Resources

Alderwood produces specially designed resources following TEACCH principles. These are tailor-made for each individual resident and support their daily activities, including personal care, education, social and leisure. All resources are designed and made by a team of staff in collaboration with Anita Smart (Strategic Director and Head of Residential Services) and the education staff. High quality resources are produced to support residents in meeting their Individual Care and Education Plans and outcomes of Behaviour Support Surgeries.

All residents at Alderwood use TEACCH (Treatment & Education of Autistic & related Communication-handicapped Children) as their main communication system. This offers our residents opportunities of choice and to be as independent as possible, catering for all levels of ability on an individual basis. This highly structured system uses 'cue cards' (visual representation of an activity or food item). The Resources Department make cue cards in different forms to suit individual needs. These cue cards are used in conjunction with 'schedules' to show our residents the order of main activities throughout the day. Also they are used with 'work systems'. These tell our residents how many things to do, what to do and what comes next, this reduces anxiety and aids independence in various activities e.g. eating, washing and education.

The Resources Department is responsible for making TEACCH resources, education tasks and visual behaviour strategies and also designing structured leisure activities, theme night boxes and art packs. All residents at Alderwood have individual programmes and all resources are made for each young person taking great care to match ability and their communication level. Each young person has their own colour so all resources are colour matched so that they can identify that it belongs to them. Resources are requested by the Registered Managers and Teachers, who through careful assessment of the resident's ability and understanding and in collaboration with Anita Smart make certain that individual needs are met. Following a request the 'fun part' starts; the designing and making. We make sure that all resources designed follow the TEACCH ethos using visual structure, visual organisation and visual clarity.