Interventions

NAME OF INTERVENTION

Attention Autism

AREA OF FOCUS (PLEASE HIGHLIGHT)

COGNITION AND LEARNING

COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION

SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY

SELF-HELP AND INDEPENDENCE

INTENT

The Attention Autism programme is an intervention model devised by Speech and Language Therapist, Gina Davies. The programme is aimed towards students who respond best to visual stimuli rather than auditory.

The intervention aims to:

• Engage attention
• Improve joint attention
• Develop shared enjoyment in group activities
• Increase attention in adult-led activities
• Encourage spontaneous interaction in a natural group setting
• Increase verbal and non-verbal communication through commenting
• Build a wealth and depth of vocabulary  

IMPLEMENTATION

• Minimum of 2 x weekly session for identified students

Stages of Attention Autism

Stage 1: The Bucket to focus attention

An opaque bucket with a lid is filled with visually engaging toys and objects, aiming to gain the shared attention of the group. The adult leader shows each item to the group and uses simple repetitive vocabulary to comment on the various objects.

Stage 2: The Attention Builder

Visually stimulating activities are shown to the group by the adult leader, aiming to sustain attention for a longer period. The activities are fun, visually engaging and can often involve delightful mess!

Stage 3: Turn-taking and re-engaging attention

The adult leader demonstrates a simple activity, often modelled with another adult in the group. Some children are then invited to have a turn but only if they are comfortable to do so. Not every child in the group will get a turn, which then teaches important emotional regulation skills, as well as the essential skills of waiting, turn-taking and learning through modelling.

Stage 4: Shifting and re-engaging attention

Stage 4 aims to develop the skill of engaging and shifting attention. The adult leader demonstrates a simple creative task, and then gives each child an individual kit to copy the task. The children take their kits to a table, complete the task independently, and then everyone returns to the group to show their completed tasks.

More complex skills can be introduced as confidence and social skills develop e.g. sharing materials, working with a partner, problem solving.

Attention Autism principles can then be generalised to curriculum activities (e.g. literacy and numeracy) to facilitate learning and skill development.

IMPACT

Attention Autism results in students being able to develop the ability to:

• understand and respond to a structured, adult directed routine
• engage in an adult-directed activity
• support and build attention and listening skills at an appropriate developmental level
• build social communication skills e.g. turn taking, vocalisations
• remember experiences with an emotional impact (activities aim to be memorable and enjoyable)
• follow logic and structure

NAME OF INTERVENTION

Art & Design

AREA OF FOCUS (PLEASE HIGHLIGHT)

COGNITION AND LEARNING

COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION

SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY

SELF-HELP AND INDEPENDENCE

INTENT

The focus of the intervention is to develop skills and techniques within the 7 elements of art.  This is done over a two-year period to help develop self confidence in individual abilities with the aim of this transferring into the art sessions and projects chosen as part of KS4 ‘options’.

Students will develop skills to strengthen their art knowledge through the development of art vocabulary, study artists and applying this to their own pieces of work

The intent is to upskill to improve art outcomes at GCSE for those who are entered.

IMPLEMENTATION

Weekly sessions which cover all the elements if art.

Students are provided with an interventions sketch book which compliments the work that they already do in class.

Students are provided teacher demonstration time and 1:1 support to help develop skills and techniques.

Students watch tutorials and can further experiment with mediums and materials.

Students can research artists of choice and work in a themed area and medium that they prefer, further strengthen skills and students becoming more aware of their own individual style.

Students develop self-reflection skills.

Student also develop knowledge organiser linked to GCSE Art to help prepare for further studies.

IMPACT

Developing confidence in the use of mediums

Developing confidence in recognising the elements of art and using these appropriately in individual pieces of work.

Developing a greater awareness of AO1 – AO4 linked to the GCSE art assessment outcomes.

Developing skills in critically analysing their own work and the work of others

Overall – sustained learning at GCSE level

NAME OF INTERVENTION

Fine Motor Skills

AREA OF FOCUS (PLEASE HIGHLIGHT)

COGNITION AND LEARNING

COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION

SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY

SELF-HELP AND INDEPENDENCE

INTENT

To develop fine-motor skill abilities for identified students to improve functional access to daily tasks.

To apply Occupational Therapy principles to activities to ensure there is a research-based approach to tasks.

IMPLEMENTATION

Students will access a small group intervention each week.

Student will develop.

• Bilateral coordination
• Hand/Eye coordination
• Pincer grip
• Manipulative dexterity
• Depth perception
• General coordination
• Manipulation of objects
• Range of motion.

Students will access a range of functional and practical activities that develop the above skills and also a range of functional activities that can be applied in the wider world.

IMPACT

Students develop their functional motor skills and apply these to everyday activities such as tying shoelaces or fastening buttons.

Improvements to pencil grip and letter formation.

Increased independence in functional and practical tasks both in school and in the wider community.

NAME OF INTERVENTION

Workshop Skills

AREA OF FOCUS (PLEASE HIGHLIGHT)

COGNITION AND LEARNING

COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION

SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY

SELF-HELP AND INDEPENDENCE

INTENT

The focus for students in this intervention is to undertake work-based activities in a workshop setting and apply communication skills effectively by working within a small team.  Students will also develop their fine-motor skills through a range of tasks to focus on manipulation of materials and tools.  All combined the intention is to develop their independence skills and to be able to make safe decisions in a workshop environment.

IMPLEMENTATION

Students will access a weekly intervention with a workshop focus and medium-term project.

Students will work with staff with good pedagogical knowledge to deliver the required skills.

Through adapted approaches, students will access design and make activities both in the workshop and in the kitchen.

Students will build and apply skills each week and work towards an end product whilst applying communication skills and fine-motor skills during the activities.

IMPACT

Students communicate effectively with a team experience and demonstrate effective speaking and listening skills.

Students develop their fine-motor skills to be able to manipulate materials and coordinate the use of equipment and tools safely.

Students will develop their independence and self-help skills to prepare them for potential working life beyond West Lancs.

NAME OF INTERVENTION

Zone of Regulation (Leah M. Kuypers, MA Ed. OTR/L) 2011

AREA OF FOCUS (PLEASE HIGHLIGHT)

COGNITION AND LEARNING

COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION

SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY

SELF-HELP AND INDEPENDENCE

INTENT

To create a school wide ethos to support the development of emotional literacy and self-regulation across the school day.

To give students access to a robust emotional language based approach to increase their understanding of themselves.

To develop resilience in students to be able to recognise their own feelings and the best ways to manage them.

IMPLEMENTATION

All classrooms have a Check-In system based on the Zones of Regulations™.

Zones of Regulation is a formal part of morning and afternoon routine with students identifying how they are feeling on the scale and if appropriate stating why.

Staff will model daily by talking about the zones and linking to their own experiences to break down barriers.

Students are encouraged to engage with the Zones of Regulation throughout the day.

The Zones of Regulation can be personalised for individual students.  These can be presented in different ways depending on their social understanding and awareness.

Personalised zones should be completed by the individuals alongside staff.  This is the first step in self-management.

Emotion-based vocabulary is used across the school day and reflected on when needed to support the students in real-time.

School Occupational Therapist will support class teams with regulatory activities including sensory circuits (calming, alerting or organising).

IMPACT

Observations and logs of dysregulation are used to track and measure the impact of this intervention.

Logs on CPOMS to build a chronology of incidents with emphasis on responses to challenging situations.

Record impact on Student Support Plans.

NAME OF INTERVENTION

Lego Therapy

(Daniel B. LeGoff, Georgina Gomez De La Cuesta, GW Krauss and Simon Baron-Cohen - 2014)

AREA OF FOCUS (PLEASE HIGHLIGHT)

COGNITION AND LEARNING

COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION

SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY

SELF-HELP AND INDEPENDENCE

INTENT

Lego-based therapy (LeGoff et al 2014) is an evidence based approach that aims to develop social communication skills in autistic children or those who require further social communication support, such as sharing, turn-taking, following rules, using detailed language and problem-solving within groups.

Through the 3 tier programme we aim to provide pupils with the key skills that enable them to access the wider world and reach individual potential.

IMPLEMENTATION

The program is split into 3 stages which increase in complexity.

• Level 1 - To develop basic skills needed for successful communication and Lego building sessions (turn taking, following instructions, shape and colour recognition, prepositional language skills etc). Students have the opportunity to work individually and in pairs at this stage for adult led activities.
• Level 2 - To build on the skills gained in stage 1 to work as a group of 3 or 4 students to build a Lego set collaboratively. Students are given specific roles at this stage (Builder, Engineer, Supplier, Architect). Each role allows students to develop different skills and they rotate jobs to develop a range of communication skills. The focus here is working together to solve both building and communication problems.  Discrete sessions linked to teamwork, conflict resolution and further communication strategies support this phase.
• Level 3 - A this stage, students progress to transferring skills learned to other activities. The focus here is to be able to work in pairs and groups in a variety of situations and to practice using communication skills learned at Level 1 and Level 2.  Activities are linked to life skills opportunities where possible such as cooking.

IMPACT

The skills developed within Lego Therapy sessions are transferrable across all areas of the academic and social curriculum.

• Improvement in spoken communication – structure, detail and content. 
• Increased ability to understand and demonstrate positive listening skills.
• Awareness of the positive outcomes achievable when working as a team.  Understanding the importance of turn taking and patience.
• Ability to follow structure, rules and routine in wider learning environments and the community.
• Implantation of spoken language within the community.

Impact for each pupil is monitored and recorded through reflection diaries, observations and PLG outcomes.

NAME OF INTERVENTION

MOVE Programme

AREA OF FOCUS (PLEASE HIGHLIGHT)

COGNITION AND LEARNING

COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION

SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY

SELF-HELP AND INDEPENDENCE

INTENT

The Move programme sets long term, achievable goals with pupils and their families which aim towards developing physical skills and increasing independence.  The long-term goals are then broken down into smaller steps which can be integrated into everyday life to practice the skills required to eventually reach the long-term goal.  The programme is suitable for anybody who has not yet learnt to sit, stand, or walk confidently or those who are maintaining or regaining existing skills.  By increasing movement, we can increase communication, inclusion, self-help skills and confidence enabling students to reach their full potential.

Each pupil on the MOVE programme will have an initial meeting with their family, the Move senior practitioner in school, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists where relevant and the class staff.  This enables us to ensure targets are a priority to everyone involved and will have the maximum impact.  Key skills will then be identified and shared with all involved and updated as required until we meet the long-term goals.

IMPLEMENTATION

Three long term goals are selected by pupils, the family and school.  These are then broken down into achievable targets using the MOVE manual to support.  MOVE programmes will then be produced and opportunities throughout the school day where these can be practiced will be identified.  MOVE is incorporated into daily life within school rather than being delivered discretely.

Pupils progress will be monitored by a senior practitioner within school at least termly, but this will depend on individuals.  Staff delivering programmes will keep the practitioner updated with progress, so targets are constantly challenging yet achievable.

The MOVE programme is produced by Enham trust.  www.themovepartnership.org.uk

IMPACT

Each pupil has their own assessment profile and mobility passport which is a record of their targets and progress throughout the programme.  Targets will be updated as pupils make small steps which will be recorded to show progress across their time on the programme.

NAME OF INTERVENTION

Motor Activity Training Programme

AREA OF FOCUS (PLEASE HIGHLIGHT)

COGNITION AND LEARNING

COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION

SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY

SELF-HELP AND INDEPENDENCE

INTENT

The Motor Activity Training Programme is part of the Special Olympics and is designed for students who are unable to participate in official sports competitions due to their functional abilities. It is designed to prepare out students, including those with severe or profound disabilities and significant physical disabilities, for sport-specific activities appropriate for their ability and need. 

Key skills students will develop are:

• Gross motor skills
• Fine motor skills
• Kicking skills
• Throwing skills

IMPLEMENTATION

The Programme is usually done over 6-10 weeks, ending in a Challenge Event where staff, parents, governors, and students come together to celebrate everyone's achievements throughout recent participation in the programme.

Programme Structure:

• Warm-Up Activities – General awareness activities, relaxation activities and stretching
• Skill Stations – Activities that develop basic motor skills of Mobility, Dexterity, Striking, and Kicking
• Group Game – A fun way for participants to apply the skills practiced at the skill stations. Also provides opportunity for participants to learn rules of a certain game and interact with peers and volunteers
• Conclusion – Conduct range of motion/stretching and relaxation activities to cool down

IMPACT

Students who access the Motor Activity Training Programme develop:

• Confidence and self-esteem in sport
• Progress with gross and fine motor skills
• Progress with kicking and throwing skills
• Ability to participate in sport in an accessible way

NAME OF INTERVENTION

SULP (Social Use of Language)

AREA OF FOCUS (PLEASE HIGHLIGHT)

COGNITION AND LEARNING

COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION

SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY

SELF-HELP AND INDEPENDENCE

INTENT

Social Use of Language Programme by Dr. Wendy Rinaldi (Doctorate in Educational Psychology & Special Needs)

The aim of the intervention is to improve and raise awareness to social skills to enable pupils to participate in meaningful two way conversations. The programme starts by developing the basic skills of appropriate social etiquettes. It then raises awareness in how to recognise social clues of others and moves onto acceptance of differing opinions, learning how to compromise and being able to analyse social settings.

 After the rolling two year programme has been completed the pupil should be able to have more of an understanding of appropriate and inappropriate conversations and be able to have an understanding and value other peoples’ opinions.

The programme promotes confidence with pupils’ communication skills and friendships. It highlights strengths and promotes acceptance of weaknesses as areas for development, allowing for self -worth and self -esteem to flourish. It gives opportunity to share emotional obstacles and empathy with differing emotional situations or peers.   

The SULP programme encourages the pupils to self-evaluate their participation within the sessions. This allows them to take ownership of their journey, promoting independence and goal setting for the next sessions.

IMPLEMENTATION

The sessions are broken down with a warm up activity, two main focuses running alongside each other and pupil self –evaluation. An example of the two main focuses are eye-contact and appearance or listening skills and turn taking. These are worked through by various stories, role play, games, discussions and worksheets. Each skill/ topic is broken down often in a fun approach to create a relaxed environment allowing for mistakes to be accepted as normal to breakdown any barriers. Each pupil is expected to join in although never forced (pupils can be initially heavily supported when first attending but usually within a few weeks no support is needed.) Group rules are in place to allow everyone to have equal opportunity to join in and pupils self-evaluate at the end of the session if they feel they have achieved all the SULP rules.

An example of not achieving a SULP rule is if a pupil has been interrupting their friends, they won’t tick that rule icon and discussions take place about what was acceptable, what they are going to do next and what is their target next time? There is a lot of peer support and encouragement during this part of the session and the pupils often lead this.

IMPACT

The pupils are screened at the beginning of the year on all areas of social interactions from a scale of 0 to 4 with 4 being the poorest score.  Initially horizontal lines are drawn across from each statement to the relevant number to indicate the level the pupil is on a particular skill for example

                                                                            0     1     2     3   4

Eye-contact with an adult when speaking -----------------

It is advised screening takes place twice a year to monitor progress and a different coloured pen is used to make a hatching effect to indicate progress or regression.

In addition to the visual grid of screening I also give a short  verbal breakdown report to mirror the grid to expand on the information for example

Fred will often look around the room when he is speaking and struggles to maintain eye contact when he is speaking. (Hence on number 3)

Both the grid and written reports are colour coordinated the same to make it easy to identify the information.

The impact on the pupils can vary from pupil to pupil but the screening system is a clear way to visually see where progress is being made and what aspects to focus on in the next term.   

NAME OF INTERVENTION

Small Animals including Matilda therapy dog

AREA OF FOCUS (PLEASE HIGHLIGHT)

COGNITION AND LEARNING

COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION

SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY

SELF-HELP AND INDEPENDENCE

INTENT

To be able to use the small animals across all key stages to help support cross curricular lessons.

To be used for identified students personalised timetables and to support the social, emotional, and mental health of our students. It has been recognised the importance animals can play in helping our students access learning using a more unique approach.

To be able to offer accreditation such as AQA and ASDAN.

To help work towards and evidence the student’s personal learning goals via Evidence for Learning.

Opportunities for students to share their knowledge and take the lead in small group activities.

Using the animals to be able to give the students a range of sensory experiences.

To differentiate sessions to encourage speech, language, and communication with the use of symbols and sign.

IMPLEMENTATION

Timetabled interventions with different key stages across the school throughout the week.

One to one sessions.

Opportunities to allow the students to experience Matilda in off site visits such as well-being walks, rambles, farm, or country park visits.

Weekly lessons working towards the accreditation

Lunch time club allowing KS5 to access the animals.

Opportunities to video WOW moments in communication, turn taking, participation, peer interaction.

Support the curriculum across the key stages.

IMPACT

• To be able to offer accreditation to help students move forward in their transition from WLCHS.

• To build self-confidence and independency skills.

• To help students in crisis to self-regulate using the animals to calm them.

• To teach the basics in animal care.

• To encourage empathy.

• To encourage discussion in question-and-answer type sessions.