[article]
| Titre : |
Using the special interests of autistic children to facilitate meaningful engagement and learning |
| Type de document : |
Texte imprimé et/ou numérique |
| Auteurs : |
Lydia DAVEY, Auteur |
| Article en page(s) : |
p.43-64 |
| Langues : |
Anglais (eng) |
| Résumé : |
Many autistic children and adults have strong special interests (SI), some of which change over time and others which continue into adulthood. Accounts from autistic people commonly state how important these are to them. For example, they can bring great joy and lead to a positive state of flow (McDonnell and Milton, 2014); they can lead to the development of a high level of skill and knowledge; they can serve to distract or motivate an autistic person when in social situations and may lead to employment. Yet, in the past it has been argued that not all SIs are useful or that too much time is spent on them to the exclusion of other pursuits. As a result, SIs have not always been incorporated or built upon within a school context and may actually be discouraged. In this paper, Lydia Davey, an experienced Specialist Autism Teaching Assistant, describes a means of identifying a child's special interests and then links these to the curriculum to aid differentiation. She creates an SI map for three children and explores the views of staff in using these over a four week period.
Positive responses were given which showed that using SIs motivated the child to engage in tasks, developed their relationship with staff, and, for some, led to an increase in expressive language in both spoken and written form. Davey argues that the inclusion of autistic children is made easier and more enjoyable if their SIs are incorporated. On that basis, professionals and parents alike may benefit from creating and using an SI map and the wellbeing and self esteem of all concerned is likely to be enhanced. |
| Permalink : |
https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=428 |
in Good Autism Practice - GAP > 21-1 (May 2020) . - p.43-64
[article] Using the special interests of autistic children to facilitate meaningful engagement and learning [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / Lydia DAVEY, Auteur . - p.43-64. Langues : Anglais ( eng) in Good Autism Practice - GAP > 21-1 (May 2020) . - p.43-64
| Résumé : |
Many autistic children and adults have strong special interests (SI), some of which change over time and others which continue into adulthood. Accounts from autistic people commonly state how important these are to them. For example, they can bring great joy and lead to a positive state of flow (McDonnell and Milton, 2014); they can lead to the development of a high level of skill and knowledge; they can serve to distract or motivate an autistic person when in social situations and may lead to employment. Yet, in the past it has been argued that not all SIs are useful or that too much time is spent on them to the exclusion of other pursuits. As a result, SIs have not always been incorporated or built upon within a school context and may actually be discouraged. In this paper, Lydia Davey, an experienced Specialist Autism Teaching Assistant, describes a means of identifying a child's special interests and then links these to the curriculum to aid differentiation. She creates an SI map for three children and explores the views of staff in using these over a four week period.
Positive responses were given which showed that using SIs motivated the child to engage in tasks, developed their relationship with staff, and, for some, led to an increase in expressive language in both spoken and written form. Davey argues that the inclusion of autistic children is made easier and more enjoyable if their SIs are incorporated. On that basis, professionals and parents alike may benefit from creating and using an SI map and the wellbeing and self esteem of all concerned is likely to be enhanced. |
| Permalink : |
https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=428 |
|
Using the special interests of autistic children to facilitate meaningful engagement and learning in Good Autism Practice - GAP, 21-1 (May 2020)