Curriculum

Interventions

Here in Park Lane School, we use a wide range of interventions to ensure that we meet every pupil’s needs.    

Most interventions will take place in the classroom with the class staff, although there will be occasions where it will be deemed more suitable to have sessions out of the class with a trained practitioner e.g., AAC/ELSA.  If this is to happen, then the member of staff will work closely with the class teacher to ensure a consistent approach and to support the generalisation of skills .

Please contact the school if you require further information

PECS

A picture exchange communication system used for children who have various cognitive, physical and communication challenges. This system focuses on prompting and reinforcement strategies that will lead to independent communication. The main goal of PECS is to teach functional communication. PECS consists of 6 phases; from single pictures to requesting items using sentences, answering questions or commenting.

6 Phases of PECS

1. How to Communicate

Exchanging single pictures for desired activities and/or items

2. Distance & Persistence

Using single pictures with different people and across distances

3. Picture Discriminiation

Selecting from two or more pictures to ask for desired item. Symbols are placed in the PECS communication book

4. Sentence Structure

Constructing simple sentences on a sentence strip using ‘I want’ followed by a desired symbol. Learners can expand their sentences using adjectives, verbs and prepositions

5. Responsive Requesting

Using PECS to answer questions. E.g. ‘What do you want?’

6. Commenting

Commenting in response to questions. E.g.‘What do you see?’ ‘What do you hear?’. Learners star sentences using ‘I see’, ‘I hear’.

TEACCH

The TEACCH Programme aims to facilitate learning through a visual and structured teaching approach. The methods can be adapted to suit all ages and ability levels.

5 Principles of TEACCH:

Physical Structure

Refers to an individuals immediate surroundings. Daily activities, such as playing and eating, work best when they are clearly defined by physical boundaries.

Work System

The work system establishes expectations and activity measurements that promote independence. Ideal work systems will communicate objectives with minimum written instructions.

Consistent Schedule

Having a consistent schedule is possible through various mediums, such as using objects, drawings, photographs or symbols.

Routine

Routine is essential because the most important functional support for autistic individuals is consistency.

Visual Structure

Visual structure involves visually based cues for reminders and instruction.

Read, Write inc (RWI)

Read Write Inc, developed by Ruth Miskin, provides a structured and systematic approach to teaching literacy. It is a whole school approach to teaching literacy that creates functional readers, confident speakers and willing writers.

It integrates phonics with comprehension, writing, grammar, spelling and handwriting, using engaging partner work and drama. This programme is used across our school (for those pupils that are developmentally ready) and with careful differentiation and individualising we find it works well for many of our pupils.

Attention

Autism

Attention Autism/Attention sessions aim to develop different levels of attention and natural and spontaneous communication through the use of visually based and highly motivating activities. These sessions “offer an irresistible invitation to learn”! These sessions are used to develop attention skills across the school and are not used exclusively with pupils who have a diagnosis of Autism.

AAC

Here in Park Lane we use a variety of ways to support out pupils to develop a functional means of communication. This can include switches, eye gaze and iPad apps. We have a dedicated member of staff to support us with this. Please contact the school for further information.

ELSA

This is an intervention that is carried out individually with a trained member of staff. It works on a specific element of emotional or social development for a short period of time (e.g. once a week for half a term). Examples of things that can be worked on are social skills, emotions, bereavement, social stories and therapeutic stories, anger management and self-esteem. We have several trained support staff in school.

Intensive Interaction

Intensive interaction is used during the early stages of development with pupils who have severe, profound and complex learning difficulties. It helps to teach and develop the ‘Fundamentals of Communication’ which include; the use and understanding of eye contact, facial expressions, vocalisations leading to speech, turn taking in conversations and the structure of conversations.

Story Massage

The Story Massage Programme combines the benefits of positive touch with the fun and creativity of words- whether as story, rhyme or song. Ten simple massage strokes form the basis of the programme.

Tacpac

Tacpac draws together touch and music to create a structured half hour of sensory communication between two people. It helps to create sensory alignment for those with sensory impairment, developmental delay, complex learning difficulties, tactile defensiveness, and limited or pre-verbal levels of communication.

Sensology

Sensology aims to wake up the five basic senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste). The senses are stimulated and introduced individually with two contrasting stimuli. A familiar song is used as a cue for the start of the session as well as pupils being encouraged to look at themselves in the mirror. Sensology is used to support pupils’ awareness and engagement and to enable them to communicate their preferences.

Touch Trust

Touch Trust is a creative movement programme. The programme increases happiness through developing relaxation techniques and communication and social skills. It also improves health and wellbeing. It is fun and enjoyable and is of benefit to all. Music, colour, scent and touch are used to create a sensory, expressive experience.

5 Sections of Touch Trust include:

5 Sections of Touch Trust

1. Welcome

At the start of each session everyone is welcomed as a group. Then individual welcomes are done with cymbals and bells. We also practise breathing, energy stroking and massage.

2. Percussion

The energy is lifted in the session by the music, our voice and the instruments.

3. Lively

We lift the energy with livelier music and dancing. The section is where we are free to express freely.

4. Authentic Movement

Three movements, either assisting or mirroring.

5. Relaxation

During this section we encourage relaxing and whisper positive praise while remaining close.

Rebound

Rebound therapy is the use of trampolines to provide opportunities for exercise, enhanced movement patterns, therapeutic positioning and enjoyment for users with additional needs. This therapy is a methodology, assessment and programme that include individual targets for users as well as assessments. Rebound therapy has many benefits including improved communication skills and fitness. Other benefits include following instructions, copying actions, promoting sensory integration and increasing/ decreasing muscle tone.

We have recently trained 12 members of staff in this and are looking forward to introduce this across the school.

Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy is a session that involves moving and exercising in water. The Hydrotherapy pool’s water temperature is typically about 33 – 36°C, which is significantly warmer than a normal swimming pool. For those who need them, Hydrotherapy programmes are planned with the school physiotherapists and delivered by staff.

At Park Lane our Hydrotherapy pool is also used for small group swimming session, building on pupils’ skills.

Music Therapy

We are really lucky here in Park Lane to work closely with Andy Pidcock.

Makaton

Makaton is a unique language programme that uses symbols, signs and speech to enable people to communicate. It supports the development of essential communication skills such as attention and listening, comprehension, memory, recall and organisation of language and expression.

Being able to communicate is one of the most important skills we need in life. Almost everything we do involves communication:

Having Fun

Learning at School

Problem Solving

Making Friends

With Makaton, signs are used, with speech, in spoken word order. This helps provide extra clues about what someone is saying. Using signs can help people who have no speech or whose speech is unclear. Using symbols can help people who have limited speech and those who cannot, or prefer not to sign.

Relationship Based Play

Relationship Based Play is an intervention for building and enhancing attachment, self-esteem, trust in others, and joyful engagement.

It is based on the natural patterns of playful, healthy interaction between adult and child and is personal, physical, and fun. The intervention is carried out individually in a quiet and calm environment, allowing the pupil to practice and expand the skills needed to aid the development of relationships with key workers. Attending, listening, turn taking and other core skills are also practiced during these sessions.

Sensory Stories

Sensory stories tell a story using words and sensory stimuli. Usually there are just a few sentences in a sensory story (10 or less) and each sentence is paired with a sensory stimulus. The sensory stimuli don’t just support the words in telling the story, if well chosen, they tell the story in their own right. This means that the story can be understood and enjoyed equally by someone who understands the spoken word, and by someone who does not understand the spoken word.

Sensory Circuit

The Sensory Circuit provides a sequence of activities done repeatedly to provide the child with the right type of sensory input in order to calm and organise them for the day ahead ready for learning to occur.

The idea is to start with something alerting, move to an organisation stage and then finally to a calming phase.

Participation in a short sensory motor circuit is a great way both to energise and settle children into the school day. The aim is to focus concentration in readiness for the day’s learning. The circuit also encourages the development of the child’s sensory processing skills.

Immersion Room

The immersion room can be controlled for all pupils to enjoy. The environment can be flexible and changed to suit the needs of the pupil- soothing, calming, engaging or stimulating. The immersion room is multi-sensory, engaging all pupils with sights, sounds, scents and touch. It is multi touch meaning pupils can interact with the environment through touch on the walls and floor. Sessions in the immersion room can be sensory based or academic based.

Sensory Play

Sensory play includes any activity that stimulates a child’s senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch in addition to movement and balancing activities. When your child uses multiple senses to complete a task, they will learn more from the experience and will be more likely to retain more information.

One of the purposes of sensory play is that it can assist the child with smelling, touching and playing with a variety of textures in an environment. They are not only fun and exciting activities but they also encourage children to explore their surroundings and environment.

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