Read the case study, then answer the questions that follow.

Case study

The educator, Jenna, is watching Will, 4 years, as he plays in the block corner. At first he is alone in the area, but after a while, three other children come to play too. Jenna is aware that Will might be anxious that these new children may interfere with his building. Will has been diagnosed with mild autism and experiences some learning difficulties. Jenna knows that if Will becomes anxious, he is likely to throw blocks at the other children.

Jenna keeps watching and, shortly, Will starts shaking his head and becomes quiet, sitting back on his heels. This is a sign to Jenna that Will is frustrated. She approaches the play too late as Will begins to scream and throw blocks at the children. The children move away quickly.

Later in the day, a similar situation arises. Jenna approaches quickly this time and talks quietly to Will, saying, 'Will, we have enough room on this mat. Can I help you mark out your space?'

Jenna redirects Will's thoughts to focus on constructive play and problem-solving. Her objective is to reduce Will's anxiety and his need to remove others from his space.

Jenna is your supervisor today, and she has asked you to try to redirect Will in the same way as she has.

Jenna meets with you to discuss Will's support plan and developmental challenges and some new strategies that she would like you to implement. She provides information about autism and asks you to become more involved in Will's day-to-day care. She is going on leave next week and would like you to report to the service director about Will's progress and suggest changes or additional support. You spend some time with Will and he talks to you about his block building. This seems to distract him from worrying about the other children in the space.

Q1. Do you consider his behaviour to be age appropriate, out of character, disruptive or of concern? Explain your answer.

Q2. What changes could you make to the play environment and your own practices to help Will feel safe and supported?

Q3. Do these changes support equity and fairness to all the children? Explain why or why not.

Q4. Do these changes support Will's sense of belonging? Explain why or why not.

Q5. List two (2)questions that you would ask Jenna in order to clarify how you would implement these redirection strategies.

Q6. What data source (ways of gathering information) could you use to help you understand Will's behavioural situation?

Q7. How could you contribute effectively to Will's support plan strategies?

Q8 Develop a short report to the director, including:

1. how you monitor the strategies and document your observations
2. the new strategies you have been asked to implement
3. how Will has responded to you
4. how you would adapt Will's support plan based on your observations.