About SLED-VAST
Student-Led Environments to Deliver Virtual Autism Supports for Wait-times (SLED-VAST). Learn more about this interprofessional education program shaping the future of autism care through addressing service system gaps...
Student Led Environment - Innovating Autism Care
Using an innovative education model - the Student-Led Environment (SLE), SLED-VAST provides learners with valuable, evidence-informed education.
The outcome is more compassionate, equitable, and collaborative care by integrating best practices from education science, clinical practice and research, and experiential knowledge (lived experiences).
Goal 1: building capacity in the next generation of clinicians who will be supporting children and families within the Ontario Autism Program
Goal 2: filling gaps within the current systems and creating innovative tools and programs to enhance the current system
SLEs can provide workplace-integrated learning, alleviate system and capacity pressures, and address gaps in community services.
SLED-VAST is part of the Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN) SLE Steering Committee.
SLEs have shown promising results in cost reduction,
patient satisfaction rates, and student learning outcomes.
(Oosterom 2019).
Interprofessional
Quicklink to: Top of page | Interprofessional | Collaborate Leadership | Innovation | Transformative Paradigm of Education
SLED-VAST learners received in-depth education in a specialized content area – in this case, autism.
This ensures students are better prepared to fill the workforce gap and are ready to hit the ground running to provide care to autistic patients and their families within the Ontario Autism Program.
But it’s not only autism content that they are learning.
Learning about autism with other health professional students means understanding autism through other professional lenses too. This “cross pollination” of perspectives supports a more holistic view of the child, while enabling experiences for collaborative practice through the project work.
Encouraging students to pair with each other interprofessionally really enhances the richness of the experience and it’s such a unique opportunity to work with someone in a different domain and work on a common goal and create something so interesting.
Even though it was only 2 months, this exchange of ideas across professions and understanding [other] roles more, being able to discuss with parents, and other professionals like Amanda, really builds our confidence in feeling competent in our role ... Having the humility to understand my perspective [was just one perspective] and to be better able to collaborate with professionals who hold different views.
Collaborative Leadership
Quicklink to: Top of page | Interprofessional | Collaborate Leadership | Innovation | Transformative Paradigm of Education
Supporting students in developing not only leadership, but collaborative leadership, is where the SLE concept comes from.
SLED-VAST provides the opportunity for learners to develop leaderful practice and the ability to work collaboratively, holding a systems lens, thinking differently and creatively to address gaps that exist.
SLED-VAST and the TAHSN SLE Steering Committee are dedicated to educating the next generation of collaborative, compassionate leaders of meaningful change in healthcare (Parker et al, 2024)
It was very new for me just being in that role where you have the power and authority to make something. We don’t get that so much.Even my first introductory placement, we could only observe but couldn’t do anything.
I see myself less as a student, and more and more as a member of the professional community as well. Not only being able to learn, but having something to contribute.The structure of SLED-VAST was very empowering in that way.
Innovation
Quicklink to: Top of page | Interprofessional | Collaborate Leadership | Innovation | Transformative Paradigm of Education
Embedded within the SLED-VAST are spaces and opportunities for innovation –throughout the curriculum and especially within the project work – drawing from processes used in human centred design thinking (Landry,2020; Stanford,n.d.)
It was a really good learning environment. Non-judgmental. I wasn’t fearful of saying ‘the wrong thing’. If people feel like not needing to ‘say the right thing,’ [they] can be more creative, innovative.
Getting practical experience, practice skills, you don’t get it from sitting in a lecture. You get it from working on something - in this case, projects.
Transformative Paradigm of Education
Quicklink to: Top of page | Interprofessional | Collaborate Leadership | Innovation | Transformative Paradigm of Education
Novel to the SLED-VAST is that this SLE is informed by a transformative paradigm of education.
(Baker et al., 2019, 2021; Baker & Ng, 2024).
The ultimate goal of transformative education is to foster critical reflection and informed action.
(Ng et al., 2015; Ng, Wright,Kuper, 2019).
Critical reflection can be fostered through a range of teaching practices, including:
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dialogue (differentiated from discussion)
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valuing personal, experiential knowledge (in addition to other forms of knowledge e.g. research)
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disrupting dominant assumptions (e.g. norms related to autism)
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engaging in ongoing critical questioning to enact change
(Baker & Ng, 2024; Kumagai & Naidu, 2015; Ng, Wright, Kuper 2019; Boyd et al., 2022)
Critical reflection refers to thoughtful consideration of everyday experiences and social situations, with focused attention on issues of power, privilege, and social structure.
(Ng, Wright, Kuper, 2019)
Not having someone be “teacher and student” -that is amazing. We don’t have a lot of that. So what you’re trying to do there is important. As students we’re so used to listening and not really discussing as much. Especially with clinicians or people we perceive are in positions of power. And making it a safe space to discuss things that we haven’t learned before [and] we could ask questions that we might not feel comfortable asking in other settings.
People talk about safe spaces but I really felt like this was a supportive, safe space. Never felt judged like what will they think about me if I don’t know anything.
I am inspired to further explore -think critically about the deficit model and keep learning about neurodiversity. Also be critically reflective when I practice with autistic individuals. What I learned made me question some of the practices being used.
You don’t realize the power of the small words. Literature reviews, published articles, you see those things you wouldn’t think twice about like “red flags.” It just opens my mind to - in autism, and overall in healthcare practice - I learn to choose my words carefully. And I know I pick the ‘wrong’ ones sometimes. And awareness that there might be undertones I didn’t mean to have. It makes you think differently about it all.
Learners involved in SLED-VAST contributed to the NEST projects:
(1) a strengths-based observation tool for the early identification of autism
(2) the KidsAppreciating Neurodiversity (KAN) Program
SLED-VAST's Consortium & learners received the Ministry of Colleges and Universities' 2021/2022 Minister's Awards of Excellence in the category of Future-Proofing Ontario's Students, recognizing faculty and staff who have led the way in adapting programs that support new ways of learning.
Read more from Holland Bloorview about SLED-VAST capturing the Minister's Award. Learn more from UHN about SLED-VAST's unique workplace-based learning opportunity.
SLED-VAST Principles
SLED-VAST nuanced and adapted the TAHSN SLE Steering Committee’s SLE Principles to align with a transformative paradigm of education.
I’m interested in partnering! Contact Amanda Binns & Farah Friesen at SLED-VAST@utoronto.ca