The overwhelming importance ofhappiness and emotional wellbeingin autistic students: what shouldspecial schools do to ensure this?

Justin Price - Headteacher Freemantles School - Woking

ContextThis presentation does mainly focus uponobservations based on our experiences, however:• It will not be a story of what has happened at

Freemantles but more an exploration ofpossible ways to support children and youngpeople with autism to have positive well-being.

• What do we really mean by happiness?

Roots of anxietyKey triggers appear to be:

• Difficulties with social understanding.

• Social communication skills.

• Reduced ability to moderate senses.

• Lack of self esteem and selfconfidence due to these challenges.

Additional Factors

• Anxiety creates anxiety.

• Parents, families, peers and staff canbe affected.

• Anxiety may create greater sensoryprocessing difficulties.

Impact of anxiety

• Parents / Siblings anxiety issuesspiralling down.

• Staff / school place breakdown.

• Parental relationship breakdown.

• Inability to process and learn.

Impact of anxiety

• Child to residential school.

• Overprotection potentially increasinganxiety and other MH difficulties.

• Reduced participation by all in thecommunity.

First priority

• For these reasons Emotional Well-being has become the first priorityunderpinning all of the work that wedo.

What basics help positive well-being for most human beings?

Fresh Air

PhysicalExercise

QualitySleep

Good

Diet

Interests

A three pronged approach

• Promoting techniques to manageEmotional Well-being (in the here andnow).

• A long term approach to address theroots of anxiety .

• A holistic approach to promoteemotional wellbeing in families andthe staff – across the wholecommunity.

Promoting techniques to manageEmotional Well-being.

The basics:Fresh Air

PhysicalExercise

QualitySleep

Good

Diet

Interests

Promoting techniques to manageEmotional Well-being.

Others:

Build trusting relationships to enableasking for help / advice.

Staff / adults respond consistently to allbehaviour calmly with care.

Promoting techniques to manageEmotional Well-being.

Others

• Deep breathing strategies.

• Yoga, Pilates.

• Mindfulness.

Promoting techniques to manageEmotional Well-being.

Others

• Animals.

• Horticulture.

• Exercise.

Promoting techniques to manageEmotional Well-being.

Others

• Guided meditation.

• Choice boards of relaxing activities.

Promoting techniques to manageEmotional Well-being.

Being able to know which of thesehelps to manage your own anxiety andthe best strategy to be used in differentcontexts.

A long term approach to address theroots of anxiety – Social Understanding

• Use strategies that aid effective socialunderstanding: Social StoriesTM ,comic strip conversations, individualtutorials.

A long term approach to address theroots of anxiety - Communication

• Teach that communication andinteraction with others is fun usingintensive interaction, attentionautism.

A long term approach to address theroots of anxiety - Communication

• Teach the basics of communicationPECS , AAC’s, Speech.

A long term approach to address theroots of anxiety - Communication

• Teach social communication withsupport of Comic Strip Conversations.

A long term approach to address theroots of anxiety – Self Esteem

• Gain the appropriate balance ofchallenge with support to ensuresuccess.

• May need to vary!

A long term approach to address theroots of anxiety – Self Esteem

• Give responsibility with visualsupport.

Promote emotional wellbeing in familiesand the staff

Families

• Support families with issues.

• Offer advice and training.

• Enlist help in teaching as

a team.

Promote emotional wellbeing in familiesand the staff

Families

• Raise awareness of the anxiety cycle

• Model strategies

• Support referrals

• Offer siblings events

Promote emotional wellbeing in familiesand the staff

Staff

• Effective training and advice onstrategies.

• Develop knowledge of behaviour,anxiety and the appropriateresponses.

• Empathic listening / coaching.

Promote emotional wellbeing in familiesand the staff

Staff

• Reduce and focus workload.

• Focus on wellbeing and fulfilment.

• Frequent and regular meetings.

Through these approaches:

Beginning tomake sense

Positive impacton self esteem

Positive impactof self

confidence

Positive impactupon emotional

wellbeing

Positive impacton resilience

Questions