Meaningful Engagement With Children With SEN 2022 Summer Course

Effective communication in reciprocal social interactions remains an area of difficulty for many children, particularly those who have autism, throughout the school years (Rubin and Lennon, 2004). The promotion of social inclusion in education (Chamberlain et al, 2007) has resulted in an increase in the number of children with autism in mainstream classrooms. However, teachers must be taught how to meaningfully connect with the increasing number of children with autism, for example, in order to improve their teaching methods, and also their assessment tools.

Gaining the perspective of the child may support the development of a knowledge base from which to tailor lesson plans which have greater value and purpose because they are based on outcomes informed by the child (Humphrey and Lewis, 2008; Lindsay et al, 2012; Haertl et al, 2013). The dilemma is that social communication difficulties often impact on the ability of the child with autism to share their experiences. There needs to be first an acceptance that they can provide insight in to their own situation (Dillon et al, 2014; Rosqvist, 2012; Haertl et al, 2013; Rossetti et al, 2008). Second, the challenges inherent in eliciting the perspective of a child with autism need to be recognised and responded to by being as responsive as possible (Miskelly and Roulstone, 2011; Preece, 2002; Larkin et al, 2006). Educators’ leadership and teaching skills will be significantly improved when they learn how to find sensitive and imaginative ways to access an understanding of the child’s experiences, including consideration of modifications to questions, adaptation of questioning style and the use of additional scaffolding techniques in order to understand the child’s everyday reality and individual priorities.

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”

Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa

Course Aims

• Understand the concept of social communication in children with Special Education Needs (SEN)
• Be aware of neuro-typical progression of communication skills
• Have a good knowledge of neuro-typical progression of social-emotional development
• Recognise neuro-typical progression of social communication (pragmatics)
• Appreciated the neuro-typical progression of play skills
• Know the neuroscience of the social brain
• Have an awareness of the building blocks of early social communication development
• Clearly define importance of sensory-motor, emotional and play development for social communication
• Be introduced to the aetiology and characteristics of Social Communication Disorder (SCD)
• Be able to identify developmental delays
• Understand communicative intent and how to develop effective strategies specific to the needs of each child that can safely and easily be implemented