A speech/language and autism specialist, returning to the Cook Islands after a six-year absence since her last visit in 2019, held successful sessions with school teachers and teacher aides from five different schools, as well as with parents.

Hannah Perry held two sessions with teachers from Apii Nikao, Apii Te Uki Ou Apii Takitumu, Apii Avarua and Nukutere College before holding one-on-one sessions with parents of autistic children in Rarotonga.

The first session introduced autism and included teaching strategies with resources and practical applications. This aimed to help teachers and teacher aides clearly understand how to capitalise on their students’ strengths to enhance learning.

Perry highlighted the significant learning and development capabilities of children with autism.

“We need to change what we do to make new learning and new skills more successful for them.”

Perry emphasised the importance of understanding why teaching should be individualised for an autistic child.

“The environment is organised and structured. Activities are logical, organised and structured, visual tools are used to help a child understand what is expected.”

Showing the steps in an activity, rule sequences, what happens next or after and how long it will take can greatly assist teachers when working with children with autism.

“Show a child what to do as well as tell them, help a child use their new learning in other places and other ways. Find ways to motivate, including their special interest in the task, reinforcing their attempts or success,” Perry explained.

Her second session built upon the information the members had gathered from session one, which was generally about the members working with specific children.

Teachers and teacher aides briefly talked about how various strengths and challenges in the areas of communication, social interaction, flexibility and senses can impact the process of learning amongst these students.

Autism Cook Islands (ACI) programme manager Kat Jensen said the focus was to identify what is relevant for each child they were working with and to gain a really clear understanding of how they could capitalise on their strengths to enhance learning.

They also discussed executive functioning, highlighting how aspects of this could be difficult for children with autism and exploring strategies to support these children.

Perry also held sessions with six families who are part of Autism Cook Islands. She sent pre-meet questionnaires to those families based on their child to look at areas she could focus on with the parents.

During the one-on-one sessions between the parents and Perry, they discussed and organised strategies or sensory profiles for their second sessions.

There was also a session for Autism CI staff, focusing on improving the way they train their students, especially those working at Studio Blue café.

During the other family session, which was attended by 15 families, the main focus was “managing your child’s behaviour”.