Applying the Te Pikinga ki Runga and Te Huia

The child I have chosen to apply Te Pikinga Ki Runga and Te Huia to will be referred to as Sam throughout this document. Sam is in a new entrant class and showing traits consistent with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Her older brother has a diagnosis of ASD but due to circumstances surrounding this diagnosis the parents are reluctant to pursue a diagnosis for Sam. One reason the parents gave for their dissatisfaction with their previous diagnosis experience was they felt discriminated against as a result of the father being Mori. I am struggling to build a relationship with Sams whnau and an appointment for them to meet with an RTLB has just been cancelled. Below are responses to the questions asked in Te Pikinga Ki Trunga. The text in blue shows the outcomes of some of the responses up until this document was last updated, June 2013.

How will my practice help me to establish and maintain whanaungatanga?

Current Practice Have spent time working with the older brother in small group sessions last year Taught the middle brother in my class 2 years ago

The middle brother is part of a tuakana-teina reading project between my current class and Year 3 students The father is studying at the local technical college so we sometimes share study experiences together A parent/teacher interview was held last term in which the subject of seeking a diagnosis was raised, I felt I was able to show manaakitanga for Sam by sharing with her parents the strategies and interventions we have been using in the classroom and through celebrating her strengths in art and creativity. I showed manaakitanga towards the parents by giving them plenty of thinking time and reassuring them that this was their decision and I would listen to and respect that. The format and environment in which this parent/teacher interview was conducted was typically pakeha hich in hindsight may have been threatening and confrontational for the parents. No other whnau members were there.

Future Practice Share information about myself by seeking assistance from the father with my mihi Encourage reciprocity and establishment of trust through: Inviting the father to share stories in Mori with the class, we often have parents share stories but never in Mori Asking the father to share his knowledge of hangi with us in preparation for the whole school hangi at Matariki and invite him to take part in this event. Father was unable to attend hangi. Inviting whnau members to accompany us on a trip to the local museum for a workshop on Mori myths and legends. Father has lectures at this time. Communication with Sams parents has been made harder as they have no internet at home which means correspondence by email or the class blog is not accessible to them. I will discuss with them the idea of using a golden book with Sam so she can celebrate her successes with her whanau. This has been well received by the mothers who is responding to our comments via this book.

How will my practice enhance the mauri and the holistic well-being of the client?

Hononga How strong are whnau relationshipsthe clients connectedness to the whnau? Sam has a strong bond with her 3 older siblings, 2 of which are still at our school. She has a strong attachment to her parents but often prefers to be collected by her mother rather than her father. How strong are the clients connections to/relationships with others Sams family moved have relocated to us from Christchurch. I am not aware of any whanui, hapu or iwi in the local area. This is something I need to explore. How is the position in the whnau being acknowledged? Sam is the youngest child of 4 in her whnau, her sister is her oldest sibling and there are 2 brothers in between. How strong are the connections to/ relationships with places? This is an area to find out more about as I am currently unable to answer this question. Whnau, whanui: How might wider whnau contribute or feature? I am unsure of how much contact there is with wider whnau but know that the paternal grandmother was the first person to raise concerns over the older brothers development.

How strong (positive) are the clients relationships with key others? Sam is very fond of me, the other teacher who shares the class and her TA but does not have a strong relationship with the RTLB as yet. After many visits Sam is starting to trust the RTLB and respond positively to her. Hinengaro What are the things that inspire and motivate the client? Sam is fascinated by cats so I often share stories about my cat with her. Her reward system for on task behaviours is based on cat pictures and stickers. Sam has an extraordinary talent and love of drawing and model making. How are emotions displayed and expressed? Although Sam has good language skills she does not use these to express her emotions. She either uses squeaks and actions such as curling up like a cat or licking her paws when she becomes anxious, or leaves the classroom. She often makes requests using, Me want or single words. How respectful is the client of others emotions. Sam shows little understanding of how her words can hurt other children or adults, but at other times is desperate to join in with her peers or get adults attentions and uses pleasant behaviours to do this.

Does the client appear to understand what others are communicating? Yes, but often chooses not to respond appropriately to this or ignores others attempts at communicating with her. How is all of this affecting engagement/participation in activities? Sam prefers to work on her own at activities of her own choice, occasionally joining in with small group work led by an adult. She is happy to work 1-1 with a TA which she has for 30 minutes a day. How is all this affecting enjoyment of life? Sam spends a lot of time alone and appears content to do this but through discussion she has indicated that she likes it when she has friends to play with. The lunch time situation is clearly unpleasant for her although better now we have moved to a larger area. Now she often finds a space on her own and curls herself up quite small to eat.

Tinana How is the clients ahua how does the client look? Sam appears healthy and well cared for but does suffer quite badly from eczema type rashes and her teeth appear to have some decay. What messages are being expressed with body language? Sam often holds eye contact for a longer than normal length of time but at the same time appears to be looking through you. She is often quite wary of coming close to the group on the floor. At other times she wants to be cuddled up to adults. What are the clients energy levels like? Sam generally has a lot of energy, moving quickly round the room, jumping of tables and the back of the class sofa. She rarely appears tired. How alert does the client appear to be? Although she often appears to be in a world of her own Sam will quickly pay attention if there is something happening that is of high interest for her. She notices who is leaving the room and is very wary when new adults come into the room. Are others respecting the clients personal space? Yes, both adults and peers give her space appropriately. Is the client resecting others personal space? Yes with her peers but not always with adults.

Mauri How is the clients cultural identity being supported and strengthened? I am not aware of how Sam sees her cultural identity, as pakeha, Mori or both. Something I need to explore, Matariki celebrations will offer a good opportunity for this. We have talked about 2 children in our class being Mori and have found out from their families that Sam and the other child have Te Takitimu waka in common. They both seemed to like this special connection.

How is meaning derived from the clients name? Unable to answer this. How is the clients self-concept impacting on emotions e.g. responses to others, manner, outlook? Unable to answer this How might the clients emotions/spirit (mana) be enhanced and uplifted? Sams ability in drawing is celebrated by the whole class and plenty of opportunity is provided for her to show her learning via these media. The introduction of a golden book will allow Sam to share her successes with her whnau. Buddying Sam with a peer who is a good role model but quiet in nature has worked well and gives her a friend to work with during Action Station rotations. We laugh together and chat together whenever the opportunity arises. What opportunities are being provided which enable the client to make positive choices? The use of a break card to request timeout of the class. This is done with a buddy of her choice and a timer set for 5 minutes. Both children are rewarded when they come back together at the end of 5 minutes. Earning pieces of a cat puzzle for good choices and behaviour and getting cat stickers when she completes the puzzle. The provision of a quiet area where she can work, draw or just sit and watch others from if she wishes. How can the client be supported to build confidence and strengthen resilience? Through quality time with the TA on 1-1 tasks which she lacks confidence to attempt alone and sharing these successes with the class. Positive feedback in the form of incentives but also through verbal praise and sharing of her achievements with her parents. Catch her making good choices. Check that Sam understands what is expected of her on a given task or in a given situation.

How will the practice context whakamanawa the client and whanau?
(Macfarlane, 2009)
He Tikanga Whakaaro Manaakitanga Ecological components Relating to others Creating a context of care Ttaritanga Cognition skills Making meaning Thinking Rangatiratanga Replacement skills Managing self Whaiwhitanga Functionality skills Participating and contributing

(Macfarlane, 2008)
WHAKAMANAWA Providing encouragement: honouring THE EMPOWERINGORGANISATION Content integration Knowledge construction Equity practices Skilled providers Empowering organisational cultures Whakarongo Listening Enabling silence(s) Korero Speaking with respect Ask non-direct questions Pronouncing te reo Mori correctly Ahua Having a respectful demeanour Understanding eye contact Manaakitanga me awhi Caring for the client and whnau Whaiwhitanga

(Macfarlane, 2012)

When considering the participation component of the Te Pikinga ki Runga model I came across three different representations as illustrated above. All of them based on curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and planning. I chose to use the 2012 version as it was the most recent and looked at how each of the principles and strands of Te Whariki related to Sam and her whnau. Whakamana The whnau will become more empowered through increased participation in the classroom, especially around Mori myths and legends and tikanga Mori. Sam will be empowered by her fathers increased involvement with the class. Kotahitanga Increasing our communication and collaboration with the whnau means we are following a holistic approach as opposed to focusing just on Sam and her learning. Whanau tangata We will make a determined effort to engage the family, especially the parents, and also to maintain good relationships with Sams 2 older brothers who are still at our school. Nga hononga As part of my ASD paper I have developed a parent/grandparent/sibling questionnaire on personal perspectives about ASD. I would like to use this with Sams family to understand their beliefs more and to encourage open, honest communication in an environment of trust. All the adults in our classroom will continue to work on developing and maintaining strong relationships with Sam through positive caring approaches and understanding what motivates her. Mana atua Sams well-being is being considered in respect to her anxieties over noise and busy, crowded situations, her development of friendships within the class and helping her to develop a positive self-concept. Mana whenua Sams whanau will develop a greater sense of belonging to our class through coming in and sharing cultural experiences with the class and by sending home a printed copy of the weekly class email which they do not have access to at home. We will continue to develop Sams sense of belonging through peer buddies for Action Station work and break times. Mana tanagata Sams whnau will be provided with opportunities to contribute to the cultural learning of the class. I have approached Sams father about helping me with my mihi. Sams contribution to the class can be enhanced by drawing on her artistic skills e.g. to make posters and labels for the class, to teach other children how to draw characters for their stories. Mana Reo As part of an increased focus on te reo Mori we can consult Sams father about words or language structures we are unsure of thus helping Sam to develop her use of Maori and to value its place in our bicultural classroom. Mana aoturoa A whole syndicate move towards introducing discovery time will provide Sam with more

opportunities to learn through exploration, her culture can be included in this through work on kowhaiwhai patterns, observational drawing of tiki, re-enacting Mori myths and legends, making and sharing kai. Having considered Sam and her whnau through the lens of Te Pikianga Ki Runga I was reassured that we are already implementing, or have plans to implement a number of practices that provide a culturally sensitive approach to their situation. The learning that came from this exercise was the need to be proactive, whilst remaining sensitive to culture and personal values, to engage Sams whnau far more than we are doing at the moment. Some of the questions I was unable to answer and these would be key areas to investigate further. I hope that by engaging Sams whnau by asking for their assistance in our whole class learning of te reo Mori and tikanga Mori we can build a strong relationship based on trust, understanding, reciprocity and cultural awareness. This can then form a firm foundation for us to work together as a team around her developmental challenges and possibly even towards a diagnosis.

References
Macfarlane , S., & Macfarlane, A. (2011). Diversity and inclusion in eraly childhood education: A bicultural approach to engaging Maori potential. In D. Gordon-Burns, A. C. Gunn, K. Purdue, & N. Surtees, Te Aotroa TtakiInclusive Early Childhood Education. NZCER Press. Macfarlane, S. (2009). Te pikingaki runga: Raising possibilities. set(2), 42. Retrieved from http://www.nzcer.org.nz/nzcerpress/set/articles/te-pikinga-ki-runga-raising-possibilities