Teach First PGCE

Assignment Submission and Feedback

Participant to complete:
Participant:

James Cross

Assignment:

WA3

Student No:
Module:

13192826

EDU7124
Professional Studies 2

Tick this box if the Faculty has notified you that you are eligible for Reasonable Adjustment in relation to the
marking of this assignment. Please note that action will be taken under the Universitys Student Disciplinary
Procedure against any student making a false claim for Reasonable Adjustments.
Declaration: by submitting this assignment via Moodle or otherwise, I confirm that I have read and understood the
Universitys guidance on plagiarism and cheating. I confirm that this assignment is my own work (or, in the case of a
group submission, that it is the result of joint work undertaken by members of the group that I represent) and that it
contains no unreferenced material from another source. I also confirm that I have kept an electronic copy of this
assignment and will and will give this copy to the University if required. I will also retain my copy of this form and I
understand that I and/or members of my group may be subject to disciplinary action if an allegation of academic
misconduct is upheld in relation to this assessment.

Marker(s) to complete:

First Markers Comments:

Strengths of the work:

How this work might be improved:

Page 1 of 24

Quality of Written English:

Spelling
errors

Grammatical
errors

Inaccurate
punctuation

Structure not
coherent

Tick if overall standard

of literacy causes concern

Colloquial style inappropriate for

academic work

If the final box has been ticked you should arrange a consultation with a member of staff from the Centre for
Academic Success via [email protected]
Markers Name:
Date:

Provisional Mark Awarded:

%
Note: Marks may be moderated either up
or down by the examination board.

Moderator or Second Markers Comments:

Name:

Date:

Page 2 of 24

WA2 Assessment Criteria

(0%-49%)

(50%-59%)

(60%-69%)

(70%-79%)

(80%-100%)

Learning Outcome 1

Assessment Criterion: Critically analyse the provision provided by your school and external agencies in
supporting groups of identified pupils with specific educational needs.
Analysis of the
provision provided by
your school and
supporting agencies is
either not established
or demonstrates
misunderstandings.

You provide an
adequate discussion
detailing the
provision provided by
your school and
supporting agencies.

Critical analysis of the

provision provided by
your school and
supporting agencies is
relevant establishing
logical links with your
curriculum area.

Critical analysis of the

provision provided by
your school and
supporting agencies is
intelligent and fully
justified with direct and
purposeful links with
your curriculum area
and your own
classroom practice.

Critical analysis of the

provision provided by your
school and supporting
agencies is insightful yet
sensitive to the subject issue.
Inferences from your
curriculum area and own
classroom practice support
critical analysis.

Assessment Criterion: Critically appraise relevant theory and literature to provide an analysis of pedagogies
Learning Outcome 2

and related strategies that support identified pupils with specific educational needs to make progress.
Your background
reading and research
is inadequate or
demonstrates
misunderstandings.
Understanding of
pedagogies is
inadequate.

You analyse some

theory and literature
and show an
adequate
understanding of
pedagogies.

Your critical analysis of

theory and literature is
relevant to supporting
your understanding of
specific educational
needs. Relevant
pedagogies that
support identified
pupils to make
progress are critically
analysed.

Your critical analysis

demonstrates an
intelligent
understanding of
theory and literature
and supports your
understanding of
specific educational
needs. Pedagogies
and related strategies
that you engage with
are linked critically and
purposefully to your
own practice.

Your critical analysis

demonstrates a perceptive, in
depth understanding of theory
and literature and supports
your understanding of specific
educational needs.
Pedagogies and related
strategies that you engage
with are purposefully linked to
your own practice with
inference, originality and
sensitivity.

3 ome Outc ning Lear

Assessment Criterion: Reflect on and evaluate the impact of theory and related pedagogy on your own
classroom practice and the progress made by identified pupils with specific educational needs (including pupil
progress data).
Your evaluation of
classroom practice and
pupil progress is
inadequate.
Consideration of the
impact of a theory and
related pedagogies is
inadequate.

Your evaluation of
classroom practice
and pupil progress is
evidenced and
includes data.
Discussion of the
impact of theory and
related pedagogies is
adequate.

Your evaluation of
classroom practice and
pupil progress is
supported with relevant
data. The impact of
theory and related
pedagogies is critically
analysed logically and
with relevance.

Your evaluation of
classroom practice and
pupil progress is
supported with relevant
data, which is applied
intelligently to justify
the critical analysis of
theory and related
pedagogies.

Your evaluation of classroom

practice and pupil progress is
supported with relevant data
which has been further
analysed to provide
perceptive insights into the
impact of theory and related
pedagogies.

Assessment Criterion: Evaluate your own developmental needs in supporting pupils with specific educational

me 4 Outco ng Learni

needs. Provide action points for your own professional development and classroom practice.
Your consideration of
your own
developmental needs
is inadequate. Action
points are either not
proposed or not
supported by reading.

Evaluation of your
own developmental
needs and classroom
practice is adequate.
Some action points
are proposed based
on theory, pedagogy
and the provision
provided by your
school.

Evaluation of your own

developmental needs
and classroom practice
is focussed. Action
points are justified
based on theory,
pedagogy and the
provision provided by
your school.

Evaluation of your own

developmental needs
and classroom practice
is intelligently linked to
theory, pedagogy and
the provision provided
by your school. Action
points are purposeful
and justified with
reasoning, based on
conclusions drawn
from classroom
practice. The
application of action
points is made clear.

Evaluation of your own

developmental needs and
classroom practice is
perceptive. Innovative action
points are sensitively justified
and inferred from conclusions
drawn from classroom
practice. The application of
action points is methodical,
exercising initiative in
developing your own
knowledge.

Page 3 of 24

Key
Learning Outcome 5

Inadequate
Adequately
Relevant
Intelligent
Perceptive
Lacking the required Acceptable or
Directly connected
Applying knowledge Analysing theory and
quality, or analysis is satisfactory
to the subject issue with reasoning,
practice with inference,
insufficient and
although not the
and used logically
showing the ability
originality and innovation
irrelevant.
most relevant.
and clearly to
to grasp abstract
whilst showing sensitivity
Assessment Criterion: Demonstrate secure academic writing and communication skills, to include structure and
organisation, compliance with length requirements, technical accuracy and appropriate referencing.
You do not
demonstrate
adequately the
techniques of
academic writing with
particular reference to
communication,
structure or
referencing.

You demonstrate
adequately the
techniques of
academic writing with
particular reference
to communication,
structure or
referencing.

You demonstrate
relevant techniques of
academic writing with
particular reference to
communication,
structure or
referencing.

You demonstrate
effective and
accomplished
techniques of
academic writing with
particular reference to
communication,
structure or
referencing.

You demonstrate proficient

and advanced techniques of
academic writing with
particular reference to
communication, structure or
referencing.

Page 4 of 24

Assignment Submission:
Autism - An Introduction
Autism has been described as a lifelong learning disorder which is diagnosed in those who display a
particular pattern of behavioural characteristics. (Cooper, 1994) Those with autism typically fail in the
development of peer relationships and are impaired in their capacity to regulate social interaction within
school. Typical behaviours of those with autism include the development of narrow or unusual interests as
well as a resistance to changes and routines. It takes an undoubtedly vigorous and determined effort in the
classroom to provide the dose of structure that a child with autism requires. To successfully provide the
reasonable adjustments stipulated in statute1 for the students in this study, the quintessential
understanding has to be that every child presenting with an autism spectrum disorder is unique and will
therefore learn in different ways.
Both of the students I will be investigating are taken from a top set year 9 class, and as such, can be
classed as high-functioning despite requiring additional support, and have KS2 levels and data that
demonstrate this. (See appendix 1) Student A has not yet received a diagnosis of autism, but autistic traits
have been noticed in his behaviour and he is currently awaiting diagnosis. Student B has received a
diagnosis of Asperger syndrome, which Happe (1994) identifies as a high-functioning autism that does not
involve delayed language development.
Student A - Behavioural Profile.
Student A is arguably one of the most socially troubled students in School X. I chose to place a focus on
him for the purposes of this essay due to the nature of the interventions I have had to put in place to
accommodate his behaviour and his struggle to accept his condition and come to terms with his own needs.
He finds it difficult to avoid distractions and focus his attention on learning, which makes his behaviour
challenging. Von Harn (2013) argues that while inhibition or impulse control is required to prevent
distraction, and to keep a child focussed on the appropriate task or step, children with autism might
understand rules, but they cant abide by them, because they do not have the necessary control to
overcome their desire to access their preferred item or activity. This has been the main challenge with
student A, whose behaviour has also been affected by family grievances.
Student A fast became the most time-consuming student in my care, and I have been involved in numerous
intervention meetings, phone calls and communications with the pastoral team on his behalf. His activity in
my lessons has stimulated frequent debate and discussion with my subject mentor (teacher A), during
which we devised coping strategies that we could use to nullify his behaviour, which has frequently proved
detrimental to my classess academic progress.
Examples of his behaviour included talking over me when I want to get silence, completely ignoring my
instructions and doing the opposite of what I ask of him; flat out refusal to complete work or follow clear
instructions about work; stealing peoples equipment; turning off students laptops when they havent saved
their work; emotional withdrawal and apathetic behaviour towards any task set; refusal to stay behind for
detention; throwing students exercise books behind my cupboards and fighting. While these examples all

1
The Equality Act 2010 - An education provider has a duty to make reasonable adjustments to make sure
disabled students are not discriminated against.
Page 5 of 24

differ, a unifying factor is that whatever form student As disruption takes, it originates with initial and
perpetuating conflict with myself. Schindler (2008) notes that it is a teachers duty to provide students with
the skills, knowledge and dispositions to process (conflict) effectively to create a functional, democratic
classroom. Thus, with this goal at the forefront of my targeted interventions, I aimed to investigate the root
causes of student As behaviour, using self-reflection to adapt my teaching to student As needs, modelling
constructive, clear, rational and positive behaviours in the classroom.
Initially, my strategy was to sit student A at the front of the class, denying him an audience for his
behaviours and allowing myself ample opportunity to monitor conflict and resistance to learning while
providing appropriate support. However, reseating student A proved exceedingly difficult, and the strategy I
had put in place - relocating him to work next to higher achieving students in the hope that he would follow
their robust example - backfired. Such was the nature and extent of the disturbances he caused in lessons,
the parents of students sat next to student A would make complaints to me and request student A be
relocated.
The second and most recent strategy I implemented was sitting student A at the back of the classroom.
This had its advantages in that he became less attention seeking and felt less pressured. His behaviour
improved, which meant that he placed less demands on my teaching time. However, because I was not
watching him continually, I found that he was becoming more and more apathetic and withdrawn in class,
content to sit at the back with his head down on the desk, being unproductive. No matter how much time I
dedicated to intervening in lessons, he would simply refuse to get on task. I was worried that other
members of the class (particularly those lacking in motivation) would pick up on this and begin to think that
this was acceptable. Indeed, the overriding discernable impact of student A in lessons - as discussed with
my fellow Teach First first year (teacher B) who also teaches him - is that he perpetually lowers the bar for
behaviour in class. No matter how a student might break my classroom rules, he or she would always be
able to point to the substandard behaviour of student A.
To counter this apathy, Von Harn (2013) recommends enhancing motivation and executive functions in
children with ASD by simplifying the executive demands of the task within the classroom. This involves a
three stage model as shown below:
1.) Make tasks shorter.
2.) Reduce distractors.
3.) Use visual supports.
With the new seating arrangement successfully in effect, my targeted interventions for this student
would begin to develop using this structured approach. To effectively implement this approach, I recognised
a need for a shift in pedagogical thinking from an approach working for most learners towards one that
provides rich learning opportunities that are sufficiently made available for everyone. (Florian & BlackHawkins, 2011, pp. 826)
While I had been having interactions with student As mother towards the beginning of term, I was
asked not to contact her directly anymore, as all interactions with her were being overseen and handled by
the pastoral team and the Head of Year. While this made implementing a support plan slightly more
arduous, I was nonetheless able to contact the SENCO (teacher X) a66nd the Youth and Wellbeing Worker
(YWWA) at school X, who works closely with Student A and meets with him on a weekly basis.
Student B - Behavioural Profile

Page 6 of 24

Student B has been diagnosed with a severe form of Aspergers, which affects how he processes the
world in the classroom. Rozsca postulates that people with Aspergers have enormous difficulty functioning
in social situations, especially when it comes to abiding by the unspoken rules of etiquette . Indeed,
student B finds it difficult to contribute constructively during group work. He also struggles to gauge how to
tackle tasks independently process tasks unless they are clearly set out for him.
This rigidity in thought is particularly apparent in the classroom context. Where student A is
behaviourally taxing, confident in front of his peers and demands more of my attention than any other class
member, student is comparatively passive, withdrawn and off task. This muted apathetic behaviour with no
attempt to seek assistance is a direct product of his disorder and is simple to overlook in a busy classroom.
It became clear to me early on that student B needed a TA with him in the classroom at all times. Last
year, as demonstrated by the SUM2 data (see Appendix 1,) he made outstanding progress with a TA in his
lessons at all times. Clearly, student B is above average intelligence and his work frequently offers in-depth
insight into the flashes of obsessive interests in space travel, science, mathematics and sketching. As
Rozsa (2012) states It seems that many people with Aspergers retreat from what they cant understand by
plunging into what they can. Unfortunately, this TA level of support was only provided by school X for the
first term. Student B was receiving the most support between the AUT1 and SPR1 terms, which could
account for the slight increase in progress. (see Appendix 1) However, support for him in the classroom
gradually became more and more withdrawn, and as a consequence, it became harder to keep him on
task.
Aspergers causes student B to take solace and comfort in routine. Small changes, like the layout of a
room would affects student B drastically and cause him to become anxious. I would also often have to
make special provision for him when it came to watching or viewing content in my classes that was in any
way scary or graphic. This, as Smith notes, is part of the autistic behavioural spectrum, as children with
autism show appropriate electrodermal responses to images of distressed people and sometimes refuse to
look at such images. (pp.490)
Unfortunately, although school policy and funding issues dictated that student B could no longer receive
support in my lessons, this did not change his need for it. Only a year ago, the ASD base were preparing
special cognitive skills intervention lessons for student B to assist in his learning (see appendix 2.) Now,
support is sparse and expensive and student Bs problems have been deemed unworthy of additional
support despite my best efforts to argue otherwise.
Student B frequently demonstrate anti-social behaviours in lessons. He picks his nose furiously and
licks his lips repeatedly to form a rash when he was anxious which would make him very unpopular in my
class. He is also prone to sensory overload, whereby the noise level in the room become too much for him
and I have to send for his key worker to assist with calming him down. His anti-social behaviour meant that
only the most mature students would be willing to sit next to him and assist him with his work.
Student Bs behavioural history and prior interventions were accessible on SIMS (see Appendix 3a, b)
so I decided to arrange intervention meetings with his key worker (teacher C) and the SENDCO at school X
teacher X using this information as the basis for our discussion.
Overview of SEND provision in school X

Page 7 of 24

To accommodate pupils such as student A and B, school X is home to a robust inclusion philosophy, and
considers itself dedicated to ensuring that no pupil feels that they are at a disadvantage to their peers. It
provides support to pupil and families alike to remove barriers that anyone experiencing learning difficulties
faces. In its most recent Ofsted inspection, school Xs SEND provision was labelled exceptional. (see
appendix 4)
The main provision school X makes takes the form of a highly specialised Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
resource base which caters for the needs of pupils who have been diagnosed with AS Conditions. This
facility is run by The Resource Base team, which is led by the SENDCO and Head of Resource Base
(teacher X,) who is involved in all aspects of support provided for those pupils with a diagnosis of Autism.
Clearly, school X recognises that autism manifests and presents in every student (as seen in student A and
B) in diverging ways, and as such, recognises that Autism is a complex and difficult condition to understand.
Accordingly, it is vital that provisions are made to cater to all aspects of support, such as advocacy,
assessment, strategic planning, staff/parent liaison and support to form a systematic approach for the
inclusion of all pupils with Autism. (Dockery, 2014) It is through these provisions that pupils such as
student B at school X are able to maintain unfettered access to mainstream education.
For students such as student A who require more specialist support, school A is able to offer the Youth
Zone, which is staffed by Youth and Wellbeing Worker A (YWWA). The pastoral teams (Head of Year and
Ass. Head of Year) refer concerns that are social, emotional and behavioural in weekly meetings to to
YWWA. The YWWA is a trained life coach and has vast experience of working with students with mental
health and wellbeing concerns. He is able to offer 1:1 support, both long and short term being experienced
by the pupils of school X. YWWA also offers a variety of links with the community of school X, organising
home visits, projects and initiatives such as the FAST (Families and Schools Together) and Time for
Change mental health awareness programme.
Internal and External services accessed by school X
The national average is 17.2% for numbers of pupils on the SEN register, and school X tracks slightly above
this national average at 22.9%. (see appendix 5) As an Academy, school X considers itself self sufficient,
as it does not buy into external services as much as other schools, however, it still works in parallel with a
number of external services who have had specific pupil referrals such as Think Family, Release (Young
Carers,) Educational Psychologists and a number of sensory support services. Both focus pupils are taken
from Y9, whose cohort information follows national patterns in that there are large numbers of SA and
reducing numbers of SA+ and S. The Y9 cohort is made up of mainly social and emotional category. (See
appendix 6) (SEN Whole School Overview, Oct 2004)
Provision for student A
Student A is an example of a pupil at school X who has needed to take advantage of both internal and
external provisions. After interviewing the YWWA at school X, I discovered that student A works with him
once a week for an hour, a period in which they review the challenges he faces on a weekly basis particularly those to do with the core subjects of maths, English and science.
Additionally, when student A receives the most severe sanction or a red card which causes him to be
removed from lessons, he will be referred to the YWWA, who does what he calls reflection work with
student A. This will typically involve discussing his problems while doing something that he enjoys, such as
playing or discussing football, or playing pool. At this stage of the interview, I alluded to a potential
Page 8 of 24

discrepancy here, in that the school sanction system could potentially be seen as being undermined. I
asked whether the YWWA thought that this allowance transformed the red card into an incentive rather
than a deterrent. Indeed, teacher B2 expressed the opinion that student A would often attempt to get as
many sanctions as possible during school hours in order to prolong his time at school with the pastoral
team so he didnt have to return home. The YWWA responded to my concerns by explaining student As
situation, in that a great deal of his behavioural issues are caused by a self-realisation of being different to
his peers. Student A is discovering his disability and mental impairment at a far later age than is usual, and
he is struggling to cope with this.
Externally, Student A accesses the Child and Adolescent Health Services (CAMHS) once every six weeks.
This is a specialist NHS service that the school uses who offer assessment and treatment for young people
who have emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties. Typically, a young person will get a referred to
CAMHS if they are finding it hard to cope with family life, school or the wider world.
Autistic Traits in Student A
The YWWA at school X expressed concerns about student A and made a referral to CAMHS after noticing
certain repeated traits in his behaviour that suggested he might be autistic. These traits included a
hypersensitivity to the slightest noise, which has led to special provision being made for him in class in that
he is permitted to wear earphones while he works. When analysing this symptom, a useful parallel can be
drawn between student A and the autistic writer ONeill (1999) who said I am both hyper-emotional and
hyper-sensory. To me, everything is acutely heightened, and I also have extremely intense emotions. (p.24)
She added that It is highly difficult to hide anything from them (people with autism.) They detect the
emotions of other people. Often they reflect the emotions of others, so care must be taken to work on
keeping the home atmosphere positive, loving and balanced. (p. 42)
Indeed, it was Markram, Rinaldi and Markram (2007) who introduced the intense world hypothesis of
autism. They viewed hyper functionality as the hallmark of autism, and this is a trait that both student A and
B share. impaired social interactions and withdrawal may not be the result of a lack of compassionor lack
of emotionality, but quite to the contrary a result of an intensely if not painfully aversively perceived
environment. (p.90) They also argued that the amygdala in the autistic individual may be hyper-reactive
which leads to rapid excessive responses to socio-emotional stimuli. (p.91)
An additional trait that was apparent (similar to student B) was a strict adherence to routines. I learnt after
an intervention meeting between the YWWA, the HOY and my HOD, that if student A does not complete a
piece of work in the lesson prior to mine, it makes it very difficult for him to start any English work. His mind
was still on the incomplete piece of work from the previous lesson. This makes him feel as though he simply
cannot start the work, which in turn leads him down a path of misbehaviour.
Outside of school life, an example I discussed with the YWWA was student As obsession with Aston Villa
and anything vaguely football related. He enjoys playing the video game FIFA 15 at home, and is allowed
three hours of online gameplay per night, typically between the hours of 17:30 and 20:30. On one particular
evening, the connection went off for three hours and came back on at 21:00. Student A insisted he had to
play until 23:30, and his mother and father refused. This caused a triggered emotional violent response in
student A, and his parents were forced to contact the YWWA outside of school hours to help with resolving
the situation. The YWWA at school X is close to a parental figure for student A, and often takes him to

2
Private conversation with teacher B
Page 9 of 24

doctors appointments outside of school and makes recommendations to the family about what is best for
him.
Additionally, and perhaps most obvious to me in an educational context, is student As inability to recognise
anything other than literal meaning. For example, a dialogue with him might go as follows:
Me: Student A, you can do this work, I know you can.
Student A: I cant.
Me: Theres no such word as cant in this classroom. I believe you can do it.
Student A: Yes there is.
Me: Im sorry?
Student A: The word cant. Of course there is a word like that, its in the dictionary.
Me: I know it is, I was just making a point.
Student A: Well it was a pretty stupid point. Of course cant is a word
In reflection sessions with teacher A, I have come to realise that debates and disputes such as these are
not constructive, and often exacerbate conflict in the classroom. Student A is highly intelligent and will
continue to argue his point past the point where it will be behaviourally acceptable. This is one of his
behavioural triggers, and I have since learned to curb any teacher talk that could be misconstrued in this
way when conversing with student A.
The Implications of a Diagnosis
Within school, frequent email correspondence is sent to the teachers of student A, with targeted
interventions designed to make it easier for teachers to cope with his behaviours. (see Appendix 7).
If student A were to obtain a statement for autism, school X would receive approximately ten thousand
pounds of funding (Dockery, 2014) which would be spent on additional support for student A. Examples of
this might include TA support at school. He would also be able to bring headphones into an exam situation
and his condition would become more widely recognised.
Also, he would be able to use the base at school whenever he wanted to at break and lunchtimes. However,
unlike with student B, student As anxiety is not founded in social situations and he does not struggle with
empathy tasks. He is actually a rather popular boy with his peers inside and outside of the classroom. It has
been difficult for student A to accept that he has a condition and so if provision were made for him to access
additional support in his free time, it is doubtful that he would take advantage of this service.
Responsibility of Teachers - Student B
We are not born to suffer. We are born to thrive. If you live in a dry area and your garden receives little
water, you plant plants which like dry soil. But when you are given a plant that likes wet soil, you dont kill it,
you water it. Because you know that little bit of effort can produce spectacular blooms. Teenager with
Asperger Syndrome, The National Autistic Society.
It is crucial that teachers at school X work in parallel with these services. It is the whole school responsibility
at school X to act on the professional recommendations of The Resource Base Team and external
agencies, developing appropriate learning environments and making the necessary adjustments in teaching
methods and approaches. Sometimes the slightest intervention can make all the difference for one pupil.
Page 10 of 24

Perhaps the most striking recent example of a small scale intervention conducted for student B that draws
attention to the needs of his Autism concerned the homework set for that particular week. Owing to the
nature of his condition, student B has a very set routine of completing homework. The homework is set on
Friday, at which point he copies it into his planner at the end of the lesson. He then completes the task on
the computer and emails them to me at the roughly the same time (15:30pm) on Sunday afternoon. This is
an example of student Bs autism presenting in the form of obsessive and repetitive routines.
One Sunday, I received an email from student Bs mother, who often helps with his homework tasks on the
weekends. (see appendix 8a) The nature of the homework task was to discuss whether or not there was
anything or anyone that pupils in the class would die be willing to die for, thus mirroring the intense dilemma
that Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist in the dystopian novel we were studying The Hunger Games. Thus,
the core of the task required empathy, which Baron-Cohen (2002) defines as the drive to identify another
persons emotions and thoughts, and to respond to these with an appropriate emotion. (p.248) The email sent from student Bs mother - explained that because of student Bs Aspergers condition, he could not
place himself in the situation of that particular character. This is in keeping with theory behind Autistic traits,
and as Decety and Jackson (2004) state Children with autismdisplay a broad range of social
communication deficits, and most scholars agree that a lack of empathy prominently figures amongst them.
Certainly his is a strong example of ASD behaviour within the educational remit, and serves as a powerful
demonstration of student Bs lack of ability to empathise not only with peers, but also with characters in a
literary work.
The nature of the situation caused disruption to the routine of student B and provoked anxiety. These
reactive outcomes are described by Davis (1996) and Eisenberg (2000) as including empathetic concern
causing personal distress. In this case, personal distress manifested in student B as the homework task I
had set had left him feeling hopeless and incompetent in recognising or responding to a targets suffering.
Though I had inadvertently caused one of my students to feel this sense of personal distress, the
experience was also practical and constructive, and served as an educational experience for me on
Asperger syndrome within a classroom context. I sent a swift empathetic response to student Bs mother,
suggesting possible alternative tasks that he could complete and excusing him from any repercussions for
non-completion (see appendix 8b). This was followed up by an email from his key worker at school X
(teacher C,) who voiced her understanding and offered additional support with the task. (See appendix 8c).
It is these types of interaction - in which the crucial triumvirate of pupil, parental and staff voice was shared,
considered and focussed towards supporting one particular pupil with bespoke advice - that provide the
combined quality of support that student B requires. Quill (1995) supports this idea, stating that each
students - and indeed, each familys - strengths and needs must be incorporated and addressed in
educational practices. I feel that my practice has since improved since this interaction, and I since created
action points that I was able to implement in order to stage specific interventions for student B whenever he
might be required to complete an empathy based task in class.
Interventions for student A
Following the intervention meetings between student As pastoral team and myself, we devised several
crucial action points which I am still continuing to implement.
1. Before each lesson, I now print off a paper version of the lesson with all of the slides and tasks printed
out in front of him. This gives him a list of tasks to check off on completion. At the beginning of each
Page 11 of 24

lesson, I now place the sheet with all the tasks provided for him in a logical order on his desk, along with a
football book that I expect him to read silently at the beginning of the lesson. This is designed to assist with
student A understanding what is expected of him, giving him a set routine to reduce distraction levels and in
turn, reduce his likelihood of deviating from my lesson plan.
2. I have begun to hold intervention workshops with him after school in his hour long detentions, and we talk
through the essay question I set him verbally. I implemented this as a means to build our relationship, as we
try to break down the roadblocks that were preventing him from starting the work in the first instance. This
includes breaking tasks down into more sizeable chunks and setting out a visual plan for any extended
writing on a whiteboard.
3. Following the advice of his support workers, I decided I would harness his obsession with football that
come as a result of his autism and use it a positive incentive. After he has a good lesson, I decided to
provide him with Aston Villa reading materials, such as a match programme or a poster of an Aston Villa
player. I have also started a scheme with the AHOY and the schools YWWA that involves him having to
obtain a certain number of ticks in his lessons. If he obtains a set number of behavioural ticks, he will be
bought something from the club shop, ranging from a pencil to a shirt depending on how positive his
behaviour has been that term.

Evaluation of Outcomes and Action Points

1. This intervention has been effective for student A. If, for some reason, he has missed what is going on
on the slides of my presentation, he can use the paper copy of the lesson as a reference point. Although
it does not ensure his work-rate is always up to the standard it should be, it certainly improves the
chances of him having a better lesson. I ensure that whenever he does have a successful lesson I
instantly praise this through his support team. As an action point, by April 30th, I would like to hold
meetings about the nature of the print outs, and see if there is any formatting I could do to help him
process the information slightly more effectively. I feel sometimes he struggles to break down the tasks
given to him. Hopefully - if he obtains his autism diagnosis - this strategy will become easier to
implement.
2. These after-school interventions have proven effective and allow me to build my relationship with him and
watch his confidence with English grow. They also provide a platform to complete any work he fails to
complete in class. As an action point, I would like to learn more about student As preferred method of
answering essay questions, as he struggled in the final assessment this term. I hope to learn more about
his preferred method of planning by the end of the first Summer half term, so that I can provide bespoke
method of assessment for him, tailored to his needs.
3. This method of incentivisation is currently working extremely well, and he was very keen to behave in
lessons once we implemented this method. As an action point for next half term, I am keen to work more
closely with student As support team and implement more of these rewards for positive behaviour.

Page 12 of 24

Interventions for Student B

1. Following conversations with student Bs key worker, I elected to use a prompter in the form of a large
whiteboard provided by me. I hoped that this would give student B a routine list of clear tasks that I
expected him to complete throughout the lesson, which he could then tick off. I hoped this would
minimise the disruption to his routine each lesson. While I realised this might be difficult to implement
without a TA present, I thought this might provide a logical structure for ultimately, having a task list
might save me the time I might spend verbally prompting.)
2. Following the contact I had with his parents, I vowed to try and create bespoke tasks for Richard as an
alternative to empathy questions, and where possible, link them to his passions, which include science and
drawing.
Evaluation of Outcomes and Action Points
1. The prompter had mixed success. It was difficult to be specific enough with the demands of each task. I
would clearly write the task on the board, and student B would complete it to what he thought was an
acceptable standard before quietly returning to his doodling. Often, he does not write nearly enough to
reflect his ability in English. As an action point, now that data for this term is in and he is clearly
struggling to make progress, I intend to campaign for the TA support that student B clearly needs.
2. This action point has been successful. I ensure now that student B has specific tasks that adhere to his
needs when it is necessary. I certainly feel that I am far more tactful when I set him work. Furthermore, I
feel the relationship between myself and student Bs parents has improved considerably, and I hope
they can trust me to make the appropriate decisions that cater to his needs. As an action point, I will
endeavour to include student B more in group activities and have him contribute more. I could do this by
utlising his logical tendencies and giving him a specific role he can carry out.

Conclusion
Having closely analysed and reflected upon two stark examples of autism, it seemed remarkable to me how
different these two students were, both socially and in the ways that their conditions manifested. This
underlines the crucial responsibility of teachers and guardians awareness and response to behavioural
traits. Clearly, there are some similarities in their behaviour, such as their hypersensitivity to their
environments, their obsessive interests and the rigidity with which they stick to routines. However, their
social behaviours in the classroom are almost polar opposite, and as such, require me to take entirely
different approaches. Clearly, Autism is a disorder not caused by upbringing, but by the social
circumstances that they encounter. The focus in classrooms must share the same aim: to break down the
barriers between those with and without autism, and to ensure autism remains firmly on the agenda in
schools across the country.

Page 13 of 24

References
Baron-Cohen, S. (2002). the extreme male brain theory of autism. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 6, 248
254.
Capel, Leask and Turner. (2009). Learning to Teach in the Secondary School. Routledge, 5th Edition.
Cooper, J (ed.). (1994). Pocket guide to the ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders.
Edinburgh, Scotland: Churchill Livingstone.
Dawson, Peg. (2009). Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary Executive Skills Approach to Helping Kids
Reach Their Potential, The Guilford Press; 1 Edition.
Decety, J., & Jackson, P. l. (2004). The Functional Architecture of Human Empathy. Behavioral and
Cognitive Neuroscience Reviews, 3, 71100.
Disability Rights. Crime, Justice and the Law. Last Accessed 12/04/15: https://www.gov.uk/rights-disabledperson/education-rights.
Dockery, K. (2014.) SEN Whole School Overview, School X.
Dockery, K. (2014.) Draft SEN Information Report, School X.
Florian, Lani & Black-Hawkins Christine. (2011.) Exploring Inclusive Pedagogy. British Educational
Research Journal, 37.5. pp.813-828.
Greenwood Academy Ofted School Report, 12-13 November 2014. (Date accessed: 08/04/15)Last
Accessed 01/04/15 at: https://docs.google.com/a/greenwoodacademy.org/viewer?
a=v&pid=sites&srcid=YWV0aW5ldC5vcmd8Z3JlZW53b29kLWFjYWRlbXl8Z3g6MmExM2ExYjkyZWI2ZmNl
Nw
Happe, F (1994). Autism: An introduction to psychological theory. London: UCL Press.
Markram, H., Rinaidi, T, & Markram, K. (2007). The Intense World Syndrome: An Alternative Hypothesis for
Autism. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 1, 7796.
Kanner, Leo. (1943.) Autistic Disturbances of Affective Contact. Nervous Child, Vol 2. pp. 217-250.
ONeill, J L. (1999). Through the eyes of aliens: A book about autistic people. london: Jessica Kingsley.
Rozsa, Matthew. (2012). My Lifelong Struggle with Aspergers Syndrome. Last Accessed 16/04/15 at:
http://mic.com/articles/20930/my-lifelong-struggle-with-asperger-s-syndrome.
McClannahan, Lynn E. (2010). Activity Schedules for Children with Autism, Second Edition: Teaching
Independent Behavior, Woodbine House; 2 edition.
Quill, Kathleen Ann. (1995.) Teaching Children with Autism: Strategies to Enhance Communication and
Socialisation. Thomson Learning, Albany NY.
Shindler, John. (2008). Chapter 15: A Win-Win Approach to Conflict Resolution and Potential Power
Struggles. Transformative Classroom Management.
Accessed Online at: http://web.calstatela.edu/faculty/jshindl/cm/Chapter15powerstruggles.htm
Page 14 of 24

Simpson, R. (2001) Effective Practices for Students with Asperger Syndrome. Focus on Exceptional
Children, 34.3. pp.1-14.
Smith, Adam. (2009) The Empathy Imbalance Hypothesis of Autism: a theoretical approach to cognitive and
emotional empathy in Autistic Development. The Psychological Record, 2009, 59, 489-510.
Von Hahn, Erik. (2013). Executive Functions in Children with ASDs. Last Accessed 12/04/15 at
http://www.autismconsortium.org/blog/detail/executive-functions-in-children-with-asds
Young Minds: The Voice for Young Peoples Mental Health and Wellbeing. Last Accessed 29/03/15:
http://www.youngminds.org.uk/for_parents/services_children_young_people/camhs/what_are_cahms

Page 15 of 24

Student A

Student B

Appendix1Dataforbothstudentssince
September

Appendix2ASDBaseInterventions

TwoInterviewsconductedwithmembersofstafffromschoolX,includingTeacherC,TeacherX,Teacher
AandYWWA.

Page 16 of 24

Appendix3aSENIEPreportforstudentB.

It became difficult for student B to contribute

to group work and inclusion was difficult
because of his anti-social behaviour in
lessons.

This was a crucial intervention. I found that if I did

not monitor and prompt student A closely during
the lesson, he would continue to doodle for the
entire lesson and not complete the work.

Student Bs TA support
was removed owing to
funding cut-backs, so he
no longer had access to
these targeted
interventions.

Appendix3bStudentBsSENProfile

Page 17 of 24

Appendix4OfstedsInspectionComments(Nov2014).

Page 18 of 24

Appendix5SENSpreadacrossschoolX.

Page 19 of 24

Appendix6Year9SENCohortInformation.

Page 20 of 24

Appendix7StaffwideinterventionemailconcerningstudentA.

Page 21 of 24

Appendix
studentBs
homework

8aCorrespondencefrom
parentsconcerninga
taskthatrequiredempathy.

Page 22 of 24

Appendix8bMy
responsetostudent
smotheroffering
possiblesolutions.

Appendix8cStudentBskeyworkersresponsetostudentBsmothersconcernsofferingmore
constructivesolutions.

Page 23 of 24

Page 24 of 24