A Piece of Puzzle: Social Workers Understanding and Management of Challenging Behaviours
Author
Rømer, Mette
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2012
Submitted on
2012-01-31
Pages
139
Abstract
Dette speciale præsenterer et etnografisk studie af Open Door School, en specialskole for børn med autismespektrumforstyrrelser (ASF) i New Delhi, Indien. Undersøgelsen spørger, hvordan kontekstuelle og kulturelle forhold påvirker socialarbejderes forståelse og håndtering af udfordrende adfærd hos eleverne. Med afsæt i feltarbejde, deltagerobservation, interviews og etnografiske feltnoter kortlægges hverdagens arbejdsprocesser, de lokale og trans-lokale rammer og skolens diskursive praksisser i en institutionel etnografisk tilgang, informeret af Honneths anerkendelsesteori og Foucaults magt/viden. Fundene viser, at skolens arbejde er organiseret efter Structured TEACCH, et evidensbaseret program administreret af TEACCH Division i North Carolina, og at personalets definitioner og indsatser vedrørende udfordrende adfærd stemmer overens med denne filosofi. Praktikkerne er endvidere formet af forældrebevægelsen Action for Autism (AFA), som grundlagde skolen i 1994 og indførte en ikke-voldelig undervisningspolitik i modstand mod aversive metoder og eksklusion. Merry Bauras uddannelse ved TEACCH og efterfølgende træning af personalet via AACTION-teamet samt AFA’s udvikling til et uddannelsescenter for Diplom i Special Education (ASF) har professionaliseret arbejdet og styrket normer, standarder og institutionelt ansvar. Studiet sætter disse udviklinger i perspektiv gennem forfatterens refleksioner over danske velfærdspræmisser.
This thesis presents an ethnographic study of the Open Door School, a specialized school for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in New Delhi, India. It asks how contextual and cultural factors shape social workers’ understanding and management of challenging behaviour among students. Drawing on fieldwork, participant observation, interviews, and ethnographic field notes, the study maps everyday work processes, local and trans-local influences, and the school’s discursive practices within an institutional ethnography approach informed by Honneth’s theory of recognition and Foucault’s power/knowledge. The findings show that daily practice is organized by Structured TEACCH, an evidence-based program administered by the TEACCH Division in North Carolina, and that staff definitions of and responses to challenging behaviour align with this philosophy. Practices are further shaped by the parent movement Action for Autism (AFA), which founded the school in 1994 and established a non-violent teaching policy in opposition to aversive methods and exclusion. Merry Barua’s training at the TEACCH Division and subsequent staff training through the AACTION team, together with AFA’s development into a training centre for the Diploma in Special Education (ASD), have professionalized the work and strengthened norms, standards, and institutional accountability. The study situates these developments within reflections from a Danish welfare perspective.
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