TEACCH – Treatment and Education of Autistic
and Communication related handicapped CHildren. Despite the archaic use
of the term ‘handicapped’, TEACCH does exactly what it says. It is a system used to support autistic students
and those with any kind of communication difficulties in their daily lives.
The system is used eclectically across both mainstream and special needs school
settings for students who benefit from a more structured learning
environment.
TEACCH ultimately helps students become independent learners. Independence is paramount to success in all
areas of life and is an integral skill we must develop in students in order for
them to reach their full potential.
Many people of determination are supported by shadow teachers or Learning
Support Assistants which is essential to support their learning in the
classroom. However, we can often fall
into the trap of ‘over supporting’ students in a bid to complete tasks alongside
their peers.
Whilst this is important for inclusion and maintaining momentum, if we
over prompt students, they are not learning the independence skills they so
desperately need and can become dependent on this support. As students move towards adulthood, we must
equip with skills needed for life. TEACCH
aims to avoid this prompt dependence and enables students to complete tasks by
creating specific structures within the classroom.
Structures in the classroom centre around the student’s individual workstation. Workstations ensure the student takes ownership of their space and provides the student with personal responsibilities for resources. Screens are often used between workstations in order to reduce distractions with an aim to remove this as the child becomes more competent. Workstations include ‘first’ and ‘then’ trays for students’ work and visual timetables which provide a clear visual structure for the student to follow.
Upon witnessing the success of this system in a range of teaching environments, it was something I wanted to input into the ABLE-ME program at Sensation Station. Here’s one of the workstations at Sensation Station:
Able-Me students are currently engaging in sessions several times a week and building their independence skills through functional activities to build the foundations for a range of indispensable life skills.
Annabel Whitcombe – Speech & Language Therapist Sensation Station
