Special Education and Inclusive Learning
Teaching Resources, Sensory Stories and SEND Information
An #SENexchange Discussion This is a synopsis of the #SENexchange discussion from May 2020. The topic was Mental Health Support and strategies for children and adults with SEND. This was part of Mental Health Awareness Week. Due to the coronavirus pandemic many schools and settings are increasingly focused on the impact of this on their… Continue reading Mental Health – SEND Support
Here you will find all our life skill linked sensory stories. Unlike some of our other stories these are written to meet a specific element of the skills a child will need as they grow up to enhance their level of independence. Written for stage rather than age these rhyming sensory stories should engage most… Continue reading Life Skills Sensory Stories
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:
Independence at School and Home Is is essential we educate our children for the life they will lead as adults. For safety, wellbeing and the ability to control their direction in life. Independence will be a sliding scale for many children but we need to enhance this wherever possible. Independence skills is a key area… Continue reading SEND: Encouraging Independence
Waiting: Strategies for use at home & school Waiting can be a challenge for many children. As a teacher and a parent I have had to find ways to teach children to wait for a whole range of things. Throughout the day in the SEN classroom there are natural lulls in planned activity. This may… Continue reading How To Teach Children To Wait
This post outlines the questions and suggested strategies from the #SENexchange discussion on Life Skills: Health and Hygiene routines. You can download a PDF of the collated discussion below. Please share if you think this will help someone. Life Skills- Health and Hygiene in SENDDownload What barriers do people with Sensory Processing differences face with… Continue reading Hygiene Routines and SEND
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
Year Six into Year Seven Every secondary school runs a year 6 to year 7 transition programme of some sort, comprising a few visits, summer holiday events and open evenings. Children with EHCPs and on the SEN register generally get something extra. Fran from Square Peg shares her thoughts and led an SENexchange discussion. Read our… Continue reading Transition: Primary to Secondary
A Sensory Recipe/Poem for Pancake Day Just a little bit of fun for Pancake day. a sensory story/recipe for encouraging messy play or adding a little bit of literacy and fun into food tech lessons. As always written with SEND children in mind this is a simple recipe with poem/Sensory story to go with it.… Continue reading Pancake Day Sensory Story
This is a record of the #SENexchange Discussion in January 2020. We examined the findings and content of Centre for Mental Health briefing on Trauma, challenging behaviour and restrictive practice in schools. Download the briefing here To give you context as to my potential bias in choosing and responding to these questions I am a… Continue reading Trauma, challenging behaviour and restrictive practice in schools.
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
This post on sensory processing was inspired by a talk I attended by Olga Bogdishana. You can find the slides from her presentation on "Making sense of Sensory Needs and Challenging Behaviour" here. She has also written this book which gives a deeper insight into sensory perceptual issues. Sensory processing is a key part of… Continue reading Sensory Processing: Creating a First Aid Kit
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.
Making use of your sensory garden. Outdoor learning is an essential part of all children's education. Getting out of the classroom provides endless opportunities for academic learning and personal development. This post will outline key possibilities provided by creating a sensory garden or even through utilising an existing outdoor space for learning opportunities. Whether that… Continue reading Sensory Garden: Outdoor Learning
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
When I was younger I was enraptured by a storytelling by Tony Robinson. The story was that of Odysseus. Told solely by Tony running around old ruins and weaving the narrative between ancient blocks of stone. My memory is as worn as the ruins but it was this that I wanted to relive (Not even… Continue reading Sensory Story: A Sensory Odyssey Part 1 – Troy
Flipping the Narrative on Special Educational; Needs and Disabilities. Collated by the inspirational Elly Chapple (visit her site CanDoElla here) this list of top tips for NQTs and those working in education is essential reading. It features contributions from top educational authors, teachers, parents, SENCOs, school governors and caring passionate people. All of the people… Continue reading Top SEND NQT Tips from #TeamSend #FlipTheNarrative
The Birth of BackPocketTeacher Hands up, who returns from school with a bizarre range of things in their pockets? Stickers, symbols, bubbles, raisins, latex gloves…. they’ve all been found in my pockets and also been seen spinning around my washing machine! As a SEND teacher I learnt very early on that however amazing and detailed… Continue reading BackPocketTeacher: Bereavement and Grief in SEND
This was my first attempt at writing a sensory story. Heavily influenced by this book by the fantastically creative Joanna Grace
Here you will find all the Special Education books listed in the database but with clickable links. these are all recommended by SEN teachers and professionals.
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