TEACCH - “Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication related handicapped CHildren”
What is TEACCH?
TEACCH is an approach to learning which focuses on the basic needs for a child with communication difficulties.
These needs include:
Making sense of the world
Predicting what will happen
Giving a sense of control
Aims of the TEACCH approach include:
Organising the environment – making sure this is predictable
Using visual support (such as schedules, Social Stories, Task Plans)
Sequencing information and incorporating routines for familiarity
Narrowing interests in order to engage the individual before supporting them to then broaden their interests
A focus on the development of independence
How are the aims supported?
Strategies such as Daily Timetables and Work Systems identified by TEACCH can be supported both at home and in educational settings.
Areas identified for support by TEACCH are:
Schedules such as visual timetables, now-next boards, activity schedules, visual calendars
Start/finish boxes – to break tasks down by showing how much there is to do, when the task will finish and what is next
Outlining physical boundaries such as clearly marking areas of a room (e.g. construction area work area, snack area) and use of a workstation (individualised to the person’s needs)
Activities showing a clear beginning and end
Use of the same resources, words and pictures across contexts for repetition and generalisation
Practising skills in structured, safe environments. For example, social skills such as losing a game, taking turns and self-monitoring during team games might be practised in a structured, adult facilitated task
Additions to Social Stories based on the individual’s needs. For example:
Scripting – practising what they might say in a specific situation such as wanting somebody to stop talking e.g. ‘I can say: I need a break now, please can you tell me later?’
Narratives – using films and individual interests to talk about what the characters did, how they feel, what they did next and why
Use of comic strips with speech bubbles to explain how a situation went and how it could be done differently next time
The idea is that a ‘small-steps’ learning approach increases the chances of completion and hence, success. If a child is successful in learning something, then they will want to do it again and do more. A key message from TEACCH: ‘Remember: You can always adapt a task into smaller steps than you think you can’.