• Noah listens and engages best in short (i.e. 10min) blocks of time.

• Noah engages well with 2-3 adults who have developed rapport with him. 

• Noah prefers a quiet, low stimulation environment.

While Noah was initially reluctant to attend meetings, he is comfortable with the following suggestions:

• A series of short meetings involving Noah, his mother, and a specific learning and support team leader who he has connected with.

• Meetings held after school (when it is quieter), and in a quiet classroom that Noah has chosen.

• The short meetings will provide an opportunity for Noah to share his goals, ideas and preferences for his learning and support at school, and help develop and review content for his PLSP.

• Noah is conscientious and likes to please others. While this is a strength for Noah in some areas, it can also at times mean that Noah will defer to authority figures, such as teachers and parents, instead of advocating for his own ideas or preferences.

• Noah enjoys engaging in creative activities.

To develop an understanding of Noah’s goals, ideas and preferences during these short meetings, collaborate with and support Noah with implementing the following strategies:

• During the series of short meetings, Noah will develop a ‘visual story’ – he will draw quick sketches and add text to provide insight into his experiences at school. 

• To support Noah’s voice throughout the process, Noah’s mother and the learning and support team leader will ask questions about Noah’s experiences, wait for his response without speaking, and respond non-judgmentally to his ideas and views. 

• Once Noah has shared his ideas and views, other ideas and suggestions can be offered as questions for Noah to consider (for example, “What about completing homework – is that something that is a strength, a challenge, or not relevant do you think?”). 

• Noah can be supported to make decisions through the provision of 2-4 options.

• Noah has strong literacy skills.

Once the ‘visual story’ is completed, Noah will be supported to help draft the personalised learning and support plan, and meeting agenda:

• Discussion points about the plan and agenda will be shared with Noah via email before meeting.

• Noah’s parents will schedule a time at home for Noah to read through the discussion points, and write brief notes about any ideas or thoughts he has.

• If Noah is finding it difficult to make decisions, the learning and support leader will provide 2-3 options. Noah will be encouraged to problem-solve through prompts to list the pros and cons for each option, before choosing one.  

• This problem-solving approach will also be implemented in a few key subjects, to support the development of Noah’s problem-solving skills and agency.

• Noah engages well with 2-3 adults who have developed rapport with him.

• Noah listens and engages best in short (i.e. 10min) blocks of time.

• To encourage Noah’s increased participation, Noah’s father will video call in for the larger planning meeting, so that Noah has the option to listen to the parts that interest him.  

• A slideshow presentation will be developed, with one agenda item per slide to be displayed throughout (including displayed on the video call), so that Noah has a visual cue about what is being discussed.

• Noah can be supported to make decisions through the provision of 2-4 options.

• Noah has strong literacy skills.

• The meeting minutes will be shared with Noah via email. 

• A final brief meeting will use the problem-solving approaches outlined earlier to support Noah to reflect on the 2-4 meeting outcomes, and to make final decisions on the personalised learning and support plan content.