Educational Resources

 

When James was attending a mainstream school, he experienced significant difficulty with the frequent transitions associated with the high school environment. He found the frequent changes of classroom, teacher, subject and peer group very stressful. “Secondary school can be very stressful for students with Asperger’s syndrome because they have a different timetable each day, several different teachers, and have to move between classrooms. These changes can be really stressful for someone who likes everything to be the same.” (Women and Children’s Health Network, 2013, p.1) Currently, this difficulty and the anxiety it provokes prevents James from accessing a mainstream on campus education. This means that James needs additional support to help negate some of this anxiety.

 

If James were to recommence attendance at a mainstream school, one method that could be used to assist in negating some of the anxiety that the transitions may provoke could be a timetable artefact has been designed specifically to meet James’ needs. It features the location, teacher and subject at any given point in the day, as well as instructions on what to do at the beginning and end of each day. As part of the timetable, a ‘book list’ has been created which assists James in finding the correct books for any given class. A map of the school is also attached to these, with the location of his locker, classrooms and eating areas marked clearly.

 

This artefact would be helpful to James as it clearly outlines where he needs to be at any given time of day and what he needs to have with him, from when he arrives at school to when he arrives back at home. It alleviates some of the stress associated with the frequent changes occurring in the school environment, and removes any doubt about what he needs to have or where he needs to go.