Assess

Once concerns about a child/young person's social communication have been identified, more detailed assessment is likely to be needed to identify the specific areas of concern and potential barriers to learning.

It may be useful to consider the four key areas of difference and the communication chain in order to identify the specific areas of language that are causing concern.  More details about the communication chain can be found in Language Builders (Elkan resources) and the AFASIC website.

Assessment over time is needed to assess progress and the effectiveness of any interventions that has been put into place. 

There is more information about assessment from the AET core competencies:

• Teachers identify the key strengths and challenges faced by the pupils in the areas of communication, social interaction, information processing, interests and sensory processing and know how these can affect pupil’s actions and learning. (AET, Core Competencies, IP1).
  
  
• Teachers use a range of strategies to get to know the individual pupil and find out about their particular profile of strengths, challenges, interest and aspirations.  Teachers record and share assessment information with relevant others (AET, Core Competencies, IP2).
  
  
• Teachers find out all they can about the pupil and build on the pupil’s interests to establish and maintain positive relationships (AET, Core Competencies, BR2).

Checklists may also be useful as an information gathering tool to identify areas of concern.  When using checklists, further assessment and information about the areas of concern may be needed to give the information needed to plan appropriate literacy interventions. Checklists such as the IDP Sensory Profile and Skills and Behaviour Indicator and Autism in Girls checklist may be useful.

Specific individual assessments of the pupil’s social communication skills need to be completed and used to plan and inform appropriate interventions.  Examples of these are the SPRINT materials (Staffordshire Primary Interaction Curriculum and Staffordshire KS3/4 Interaction Guidance) (currently being updated - link to be added shortly) and the Progression Framework on the AET website. 

Individual pupil targets relating to social communication are clearly based on appropriate assessment results, are SMART and clearly inform interventions

Assessment needs to take into account the range of possible factors contributing to a pupil’s social communication difficulties and information will have been gathered to clarify the possible function of the behaviour.

More detailed/specialist assessment may be required from the Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust who can complete more detailed tests especially if a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum is being considered.  For more details about this service and the methods of referral please see the Children and Young People's Autism Service website.

If school staff are considering referring a child/young person for further assessment for possible Autistic Spectrum Disorder staff need to collate as much assessment information as possible to send with the referral. Referring to The Mind Map of Areas of Difficulty and The Four Key Areas of Difference may be useful when schools are collating this information.

For more information about the identification of Autism in girls please refer to NASEN's mini guide: Girls and Autism.