes of the parent/carer workshop has been the improved ability of parents/carers to develop partnerships with their child's school (p. 8). In addition there is 'significant evidence that the program increased the understanding, skills and expertise of teachers and other school staff currently working with ASD' (p. 8). The [|paper by the Allen Consulting Group] also provides some useful background information on ASD in general.

University of Canberra students may also be interested to look at an evaluation of the Positive Partnerships program which was undertaken by Chris Kilham from the Faculty of Education. This evaluation comes from the perspective of [|addressing disability and educational disadvantage in rural Australia.]


 * References **

Allen Consulting Group Pty Ltd 2010, //Evaluation of Positive Partnerships - the DEEWR component of the Helping Children with Autism package,// viewed 16 June 2011, []

Kilham C 2010, //Positive Partnerships website: Addressing disability and educational disadvantage in rural Australia//, viewed 16 June 2011, []

__** ITEM NO. 2 **__ [|Sue Larkey - Autism Spectrum Specialist, Teacher, Author]

Sue Larkey's website is packed with wonderful, practical strategies, ideas and teaching resources to help inform the teaching of children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. There are too many resources to list, but resources include:


 * Tip sheets for teaching children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
 * Straightforward, sensible and practical videos of strategies and ideas - for example dysgraphia (when a child knows what they want to write, but just cannot get it out) or sensory tools for kinaesthetic learners.
 * Free subscription to 'Making it a Success', an online newsletter with strategies, information articles, action steps and suggestions of (often free online) resources relating to teaching and living with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
 * A comprehensive list of recommended resources from early childhood to secondary level (books, CDs, DVDs etc).
 * Many activity sheets and teaching notes which are available for download and which complement appropriate resources (e.g. 'All Dogs Have ADHD' by Kathy Hoopman, or 'Whoever you are' by Mem Fox).

Teaching staff, families and service providers can also register to attend a [|Teaching Strategies and Behaviour Support Workshop with Sue Larkey]. Dates for the workshop can be found on the website. The next Canberra workshop is on Wednesday 10 August 2011 from 9.30 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.

Finally, there are special live chat recordings. Currently there is a recording from 16 June 2011 of Sue discussing **10 Key Strategies for Teaching Children with Autism or Aspergers** (46 minutes, mp3, 8mb). Please note: this recording will only be available on the website until 23 June 2011, so it has been downloaded and attached at the end of this posting. The recording is very easy to listen to and provides lots of information and practical advice. Sue Larkey is clearly very skilled in relation to teaching strategies for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

[|Sue_Larkey_Live_Chat_-_10_Key_Strategies_for_Success_at_Home_and_School-recording.mp3]


 * __Item no. 3__**

This page comes from a website specialising on autism spectrum disorders. The page **__[|Effective strategies for teaching children with autism spectrum disorders]__** lists how teacher's can adapt their classrooms for children who will enter with autism spectrum disorders. As you continue down the page the author then continues on to suggest ways in which educator's can act towards a child with autism spectrum disorders, including the vocabulary used, curriculum adaptations and consistency. The author discusses autism thoroughly and discusses the strengths and weaknesses a child with autism may have- this helps an educator to understand the key things to remember when adapting for a child with autism.

The information on this page is a starting point for educators to get background information on how to best educate students with autism or autism spectrum disorders. The page has areas that are most likely to need adapting to suit children with autism and then has suggestions and further explanations of why these changes should be made and how an educator can change them. The pages ideas are fairly simple- which may be a positive for an educator- they will then find these strategies as the first, basic step in adapting their classroom in an individual way depending on their students ability and age.

Reference list []