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able to create a co-ordinated and consistent support throughout 52 weeks
of the year, training and supporting staff as well as working with
parents/carers, families and professionals.
• A strong focus on physical exercise: regular and frequent exercise is a vital
part of each day and a core principle of our approach. We believe exercise is
often associated with a decrease in some of the stereotypical behaviours
associated with autism: improving attention and sleep patterns; increasing
attention and focus; releasing excess energy; providing opportunities to
play and for social interaction; and is part of the repertoire of strategies for
reducing anxieties and learning to self-calm. A wide range of facilities and
activities on-site enable young people to take part in a programme of
physical activity, as well as accessing the local community.
• Individualised learning throughout the Waking Day. Young people learn
and develop skills in seven key Areas of Learning and practice these skills
regularly in a range of different settings. Learning in all areas is
individualised to each young person. Each follows their own personalised
programme of learning with activities structured throughout their Waking
Day and consistent learning objectives followed by all staff across
education, residential and community-based settings. Tasks and activities
are broken down into small steps (our I Can statement system of progress
monitoring) and include a high frequency of reward and motivation to
encourage learning. This programme is reviewed regularly by key staff
using supporting information from Prior Insight (see below) to look at each
young person's achievements and individual needs, building on their
strengths and interests and their developing and emerging skills.
• Consistency of approach: a collaborative process involves education,
residential and night teams, therapy and multi-disciplinary staff working
together with specialists and parents/carers to ensure consistency and
enables young people to learn throughout the Waking Day and in all
settings. This is achieved through having a shared approach, careful
planning and a focus on expertise for all staff with objectives and
programmes of learning for young people.
• Information is key to understanding young people as individuals and
autism as a condition. Data is collected on every aspect of young people's
lives - information that enables us to track the progress they make and
informs us about ways in which we can improve this progress and the
outcomes they achieve. To get the most from this data, we have developed
a whole organisational digital recording and reporting system we call Prior
Insight. Harnessing the power of modern digital technology to store and
interrogate large amounts of data, the system provides insights into the
complexities of autism, enabling a better understanding and mapping of
autistic behaviours, which then shape responses implemented by staffing
teams.