Integration

1. Integration Navigating the System

2. Northern School for Autism Integration Policy 2014 • Integration Policy • Rationale: • To ensure the best educational outcomes for each student, Northern School for Autism (NSA) will support mainstream integration programs for students when a need is identified. NSA will support schools in which NSA students are dual enrolled. • Purpose: • To promote inclusion and ensure each student access the most appropriate educational program. • To provide students with the opportunity to participate in educational programs within a mainstream school. • To provide students with support to ensure their integration program is a positive experience. • To promote transition to full time mainstream school placements for students whose needs are best met in a mainstream setting. • To ensure that all members of the Student Support Group (SSG) have input into decision making. • To support and advise mainstream school teachers responsible for NSA students on dual placements. • Implementation: • When parents/carers would like to proceed with an integration program for their child, the parent/carer must contact the chosen mainstream school directly and inform NSA of their intentions. A tour of the mainstream school should be organised by the parent/carer with the mainstream school. At NSA the relevant teacher will complete the “Mainstream Readiness” assessment. This form includes the following information: • the goal of the integration program • the commencement date • the suggested time fraction and the transition plan • the level of support required for the student. • If NSA staff form the view that the needs of a student would be best met in a mainstream school the campus principal will inform the student’s parents/carers at an SSG. Parents/carers will then need to identify the mainstream school they would like their child to attend. NSA staff members may accompany the family on a tour and/or attend an initial meeting to organise the integration program. • Support from NSA • NSA will invite mainstream teachers/personnel to SSG meeting/s. At SSG meetings the Individual Learning Plan will be discussed. SSG meetings are held in the final week of each school term. • Staff members from mainstream schools are invited to visit NSA to observe students in class and view the relevant teaching strategies. • NSA classroom teachers and campus principals are available via telephone conferences or email. • NSA offers a professional learning program for staff working in mainstream schools who teach students with autism. • Important Information • Parents/carers are responsible for transporting their child to and from mainstream schools for integration. • Integration programs may or may not lead to full time transition to mainstream school. • Students must attend NSA a minimum of three days per week to access the school bus. • If the mainstream school does not run classes on a designated integration day then the NSA student may be able to attend NSA by prior arrangement with the class-group teacher. NSA requests a week’s notice. • If an integration program is unsuccessful or if issues arise parents/carers will need to inform NSA as soon as possible. • If the integration program leads to full time enrolment at a mainstream setting, students must formally exit from NSA. Re-enrolment will be subject to the availability of places as per the Enrolment Guidelines. • Review: this policy is reviewed annually. • Ratified: under review.

3. Mainstream Readiness Checklist • “Learning for Life” • Northern School for Autism (“NSA”) strives to be a centre of excellence. Students are supported towards developing their personal and educational potential, so as to be valued contributors to family and community life. • NSA implements a teaching approach that builds on individual student’s strengths and skills. The educational programs accommodate the particular impairments associated with autism. Teaching and learning programs centre upon developing students’ interpersonal/personal skills, communication skills and executive functioning. Emphasis is placed on promoting social skills, assisting students develop their imagination and play skills, as well as supporting students learn to manage and self-regulate their emotions and behaviour. Programs are designed to accommodate individual student’s needs and interests. • About the Checklist • This checklist is designed to identify the skills a student has, which will assist them as they transition to a mainstream program. Not all students will be able to develop all of these skills. Some students from NSA may integrate into mainstream schools, others may not. Some integration programs may progress to full time attendance at mainstream schools, some students may participate in a long-term dual placement. Some students may integrate while still developing these skills; however, the following areas are those which teachers should focus on and build upon for students preparing to commence an integration program. • Please note: ‘independently’ means without a verbal prompt or coactive support (physical assistance). • Given that the ability to generalise a skill from one setting to another can be an area of difficulty for students with autism, some of the skills that a student displays at NSA may not be replicated in the mainstream environment or home environment. The skill may need to be explicitly re-taught by staff. • When to use the checklist • When teachers are approached by parents/carers as to the readiness of their child to enter a mainstream setting, the checklist should be filled out in consultation with the sub-school leader and then given to the child’s parents/carers as a guide to inform them. A discussion can then proceed to ascertain whether a mainstream integration is suitable. Parents/carers then need to independently select a school and go for a tour and discuss options with the mainstream school, the mainstream readiness checklist can help to guide mainstream staff and teachers from NSA are available for consultation via phone or email and staff from the mainstream school are warmly encouraged to visit NSA to observe the child in their primary setting to further discuss integration and successful strategies that are currently used. Staff from the mainstream school are also invited to SSG’s to discuss ongoing progress at the mainstream setting and discuss any areas of concern.

4. Amaze Supporting Material • http://www.amaze.org.au/discover/about-autism-spectrum-disorder/starting-school-the-primary-school-years/

5. Department of Education and Early Childhood Development • http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/health/Pages/progstudentsdisabilities.aspx

6. DiVine - a community for and by people with a disability • http://www.disability.vic.gov.au/