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Sarah Ferguson is the Manager of AnglicareSA's Daphne Street Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre (ASELCC) which is a 20 place centre dedicated to providing long day care specifically for children who have a diagnosis of Autism.
What is your full name and where do you work?
My name is Sarah Ferguson I am the Manager of AnglicareSA's Daphne Street Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre (ASELCC) which is a 20 place centre dedicated to providing long day care specifically for children who have a diagnosis of Autism.
What is your professional background and career experience?
I have various qualifications in Children's Services, Psychology, Arts, Business Management and Counselling and I am currently studying a Master's Degree in Special Education. I began my child care career as soon as I left school working across various long day care and OSHC services. After graduating from University, I joined AnglicareSA initially as a Supervisor in the Foster Care team, then as a researcher in the ASELCC and I have been in the Manager role since 2011.
What does a 'normal' day look like for you?
I am in the privileged position of working with early learners who have Autism. While my role primarily focusses on strategy and governance for the centre and the wider organisation, I love to sneak away from my desk and spend some time in the classrooms with our wonderful children and incredible staff when I can. I am a big believer in continuous improvement so I spend a lot of time overseeing our clinical and educational models, ensuring that we are delivering the EYLF in partnership with our ASD framework.
What makes your centre unique?
Our centre is unique because we only provide early education and care for children who have a diagnosis of Autism. We were established by the Department of Social Services in 2009 as one of six centres nationally. We have a specific curriculum, tailored facilities, and specialist programs and staff including Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Early Childhood Teachers and a team of highly skilled Educators.
We follow the NQF and EYLF as with all education and care services but we also deliver the SCERTS curriculum which is an Autism specific education framework that complements the EYLF. Our children are streamed according to their assessed communication and social skills into one of three groups, each group having its own classroom, therapy room and gross motor room which are all overlooking a shared outdoor play area. Ours is the only service in South Australia that provides early education and care for children with ASD and our new building is the only early education and care facility specifically designed to meet the needs of children with Autism.
We proudly participate in a national research project which is the largest of its kind in the world focusing on Autism from early genetic markers through to aging and is a longitudinal study over eight years. We also support local mainstream centres and schools to better understand how to educate and care for children in their services who have Autism.
What are some of the advantages of working in the child care sector?
Without question, the greatest advantage of working in the early education and care sector is teaching our children all about life, while they teach us what life is all about. What other profession provides us with the opportunity to play, learn, explore and grow in partnership with our children? No other sector provides such a vibrant, fun, energetic, caring and inspirational environment to work in every day. Everyone only has one childhood and we are in the privileged position of influencing this in the time that we have with our children each day to ensure that they are happy and healthy and have a solid foundation for a bright future.
What are some of the biggest challenges facing the child care sector?
We are aware of the ever increasing number of Autism diagnoses that are occurring worldwide. Educators and services are being stretched to accommodate the specific needs of these children and their families, often without the skills and knowledge of how best to do so. We are frequently approached by educators who are struggling to provide an inclusive environment for their children with ASD and despite best efforts, have become despondent. There is a great challenge in the sector in meeting the very specific needs of these children in ways that don't take away from the education and care of the other's in the centre and don't create further work load pressures for educators.
How does the industry need to change to adapt to these challenges?
Educators need support, training and mentoring in how to meet the specific needs of children with Autism in the mainstream environment. Basic knowledge around communication, cognition, sensory processing and how children with ASD learn and perceive the world would empower professionals to successfully educate and care for these children without having to exhaust efforts, resources and budgets. It can be done. A little knowledge goes a long way when educating children with ASD and hopefully we will see opportunities arise out of the LDCPDP funding to support this area of need in the sector so that educators can confidently embrace children with ASD within their centres.
What advice would you offer Educators who are supporting children with Autism in their centres?
There is a common misconception that children with ASD prefer to be alone. This is generally speaking, not the case. More often than not, just like their peers, children with Autism do want to connect, to make friends, to be liked and to be accepted but don't necessarily know how. There may be occasion that a child withdraws but this is often due to feeling overwhelmed, anxious, confused or even frightened. Take the time to speak with the child's family about any special interests that the child may have and use this as a bridge to connect; educator to child, child to peer, child to activity/learning experience. If you know a child's special interest is a toy, topic, colour, animal, experience, action etc., then use this to link the child to learning. Use the interest to start conversations. The interest might also be enjoyed by other children too. Often we perceive special interests as an inhibitor to learning but when used in the right way, in a positive and supportive way, the special interest can open up a new world of relationship and learning for the child. The family is the child's greatest resource and the professionals supporting the child outside of the centre also have valuable insights into how the child thinks, perceives, communicates, responds and relates. Gather as much information as you can to formulate a support plan as each child is unique and no two children with Autism are the same.
Final words?
Outcome 6 is all about partnering with families. Often, families with children with Autism are among the most at risk of isolation, mental illness, family breakdown and financial hardship. The keys to connecting with families who are caring for children with special needs are compassion, patience, understanding, respect and advocacy. If we as educators can truly partner and walk alongside our families who have children with ASD, we will find that our journey is much brighter. True collaboration will improve interactions with the family and with the child, resulting in positive outcomes for everyone.
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