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Hi, my name is Jordan. I am a special education teacher from the UK. I share my passion for

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everything communication, sensory regulation and fun lesson ideas for my classroom of disabled

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pupils aged 4 to 11. Each week I am joined by experts in the field answering your questions

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and sharing our knowledge and experience working alongside our beautiful young people. Let's get started.

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Hello everybody. I am joined by Spectrum Patronum this evening who is another SPED teacher and we're

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going to be talking all things communication and owning a small business as a teacher because both

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of us do that and about being a neurodivergent teacher because we're both neurodivergent.

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Oh my god. I was just explaining like why well we're quite like new to knowing each other aren't

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we but I feel like we've like bonded straight away because we're like oh my god special education,

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neurodivergent, AAC, owning this whole business like there's so much like in common. Absolutely

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and like when I remember seeing you on your videos of how you make a sensory story and I was like

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that's a literally I'm like what have I got in the cupboard right we're doing the farm

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oh there's a feather one button that'll do absolutely education thing or an ADHD

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thing I don't know but yeah I'm just like yeah that'll do that's good yeah I think it's like

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being resourceful that's what I'm putting it down to I'm like oh we can just make it work you know

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pick you know pick something out the cupboard that's the problem though isn't it because

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it means that I see value and an opportunity in everything so it's really really really really

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really hard to get rid of anything like random boxes I've got random Pringles cubes that I'm

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keeping I've got all sorts of stuff like oh but that could be perfect for like this activity that

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activity is it's a problem yeah absolutely like bottles oh yeah sensory bottle yeah exactly like

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the other thing exactly and I made those like I made like pictures of animals and they were then

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and I was like that's great because they're thick they're sturdy explain that because I don't know

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people have seen that because I think it's genius I'm absolutely going to magnify that idea I don't

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think I've got one on me actually but um just backing things onto like thicker pieces of

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cardboard I mean it was about that thick um I kept it from you know like you get a delivery oh yeah

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I'll keep those um you know for those pupils who struggle with their fine motor skills I've seen

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people put symbols on like like put back a symbol onto a brick because you know that's quite can be

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quite tricky to pick up so many of mine struggle to actually like pick up the symbol and yeah

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on the velcro so that's genius I love seeing people like back them onto bricks or a thick

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piece of something so that it's easier to grab that's one of mine also I don't know if you've

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got any ideas for this struggles to like match velcro to velcro and one of my peers thought well

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we only put a tiny square velcro on the back why don't we just cover the whole thing in velcro so

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it's like more like they're going to catch it another one colored in the velcro so that it's

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black not white on white like I don't know if you've got any more ideas like that of like just trying

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to like get them to match it's so tricky isn't it like we also have different sizes at my school so

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like I've got like got some resources of course like a big like bigger symbols as well and then

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then if you cut the whole thing in velcro then it would like you're more likely I guess the ratio

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of missing it is less isn't it yeah yeah I think so and then it just falls to the floor and my heart

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like I know it's really hard especially when it's for a transition and they're matching it somewhere

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they're transitioned you did it the whole way exactly to the floor oh yeah exactly every time

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and my heart just breaks so yeah anything I can do this helps them just get a little bit easier

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yeah I love that right we've got some questions going in okay how do you draw all your symbols I

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can't find a good solution I've gone through so many different ways I used to just chuck them in

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trays and just say like animals clothes you know choice boards whatever and just chuck them in that

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that didn't work because I could never find the one I wanted then I had them like upwards in I

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don't know what it was like it's like little trays like separate trays but again they all get

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muddled and like that didn't work and now I'm trying photo cases they're like this size and

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they all fit into like a carrier yeah like a carrier it's clear so I can kind of see what's

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inside and I've just written them in topic order and I can find things really quickly but they're

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not big like I hear food like I'd need it to be like way more specific than that then I'd need

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loads of them I also find you know that famous blue pouch that everyone's got but they just

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fall out the front yeah so what do you do what's that I have gone through many different systems

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like you do because I also think as you change what you do yeah you like need a new system I've

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used like you know the craft boxes yes with sections I've used the show from Amazon you can

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get like jewelry holders which is a bit like the blue one so just a jewelry holder and they fit

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like this size in as well okay like all of those organized but also I have now it's quite it's a

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lot but I've got quite a few like lever arch files with laminated just plain laminated sheets with

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velcro on yes organized this is my food one this is my map space one for like colors numbers I love

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that and then like outdoors so like when we go to the woods and when you find it you're able to find

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what you need quicker because that's the point isn't it because what I kept doing was I kept

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having to just remake from new because it was quicker to remake from new than to find the random

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symbol that I wanted and we go through symbols like they just get eaten they go missing they get

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pulled apart so often I'm like oh just make I'll just make some new ones which isn't really the

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point is it like we need to have a system but yeah definitely I definitely say having a system

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is needed for sure okay I get this one a lot I don't know if you do as well what education level

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do you need to complete to become a special education teacher so what was your journey into

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sped teaching so I finished college didn't really know what I wanted to do but I had done child care

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and education and I was very much I don't want to work at school I remember I was like I don't I

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just know that I don't want to work at school I want to do like nursery or something like that

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what do you think that came from like what do you could you look back at that you don't know why you

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didn't know I don't know where that came from but I was just like oh I didn't yeah there were some

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things I don't know but then I went and got a job at a school that I had done like a placement at

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like a temporary eight week it was meant to be for eight weeks to cover someone as a teacher

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and I was like oh yeah that's fine and it was actually supporting an autistic boy one-to-one

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I remember like thinking I don't know what autism is like literally I was like like 18 just finished

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college and I was like I don't know what autism is and then you look online and then I'm like I have

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no clue when absolutely fell in love with it and he was he was in year R at the time he'd now be

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about 19 20 I think so it's good for me isn't it um and then I ended up staying at that school

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supporting children with different needs for four years and then I went to a special school yeah um

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and did my degree part-time oh I did my in whilst you were still working in the school yeah so I

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got my degree through um the open university okay um in early years education took me six years

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but like I did it alongside working and actually I would I I got so much from that you know like

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that real one financially because it's a more affordable way of doing it isn't it so people

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are worried about going into a degree for financial reasons at open university and

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part-time and working is a really good way of it being accessible but yeah my god so I I did it

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completely different I did I did an acting degree knowing that I wanted to be a teacher

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but I just wanted to do a fun degree so I did that but I thought I wanted to be a drama teacher

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in secondary so that's what I was thinking I'd do an acting degree then I'll be a drama teacher

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but I wanted a spare part-time job whilst I was doing my degree and one of my friends supply

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TA'd at a special ed school near me and it was really well paid and you could kind of do it ad

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hoc like they just call you in the morning you'd say yes or no and I was like yeah that sounds fun

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like it would get me teaching experience and if I can work with special ed children and it will

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help me in my you know that was kind of my thinking it would work for me it was well paid

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etc and my god the first week I was like I'm in like this is awesome I don't like it the whole

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it the whole world I didn't even know yeah I was like there and possible and then right from that

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so that was my first year of degree I did three year um full-time degree and yeah the whole time

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I was like no I'm going to be a special education teacher from that moment yeah which was great

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because I would like you I had the teaching assistant experience yeah because without that

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I would have done one year PGCE and it taught it teaches you phonics I knew how to teach early

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maths barely and I stepped into my first class at 21 I was an under-qualified teacher I was 21

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I had six TAs to manage that were middle-aged women which is just at 21 a class of 10 autistic

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children aged like 10 to 13 I didn't have a clue luckily my TAs were incredible and they dragged

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me through the first couple of years because they like my PGCE didn't teach me anything everything

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I knew was as a teaching assistant and yeah and my TAs and then working then gradually working with

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speech language therapists and OTs and I've kind of like and done courses and stuff along the way

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but that first year I was absolutely clueless yeah it's my PGCE year was um through a special

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needs school so I did mine and I did two placements so two terms in special needs and one time in

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mainstream because I had to get that mainstream but the actual course so it wasn't any direct

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with at all really there was like five days in total over the whole year for special needs and

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actually what they touched on was so minimal and I remember thinking I remember thinking

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everybody in this room whether you're a mainstream or special you are going to come across children

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with additional needs whether that be ADHD, dyslexia, autism within their settings and then

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there was I was doing things like history and geography stuff and I'm thinking I know I knew

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because of like what I'd experienced I knew that I wanted to work with children with more complex

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needs more high support needs and I remember sat there thinking okay I'll take it on board but I

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just knew that that's not where I was gonna go yeah yeah I really struggled with my mentors and

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stuff because it was really hard to motivate myself through my PGCE year because I knew that

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it was irrelevant I would have got so much more out of just spending a year in the school just

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like trying my year my I did year six year one and year six yeah do you know what looking back

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it did kind of set me up for it because the first sped class I went into was the age of year six

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but the ability of year one so it kind of did set me up a little bit in order to understand kind of

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where they were at socially and where they were at academically yeah but not really like quite it is

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different isn't it it's very different yeah yeah yeah um so but I think it's different now so that

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was like 15 years ago I think um it is different now I hear through through Instagram and DMs

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people are doing special education degrees in the UK which sounds amazing and I think that was a

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thing so I really hope that these teachers feel a little bit more prepared when they actually do

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have their class because I really really didn't yeah it's definitely I think if I hadn't had

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the experience that I had from being a special needs assistant and all the training I got from

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the schools that I worked at previously I wouldn't have known it yeah I wouldn't have known what to do

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so it's definitely you know yeah that experience that experience is like invaluable it's so valuable

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it's just yeah yeah so much yeah so much this is more of a behavior related one but I always see

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behavior as communication so I feel like it is communication have my top on this morning my

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behavior is communication oh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

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I have a child who's become more violent and is hitting out they they were having some time out

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for a consequence but I finally just escalate not sure what to do and any tips would be amazing

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so first of all I get this in my dms all the time like what do I do and my always my first thing I

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say is behavior is communication what do you think the behavior is telling you so if they're

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acting more violent hitting out and if time out so I'm assuming I'm hoping it's quiet time and not

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them sitting on a chair I hope let's assume it's quiet time in a room and calm down time we don't

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do sitting on chairs and naughty steps anymore that's not what we do we don't do no so let's

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hope it's calm down area or calm down corner or something like that I'm not going to even going

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to call it almost because it's consequence though anyway that's them sitting still isn't it that's

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them being quiet and sitting still now if sitting still is making them more dysregulated so their

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behavior is escalating then that means why don't you try the opposite I would suggest so before

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definitely when they're already being violent and hitting out I would be encouraging them to get

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moving and get outside and move their bodies but ideally it would be even before that starts

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so think about what the triggers are what makes them violent hitting out is it losing a game

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is it a busy environment is it when there are lots of people in a closed environment is it when

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there's bright lights like there'll be something there'll be some kind of trigger because no child

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is naturally like that when they are calm and regulated and feeling safe and secure and

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understood and all of those things yeah so there'll be some kind of reason ideally you would reduce

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that reason and those demands so that they there was less likely to happen if you couldn't avoid it

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I would be offering regular movement breaks and sensibility because obviously what this child is

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needing praise for doing that as well and yeah get away from this kind of time out and consequences

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quite old school thinking actually I feel like that's it's a lot of I think because it's a lot

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of background in the 90s like all lots of us grew up in the 90s that was kind of what was

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encouraged that was how it was that was how child and managed like behavior management was sorted

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lots of the teachers now go back to that yeah and it's not actually done like that now is it's much

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more about seeing what the traders are and trying to reduce those giving regular sensory breaks and

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and calm down breaks rather than it being a consequence actually bring something the child

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might request you know I need a break that's encouraging that's actually praised that they

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might need a break from that yeah I don't know if you have anything anything to add no I was just

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going to say about unpicking that behavior what why you know why does that behave happen but like

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we don't in my setting especially my classroom we really try to not react which is really tricky

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and actually it takes a long time to because it's almost like an instant react if that's what

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costs like it isn't it yeah I'm not reacting but trying to not reacting in a negative way but

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trying to think what what are they like generally what are they communicating yeah they're trying to

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gain my attention okay and then not in if it's quite big behaviors it's not about teaching them

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the skills in that moment because they're not regulated they're not ready to learn yeah so you

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know and I think in that moment isn't it yeah and I think I think it's with what you say we've come

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a long way with different things and I think one of the big things is definitely seeing like giving

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them a reward not seeing it as oh I'm giving them a reward for that behavior you're supporting their

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regulation you are stopping the them from becoming even more dysregulated or even more heightened

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um actually you're trying to meet their need yeah because we're attached to a mainstream school

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and I hear that a lot but oh they're just being rewarded for their negative behavior just reinforcing

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their bad behavior like and it's a real concern like I totally get what it looks like you know

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that this child has thrown this chair and you've removed them and spent some lovely quality time

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together and given them a massage like I get what that looks like I can see why somebody that

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doesn't understand that so yeah then just do it again he'll just throw a chair again and then

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he'll get a massage like yes but you have to remember we're an education setting we're not

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a behavioral change unit we are here to educate them and in this moment they need to be regulated

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they need to understand that maybe I don't need to throw chairs maybe I need to just ask for a

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squeeze and a break and and that's the learning in that moment yeah I agree and actually I'll hold

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my hand up and say a few years ago see it as but right they've just done to have that negative

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behavior towards that other child quite physically aggressive and now they're getting a reward yeah

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they need a consequence like it but I think being able to reflect as a practitioner and say and

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change and you know you change your practice you have to and I'm just saying it again I'm sure

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yeah absolutely and then actually implementing those communication strategies at the right time

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teaching how to gain attention properly teaching how to actually if they're for example good ones

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always pushing I always think why are they pushing are they pushing for attention is it that sensory

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is it to their hands a bit of full body movement we're really really lucky at my school we've got

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some amazing spaces um and we've got a room called the balance room and it's got some like suitable

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for like appropriate climbing you know so it's being able to climb and let out energy in the

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room even if you're in a school but doesn't have those amazing things there are things you can do

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so like we've got we've got car tires in our playground car tires the most amazing sensory

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resource they are free because garages need to pay to get rid of them so if you're in doubt and

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you don't have no budget get a load of sensory car tires they are really great heavy work so

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um they you're tiring your arms out so they're getting rid of all that like excess fidget

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energy so you can lift them and build a tower you can push them over and it's really satisfying

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to push over yeah splattered we're because there's water in them and they they're really heavy and

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hard to push you can roll them you can sit in them and it's free so don't just think just because I

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haven't got any budget that you can't do this stuff because you absolutely can and you can push

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against a wall you can do deep pressure squeezes with each other they all on themselves you know

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there are lots of free ways of doing this so I don't want that to be a reason it's just about

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educating three ways of doing this isn't it yeah and also sort of like wrapping themselves up like

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rolling like you said like a sausage roll so you know you hold that blanket roll yourself up like

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a sausage roll and it's like that tight you know sometimes it doesn't have to be an expensive

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weighted blanket even even though they're not as expensive now and they're much more affordable

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but it can literally just be a blanket and be bottled like you would a newborn um for the same

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reason they feel comforted by that and grounded even carrying water bottle two liter water bottles

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in a rucksack and at the front that can and again it's a really free resource you will already have

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had those things in your cupboard and it just grounds their shoulders and grounds them I used

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to when they used to have massive argos catalogs they don't do them anymore but I used to send my

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child on a job to the teachers upstairs or whatever with these argos books it sounds really mean now

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but it really helped you know they could have two or one argos book depending on the size of them

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just for them kind of heavy lifting work again another free um activity that you do that just

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grounds his children before I move on from this one I just wanted to make it really clear that

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when we're saying ignore minimal behaviors what we actually mean so by ignoring we're not reacting

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verbally we're not even reacting with our face but we can still be there to ensure they're safe

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so what I do sometimes is if my child is standing on really high furniture which happens sometimes

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as high as my shoulder a little five-year-old will be as high as my shoulder on this on this walk now

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if I was to say get down from there that's like so exciting he'd start flapping he'd start jumping

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and I'm like no I really don't want him to be doing that so what I do is I stand next to him

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side by side so I'm not face on I'm not being confrontational I'm side by side I'm there if he

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falls I feel safe and I'm there if he wants to come down with an open hand like this so that he

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knows I'm there if he wants to get down and I just wait sometimes I might say like I'm here or down

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please yeah maybe often I am just there and I just wait and I make it a little bit boring because

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yeah it's not that exciting sitting up there and then as soon as he is down and safe then I take him to

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somewhere that he can climb safely whatever that might be I was like why when we say ignore minimal

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behaviors it's not like literally walking away and ignoring and I don't want people I don't want that

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and think because I knew what you meant but I don't want people to think yeah it's hard isn't it

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when you kind of naturally will say things and it probably comes across like no yeah definitely not

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ignoring their climbing if I'm just gonna just let them crack up with it no no no you're there

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you're just not reacting isn't it okay somebody's thrown something really heavy obviously you don't

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ignore that in the sense of obviously you remove that way the object was thrown obviously you check

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that the child that they threw it out or whatever it is okay absolutely but what you don't do is

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become confrontational with the actual child that's what it is isn't it yeah and I think it's also

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about like giving appropriate attention because for some children all are to any attention whether

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it be negative positive that's just they just want it but it's again it goes back to teaching

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in the appropriate time teaching them how they can gain attention for an interaction or whatever

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I wasn't a great student in school I have ADHD I really really wasn't in year I really struggled

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particularly in year three I found it really difficult I moved from infant school to junior

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school and I found it it was a different school and I found that transition really really difficult

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and all of a sudden I came from like to from a really like high achieving like well-attentive

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student to being somebody that ran away from school kicked teachers back didn't have any friends so I

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remember the feeling of like almost wanting the negative because I wasn't getting the positive

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so I totally can see how how that would feed a child's like interest I was just as happy

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with being told off and the attention with that as I was being praised and because I wasn't being

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praised the easiest way to get that attention was those negative behaviors I didn't know that at

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the time but that's what was going on in my brain yeah so when I'm seeing it in my classroom I can

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totally relate and I luckily I had an amazing TA that swooped in really really quickly and kind

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of befriended me and we had like one-to-one time lunch time and stuff that's what that is exactly

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what I needed because I just needed to know that I was loved and seen and looked looked you know I

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was yeah I was noticed I suppose for just being quiet little me and and then I kind of got on and

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I had difficult times on through teenagehood as well like god ADHD is a whirlwind for teenagers

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and with hormone difficulties as well like I was a right I was a right case it's hilarious that I'm

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a teacher honestly I was always on report I ran away missed school awful but they always could see

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that I was a high achiever and luckily I just coasted I could just coast through which was I'm very

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grateful for but they honestly if when I ever meet a teacher and they say oh what are you up to now

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and when I say I'm a teacher they just think really but that's I think where that new my

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divergent teacher comes in it is a real gift to be able to understand exactly like I've been you

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like I get it I understand exactly where you're at you sympathize and empathize on it on like a

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different level a whole different level feel like I'm gonna sound really weird now but I feel like

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they know sometimes yeah I don't know some of my most complex students that I've worked with

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I feel like in those moments when you I feel like you know you can I don't know about you but I can

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definitely sense people's yeah we call it I like not I can sense how people are like even if they're

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not presenting that's maybe HD isn't it yeah that is a thing like you can sense people's like feeling

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towards you even if it's like hidden yeah yeah and it's I think like when I feel that they're

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upset and you know and I then feel like I'm here for you I'm gonna try and do whatever I can to

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help you even just sit there like just holding or hugging or and I think that they they they

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children do anyway they pick up on your yeah your like your emotions and things and I think if you

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are really you know you've been really empathetic and you're and you're like just being in that

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moment with them and you think in your head I get it it's like it's okay and I do think that that

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they feel it yeah I feel that for sure from my end I feel like we often have a moment of like

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and you kind of like connect in a way yeah I've definitely felt that especially through like

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intensive interactions I've had some really quite deep and rich intensive interactions but anyone

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that doesn't know it's by Dave Hewitt there's loads of examples of it on YouTube and on his website

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just google Dave Hewitt intensive interaction and it's basically where it's completely child-led and

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they conduct you you're following their flow of movement you're following their flow of vocalizations

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or sounds as long as it's appropriate and safe you're you're kind of mimicking it in a way and

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not in a way of like it's like a flow it's like echoing them it's not exact it's just kind of

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like feeling like they're super super into a toy you're super super into it too if they're super

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super into some kind of flap or stim you're kind of finding the joy like actual authentic joy in

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that too it's not copying it's just finding like oh yeah that leaf is cool yeah it does feel good

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when I flap or it does feel good I don't just genuine joy just like sharing that moment with

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them I've had some such deep and rich moments in that and I do think it's because I genuinely get

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something from what they're doing so like when they're laying on the floor and like and he's

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like flapping and stuff and I'm copying I'm like actually this does really good like this makes me

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feel really good and I think it does make you feel good and you can kind of like it's kind of like a

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vibration between us and I don't know I can't speak for non I can't speak for neurotypical people

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maybe it is the same maybe it's just the intensive interaction maybe that's just how it works but

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that's certainly what it feels like for me it's like reverberation like we're vibrating with each

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other yeah it's actually quite intimate in a weird way like it's like the whole world and maybe this

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is an ADHD thing as well because I can hyper focus the whole world just like goes back I forget I'm

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a teacher I'm a figure I'm in class and I'm literally like with them and like totally in it

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with them absolutely and I love it it's my favorite I love it we I absolutely love it um it's something

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that we really like spread across the school like and encouraged um teachers and SSAs to do it with

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all children and like you said it's not like mimicking and like the way you think of it it's

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it's completely like you're in like a bubble and me and some of the children in my class we've been

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in that bubble for like 25 minutes and then I'm like oh my gosh we're meant to be in it we're

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meant to be at dinner or whatever you know and we've just you're in that moment and you're you

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connect you it supports so much it supports relationships like it's that it's almost like a

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nurturing trust loyalty communicate two-way communication with no words ever spoken um

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um it's it's just I speak your language I get you your language is this and I'm willing to learn it

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absolutely that's what you're telling them so that when they are in crisis I find if we've already

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done that earlier in the week or earlier in the day it is so more likely to go right when I step

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in to help them because we've already established that I'm here for you I speak your language I'm

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willing to learn I'm willing to listen to you I know I don't get it right all the time I know I

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can't make the sounds and flaps as well as you can but I'm willing to try and because they've

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kind of read that in me they're like okay I'll give her a chance yeah you might I might trust you

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with my vulnerability right now and it does help for sure it's a really wonderful it's amazing and

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I think it's like the foundation of communication yeah like it's babies don't they yeah like now

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when you're looking at a newborn baby so my sister's got a six-week-old baby I've just been

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spending time with them this weekend naturally you like smile when they smile and look when they

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look and you're in their face and you're moving oh that's a good shot so in the moment with them

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yeah always saying with with your learners is just being in the moment and enjoying everything

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they're enjoying authentically just being like fully like and I think that's really quite hard

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for some people actually and you know because to be to like because you make yourself quite vulnerable

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because true you know you're opening yourself up to their world and you don't know how they're

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going to react if it's the person who's doing it yeah and you can't be a bashful or ashamed of

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how it looks other people I kind of forget anyone else's there but if I feel like you wouldn't get

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fully lost in it if you were if you were worried about what it looked like I suppose yeah I've

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never talked about that before true I agree and I think maybe that's why like maybe not everyone

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embraces it as much but like I I don't when I'm at school honestly I couldn't care less what I look

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like what I sound like no I'm there for the children and I'm there to promote their communication

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in any way I can and if that means that I'm like lying upside down making these noises and having

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the best time with one of my students and we're connecting you know happy day yeah and I feel

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like that's what makes a good special ed teacher is just being unashamedly themselves and

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unashamedly silly honest and raw and when they're having a bad day staying and and with your adults

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as well you know with the other key members of your staff you have to kind of just be like open

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to being wrong to being in the way to being questioned to being told you need a break you

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know my TAs are constantly telling me I need a break or to step back or to take my lunch Jordan

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have you taken your like you know like and there's no ego in that it is just it just is and I feel

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like that's probably one of the main things I look for when interviewing actually is just that like

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no ego can you just get on with the job and ironically most of the people I employ are

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neurodivergent because I feel like I just see that in them yeah you you don't have that shame

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with you like you are unobtainably you and I think that makes a really good teaching assistant in a

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special classroom absolutely and it's not really something you can teach like I can teach them to

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do the actual interventions and the actual teaching and the actual symbol stuff like I can teach that

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can't teach them to be unashamed I can't teach them to be authentically like themselves and open

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like I don't know how I would teach that no and actually that's that's like completely personal

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isn't it totally that's completely personal and actually if someone wasn't comfortable doing

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something I would never be like well you need to do it because you're not comfortable it would never

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go well would it and we all have our like strengths and areas for improvement and we've all got that

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but actually if you're not comfortable I'd be like that's fine yeah I'll use you know use people to

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do something maybe they're really good at something else it's definitely one of those things that

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you know you can't you can't teach you can definitely grow and develop it in yourself but

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that's that's such a personal thing isn't it yeah exactly exactly um I've got a communication

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question here so how would you know which speech therapy technique is best for a non-verbal child

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my son recently started singing nursery song Johnny Johnny yes papa so the cocoa melon

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we see sitting in the whole song would that um would that mean gestalt be good for him so I think

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that's really interesting question I would never just choose a speech therapy technique for a child

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I would just have them all accessible to them and just see what they go to it was that kind of how

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you do it I just yeah and again hold my hands up my practice has definitely changed more so in the

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like the last before I would have always gone in with pets straight away I know we've chatted a

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lot about this yeah that was that was what was done wasn't it yeah because that's kind of where

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you were like led to but like I feel like now it's a total communication approach I've got the

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buttons out I've got my go talk we've got core boards we've got aided language board not over

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not in an overwhelming way it's around it's there and it's I think this is something that I am like

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really hot on at the moment I'm like it's modeled it's modeled modeled modeled they're not you know

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AAC users aren't gonna learn how to use their AAC devices if they're not being taught or it's not

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being modeled to them and I think actually normal like normalizing it yeah that's the right word

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like we have I actually bought my we've bought mine home from school this is mine this isn't any

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of the kids this is Sammy's communication book because we all need to show you know we've like

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I've had a chewy before for modeling yeah it's okay I like that I like it and also normalizing

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it right when you have a child that might I mean if you have some children that might need it but

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be aware like you know yeah yeah yeah that they don't they might or ear defenders another one ear

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defenders I've got my own pair of ear defenders I love that yeah got you know just for modeling

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language and this is like a carrot brown with me everywhere and I think it's that modeling

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because the only reason you wouldn't want to do those things like have a chewy is because you

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wouldn't want to be seen either mocking yeah or you wouldn't be seen as like in fantasizing in the

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way but if you're not seeing it as a given thing yeah and if you're not mocking them because you're

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genuinely doing it to model and to show that it's okay then those two are kind of yeah I know

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really yeah I haven't done those two but I love that that is so a bit of me and I will think

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about if there's anything like that that I could start implementing it's like learning a language

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so it's AAC is like trying to learn Chinese and just put it in front of them and expecting them

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to just know what those squiggles mean because that genuinely is what it is it looks like squiggles if

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you don't know but if I have someone in front of me pressing this squiggle says this this squiggle

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says this and it's like okay that actually makes sense now right I might be able to start doing

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that now and we can't because adults often can look at a symbol or look at an AAC device and

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because we can read we know what it means or because we have good pictorial understanding

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we can see a kind of cartoon and can kind of guess if it looks a little bit like a cat it

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probably means cat or if it looks a bit like a trampoline it probably means trampoline

384
00:37:29,200 --> 00:37:34,080
for these children it just looks like colors and squiggles on a page for some for some not for all

385
00:37:34,080 --> 00:37:39,680
some just go straight into it but others don't and lots of mine don't then maybe they need to

386
00:37:39,680 --> 00:37:45,280
be modeled that when we touch this it means you get this and it's like yeah well this squiggle is

387
00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:50,000
cool I like this squiggle or I like this button or I like this object of reference when objects

388
00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:55,280
of reference is basically an object that kind of represents a thing so if they want the trampoline

389
00:37:55,280 --> 00:38:01,040
it might be a bit of netting or a spring or a bit of rope or whatever you know it can mean anything

390
00:38:01,040 --> 00:38:06,960
object reference for photo even sometimes children start with photos don't they yeah I mean another

391
00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:12,320
thing for objects of reference as well I think is really important for transitioning you know

392
00:38:12,320 --> 00:38:17,600
having a fork when you're going to the dinner hall having goggles if you're going swimming and

393
00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:23,280
all those sorts of things it's so important I would definitely recommend just responding to

394
00:38:23,280 --> 00:38:29,440
that pinned question I wouldn't hone in on one thing I would definitely trial a couple of things

395
00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:36,160
obviously don't make it overwhelming but I would definitely trial maybe just symbols on their own

396
00:38:36,160 --> 00:38:42,560
from a choose board also symbols for pointing there's lots of different things out there but

397
00:38:42,560 --> 00:38:49,760
I yeah I would say don't stick to one see what your child chooses definitely take listen to

398
00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:56,560
their lead which is what we've been doing in my class the last couple of years and I mean

399
00:38:57,120 --> 00:39:02,240
before we you know the prime the prime communication in my class like well with most

400
00:39:02,240 --> 00:39:07,600
of my children has always been requesting because they realize that communication means I can ask

401
00:39:07,600 --> 00:39:16,640
you something I get it yeah but I'm so so proud of my learners that they then they're communicating

402
00:39:16,640 --> 00:39:23,200
now for different functions the joy of but an interact for interaction and I feel like that's

403
00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:29,280
the difference of moving away from X because we've only just we've not two years in in my room we are

404
00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:35,840
six months in maybe one learner got an AAC device and now we've got five out of ten because we saw

405
00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:41,280
this one learner and how much it impacted their life behavior relationship with their parents

406
00:39:41,280 --> 00:39:46,320
relationship with adult like we just saw it and we were like we need more of this this is a rest

407
00:39:46,320 --> 00:39:50,000
so all of a sudden we bought it and then we've encouraged other children to let's have a go with

408
00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:55,040
it and it's just kind of spiraled and I love that about new interventions but yeah what we've noticed

409
00:39:55,040 --> 00:40:01,760
is before it was very much like I do this I get this you do this I get this there was there was

410
00:40:01,760 --> 00:40:07,280
no like relationship or enjoyment of language and communication and just that kind of like two-way

411
00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:11,040
what intensive interaction brings what we've just been talking about you can't give us that

412
00:40:11,040 --> 00:40:17,600
whereas AAC it's really funny because he can say like he can say isn't this funny isn't this good

413
00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:23,680
I like this like this is like whatever like it's I'm just noticing those like things like I don't

414
00:40:23,680 --> 00:40:29,120
even know that you have that in you and I hate that I did this this is it and you know what really

415
00:40:29,120 --> 00:40:34,560
made me change my mind if you if anyone's not seen it you need to need to set aside some time to

416
00:40:34,560 --> 00:40:39,840
watch it was the Chris Packham documentary did you watch it I didn't I was told to and I haven't I

417
00:40:39,840 --> 00:40:46,880
need to watch it oh you have to watch it I like I was like crying throughout like the whole thing

418
00:40:46,880 --> 00:40:52,560
it's gonna make me cry that it made me realize and I was like oh my gosh some of these adults

419
00:40:52,560 --> 00:40:59,200
are like my learners they're non-speaking they're high support needs and you do and you do have a

420
00:40:59,200 --> 00:41:04,480
bit of an assumption and then I was like right no more I'm not assuming I don't I have no idea what

421
00:41:04,480 --> 00:41:09,600
they know yeah so it doesn't so assume they do yeah exactly I have I have no idea what they know

422
00:41:09,600 --> 00:41:16,400
they could know they you know for all I know they know more than me yeah so I led with that and the

423
00:41:16,400 --> 00:41:23,360
things that we've got from using like call boards and like they're like they're like instructing

424
00:41:23,360 --> 00:41:29,760
and they're creating sentences not just like I see sentences like with I think we're doing the same

425
00:41:29,760 --> 00:41:38,240
on the farm so we had like sheep says bar and think like on a on a board yeah and then and then

426
00:41:38,240 --> 00:41:44,320
we've had a few like verbalizations as well and that's the other thing isn't it that don't think

427
00:41:44,320 --> 00:41:50,080
that because you're using symbols and signs and ipad that it's stopped speech not that speech I

428
00:41:50,080 --> 00:41:55,920
think is the be on end or it really really isn't but if that's stopping you if that idea of and

429
00:41:55,920 --> 00:42:01,920
you're holding on to oh but I really want them to speak great do me more symbols do even more

430
00:42:01,920 --> 00:42:07,040
signs do more you see because it's actually been proven that it actually helps develop speech so

431
00:42:07,040 --> 00:42:11,440
if you're if your end goal for whatever reason right or wrong I'm not going to judge you is

432
00:42:11,440 --> 00:42:18,480
spoken language then symbols a c object of reference it doesn't it doesn't take away that

433
00:42:18,480 --> 00:42:23,680
if that's the enhanced it and they're using a communication method along the way so all the

434
00:42:23,680 --> 00:42:30,080
better in my view absolutely um someone's asked about the documentary so it's chris packham

435
00:42:30,080 --> 00:42:37,680
documentary called inside our autistic minds on bbc i player I highly recommend the best course

436
00:42:37,680 --> 00:42:43,920
I've been to have been from autistic adults because obviously they just they just know

437
00:42:43,920 --> 00:42:49,600
because they can explain it far better than any neurotypical ever could and they have real life

438
00:42:49,600 --> 00:42:56,000
experience of what it's like to be in school you know and and sometimes they were non-speaking for

439
00:42:56,000 --> 00:43:00,640
the first part of their life so they can really explain what it is like and what helped them and

440
00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:06,080
they are the far best courses I've been to and also there's a new book out by fern Brady the

441
00:43:06,080 --> 00:43:11,120
comedian and you're interested in learning what it's like to be an autistic female that's an

442
00:43:11,120 --> 00:43:17,920
incredible really warren honest book about what it was like in her for her because the autistic

443
00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:22,320
and females can can look quite different and feel quite different and display quite different

444
00:43:22,320 --> 00:43:26,720
it's that classic oh when you've met one autistic person you've met one autistic person

445
00:43:26,720 --> 00:43:32,720
everybody's so individual and everybody's lived experiences are so different so different I've

446
00:43:32,720 --> 00:43:39,840
never met one autistic person saying I probably worked with over 400 um in the 15 years because

447
00:43:39,840 --> 00:43:44,320
I've been a foster carer and carer and watching a specialist school and all sorts not I couldn't

448
00:43:44,320 --> 00:43:49,440
never I couldn't tell you I'm not just making stuff like one autistic child does not display

449
00:43:49,440 --> 00:43:57,680
the same behaviors communication style relationship style emotional intelligence like nothing is the

450
00:43:57,680 --> 00:44:03,840
same I always say the only thing they have in common is anxiety often it's some kind of level

451
00:44:03,840 --> 00:44:08,480
of anxiety but that probably is because the world isn't set up for them not because like that's

452
00:44:08,480 --> 00:44:12,320
naturally supposed to they're naturally anxious people it's probably just because the environment

453
00:44:12,320 --> 00:44:16,880
isn't right I'm still learning 15 years in I've worked with so many kids and I've still got

454
00:44:16,880 --> 00:44:21,520
children every year that come into my class and I think oh god how what am I gonna do with this

455
00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:30,800
I'm gonna what have I got this is the that whole class like half term like sometimes they say

456
00:44:30,800 --> 00:44:37,360
about a topic and I'm always like yeah topic definitely gonna do a topic this half term

457
00:44:37,920 --> 00:44:43,440
never do a topic whatever their special interests is like building a relationship is literally

458
00:44:43,440 --> 00:44:48,880
building a relationship whatever their special interest is absolutely and whether that's like

459
00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:54,880
I've had my same class for two years now but we had like two changes of children so two children

460
00:44:54,880 --> 00:45:01,440
came into my class but even if I had the exact same class next September I would still we've

461
00:45:01,440 --> 00:45:11,600
had six weeks away then maybe new stuff and you know oh and actually there's never nothing changed

462
00:45:11,600 --> 00:45:20,000
yeah absolutely and I think it's so important to spend like spend all your I spend all my time

463
00:45:20,000 --> 00:45:26,560
it's all like showing them where they can access all their basic needs you know constantly got

464
00:45:26,560 --> 00:45:31,520
access you were saying earlier about like sensory spaces I have a constant access in my classroom to

465
00:45:32,080 --> 00:45:38,320
specific sensory items that is like it's like a non-negotiable it's a need it's like breathing

466
00:45:38,320 --> 00:45:42,320
it's like blinking it's like drinking you wouldn't well actually some teachers do deny the children

467
00:45:42,320 --> 00:45:46,800
water but we won't go into that you wouldn't deny a child water or breathing or blinking you

468
00:45:46,800 --> 00:45:53,120
don't deny a child a fidget toy you don't deny a child a bounce or a squeeze when they need it and

469
00:45:53,120 --> 00:45:56,720
if they're saying they need it even if you don't think they need it they probably need it absolutely

470
00:45:56,720 --> 00:46:01,360
and they just do their learning afterwards like just delay it they're not gonna learn they're

471
00:46:01,360 --> 00:46:05,280
they're not gonna learn if they're just regulating anyway and you know what if your learning's fun

472
00:46:05,280 --> 00:46:08,080
enough like they're like oh yeah but they'll just do it because it's more fun i'm like well then make

473
00:46:08,080 --> 00:46:13,920
your lesson more fun make your lesson more fun i love that they're like oh but like you have to

474
00:46:13,920 --> 00:46:18,560
force them in their chair i'm like no because i'm really fun yes they want to and if they don't want

475
00:46:18,560 --> 00:46:23,680
to join then i need to be more fun like it's nothing on them it's all on me i'm not making it fun

476
00:46:23,680 --> 00:46:27,360
enough i just haven't met their needs so they haven't wanted to join that is not their problem

477
00:46:27,360 --> 00:46:34,400
that is totally my problem absolutely i totally agree i'm like my fault yeah sorry guys this did

478
00:46:34,400 --> 00:46:41,840
not work i've definitely like this year i've got more into like some of like we always use our

479
00:46:41,840 --> 00:46:48,160
special interests but schemas as well and i'm like focusing on their schemas to support their learning

480
00:46:48,160 --> 00:46:52,960
can you explain that because i don't for example there might be like a trajectory schema so children

481
00:46:52,960 --> 00:46:59,120
that like it could be like lining things up which i know is very can be quite a typical thing that

482
00:46:59,120 --> 00:47:04,240
people throw around but actually there can be more it can be deeper more to it or it could be running

483
00:47:04,240 --> 00:47:11,200
in the line running in the line jump bouncing up and down throwing things up and down watching it

484
00:47:11,200 --> 00:47:16,640
and it's whether they're watching it crash and splatter or is it they're throwing up and down

485
00:47:16,640 --> 00:47:23,600
and actually we've got we've come so far with embracing the schemas and actually you know i'm

486
00:47:23,600 --> 00:47:29,120
gonna i'm gonna copy your schema and it's like you can extend it there's a really good book actually

487
00:47:29,120 --> 00:47:35,360
online and it's so nice and it goes through each it's really like neurodivergent friendly it's

488
00:47:35,360 --> 00:47:40,880
really well laid out it's and they've got all the different schemas like trajectory connection

489
00:47:40,880 --> 00:47:47,280
there's so many and then you go and then it gives you like a list of ideas for children with those

490
00:47:47,280 --> 00:47:54,480
schemas so like trajectory schemas oh yeah throwing up and down oh reusing pipes with balls and things

491
00:47:54,480 --> 00:48:02,400
like that there's really great ways of replacing maybe unsafe behaviors yes absolutely yeah okay

492
00:48:02,400 --> 00:48:07,200
it's yeah and it and it is interesting actually because there's like one about it's not called

493
00:48:07,200 --> 00:48:11,520
mixing but i in my brain i call it the mixing schema it's not called mixing schema but it's

494
00:48:11,520 --> 00:48:16,880
about like combining things and then like and i can put things up and i think that does that

495
00:48:16,880 --> 00:48:24,080
like children like like making playdough and it's like that's like that's the most interesting

496
00:48:24,080 --> 00:48:32,560
water bubbles color okay absolutely and just like just going with it you know and actually we're not

497
00:48:32,560 --> 00:48:37,680
i think this is like i feel like this whole live is we've embraced this it's it's not about

498
00:48:37,680 --> 00:48:44,800
changing the children's behavior it's not about changing their who they are it's about embracing

499
00:48:44,800 --> 00:48:50,080
who they are and accepting this is what they love i'm not going to try and get them to like

500
00:48:50,080 --> 00:48:54,880
anything else i'm going to come into your world and we're going to just extend this in our own

501
00:48:54,880 --> 00:49:01,920
way actually it works it works and i think the quicker like why wouldn't it why wouldn't that

502
00:49:01,920 --> 00:49:08,480
work like i wish i had that at school i wish that someone came into my world and my brain and and

503
00:49:08,480 --> 00:49:15,840
individualized learning so much that it was like literally my dream room my dream person to work

504
00:49:15,840 --> 00:49:21,840
with my dream work and style of work my dream timetable and sensory breaks like why wouldn't

505
00:49:21,840 --> 00:49:29,760
that work and the beauty of special ed is that we for the most part can make it super individualized

506
00:49:29,760 --> 00:49:34,480
so when i'm like raving on about like i have to get parents like i'm thinking i'm sending them to

507
00:49:34,480 --> 00:49:39,040
mainstream i'm like you could like a mainstream classes are amazing like don't get me wrong i'm

508
00:49:39,040 --> 00:49:43,760
not knocking me i'm attached my class is special provision but i'm attached to an incredible

509
00:49:43,760 --> 00:49:51,360
mainstream school like so so wonderfully loving and god they just they love the bones of their

510
00:49:51,360 --> 00:49:56,400
kids all of them and they've never excluded anyone even though my god they've got some needs like

511
00:49:56,400 --> 00:50:01,600
so there was some incredibly loving mainstream classes but what they can't do is individualized

512
00:50:01,600 --> 00:50:06,800
learning you just physically can't when you've got 30 children and one teaching assistant it's that

513
00:50:07,520 --> 00:50:13,760
it's it's practically impossible to individualize for every learner and this isn't even just special

514
00:50:13,760 --> 00:50:18,560
education like needs this isn't even with children with ehtp this is all learners will learn in a

515
00:50:18,560 --> 00:50:22,880
different way and need to have different needs you absolutely just cannot do that with 30 faces in

516
00:50:22,880 --> 00:50:29,840
front of you um it's impossible but what special education gives if you've got the opportunity to

517
00:50:29,840 --> 00:50:36,400
access that it can and i think all children would benefit from that style of learning absolutely

518
00:50:37,520 --> 00:50:42,000
i totally agree and a few people have asked for the schema book it was literally called schema

519
00:50:42,000 --> 00:50:50,640
i worked in mainstream for four years but actually so hard to meet so many different needs and then

520
00:50:50,640 --> 00:51:00,880
you've also got your undiagnosed yeah children i didn't know until i was 30 something it's crazy

521
00:51:00,880 --> 00:51:06,080
mine was my teaching assistant i've always wondered i have always wondered my teaching

522
00:51:06,080 --> 00:51:13,440
assistant went through private diagnosis and we are so similar and i was like well there you go

523
00:51:13,440 --> 00:51:20,720
like yeah that's that's that was confirmation that i needed for me was yeah that it's worth it's

524
00:51:20,720 --> 00:51:25,920
worth pursuing isn't it like i think i always knew but it's hard isn't it when you're older

525
00:51:25,920 --> 00:51:31,520
because and then you're like do i need to know they are huge benefits to it but they're absolutely

526
00:51:31,520 --> 00:51:37,200
like it is absolutely a disability as well like i don't know how personal to get on here but like

527
00:51:37,200 --> 00:51:43,760
i like my husband like i just said he was away he's going away for a week like i will not eat

528
00:51:43,760 --> 00:51:51,760
proper food i will like not like hygiene is like i need to really really make an effort i i will

529
00:51:51,760 --> 00:51:57,200
get hyper focused in work like i'll i'll make like 20 resources my google drive but i won't like

530
00:51:58,000 --> 00:52:03,120
change my sock like like it's like i'm not gonna like make it this fluffy rainbow thing because

531
00:52:03,120 --> 00:52:07,840
it does have its benefits it's the only reason why i can do this so successfully it's the only

532
00:52:07,840 --> 00:52:10,960
reason i can run my business so successfully it's the only reason i could be such a good teacher

533
00:52:11,600 --> 00:52:17,840
but my god do i rely on the my loved ones around me to like pick up the pieces and pick up the slack

534
00:52:17,840 --> 00:52:25,440
yeah absolutely and i have to you know shout out to my other half because i don't cook yeah ever

535
00:52:25,440 --> 00:52:30,720
and like you say it's really hard isn't it like how much do you share yeah i don't care what you

536
00:52:30,720 --> 00:52:37,280
want but i think i think they get what we're saying is like like we get it because we're like

537
00:52:37,840 --> 00:52:44,560
we are amazing we can do all these amazing things isn't our brain so cool but also like we are the

538
00:52:44,560 --> 00:52:51,040
expectations on us is to be neurotypical we need to work a neurotypical day and times and we have

539
00:52:51,040 --> 00:52:56,080
neurotypical deadlines and we have neurotypical expectations from our senior leadership team

540
00:52:56,080 --> 00:53:02,640
and we have neurotypical expectations from the parents yes and that is hard that is when i burn

541
00:53:02,640 --> 00:53:06,880
out that is when i challenge like lots of people see everything i'm doing they're like well how

542
00:53:06,880 --> 00:53:12,240
don't you burn out i'm like no because this feeds me this is my special interest yes like my yeah

543
00:53:12,240 --> 00:53:18,240
that's my special interest like that's that's that absolutely but when it doesn't feed me

544
00:53:18,240 --> 00:53:26,960
and give me a dopamine hit i really struggle like really struggle to get up and go absolutely

545
00:53:26,960 --> 00:53:33,680
it is it's it's definitely something like that i feel like maybe not spoken about as much maybe

546
00:53:33,680 --> 00:53:41,680
because you know there are these positives but the struggles are really hard and like i definitely

547
00:53:41,680 --> 00:53:47,360
i've been through phases in my teaching where i've completely lost not i wouldn't say motivation

548
00:53:47,360 --> 00:53:51,840
because i'm always there for the kids and i'm always but like maybe like my inspiration maybe

549
00:53:51,840 --> 00:53:58,080
for example and like there'll be times yeah and there'll be times where i'll come home and i'm

550
00:53:58,080 --> 00:54:05,840
like when i'm like on it and obviously you know that i've been really poorly over the last few

551
00:54:05,840 --> 00:54:10,320
months and when i came home from work i was supposed to you know supposed to be resting

552
00:54:10,960 --> 00:54:16,400
and then i'm sat there until 11 o'clock at night doing my planning taking individual like

553
00:54:16,400 --> 00:54:21,920
like all the stuff and i'm so focused i'm either half times out like because i told him i was going

554
00:54:21,920 --> 00:54:28,880
to rest it i was going to beg it like and then he'll come up and he's like um you're going to

555
00:54:28,880 --> 00:54:32,480
bed now i was like what's the time he's like it's half 11 and i was just been sat there

556
00:54:33,040 --> 00:54:39,760
time blind completely like oh i'll just do a couple of jobs but it's when when it's good it's good

557
00:54:39,760 --> 00:54:45,120
but when it's not so good it's it's not same as our kids right that's the same as absolutely

558
00:54:45,120 --> 00:54:48,960
i do think we need to be speaking about it more which i'm so i'm so pleased that you're

559
00:54:48,960 --> 00:54:53,840
you're on here because i think it's really really important that we are putting ourselves out there

560
00:54:53,840 --> 00:54:58,640
and being really honest about it i feel like it would be really inauthentic for me to pretend that

561
00:54:59,200 --> 00:55:04,000
everything's perfect and i get it right all the time like often in the dms i say i'm sorry i don't

562
00:55:04,000 --> 00:55:09,040
know and i put them towards like i did it today it was quite ironic actually i've got a it's been

563
00:55:09,040 --> 00:55:14,480
quite controversial actually the post this week that i posted about aba um and i got into really

564
00:55:14,480 --> 00:55:19,360
like interesting conversation with somebody that was on the other side like she was really pro aba

565
00:55:19,360 --> 00:55:23,280
and that's like whatever like we've had a conversation about it and somebody commented

566
00:55:23,280 --> 00:55:27,360
asking for advice in it and i just said i'm not the person to give that to advice but talk to this

567
00:55:27,360 --> 00:55:33,040
person and i think it's really i just think it's really important to be as honest about what you

568
00:55:33,040 --> 00:55:39,200
don't know is what you do and if i'm going to put myself out here then like i don't want the crown

569
00:55:39,200 --> 00:55:44,480
of like being the people that like person that's like got all the answers because i absolutely don't

570
00:55:44,480 --> 00:55:49,600
i'm just super passionate about getting it right and accepting when i've got it wrong yeah and

571
00:55:49,600 --> 00:55:54,240
learning like i've learned more since like i started this in december i've started i've learned more

572
00:55:54,880 --> 00:55:59,760
since starting it chatting to people and seeing comments of sometimes criticism and sometimes

573
00:55:59,760 --> 00:56:06,720
praise um learning so much more than i did before and i'm i like that yeah so if you see something

574
00:56:06,720 --> 00:56:10,880
that you don't agree with like don't think you can't tell me like i am absolutely no ego here like

575
00:56:10,880 --> 00:56:15,920
i'm here to learn i'm here to accept that it's not right because like you said two years ago i did

576
00:56:15,920 --> 00:56:21,680
things very differently therefore it was wrong then i didn't know so if there is something that

577
00:56:21,680 --> 00:56:27,440
you're questioning now then i want to know about it because i want to ultimately be the best advocate

578
00:56:27,440 --> 00:56:35,120
that i can be and it's like it's that thing is you don't know you know when you know better you do

579
00:56:35,120 --> 00:56:41,600
better like so like for example like just even like just talking about a ba like with like pecs and

580
00:56:42,320 --> 00:56:47,360
we do something at my school well not really so much anymore but it's called waldon have you heard

581
00:56:47,360 --> 00:56:54,720
about waldon therapy yeah very old school and with i mean i haven't done it properly for many years

582
00:56:54,720 --> 00:57:01,520
i don't know if it is a form of a ba but it's not when you look at the foundations of the expectation

583
00:57:01,520 --> 00:57:07,680
from the child it's not very nice and like you know it's like no if it doesn't sit right so i

584
00:57:07,680 --> 00:57:14,960
don't do it very slowly yeah don't follow if it doesn't feel like it feels like lots of people

585
00:57:14,960 --> 00:57:19,520
question that and there's lots of controversy about that as well but how i do it feels right in

586
00:57:19,520 --> 00:57:23,920
my gut yeah children want to come to my class they really look forward to the staff we look forward

587
00:57:23,920 --> 00:57:30,720
to it's an absolute joy it's the best part of the day all the kids are smiling and and loving it so

588
00:57:30,720 --> 00:57:36,640
how i do it works in my class and that's all i can say it's just a gut feeling that it is right for

589
00:57:36,640 --> 00:57:42,240
my class how i do it i don't know if i am doing it the official way but how i do it works my class

590
00:57:42,240 --> 00:57:50,880
and it feels good to me i sometimes feel like the official way of doing things it's like maybe not

591
00:57:50,880 --> 00:57:57,280
always the right way yeah but actually is it actually what you put i mean that's the same as

592
00:57:57,280 --> 00:58:00,880
i mean that's the same as planning like i often look back i'm playing because i've been rewriting all my

593
00:58:00,880 --> 00:58:05,760
short-term plans for my curriculum and i look back i'm like oh yeah that's what i was meant to do

594
00:58:06,320 --> 00:58:10,240
like sometimes in the moment like what you've written is like yeah it's a beautiful plan but

595
00:58:10,240 --> 00:58:13,760
in the moment sometimes it doesn't work like that sometimes the child wants a toy that you didn't

596
00:58:13,760 --> 00:58:17,760
expect them to or sometimes a child comes over and you won't expect them to and and you kind of have

597
00:58:17,760 --> 00:58:23,600
to just kind of go with it and it's hard to write that down sometimes that child-led free flow is

598
00:58:23,600 --> 00:58:32,400
just so much more valuable and they get so much more out of it but like going back to like attention

599
00:58:32,400 --> 00:58:38,000
autism i used like used to be my favorite thing i haven't done it in the last two years i haven't

600
00:58:38,720 --> 00:58:47,760
no mainly because the the needs of my children it's not suitable for them right so we do a lot of

601
00:58:47,760 --> 00:58:54,320
like most of our work is one-to-one based but we'll just be like for example we'll use like

602
00:58:54,320 --> 00:59:00,800
intensive interaction as the basis and we'll be but with toys and other things and you know

603
00:59:01,840 --> 00:59:06,960
encourage their attention and engagement in other ways because so you're kind of doing the

604
00:59:06,960 --> 00:59:11,600
fundamental thread of it but you're just doing an individualized one yeah and also they're not

605
00:59:12,160 --> 00:59:17,200
they're not read like they're not ready i'm quite openly say this then like sometimes children

606
00:59:17,200 --> 00:59:22,560
aren't ready to and actually sometimes i do think this bucket toy is so exciting why wouldn't you

607
00:59:22,560 --> 00:59:27,680
want to come up and play with it yeah i'm gutted that i can't film my actual sessions because my

608
00:59:27,680 --> 00:59:32,320
god i feel like every teacher that ever does it will be like okay yeah i do it right oh my god

609
00:59:32,320 --> 00:59:39,360
it's like it's like a well wind of water and bubbles and children on my neck and people in

610
00:59:39,360 --> 00:59:43,120
the bucket and crying because they i brought up something in the bucket they were expecting

611
00:59:43,120 --> 00:59:48,640
they didn't want it and or i'm not doing it like the other teacher does it and then i then i then

612
00:59:48,640 --> 00:59:51,840
they say finish and i move on to the next thing and then i haven't put it away enough so then

613
00:59:51,840 --> 00:59:59,680
child runs up and gets it like it is chaos it is chaos but they love it so that's good that's

614
00:59:59,680 --> 01:00:07,600
really good yeah we i i abandoned it last year because we it was we weren't ready we weren't

615
01:00:07,600 --> 01:00:16,400
ready and so we are doing lots of other things to support engagement and attention and that's the point isn't it i feel like let's not just jump onto the bandwagon of what's

616
01:00:16,400 --> 01:00:24,400
appropriate just like aac like aac is amazing some children aren't ready yeah uh four of my learners out of 10 aren't ready

617
01:00:25,200 --> 01:00:31,760
so we're doing photos like big a4 photos we're doing objects of reference and we're doing buttons with them

618
01:00:31,760 --> 01:00:36,640
it doesn't mean they don't have any i mean that's all still a c isn't it but it's not like but it's

619
01:00:36,640 --> 01:00:42,400
not like the ipad or the symbols it's not like the aac coreboard yeah um because they're not ready and

620
01:00:42,400 --> 01:00:47,920
that doesn't mean that i don't value it it just means that i know my children and they're just not

621
01:00:47,920 --> 01:00:52,640
ready yet and i think that's okay and it's okay to feel confident to say that to senior leadership

622
01:00:52,640 --> 01:00:56,160
team or if you're a teacher assistant to say that to your teacher i don't think they're ready yet

623
01:00:56,160 --> 01:01:00,320
yeah but here's the step if that's your goal here's the steps that we could get them there

624
01:01:00,320 --> 01:01:04,240
thank you so much for me i feel like this has been really empowering actually a really empowering

625
01:01:04,240 --> 01:01:09,760
conversation i feel i was really tired earlier and but this is like completely like uplifted me

626
01:01:09,760 --> 01:01:13,440
and brought me lots of joys really helpful because i feel like we work in a really similar way and i

627
01:01:13,440 --> 01:01:19,360
think it's really nice to like yeah just feel how other people do things and like i felt like

628
01:01:19,360 --> 01:01:25,520
you're maybe a year and a half ahead of me actually in your journey into into neuro affirming teaching

629
01:01:25,520 --> 01:01:30,880
so that's really exciting for me to like learn from you so that's really fun yeah thank you

630
01:01:30,880 --> 01:01:36,720
and please please go and follow it spectrum for trainers thank you and check out her business

631
01:01:36,720 --> 01:01:42,640
check out her small shop she sells amazing colorful semantics symbols lots of like in

632
01:01:43,280 --> 01:01:49,280
in to do with special interests and topics that you might use loads of visuals um digital and real

633
01:01:49,280 --> 01:01:58,480
i see stickers books t-shirts coming oh child new bag love it love it advocate for your students go

634
01:01:58,480 --> 01:02:05,200
and check her out she is amazing thank you so much and i'm so pleased that there's no competition here

635
01:02:05,200 --> 01:02:11,520
like no so much learning just love and if any other people want to like hop onto this then like

636
01:02:11,520 --> 01:02:16,960
reach out we'll chat and or speech and language therapist ot is like i'd love to i'd love to

637
01:02:16,960 --> 01:02:22,080
chat to you if you feel like you want to if you feel like you vibe then let's have a chat thank

638
01:02:22,080 --> 01:02:35,920
you sammy i hope you have a good evening i will let you have an evening now