Oak View School

Learning Strategies

As well has a highly differentiated curriculum, at Oak View School we also use some specific strategies to support our pupils with their learning.

These include:

Attention Autism

Oak View are using The Attention Autism Programme for pupils throughout the school.

Attention Autism has been designed to help parents and professionals give their child with autism and social communication difficulties an irresistible invitation to learn using fantastic activities and having a really good time whilst doing so.

Attention Autism originates from the idea that successful communication is dynamic, engaging and joyful. We learn best when we work with enthusiasm, motivation and creativity. We remember good times and shared experiences.

The Attention Autism approach provides the child with an experience worth communicating about. We need to make our interactions irresistible!

At Oak View, Claire Moore is a licensed Advanced Practitioner who trains and guides staff in delivering the programme, ensuring that we have a high quality session.

PRICE (Protecting Rights In a Caring Environment) and TPP ( Trauma Perceptive Practice)

At the core of PRICE is the concept that challenging behaviour is related to individual pupils circumstances and needs.

Trauma Perceptive Practice – Understanding behaviour as  a communication. Developing a growth mindset where the adult recognises that child or young person is learning how to regulate themselves, so provides support and empathy when the child or young person becomes dysregulated. Recognising that dysregulation shows a child or young person in distress. We find and develop  strategies that soothe that distress and enable the child to regulate themselves again.

Zones of Regulation

Our behaviour strategies are underpinned by the Zones of Regulation and our understanding of emotional and sensory regulation.

This framework has been used successfully at Oak View for several years. It teaches pupils to recognise their own emotions, and learn how to develop their emotional control, sensory regulation and self-awareness.

Our pupils are taught to recognise their emotions, and we respect that identification. This enables to support pupils in an appropriate way throughout the school day.

The Zones uses four colours to help students identify how they are feeling and level of alertness as well as guiding them to strategies to support regulation.

Play

Play is fundamental to all children’s development. It develops social and interactive skills, critical thinking and cognitive skills, confidence, creativity and fine and gross motor skills. Play allows pupils to learn real life skills by acting them out.

This includes: structured or unstructured play with adults or peers. Messy, sensory, exploratory play. Make believe, imaginative, expressive and constructive play.

TACPAC

Sensory communication using touch and music to align the senses and develop communication skills and body awareness.

Soundboard

Using a soundboard in class is a great way to make, experience, feel, and hear sounds and music. Pupils experience rhythm, repetition, vibration and interactive sounds.

SCERTS

SCERTS   - We recognise Social Communication Emotional Regulation and Transactional Supports to be learning priorities for many of our pupils and apply the Key Principles

  • Developing spontaneous functional Communication  -     Key priority for learning
  • Developmentally appropriate goals and activities that maximize success and independence
  • Learning in functional contexts, using natural routines of the day
  • All behaviour has a purpose
  • Reviewing the role of social partners -  Are they helping or hindering?

We use the SCERTS developmental model ( Social partner, Language Partner, Conversational Partner) to inform which strategies we use with which pupils.

Social Stories

Social storiesTM were created by Carol Gray in 1991. They are short descriptions of a particular situation, event or activity, which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why.

  • develop self-care skills (for example, how to clean teeth, wash hands or get dressed), social skills (for example, sharing, asking for help, saying thank you, interrupting) and academic abilities

  • help someone to understand how others might behave or respond in a particular situation

  • help others understand the perspective of an autistic person and why they may respond or behave in a particular way

  • help a person to cope with changes to routine and unexpected or distressing events (for example, absence of teacher, moving house, thunderstorms)

 

Muddy Woods

At Oak View we value an enriched curriculum including learning beyond the classroom. Muddy woods is a child centered outdoor curriculum offering pupils` the opportunity to learn through exploration and discovery of the natural world.

The benefits of learning beyond the classroom include,

  • Develop Confidence
  •  Improves Resilience
  •  Encourages Physical Wellbeing
  •  Improves Empathy
  •  Appreciation of the Natural World
  •  Holistic Learning
  •  Improves Physical Wellbeing & Motor Development

Emotional Regulation Plans

 At Oak View we value and view all behaviour as communication. We want pupils to develop independence and autonomy. We support pupils by writing a Emotional regulation Plan based on information from caregivers and their family, Teachers and staff who know the child well and external agengies who my work with the child. each plan is tailored to each pupil and helps them understand their behaviours.

This works on recognising pupils behaviours before they reach a crisis so they can learn to recognise and prevent incidents.

Sensory Integration Strategies

 Sensory integration is a set of physical activities that help a child with sensory processing difficulties. These are tailored to each pupil and take place in class, in the S.I. rooms or around the school. These activities help a child become settled and ready to learn.

Modified TEACCH approach

This approach involves:

 • focusing on the child, their skills, interests and needs.

• being flexible and teaching flexibility.

• Structuring the physical environment.

• Using visual supports to make the sequence of daily activities predictable and understandable

Colourful Semantics

 Developing children’s understanding of words and structure through social communication using colour-coded sentences.

AAC (augmentative and alternative communication)

 A wide range of tools that support and develop communication. Including: communication books, photos and symbols, PECS, objects of reference, communication boards and books, talking switches, talking books, iPads, gestures, signing, symbols, body language, eye-pointing, facial expressions, vocalisations. These can be used in all activities.

Sensory Stories

 Allows pupils to access and immerse themselves in to  stories and become part of the story in a way they can understand. They aid sensory processing and support turn taking and encourages communication.

Functional use of language

 Using and developing language in every-day, practical situations and in context. Using language in the community, shops. Extending language during activities that pupils enjoy and during life skills, where the language is in full context.

Click here to view our Reading for All presentation!

Intensive Interaction

Intensive Interaction develops early interaction skills and fosters an enjoyment of interaction. It is based on developing the fundamental skills for communication. It supports the development of relationships and is invaluable at reaching pupil's who find communicatiuon challenging. 

Other  strategies ;

  • Speaking/listening/Reading
  • Matching activities
  • Sequencing activities
  • Word maps
  • Phonics sessions
  • Book about self
  • Bag books
  • Answering questions about books
  • Sharing a book
  • Using the library
  • Braille
  • Personal storytelling
  • Choosing activities
  • Function use of language (Recipes hopping lists, cafes menus)
  • Choosing
  • Music related
  • Listening to song
  • Singing, playing instruments
  • Experiencing rhyme and rhythm
  • Music games
  • Musical stories
  • Awareness and interaction with people
  • Responding to others
  • Lego Therapy
  • Switch toys
  • Social Stories
  • Writing
  • Mark making (art, fingers brushes)
  • Fine motor skills