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THE BIG GIVE CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE |
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Sunday, 05 December 2010 |
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Case Study: Christmas at Portfield School 
As The Big Give Christmas Challenge gets underway on 6th December, in which donations up to £3000 made to The Wessex Autistic Society will be doubled, the local charity offers an insight into Christmas at Portfield School in Christchurch. Christmas is usually a time that parents and children look forward to. Yet for children with autism and their families, careful preparations often have to be made to manage the change in environment.
Soraya Monzon-Diaz, a teacher at Portfield School, which caters for around 60 students aged from 3 to 19, all of whom have autism as well as a range of learning difficulties describes how some of the students respond to Christmas and how the school endeavours to make this time of year as enjoyable as possible. “Children with autism often find this time of year difficult because routine and stability go out of the window. The unusual routine or the increased social activity at this time of year can cause overexcitement as well as confusion for children on the autism spectrum. The streets, the home and the classroom are alive with all sorts of decorations and activities are a different shape and structure to what they usually are. A seemingly simple activity such as opening a present can cause great distress because the child doesn’t know what they are going to find. Sometimes the excitement of the season, and everything that comes with it, gets too much. All this change can build up and overwhelm the senses.”
Soraya explains how certain steps are taken to help students at Portfield enjoy the festive season without feeling overwhelmed, “We prepare the children by providing moments of calm when they can have a break from the activity or the classroom if needed. We help manage their anxiety by talking to our students about people they might see at Christmas time. We involve them in present wrapping so that they know what to expect. We engage them in the festivities by encouraging them to help decorate the Christmas tree and choose their own decorations.”
Each individual with autism is different so stress levels are different as well. Portfield School’s personalised approach is tailored to the individual students and their individual needs. For example, if there is a child in the class with particular sensory needs, then at Christmas time the teachers will ensure there is an area of the classroom that they can go to where there are no bright lights or hanging decorations.
Away from the classroom, in the home environment, there are no hard and fast rules about how to manage this special time of year. However, in most cases families keep to a certain routine in the run up to Christmas Day and even during the big day itself. Trying to keep the same hours as usual for the main activities that punctuate the day; waking, food, play, watching telly, can help to keep the child calm and at ease.
One mother explained how she puts the decorations up progressively. By putting the tree in an undecorated room a few days before it is decorated, her child has a chance to get used to the tree as a new feature in the house. Instead of putting decorations up all over the house, she concentrates on just the tree and asks her child to participate in decorating it. Not only is this a careful way of not overwhelming the child; it is also a planned activity and a good excuse to talk about what will happen and who will be there on Christmas Day.
When a student graduates from Portfield School the expectation is that they will be as independent as possible and, as an adult, suitably equipped to make a positive contribution to the social and working world. “At Portfield we don’t in any way shield the children from what is happening beyond the school walls. Instead we embrace the celebratory nature of the season. We focus their excited energies and calm any anxieties by preparing them for what is ahead. We talk about Christmas; we buy decorations; we watch Christmas videos taken last year; we draw snowmen and snow scenes; we cut out pictures in magazines and read Christmas stories. Part of our job is to prepare the students for life and we want them to enjoy annual celebrations such as Christmas in a way that they can understand and that means something to them.”
Portfield School is run by The Wessex Autistic Society, a voluntary organisation which aims to ensure that all people with autism and related conditions, and their carers, in the Wessex region, have access to appropriate education, care, support, and development services.
Debbie Anderson, Fundraising and Marketing Manager at the Christchurch based charity comments, “To help make a year-round difference to the development of children and adults living with autism in Dorset, we are asking all of our kind supporters to be part of The Big Give Christmas Challenge, in which all donations could be worth twice their original value. Generous supporters of The Wessex Autistic Society have created a fund to double donations made on 6th December from 10am. Simply visit www.theBigGive.org.uk to have any donation you make up to the value of £3000 doubled. Matching funds are limited so please help us to make the most of this wonderful opportunity and allow us to make twice the impact through our work!”
For more tips on how to prepare for Christmas, visit The Wessex Autistic Society website www.twas.org.uk |
