Improving vision awareness in autism services: A dedicated training programme for support practitioners

Background: There is a growing evidence base on the similarities in behavioural presentation of both autism and visual impairment (Rogers and Newhart-Larson 1989; Scharre and Creedon 1992; Gense and Gense 1994; Brown, Hobson... [ view full abstract ]

Background: There is a growing evidence base on the similarities in behavioural presentation of both autism and visual impairment (Rogers and Newhart-Larson 1989; Scharre and Creedon 1992; Gense and Gense 1994; Brown, Hobson et al. 1997; Hobson, Lee et al. 1999; Smith, Nichols et al. 2005; Hoevenaars-van den Boom, Antonissen et al. 2009; Williams, Fink et al. 2014). Given that visual impairment is frequently undetected amongst people with complex needs (Emerson and Robertson 2011) it is imperative that autism support practitioners are aware of indicators of visual impairment in order to ensure that those with visual difficulties are diagnosed and receive appropriate support.

Rationale: This poster presentation reports on a dedicated training programme to improve vision awareness and support practices among education and social care practitioners at Scottish Autism. The RNIB Bridge to Vision programme includes one-day ‘vision awareness’ training of practitioners and the recruitment of ‘vision champions’ to address vision issues in services.

Methodology: The programme was evaluated using mixed methods to assess its effectiveness. A survey assessed participants' knowledge and practice confidence in detecting visual impairments while focus groups explored the effectiveness of the training and its impact on working practices.

Conclusions: The quantitative survey data indicates that practitioners’ knowledge and practice confidence in relation to sight loss were demonstrably improved by the training programme and that these improvements were sustained over time. In qualitative focus group data practitioners reported increased access to optometry; improved vision information in individual support plans; and concrete changes to support practice and service environments for individuals diagnosed with visual impairment.

Ethical approval for this project was obtained from Napier University. The Autism and Sight Loss project team wish to acknowledge the funding provided by the Scottish Government for this project through the Scottish Strategy... [ view full abstract ]

Ethical approval for this project was obtained from Napier University. The Autism and Sight Loss project team wish to acknowledge the funding provided by the Scottish Government for this project through the Scottish Strategy for Autism.