Discovery Class

Welcome to Discovery Class!

Visual Aids 
In the Discovery Class, we use a range of visual aids to support with our learning, understanding and communication. Some of the things we use daily are:

• A class visual timetable to help us to understand the structure of the day
• An individual timetable for the children who are able to navigate the day more independently.
• Now and Next boards to support some children who require the day broken into smaller steps.
   
• The Picture Exchange Communication System is used in the Discovery Class. All children have their own PECS Book. All of the books are different and tailored to each individual child’s likes and dislikes. 
   
• We also use choosing boards for many of our activities in class. 

Here is a photograph of some of the things we regularly use.

Our Curriculum 

In the Discovery Class, we have opportunities daily to practise and develop our personalised learning goals  and our academic targets. 

• Individual or small group learning - These are used to develop key academic concepts and to support the development of children’s communication and interaction targets. 
• Whole Class Activities - These are our interaction activities such as Sensology, Lycra Games and Parachute Games. Our class routines, such as Hello and Good Afternoon are also delivered as a whole class interaction activity. 
• Exploration - Children are given lots of opportunities to play and interact with their peers, sometimes supported and sometimes observed from a distance. Our toys are rotated on a weekly basis to allow children to extend their play skills and encourage them to explore a wide range of resources over time. 
• Choosing - These sessions are built into our timetable and allow children to have time with their high interest activities.
• Independent Work - Some of our children are developing their independence skills and are beginning to complete some tasks more independently. This helps to support their smooth transitions into mainstream inclusion.

Interventions

Children are included in many different interventions which are put into place to develop many different skills. 

Each intervention/activity is used to encourage children to use a particular skill or help them to improve in a particular learning area. 

Here is a list of the interventions we currently run in our DSP and a small explanation about the purpose of activity:

- Attention Autism 

This intervention supports children in their attention skills. The intervention is set into 4 stages with the aim to extend the children attention span and interaction with a topic or activity using key language. 

- Language Steps

This intervention focuses on using simple vocabulary. It uses everyday language such as food, animals, clothes etc included in either a one step or two step instruction.

- Language for Thinking

This intervention focuses on a child's ability to comprehend what they can see or have read. It is closely related to comprehension in reading in the mainstream school.

- Colourful Semantics

This intervention helps children to identify different elements in speech, images, stories and writing. 

The key elements are WHO/ WHAT DOING/ WHAT/ WHERE

- Fun time

This intervention focuses on attention and interaction as well as turn taking within a small group of children. 

-Big Moves

This interventions helps children to develop the mobility skills and muscles needed to start writing/ mark making.

- Basket tasks

These are small activities used when a child is at the beginning stages of attention. They include quick activities completed using a traffic light system. 

- Letter/Number formation

This is done throughout the environment and on a one to one basis. This intervention focuses on pre mark making skills such as fine motor activities, then mark making using flour,, glitter, paint etc. Then over writing and finally writing freely using pencils and pens. 

-Little Wandle SEND Phonics scheme 

Please see the website for further details on this intervention.

- Intensive Play interaction and Play Interaction

This intervention is used on a one to one basis with a child and adult. Its purpose is to develop a child's ability to accept others being involved alongside them in play, taking turns and then finally playing with another. 

- Lycra/Parachute Games 

This intervention is used to develop verbal requests using learnt phrases and language. It also encourages turn taking within a larger group (up to 10).