PROMOTING TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND INCLUSION THROUGH THE INTEGRATION OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES IN THE TEACHING OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

<< Background >>We applied for this project to integrate digital pedagogies in schools and parental involvement in learning which plays a crucial role in simplifying the learning process, increasing student engagement and harnessing distance learning for children with ASD. The European Parliament (2020) notes that 1 child in 89 may be affected by ASD, which has increased in the last years. As Eurostat (2019) further notes, 73.9% of the general population are employed, compared to the 48.1% for persons with disabilities. Social skills play a catalyst role in the future of children. In this regard, the European and Social Committee strengthens the importance of eliminating barriers people with ASD face. The project aimed to enhance the integration of innovative and motivational learning pathways (VR) for children with ASD, which help them to develop social skills and acquire new ones, can support their communication, interaction and imagination skills.<< Objectives >>The main objective was to introduce and integrate digital pedagogies for teachers’ professional development and boost parental involvement in order to facilitate the learning process of children with ASD and increase their school engagement. We also aimed to adapt Virtual Augment reality (VR) in classrooms which can advance social skills of children. The project envisioned to design, develop, pilot-test and promote an interactive VR Game addressed to the European community to support the acquisition of social skills of children with ASD. Additionally, the project aimed to develop a Dual Educational programme for parents and educators to be trained on the digital skills necessary to implement digital programmes for children with ASD. Through the project results, a positive learning environment directed for learner’s needs dovetailed with opportunities to promote social interaction was promoted.<< Implementation >>The project included five key work packages. WP1 focused on coordination, cooperation and monitoring among partners. WP2 aimed to design the primary material necessary for the creation of a detailed professional development programme for teachers and the educational VR GAME. A Be Au-Some DUAL Pack: Game scenarios, educational pack was developed. WP3 created interactive and innovative digital tools which can support development of necessary skills in children with autism, improving pedagogies used in special schools. WP4 developed a blended training programme to improve digital skills of parents and teachers with autism as well as enrich the learning of these children in a fun and interactive manner. WP5 ran throughout the implementation of the project and was concerned with setting out actions regarding promotion and dissemination of the project results in order to effectively reach the target group and increase sustainability of results. All results are available on the project webside: http://beausome.eu/<< Results >>WP1: Partners ensured efficient coordination, cooperation and monitoring, partners submitted financial reports every 6 months; all meetings and results were evaluated in accordance with quality assurance plan; WP2: BeAusome Social Competence Framework for children with autism, Professional Development Programme Material for Educators, Open Badges, BeAusome Educational Pack, BeAusome Library with Resources; WP3: VR Game design, BeAusome Multipurpose Interactive e-learning platform, User Manual;WP4: Training Mobility for Facilitators in Cyprus, Dual upskilling training for educators and parents;WP5: Dissemination efforts targeted the project's key audiences. Dissemination outputs included 4 newsletters, 2 press release, 2 infographics and a leaflet, all available in partner languages. All results are available on the project webside: https://beausome.eu/promotional-material/