Teaching students with autism is a challenge, but one which every school division will have to face. The Good Spirit School Division is beginning a pilot project with AutismPro to see if the software could help students in the region who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The tool includes online professional development and hands on resources for teachers, educational assistants and other people in the "circle of care" of students on the autism spectrum, Quinton Robertson, Superintendent of Student Services explains. Right now, three students in the division are part of the pilot project, and the division will use their results to test if the software is used in a wider application.
The division became interested in the software because of the potential to provide consistency across schools. Robertson says that while they used a wide variety of professionals to help students on the spectrum, the programs varied between schools.
"There wasn't the degree of consistency that we would have hoped... We wanted to have a consistency of approach, have common communication, build collaboration amongst our teams and build the capacity of our students on the spectrum," Robertson says.
The advantage of the new approach is especially apparent in a region that's geographically diverse, like the Good Spirit School Division. Robertson notes that the professional development is available anywhere there is an internet connection at any time, a useful tool to get everyone in the division having the same training.
"They'll be getting that consistent professional development whether they're an educational assistant, a speech-language pathologist, an occupational therapist, general classroom teacher or principal," Robertson notes.
The need to find a solution for students with Autism is an important one for the division.
"We find it is our highest rated disability in our school division, so we wanted a solution that would build capacity and would increase communication, collaboration and consistency. We're hoping AutismPro will help us with that," Robertson says.
The trial will see it used with three students. If the results are positive, the division hopes to expand usage among more students on the autism spectrum.
It's not a common practice in the province yet, and Robertson says the only other division he knows that is using it is Regina Public Schools. He also says the results have been positive, and that they have expanded from a small scale trial similar to what the GSSD is doing now to a wide spread implementation. Robertson says that the plan right now is to start small and do it right, and ensure the students in the trial get positive results first.
