Autism, education

Autism and Behaviour from a Neurodiversity Affirming Perspective

Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental difference that is characterised by a spectrum, or fruit salad of different elements. These can include difficulty with social interaction and communication. Increasingly this is looked at through the lens of "Double Empathy". You can read more about this in Pia Hämäläinen's book here. However, autism is not a disorder… Continue reading Autism and Behaviour from a Neurodiversity Affirming Perspective

Autism, education, special education, Teaching

Pre-Verbal Children: Understanding Behaviour and Supporting Early Communication

Pre-Verbal Children: What Might Their Behaviour Be Telling Us? I am using the term pre-verbal to encompass pupils who have may be described as non-verbal. Really any child who does not have a communication system that is easily interpreted by others. Understanding the behaviour, or actions, of pre-verbal children can be a challenging yet rewarding… Continue reading Pre-Verbal Children: Understanding Behaviour and Supporting Early Communication

Autism, education, inclusion

Enhancing Joy and Wellbeing for Pupils with Special Educational Needs: Evidence-Informed Approaches

Enhancing Joy and Wellbeing: The School of Joy! Education is the foundation of personal and societal growth. As teachers, it is crucial to ensure that every child, irrespective of their abilities or disabilities, feels included and happy in the school environment. Pupils with special educational needs, often face challenges that can affect their overall wellbeing.… Continue reading Enhancing Joy and Wellbeing for Pupils with Special Educational Needs: Evidence-Informed Approaches

Autism, education

The Case Against Restraint and Seclusion: Perspectives from Lived Experience and the Neurodivergent Community

The Case Against Restraint and Seclusion Restraint and seclusion are controversial practices in the field of behaviour support. Historically, these tactics have been employed as last-resort measures to manage challenging behaviours in individuals with disabilities, mental health issues, or neurodivergent conditions. There is growing opposition to restraint and seclusion. Based on the point that these… Continue reading The Case Against Restraint and Seclusion: Perspectives from Lived Experience and the Neurodivergent Community

Autism, education, Teaching

Metacognition & Autism: Cognitive Load & Metacognitive Strategies

Metacognition, or the ability to think about one's own thinking, holds immense potential in supporting Autistic individuals as they navigate the complexities of our education system. By understanding cognitive load theory and the role of metacognition in managing cognitive load, educators and therapists can harness the power of the EEF favourite - metacognitive strategies to help their pupils overcome… Continue reading Metacognition & Autism: Cognitive Load & Metacognitive Strategies

Autism, education, Guest Post, parenting

The Power of Co-Regulation: A Letter from a Parent of an Autistic Child

The letter below was written by a parent of an autistic child who read one of our recent posts on the importance of co-regulation. Too often our schools can be aversive places for children. As parents and teachers, as humans, we want our children to be happy and fulfilled at school. It should be a… Continue reading The Power of Co-Regulation: A Letter from a Parent of an Autistic Child

Autism, education

SEN Teacher: Proving The Value of Learning

Showing Autistic Pupils that Learning Has Value: A Guide for Special Education Teachers Any new special education teacher faces the unique challenge of catering to the diverse needs of your students. I have spent my career supporting Autistic pupils who will require specialised approaches to learning. One of the most important tasks, and one that… Continue reading SEN Teacher: Proving The Value of Learning

Autism, education

Best Practice for Communicating with Autistic Children

Best Practices for Communicating with Autistic Children for ECTS When it comes to education and early years development for children who have a diagnosis of autism, simple techniques and strategies can be the most effective. In fact, we often overlook the basics because we tend to overcomplicate things when communicating with autistic children. In this… Continue reading Best Practice for Communicating with Autistic Children

Autism, Baby

Sensory Sound Buttons in EYFS: Communication and Engaging play

Sound and Play Sensory Sound Buttons are a type of sensory toy designed to provide children with a fun and interactive way to explore sounds and textures. These buttons are typically made of durable materials and feature a variety of textures, colours, and shapes that are designed to engage the senses and encourage exploration. When… Continue reading Sensory Sound Buttons in EYFS: Communication and Engaging play

Autism, education

Flow State: Applying the Theory in the SEN Classroom

What is Flow State? Flow state, as described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, is a mental state of operation where a person is fully immersed in an activity, characterised by a feeling of energised focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. During the state of flow, individuals experience a sense of control over… Continue reading Flow State: Applying the Theory in the SEN Classroom

Autism, education, sensory, special education, special needs, Teaching

Play Your Way to Better Self-Regulation: Tips and Strategies

Teaching self-regulation skills to children with SEN is a vital part of their education. It also presents real challenges depending on the complexity of their needs. Pre-Verbal children or those with communication difficulties need our constant focus on this. Many of our children have disorganised nervous systems that are always seeking out sensory stimulation to… Continue reading Play Your Way to Better Self-Regulation: Tips and Strategies

Autism, education, special education, special needs, Teaching

Developing Communication Skills For Pupils in The Classroom

One of the most significant challenges for teachers supporting children with a diagnosis of Autism is the development of language skills. This is not necessarily verbal communication. As teachers we seek to develop communication to a point where the child can intentionally communicate with as wide a range of people as possible. Yes - this… Continue reading Developing Communication Skills For Pupils in The Classroom

Autism, behaviour, education

Sensory Processing and Biting Behaviour

Biting: Don't Just Look At The Behaviour When a child displays a certain behaviour or action it is highly likely to be a response to an interaction or the environment. It may also be indicative of a medical or physical need. Before asking "How can I stop a pupil biting?" it is essential that you… Continue reading Sensory Processing and Biting Behaviour

Autism, education, recruitment

Guide to Writing a Personal Statement for a Teaching Assistant Post

A key part of the application process for a Teaching Assistant job is personal statement. A personal statement is a document that tells the panel who are doing the shortlisting about your motivations for wanting to become a Teaching Assistant. This guide will teach you how to write an effective personal statement for a Teaching… Continue reading Guide to Writing a Personal Statement for a Teaching Assistant Post

Autism, Blogs, education, inclusion, special education, special needs, Teaching

How can teachers and teaching assistants motivate pupils to learn?

Developing pupil motivation using 10 evidence based strategies. Teaching Assistants (TAs) play a vital role in supporting pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in the classroom. One of the most important aspects of their work is to help these pupils develop a strong motivation to learn. This is crucial because pupils with SEN may face… Continue reading How can teachers and teaching assistants motivate pupils to learn?

You might be a pirate sensory story
Autism, education, PMLD, sensory, special education, special needs

Am I a Pirate? Sensory Story

How doesn't love a chance to dress up! This pirate themed sensory story is a little different to our others. I have tried to make it accessible to learners who need minimal language and repetition. I have tried to write for the earlier stages of our sensory story progression stages. Pirate Themed Sensory Story This… Continue reading Am I a Pirate? Sensory Story

Functions of behaviour text. Escape and challenging behaviour
Autism, behaviour, education, special education, special needs, Teaching

Functions of Behaviour: Fear and Escape

A Reformed Functionalist. Acting in a certain way to get out of something is commonplace for many children and young people. And adults come to that. If you have attended a PBS (positive behaviour support) course or any behaviour training you may have heard the term functions of behaviour. Attempts to get away from, out… Continue reading Functions of Behaviour: Fear and Escape

Christmas sensory story song
Autism, education, PMLD, sensory

Sensory Christmas Songs

These multi-sensory Christmas songs take the concept of sensory stories and apply them to traditional Christmas songs. Using a range of sensory stimuli we reinforce the key elements of the songs and bring them to life! To aim is to enthuse our sensory learners and enrich the experience for all those taking part. These sensory… Continue reading Sensory Christmas Songs

Autism, behaviour, education, PMLD, special education, Teaching

Rewards and Natural Consequences

Personalisation and Purpose I am a fan of personalised reward systems as a way to achieve a very specific goal. As a behaviour modification strategy I have struggled to find a suitable system. I have found star charts or token economy systems a good way for some children to focus on expected behaviour. They can… Continue reading Rewards and Natural Consequences

Autism, books, education, Family, special education, special needs

Teaching Emotions: 6 Picture Books

Teaching emotions and explaining feelings to children is essential. A child cannot self regulate without recognising and starting to understand how they feel. It is also important for children to start to understand how their actions affect others. There are many ways to approach this but one of my favourite ways is to incorporate storytelling.… Continue reading Teaching Emotions: 6 Picture Books