4a and b - SIG - initial views

 Image source from: http://www.worldclassrd.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/medium/special_interest_group_generic.jpg

I have received some feedback from people in my Special Interest group with regard to the initial ideas I considered for a possible questionnaire for dance teachers. The questions were those that I posted in my blog " Module 2- Light bulb Moment". I initially didn't ask them to answer the questions but to make suggestions as to ways I might improve the questions I have proposed and to suggest other questions that I might consider. So that the responses I have received make sense I have copied the questions again below:

POSSIBLE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR DANCE TEACHERS REGARDING AUTISM IN RELATION TO DANCE TEACHER TRAINING

1. Are you aware of the statistics for autism in the UK?

2. Do you feel you are adequately informed about autism to be able to teach an autistic child in your dance classes?

3. Do you know about the different types and levels of autism?

4.Do you currently have any autistic children in your dance classes?

5. If the answer to question 4 is yes, has the presence of the autistic child caused any problems for you, the child, or the rest of the class? 

6. If the answer to question 5 is yes? How did you handle the situation?

7. Have you ever had to exclude an autistic child from your dance classes?

8. If the answer to question 7 is yes, did you suggest an alternative lesson or offer private tuition?

9. Do you feel there is a need for further training in how to deal with autistic children for the dance teacher?

10. Are you aware of the benefits of dance for some autistic children?

11. Are you aware that Dance Movement Therapy is one way of helping autistic children?

12. If workshops and courses on dance and autism were available for dance teachers in your area would you attend?

Here is the response I received back from one of the people in my SIG who is a teacher in mainstream education:

"I have looked at all the questions and thought that they were all valid. 

Maybe I would add something along the lines of -

*If you have taught a child with autism have you or the child's parents noticed dance classes having a positive effect on for eg. social interaction or fine/ gross motor skills?

Just thought it would be good to include something positive after questions 5-7which focus on possible problems.

Another question I would suggest would be about communication with the parents.

*How do you communicate or share information with parents, do you ask for eg,

is there anything that particularly upsets your child, eg loud noises? 

Is there any particular music that they like or are more responsive to ?

Obviously there are other things that could be included, they were just examples.

I realise this is a questionnaire for dance teachers but obviously building a relationship of trust with parents would be essential."

I had not realised, until it was pointed out by the response above, that I had focused on the negative aspects of children with autism being included in dance classes. I would definitely include the suggestions for additional questions which make teachers think about the positive effects of dance for autistic children. I might also include a question that might ask if there are positive effects of having an autistic child in the class on the rest of the pupils in the class. 

I also think that her comment about the communication with parents is extremely important. I have just finished reading a book written by the mother of two autistic boys which highlights the importance of the parental role. The book is: "Not Stupid", by Anna Kennedy OBE. It is inspirational. 

"Not Stupid" follows Anna's struggle to get a decent education for her sons. Anna actually set up her own school, Hillingdon Manor, after her sons were rejected from twenty six special needs schools. She later established St Mary's Centre for autistic adults and then added an upper school to Hillingdon Manor. She followed this by opening West Middlesex College and residential home to help autistic students who aim to study and work in a mainstream environment. She then expanded Hillingdon Manor Upper School by adding a further student facility which became known as The Lawns.

As well as the educational establishments that Anna and her husband created, they also set up Autism Consultants Limited. In Anna's words:

"The aim of Autism Consultants Limited is to create employment opportunities, to organise play schemes and structured-activity groups, to offer informational events, training and conferences, and to raise the awareness of autism through education and community involvement."

The book contains valuable information about people on the autistic spectrum and gives an insight into what it is like for parents of autistic children. It is particularly pertinent to my proposed area of enquiry because Anna is also a dance teacher and teaches dance to the autistic pupils at her schools. She now runs her own autism awareness website:

http://annakennedyonline.com

Anna has also produced a dance DVD for autistic people called "Step in the Right Direction".

The comment about the type of music that the autistic pupil might like to listen to is also very valid. I have done a bit of research into Music Therapy(MT) for autistic people so I think that a question about music would be helpful. I am also interested in the collaborative effects of dance and music for autistic people. This made me think back to Reader 4 and how I decided that I needed to apply a transdisciplinary approach to my enquiry.

I found a report into the effects of DMT and MT on autistic adults on Summon entitled: "Effect of a combined dance/movement and music therapy on young adults diagnosed with severe autism" by Daniel Mateos-Moreno and Lidia Atencia-Dona which showed positive results could be achieved.

Another one of the people from my SIG who is a fellow examiner and also a dance lecturer at Chichester College suggested that I look into Autism Movement Therapy (AMT) to help inform my enquiry. I was acquainted with Dance Movement Therapy(DMT) because I studied for a year at the Laban Centre so knew that Laban Movement Analysis was a tool used for analysing movements in DMT, but I had not previously heard of AMT. 

This suggestion led me to do some research and I discovered the following Youtube video about Joanne Lara the founder of AMT:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0NvxkSspno

Another person who is in my SIG who has taught a lot of autistic children in mainstream education said that she felt that the area of my enquiry was very valid. The reason for this was that she found that her classroom assistants were very wary of what to expect from an autistic child because they didn't have enough background history into the different types of autism and the different severities of it. She imagined that there might be a lot of young dance teachers who might have similar feelings about autism and welcome the opportunity to be given more insight into the subject.

These initial comments and suggestions from my SIG have been invaluable .They  have made me re-examine my original proposed questions for my questionnaire. The feedback I have received as to whether my inquiry is worth pursuing has all been positive which has been encouraging, but it has also pointed me towards other literature which is making me far more informed about autism and the different therapeutic approaches towards it. I have collected many links to articles about dance and autism on Evernote and also tagged links to articles on Delicious. Find me on Delicious below:

https://delicious.com/lynnterry001