Special Education and Inclusive Learning
Teaching Resources, Sensory Stories and SEND Information
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
I was recently talking to our speech therapist about a project I was involved with in 2011. This was with Tim Ryland who has sadly passed away. The Nurturing narrative event was held in partnership with the Kent CAT (Communication and Assistive Technology Team). I looked it up to find that the website (TimRylands.com) was… Continue reading Nurturing Narrative: Games and Literacy
Easter Activities for SEND Children Easter games and resources are great for use in a number of SEND focused activities. I would use this with a wider age range than they are designed for. This raises questions about how age appropriate each resource an I discuss this issue in this blog. Context in choosing resources… Continue reading Easter Games: 3 Great Toys
Why Developing Child Voice in SEND is a safeguarding priority it is essential you ensure child voice is a top priority in the inclusive classroom. You cannot overstate the importance of providing children with opportunities to demonstrate choices throughout their education. In early years education, this is acknowledged through EYFS documents (Early Years Foundation Stage).… Continue reading Child Voice, AAC, and Safeguarding
The Mr Potato Head scavenger hunt is a great accessible activity that can be set up for AAC (Augmentative and assertive communication). There are many other activities you can use Mr Potato Head for: Following InstructionsDeveloping Fine Motor SkillsTeam work and interactionEmotionsPlaying with foodProblem SolvingSequencingSenses (Worksheet available below)Positional Language The scavenger hunt activities were developed… Continue reading Mr Potato Head Scavenger Hunt
I teach in a autism specific classroom. The majority of the group are non-verbal and use a range of AAC (Augmentative and alternative communication resources). A common learning objective that links to a child's EHCP targets is social interaction. This requires a commonly understood communication method. The key to this is using simple symbol/images which… Continue reading AAC Game: Manic Martians:
This will be an ongoing post where I upload the scavenger hunt AAC communication boards and other activity sheets I make. I hope you find these useful and please share if you like them. We also have a post outlining 150 sensory learning activities you may be interested in. All the boards are fully editable… Continue reading Scavenger Hunt Communication Boards
Using Snack time to enhance communication. Snack time can be a great opportunity to develop a number of key skills for our pupils. Given the regular nature of mealtimes in school settings and the inherent positive nature of mealtimes for most children, this activity is an outstanding context for social communication intervention (Gauverou 2017). Primarily… Continue reading Snack Time: Communication & Interaction
Frustration is a classic game that one of my classes chose to buy with their pocket money (Residential school). The one we have is the slamtastic version. It is brilliant for developing a range of skills. The flip paddles add a brilliant tactile element to the game. The class was a mixed group of 6… Continue reading AAC Game: Frustration
AAC Games for Communication Our next review for a game suitable for AAC users is Shark Bite. I bought this reduced at a supermarket. Shark does does tick the boxes for being suitable for use in communication and interaction sessions. It has a surprise movement to make you jump. The game has multicoloured accessories and… Continue reading AAC Game: Shark Bite
I couldn't resist this for £7 at Wilko. A fun little AAC game especially for children that find anything to do with Poo hilarious. This requires 2 aaa batteries for the moo or fart noises. The premise of the game is that each player chooses a boot colour. You then spin the spinner to decide… Continue reading AAC Game: Gassy The Cow.
This winter themed Sensory Story has been written for our "Time" topic where we are exploring the seasons. Snow Bear provides plenty of opportunities for exploring the cold of the Arctic. I have included a subtle message about climate change which depending on the age group you use it with may be useful to tie… Continue reading Sensory Story: Snow Bear
AAC and Interaction Games There are many ways to inspire and motivate children to communicate. One way I have found effective is structuring a game/play session. It is important to enable reluctant communicators or those who rely on AAC to fully engage with their peers. AAC means Augmentative and Alternative Communication and can range from… Continue reading AAC Game: Squawk
Don't Waste Time Commuting. I have recently gone from a commute of less than 20 minutes walk to over an hours drive each way. That has led to me wanting to find ways to make use of that time. Here are 7 suggestions to use the time you spend commuting more productively. Turn Netflix into… Continue reading 7 Ways to Harness the Potential of Your Commute
Seeing as my most popular post is Star Wars quotes I thought why not tap into the force and write a post on Using star wars toys, games and lightsabers in the classroom. All these have links to the products but my favourite way to gather resources is to ask fellow Jedi teachers/friends to remember my little rebel alliance when having a pre-Christmas clear out.
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