Last week, Gemma, our UK Customer Experience Manager, hosted a webinar focusing on Clicker, our assistive technology for the primary classroom, and autism. In this webinar Gemma addressed various challenges autistic learners may face and how Clicker can help overcome these challenges.  

“One of our stand-out successes with Clicker is the progress it made for a learner with ASD. She was initially unwilling to write or talk about anything, so it was hard to ascertain her comprehension and writing ability. Using Clicker, she initially re-wrote the plot to her reading books with support from her PSA. Eventually we reduced her human support so she was using purely Clicker and its built-in support, and now she can complete work independently and she writes her own stories using the word predictor and writing frames!” – Sarah Gibson, Park Road Primary School  

"Clicker has been a game-changer for many of our pupils, particularly those with dyslexia, ADHD, and some on the autism spectrum. I love how Clicker’s tools help improve concentration, working memory and promote independence. I also use Clicker Books to create social stories for our pupils with ASD, making learning engaging and enjoyable for them." -
Emma O'Monaigh, Riverside Primary School

Here are my 3 takeaways from the session and some of my favourite LearningGrids resources that I would have used in my classroom to support my autistic pupils: 

1. Establish and embed routines
   Learners with autism often like to have routines in place to help them feel reassured and to minimise surprises. We have lots of engaging resources available in Clicker to support these routines.  
   
   
   • Visual timetables: In LearningGrids (our bank of pre-made resources), you will find the Visual Schedule Clicker Board. This is an editable visual timetable structure that can be fully adapted to suit the needs and routine of your learners. This is a great tool to use on learners’ individual iPads or on the class interactive whiteboard – and it can also be printed to be displayed in the classroom or learning environment.
     
     
     
     
   • Now, next, then: Schedules are a great way of helping pupils record and track activities and understand the passing of time. Resources that include key time phrases like now, next and then are brilliant for introducing simple schedules.  
     
     
     
     
2. Social and emotional learning support
   Learners with autism may need extra support to understand the emotions of others or to regulate their own emotions. Gemma explored a range of Clicker resources that explore a child’s feelings and are great prompts to use throughout the day.  
   
   
   • Emotion check-in: Talking about emotions can start small – LearningGrids has perfect resources that autistic learners can use to familiarise themselves with identifying and talking about emotions.  
     
     
     
     
   • Accessible stories: As Gemma demonstrated in the webinar, stories are a fantastic stimulus to discuss emotions. Peter’s Feelings is an accessible story that pupils can read by themselves using Clicker’s speech feedback, or with an adult. Peter’s Feelings is a great way to introduce and consolidate pupils’ understanding of emotions as its picture support offers relatable scenarios with clear facial expressions.
     
     
     
     
   • Related writing tasks: To follow on from the story Peter’s Feelings, pupils can reflect and demonstrate their understanding with related writing resources – like this Sentence Set where they retell the story.
     
     
     
     
3. Clicker resources are adaptable to each learner’s specific needs!  
   
   
   • Customise appearance: Clicker lets you customise both your own resources and those from LearningGrids. For autistic learners, who may find certain resources overstimulating, you can reduce the number of icons shown on screen and change the font and background colour to suit their learning preferences.  
     
     
   • Optimise speech feedback: You can also adjust the sound and speed of Clicker’s voice in the Speech Support tool to maximise engagement.  
     
     
   • Picture support: Clicker also offers picture support to boost learners’ comprehension and confidence when writing. You can add images from the built-in CrickPix library or upload your own, such as a learner’s favourite character, or family member, to make the content more engaging. 
     
     

If you’d like more information on using Clicker to support your learners with autism: 

• Download our free PDF – Support for children with autism 
  
  
• Book a customer care meeting (current subscribers) 
  
  
• Book a discovery call (if you’re not currently a subscriber but want to find out more!)