Assessing children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities using Routes for Learning: what the data from one school tells us

Ware, Jean, Martin, Phil, Thorpe, Peter, Denovan, Andrew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9082-7225, Dagnall, Neil ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0657-7604, Goldbart, Juliet ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1290-7833 and Bradshaw, Jill (2021) Assessing children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities using Routes for Learning: what the data from one school tells us. In: 6th IASSIDD Europe Congress: Value Diversity, 06 July 2021 - 08 July 2021, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

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Abstract

Background: Routes for learning (RfL) (WAG, 2006, WG 2020) is an educational assessment tool for children with PIMD developed in Wales. It covers three areas of development; communication, cognition and interactions with the environment and is based on typical development. Method: A school has been keeping data on individual children’s progress using RfL since 2006, consisting of the sequence in which the boxes were attained, the highest-numbered box achieved and the total boxes achieved at each time point. Ethical approval was obtained for access to an anonymised version of this data Results: The sequence in which Routemap boxes were attained by children shows good agreement with the theoretical sequence. Younger children acquired higher-numbered boxes at a significantly faster rate than older children. Discussion: Further investigation is needed into the factors contributing to these results. The order in which boxes were achieved may in part be determined by the teaching strategy of the school. Data on the total number of boxes achieved at each time point has not yet been analysed. but the apparently slower progress of older children may be due to teachers may concentrate on generalising skills already acquired, or a larger developmental gap between later than earlier boxes.