Strategies to support social communication needs and autistic children and young people
Strategies that may support.
General strategies and provision to support from the OAIP:
- Child or young person does not understand or use social rules of communication
- Difficulties with language/difficulties with communication
- Difficulties with imagination
- Difficulty with social communication and developing relationships
- Anxiety in busy unpredictable environments
- Sensitivity to sensory stimuli
- Physical outbursts causing harm to others and/or to self and/or damage to property
- Limited attention span compared to developmental age
In addition to the strategies above which are described within the Ordinarily Available Inclusive Practice (OAIP)guide children and young people may benefit from:
- flexible teaching arrangements
- help in acquiring, comprehending and using language
- help in acquiring literacy skills
- alternative means of communication
- support in using different means of communication confidently for a range of purposes
- support in organising and coordinating oral and written language
- withdrawal facilities provided for times of anxiety and sensory overload
- opportunities for the development of social interaction and communication skills
- staff to monitor child or young person during break times and lunchtimes and have strategies in place to reduce anxiety during unstructured times
- staff to provide support at break and lunchtimes to develop play skills and social interaction skills
- curricular language will benefit from ‘scaffolding’ and pre-learning approaches
- additional access to I.T. may be necessary
- child or young person may need considerable preparation for changes in routine. This includes arrangements for staff cover
- provision map targets will be addressed through individual, small group and class work within the curriculum framework
- use transition support from one school/teacher to another. Resources may include passports, one page profiles, a familiarisation book of photos of the new environment or a file of coping strategies/equipment and social scripts
- structured programmes of work may need to be clearly set out via a visual timetable or Now and Next approach
- there should be consistency within the classroom organisation, structure, routines and space
- the child or young person may need access to a workstation to reduce distractions and enable them to focus on the set task or activity
- equipment for Augmented and Alternative Communication (AAC) may be needed, for example, Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) (direct adult input and support will be necessary in early stages), and/or signing
- consideration may need to be given to the physical environment
- strategies may be used to promote social success/social understanding. These include Social Stories, Comic Strip Conversations, LEGO Therapy, PIKAS and Circle of Friends.
Emotional wellbeing
Here you will find out about the development of emotional understanding for children with social communication differences and autistic children.
Dysregulation
Here you can find out about dysregulation, distress and anxiety through the autism and social communication lens.
Regulation (including sensory regulation)
Here you can find out about strategies to support regulation through the social communication and autism lens.