WEBVTT

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Hi, my name is Jordan. I am a special education

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teacher from the UK. I share my passion for everything

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communication, sensory regulation and fun lesson

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ideas for my classroom of disabled pupils aged

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4 to 11. Each week I am joined by experts in

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the field answering your questions and sharing

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our knowledge and experience working alongside

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our beautiful young people. Let's get started.

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So these episodes are going to be a little bit

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different over August. We are going to re -look

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at my favourite moments from the podcast from

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Series 1. We've had such amazing conversations

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this year and thank you so much to everybody

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who has been on the podcast. You've been incredible.

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And thank you so much for all the listeners for

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your support so that we can continue this for

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Series 2 from September. I hope you enjoy taking

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a look back at... yeah my favorite moments i've

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just seen a message from a parent whose pupil

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is actually starting in my class in september

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and they said um should i write a list to tell

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you guys about my child so yes i send home and

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this is relevant for everybody i send home a

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happiness audit it's on my google drive but anyone

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that wants it i'll send it to you and it's basically

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a what makes your child happy audit it's the

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first thing we give so it's what sensory experiences

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make your children happy what foods make your

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children happy what environments make your children

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happy what people make your children happy what

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you know just what does heaven look like for

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your child because then we can refer to that

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You know, if we want to support a child coming

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in from the car or, I don't know, anything, anything

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throughout the day, we can look at the happiness

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audit and think, oh, yeah, actually, this environment

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is not ideal for them. Let's dim the lights.

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Let's put on rock music. Whatever it is that

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makes them happy, it just might help. It just

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gives us a clue. So for this one parent, you're

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lucky enough to have these. It's amazing. But

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for any other parent or teacher that thinks they

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would benefit from that. um i'll send it to you

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so i'll save this obviously to my grid and comment

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below and i will just make sure that that's an

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automatic like from the perspective of a parent

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to know that you do that and again that you generally

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care and are going to be supporting them with

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what makes them happy that it's just so incredible

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to hear um it's so brilliant yeah but yeah yeah

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so if you're yeah teacher i just i think it's

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how can i It's currency. Happiness is currency

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in the special ed class. Like, how can I assume

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that a child like Ethan will want to join our

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group area if it's not motivating to him and

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doesn't hit those buttons, you know? Whereas

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if it would be as easy enough as being like,

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oh, okay, three of our kids like cats. Yeah.

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Okay, awesome. I'm going to pick a story the

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first week about cats then. Like, it's so easy

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once you know. And, like, Ethan loves, um, one,

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two, three, four, five, once I caught a fisher.

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At the moment, like, he loves counting it. doing

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it all on a day of saying that if we told you

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that and you could think you could meet ethan

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and you could that could be the song you sing

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exactly exactly or in maths like when we pick

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the music song we can because we do choice boards

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we can just make sure that's an option because

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without knowing that that was his favorite song

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we might even not have that as an option and

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then even if he could understand the choice board

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or whatever we're limiting him yeah so the more

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we know the more opportunities the better and

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and going back to your question of how long does

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it take to get to know a child the more we know

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we can build those connections that trust And

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it surprised me how quickly you said, but that's

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amazing. And obviously you're with them for such

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a long period of time in the day. And our whole

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job is to get to know them. Those first weeks

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are literally, that is what we do. Building trust.

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Yeah. It's a lot of intensive interaction just

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to start building that trust. Yeah. Share the

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same language and getting them to know the class,

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you know, within their own, not trying to stretch

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them too far. It's a real weird balance. Yeah,

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definitely. Especially when you've got them all

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doing it at once. Yeah. But the more we know

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about a child, the better. Don't think that sending

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him in with four pages of handwritten information

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about him is too much. If you can't do that,

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don't. fine but if you want to don't think oh

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my god i'm not please don't because i'd rather

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too much information than not at all and even

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if i can't read it that first day because it's

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a bit hectic yeah if it's in front of this book

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stapled in there at least we can refer to it

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definitely i think that one more question i was

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going to ask actually if that's okay yeah of

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course Just sort of what we can, is there anything

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we can do kind of during the summer? So for all

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the parents who have their children starting

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at special school to just kind of support Ethan

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a little bit. So we know I think one of his goals

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is to sort of be able to put his coat on and

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off. Is that kind of useful to do with him? Sometimes

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it depends on, like some of them might give you

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specific goals, like some of them to work on

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specific things. I would say just really focus

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on the... transition photos or videos that you've

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got so if when next time you visit video him

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in the space in the classroom if you're allowed

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to yeah or at least take photos of the adults

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and key workers he's working with the entrance

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door like really important like steps of how

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he's gonna get there i think it's probably the

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most important thing because your job is to get

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him through the door and that's sometimes hard

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to i mean it sounds like Nathan's doing brilliantly

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but for some parents sometimes just getting them

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into the car dressed in a different uniform there

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was so much that i think focus on that focus

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on practicing uniform wearing on and off no pressure

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new shoes practice wearing new shoes because

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sometimes they're a bit hard and horrible aren't

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they so wearing new shoes without any pressure

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of going anywhere make it a bit of a fun game

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maybe practice the car journey parking in the

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car park and then going home again all those

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things actually That's probably the most important

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thing because your job ends at the gate and then

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we, over summer, we are thinking about from the

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gate, right, okay, what's learning going to look

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like? But if you can get them to the gate on

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time, like wearing their uniform, whatever it

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is, that is awesome. That is awesome. Brilliant,

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okay. And it's so good to hear as well. you saying

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that our job ends and then you take over. I think,

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you know, for us, we've had a really funny kind

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of childcare history of like, no, she's not meeting

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his needs and stuff. So to just know that he's

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going to be somewhere where he's fully supported,

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he's understood, he's accepted and his happiness

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is the main goal. You know, just so brilliant

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to just be looking forward to that and just sending

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him kind of safely sort of on his way. And the

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more prepped he is, the less anxious he'll feel

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and the better day he'll have. Yeah, and if you've

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practised over the summer and you're really concerned

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about, I don't know, like I've heard some awful

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things about some schools making children wear

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shirts and ties and I don't know, specific things.

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Like some schools do. Like it is okay as a parent

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to voice your concerns because you, again, you're

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the expert of your child. If you feel like them

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wearing a shirt is going to hinder them from

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even entering the building, in my mind, that's

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exclusion. And it's absolutely okay to voice

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that and to keep fighting for that. For me, happy,

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well, my headteacher hopefully isn't watching.

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I'm happy a kid's up in their pyjamas. I couldn't

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care less. If they're through the gate and they're

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happy and regulated, I'll work with it. Yeah.

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well but hopefully i think i think probably as

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a parent i probably expect specialist schools

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to be a bit more lenient with that but as you

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said if there's ones that are kind of forced

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yeah not always no not always and also like sometimes

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it's we want we want children sometimes it helps

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having uniform because then they know it's a

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school day or a home day you know like for some

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children it's actually very important so often

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we kind of go for a mixture of we have a white

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t -shirt rather than a white shirt and they wear

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the school jumper and they wear jogging bottoms

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like that that kind of thing is quite typical

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in our class so they are part of the school they've

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got the logo but it's a little bit yeah but i

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mean that's it's so school it really is school

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specific some other schools wouldn't yeah It's

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just up schools. But also, if your gut feeling

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says that that is hindering your child from entering

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the building, I would say that's an easy fix.

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It would be a red flag, wouldn't it? Yeah, definitely.

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Definitely. And I've always been special ed,

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so I am naive to what's realistic. So do you

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have three realistic resources that you could

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share with us or support systems that mainstream

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teachers can start in their classrooms to support

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their either autistic or neurodivergent students

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in their class this year? We've just started

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a new year. What would you suggest they looked

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into? Three is really hard. Okay, sorry. I was

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trying to think about it earlier. And I'm a talker,

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so trying to get me to just say three, that's

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really hard. And it is really hard to think of

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three main things. But I think one of the biggest

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things is what you can do for the whole class

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to benefit the children who really need something

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specifically. For example, if we're talking about

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children who need regular brain and movement

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breaks, then hit the whole class with that. because

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you're quite often going to be a teacher on your

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own with 30 children and and you're not just

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looking at like neurodivergent children in terms

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of who you need to support you might have children

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in there with no english and you might have children

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in there who um coming from a really challenging

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kind of home situation and need your emotional

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support as well during the day so there is a

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lot to do and so for any teachers out there like

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please know that when especially on my page it's

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never about teacher bashing it's kind of is the

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issue is the system and and i'm all for changing

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the system but right now we have to change it

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in the classroom because if that comes it's not

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going to come soon so get it from the inside

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out almost bottom up like be that way so I think

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yeah what you can do for the whole class so like

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in New Zealand it's incredible and they've been

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doing this so many years that they start every

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day with some form of movement whether it's dance

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or you know aerobics or whatever and it's just

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like part of every school and so often I find

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that one of the frustrations with parents is

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that everything is different in every school

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and it is down to the teachers so any teachers

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out there and It's almost no excuse for why a

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child can't have brain and movement breaks really

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regularly. Brain breaks can be the simplest thing.

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Let's see, have you got some examples of what...

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Because often I share... like what i do like

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exercise boards and everything or weighted blankets

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thing oh we haven't got so could you share some

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like realistic mainstream i think like a really

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short brain break would be right everyone copy

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me and you just be starting to do different things

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so you're switching trying to get them to really

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concentrate and it becomes silly you're just

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and you can get them to stand up and do it or

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you can do it i do it when they're on the carpet

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like pens down eyes on me let's go and we do

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this for like a few minutes just anything you

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know five and they'd shout out how many fingers

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i'm holding up really simple things like that

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that you can do several times throughout let's

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say in english might be an hour long like break

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it up with little brain breaks then you put your

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movement break the brain breaks can be done when

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they're sitting on the carpet or the table movement

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breaks obviously you need to get up and move

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so when they're going you could do it maybe once

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on the carpet When they're going from the carpet

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to their tables, do a movement break then, which

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also is kind of a brain break. So you're doing

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that. So a quick Simon Says is a really good,

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obviously not Simon Says, you do it as a teacher.

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That's a really fun one to do as well. Sometimes,

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yeah, in the middle. And then if you've got kind

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of a 15, 20 minute section of the lesson where

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they're at their tables working, do something

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after 10 minutes. So in the middle of that, again.

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Pens down, eyes on me, right, stand up. And then

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we do something just really physical. And to

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begin with, at the start of the term, it takes

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a while. It's really hard to rein everyone back

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in. So these teachers that are hearing this,

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don't just try it once. I'm never doing that

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again. It probably is chaos because it's something

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they might have never done before. But trust

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me that the more you do it, it just becomes routine.

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And so then when I would do it, everyone would

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know and I did it in the middle of Ofsted you

00:12:47.059 --> 00:12:48.860
know I'm not I wouldn't be scared of that because

00:12:48.860 --> 00:12:51.279
I knew everybody knew kind of what happened we

00:12:51.279 --> 00:12:53.519
did this and then right everyone back into it

00:12:53.519 --> 00:12:57.820
oh yeah renewed kind of right now I've got my

00:12:57.820 --> 00:13:00.659
idea I'm going to go again and so I think those

00:13:00.659 --> 00:13:03.419
sorts of things when you've got you know especially

00:13:03.419 --> 00:13:05.960
reports coming in saying this child needs regular

00:13:05.960 --> 00:13:08.179
brain breaks movement breaks do it for everyone

00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:11.480
The child will benefit from that, especially

00:13:11.480 --> 00:13:14.200
younger children should be moving. So I think

00:13:14.200 --> 00:13:16.639
those are the things you can do, but also make

00:13:16.639 --> 00:13:19.139
games in your lessons when you're doing maths

00:13:19.139 --> 00:13:21.840
or something in input. Try and get movement games.

00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:24.899
So like I used to do splats where we'd run up

00:13:24.899 --> 00:13:27.360
and splat the board. I'd get them writing on

00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:29.720
whiteboards because actually if every child has

00:13:29.720 --> 00:13:31.740
a whiteboard and they're all writing and then

00:13:31.740 --> 00:13:34.700
you hold it up as quick as you can or we'd tell

00:13:34.700 --> 00:13:37.019
each other, tell the person next to you and then

00:13:37.019 --> 00:13:39.379
let them go around the table. or things like

00:13:39.379 --> 00:13:41.799
that that you can do anything that you can do

00:13:41.799 --> 00:13:45.559
that is just breaking up listening i'm talking

00:13:45.559 --> 00:13:48.720
you're listening everyone's sitting no like that's

00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:53.240
just not going to be the most inclusive way opening

00:13:53.240 --> 00:13:55.480
neurodivergent children so i think if you can

00:13:55.480 --> 00:14:00.480
meet the needs of whether it's two five however

00:14:00.480 --> 00:14:03.320
many in your class you do it on a whole class

00:14:03.320 --> 00:14:06.139
level you're actually then ticking the boxes.

00:14:06.600 --> 00:14:08.919
So everyone's benefiting, aren't they? No one's

00:14:08.919 --> 00:14:11.019
missing out then because, and it's almost like

00:14:11.019 --> 00:14:12.940
you're catching it before they really, really

00:14:12.940 --> 00:14:16.379
aid it. You're giving those regular input every,

00:14:16.379 --> 00:14:18.500
you said about 10 minutes, so every, you know,

00:14:18.519 --> 00:14:21.019
half lesson, those regular inputs. It means it

00:14:21.019 --> 00:14:23.740
never gets to dysregulation. It never gets to

00:14:23.740 --> 00:14:26.080
the point, it shouldn't get to the point where

00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:28.960
they're in absolute crisis and you're having

00:14:28.960 --> 00:14:31.720
to evacuate the classroom or you're having to,

00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:34.159
which, you know, just focus on this one. Yeah.

00:14:34.200 --> 00:14:37.179
And that's like my principle in pretty much all

00:14:37.179 --> 00:14:40.139
my coaching as well is, you know, what can we

00:14:40.139 --> 00:14:42.379
do before? It's all about proactive strategies.

00:14:42.620 --> 00:14:45.360
What are we doing before our children are reaching

00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:48.299
meltdowns? What can you do before they become

00:14:48.299 --> 00:14:51.120
dysregulated? So have these. regulation resets

00:14:51.120 --> 00:14:53.799
all the time so that you're just letting that

00:14:53.799 --> 00:14:56.539
pressure valve out like religion being reactive

00:14:56.539 --> 00:14:58.860
and thinking oh totally i think you need a movement

00:14:58.860 --> 00:15:01.200
break it's too late they're already in christ

00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:03.759
parenting like how do we parent when a child's

00:15:03.759 --> 00:15:06.100
having a meltdown they're already in it it happened

00:15:06.100 --> 00:15:08.480
before it happens before you do it yeah it's

00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:11.100
all the stuff beforehand and it's the same in

00:15:11.100 --> 00:15:14.320
schools like don't wait till anyone is dysregulated

00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:17.659
before you put in support And so I think it's

00:15:17.659 --> 00:15:20.139
that thing, assume that they're all going to

00:15:20.139 --> 00:15:22.559
be dysregulated or they're getting there. Assume

00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:24.960
they're frustrated right now. Because if you

00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:27.759
assume that they're getting there, then you can

00:15:27.759 --> 00:15:30.100
put things in. And even if they're not, it doesn't

00:15:30.100 --> 00:15:32.779
hurt. It really doesn't hurt. And, you know,

00:15:32.820 --> 00:15:35.980
same with my son. If he's not angry, then I'll

00:15:35.980 --> 00:15:38.460
still be giving him opportunities to let out

00:15:38.460 --> 00:15:41.399
anger. showing me any act you know these are

00:15:41.399 --> 00:15:44.899
things this is like proactive parenting or teaching

00:15:44.899 --> 00:15:47.419
never gets to the point where it's unmanageable

00:15:47.419 --> 00:15:51.840
for his body um i found it on on inset day i

00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:53.820
don't know if any other teachers here found that

00:15:54.350 --> 00:15:56.889
but we were sitting for 45 minutes at a time

00:15:56.889 --> 00:15:58.509
and then we had a break 45 minutes and i thought

00:15:58.509 --> 00:16:01.129
my goodness i am really struggling like after

00:16:01.129 --> 00:16:04.990
15 minutes it was i um i mean i'm neurodivergent

00:16:04.990 --> 00:16:07.350
anyway but i i could look around me and i could

00:16:07.350 --> 00:16:09.110
see people like playing with their scrunchies

00:16:09.110 --> 00:16:12.620
wiggling then um me like at 15 in their chair

00:16:12.620 --> 00:16:15.860
i thought we've had enough and we're adults how

00:16:15.860 --> 00:16:18.620
are we asking these five -year -olds or 11 year

00:16:18.620 --> 00:16:22.120
olds to sit for such a long time we need to be

00:16:22.120 --> 00:16:23.960
practicing what we preach or i see those inset

00:16:23.960 --> 00:16:26.879
days don't we so if you're um leading on those

00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:30.320
trainings we kind of need to be offering that

00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:34.720
don't we as well and i think I did a talk a little

00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:37.759
while back with a child psychologist and we were

00:16:37.759 --> 00:16:39.700
talking about like diagnosing the environment,

00:16:39.899 --> 00:16:42.480
not our children. Actually, I think so much of

00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:45.919
the dysregulation we see isn't necessarily to

00:16:45.919 --> 00:16:47.980
do with anything other than what we're asking

00:16:47.980 --> 00:16:50.220
our children to do. And if we're asking them

00:16:50.220 --> 00:16:52.860
to sit for an hour, you know, in a classroom

00:16:52.860 --> 00:16:56.889
without moving, that's really unrealistic. So

00:16:56.889 --> 00:16:59.870
and I think if you if you look at it and in a

00:16:59.870 --> 00:17:02.250
lot of the sort of British Dyslexia Association

00:17:02.250 --> 00:17:06.230
websites and the National Autistic website will

00:17:06.230 --> 00:17:08.349
sort of talk about these reasonable adjustments.

00:17:08.490 --> 00:17:11.190
And when they talk about kind of movement or

00:17:11.190 --> 00:17:14.109
brain breaks, it will be suggested about 10 to

00:17:14.109 --> 00:17:17.750
15 minutes because it's not just the children

00:17:17.750 --> 00:17:20.430
who need to move for dyslexic pupils. It will

00:17:20.430 --> 00:17:22.690
be the kind of mental exhaustion and fatigue.

00:17:23.420 --> 00:17:26.019
experiencing after 10 or 15 minutes that everyone

00:17:26.019 --> 00:17:29.559
kind of needs that reset get up move and i think

00:17:29.559 --> 00:17:31.920
if you look at your lesson in those chunks and

00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:35.700
kind of it becomes so much easier to work that

00:17:35.700 --> 00:17:38.180
into so that's kind of one of my biggest things

00:17:38.180 --> 00:17:41.569
and i guess this goes with it good autism practice

00:17:41.569 --> 00:17:44.990
is good practice everybody will benefit from

00:17:44.990 --> 00:17:47.369
movement breaks everybody will benefit from having

00:17:47.369 --> 00:17:50.349
something predictable everyone will benefit from

00:17:50.349 --> 00:17:52.849
having visuals in the room even if it's not a

00:17:52.849 --> 00:17:56.569
need it's a want often you see and i had a visual

00:17:56.569 --> 00:17:59.529
timetable up to the whole class you know then

00:17:59.529 --> 00:18:04.589
it benefits again it benefits everybody okay

00:18:04.589 --> 00:18:06.369
okay this is a i think this is a good one this

00:18:06.369 --> 00:18:07.990
is more of a behavior related one but i always

00:18:07.990 --> 00:18:09.809
see behavior as communication so i feel like

00:18:09.809 --> 00:18:12.259
it is communication my top on this morning my

00:18:12.259 --> 00:18:18.079
behaviorist communication top okay yeah so this

00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:21.000
question is I have a child you'll know why I

00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:23.079
picked this one I have a child who's become more

00:18:23.079 --> 00:18:25.940
violent and is hitting out they are they were

00:18:25.940 --> 00:18:28.960
having some time out for a consequence but I

00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:32.059
find they just escalate not sure what to do and

00:18:32.059 --> 00:18:34.920
any tips would be amazing so first of all my

00:18:35.289 --> 00:18:38.190
like i get this in my dms all the time like what

00:18:38.190 --> 00:18:40.609
do i do and my always my first thing i say is

00:18:40.609 --> 00:18:43.549
behavior is communication what do you think the

00:18:43.549 --> 00:18:47.910
behavior is telling you so if they're acting

00:18:47.910 --> 00:18:51.230
more violent hitting out and if um time out so

00:18:51.230 --> 00:18:53.490
i'm assuming i'm hoping it's quiet time and not

00:18:53.490 --> 00:18:56.369
they're sitting on a chair i hope let's assume

00:18:56.369 --> 00:18:59.269
it's quiet time in a room and calm down time

00:19:00.059 --> 00:19:01.880
We don't do sitting on chairs and naughty steps

00:19:01.880 --> 00:19:03.779
anymore. That's not what we do. We don't do that.

00:19:03.779 --> 00:19:06.259
No. So let's hope it's calm down area or calm

00:19:06.259 --> 00:19:09.619
down corner or something like that. I'm not even

00:19:09.619 --> 00:19:12.819
going to call it a consequence though. Anyway,

00:19:12.859 --> 00:19:15.400
that's them sitting still, isn't it? That's them

00:19:15.400 --> 00:19:17.220
being quiet and sitting still. Now, if sitting

00:19:17.220 --> 00:19:20.000
still is making them more dysregulated, so their

00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:21.680
behaviour is escalating, then that means why

00:19:21.680 --> 00:19:23.240
don't you try the opposite, I would suggest.

00:19:23.880 --> 00:19:26.039
So definitely when they're already being violent

00:19:26.039 --> 00:19:28.380
and hitting out, I would be encouraging them

00:19:28.380 --> 00:19:31.000
to get moving and get outside and move their

00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:32.559
bodies. But ideally, it would be even before

00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:35.180
that starts. So think about what the triggers

00:19:35.180 --> 00:19:36.900
are, what makes them violent and hitting out.

00:19:37.039 --> 00:19:39.799
Is it losing a game? Is it a busy environment?

00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:42.740
Is it when there are lots of people in a closed

00:19:42.740 --> 00:19:44.259
environment? Is it when there's bright lights?

00:19:44.299 --> 00:19:45.779
There'll be something, there'll be some kind

00:19:45.779 --> 00:19:48.680
of trigger because no child is naturally like

00:19:48.680 --> 00:19:50.519
that when they are calm and regulated and feeling

00:19:50.519 --> 00:19:52.819
safe and secure and understood and all of those

00:19:52.819 --> 00:19:54.839
things. yeah so there'll be some kind of reason

00:19:54.839 --> 00:19:59.200
ideally you would reduce that reason and those

00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:01.779
demands so that they there was less likely to

00:20:01.779 --> 00:20:05.519
happen if you couldn't avoid it i would be offering

00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:07.400
regular movement breaks and sensory breaks because

00:20:07.400 --> 00:20:10.240
obviously what this child is needing and praise

00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:15.099
for doing that as well um and and yeah get away

00:20:15.099 --> 00:20:17.339
from this kind of time out and consequences quite

00:20:17.339 --> 00:20:19.900
old school thinking actually i feel like that's

00:20:19.900 --> 00:20:23.069
it's a lot of i think because it's a lot of background

00:20:23.069 --> 00:20:25.329
in the 90s like or lots of us grew up in the

00:20:25.329 --> 00:20:27.569
90s that was kind of what was encouraged that

00:20:27.569 --> 00:20:30.430
was how it was that was how a child um managed

00:20:30.430 --> 00:20:32.890
like behavior management was sorted lots of the

00:20:32.890 --> 00:20:36.069
teachers now go back to that yeah and it's not

00:20:36.069 --> 00:20:38.410
actually done like that now is it's much more

00:20:38.410 --> 00:20:42.009
about um seeing what the triggers are and trying

00:20:42.009 --> 00:20:46.170
to reduce those giving regular sensory breaks

00:20:46.170 --> 00:20:48.630
and and calm down breaks rather than it being

00:20:48.630 --> 00:20:50.569
a consequence actually being something the child

00:20:50.569 --> 00:20:52.390
might request you know I need a break that's

00:20:52.390 --> 00:20:54.269
encouraged and that's actually praised that they

00:20:54.269 --> 00:20:57.809
might need a break from that um yeah I don't

00:20:57.809 --> 00:21:00.670
know if you have anything anything to add no

00:21:00.670 --> 00:21:02.809
I was just going to say about unpicking that

00:21:02.809 --> 00:21:06.990
behavior what why I you know why does that behavior

00:21:06.990 --> 00:21:11.029
happen but like we don't like in my setting especially

00:21:11.029 --> 00:21:13.730
my classroom we really tried to not react which

00:21:13.730 --> 00:21:16.480
is really tricky and actually it takes a long

00:21:16.480 --> 00:21:19.579
time to because it's almost like an instant react

00:21:19.579 --> 00:21:24.099
it's like it isn't it yeah um not reacting but

00:21:24.099 --> 00:21:27.160
trying to not reacting in a negative way but

00:21:27.160 --> 00:21:29.599
trying to think what what are they like generally

00:21:29.599 --> 00:21:31.779
what are they communicating yeah they're trying

00:21:31.779 --> 00:21:34.900
to gain my attention okay and then not in if

00:21:34.900 --> 00:21:37.700
it's quite big behaviors it's not about teaching

00:21:37.700 --> 00:21:40.420
them the skills in that moment because if they're

00:21:40.420 --> 00:21:42.720
not regulated they're not ready to learn yeah

00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:45.779
so you know and i think them safe in that moment

00:21:45.779 --> 00:21:49.119
isn't it yeah and i think We've come a long way

00:21:49.119 --> 00:21:52.220
with different things and I think one of the

00:21:52.220 --> 00:21:56.039
big things is definitely not seeing like giving

00:21:56.039 --> 00:21:58.920
them a reward, not seeing it as oh I'm giving

00:21:58.920 --> 00:22:02.559
them a reward for that behaviour. You're supporting

00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:06.559
their regulation. You are stopping them from

00:22:06.559 --> 00:22:09.319
becoming even more dysregulated or even more

00:22:09.319 --> 00:22:11.539
heightened. Actually, you're trying to meet their

00:22:11.539 --> 00:22:14.079
needs. Yeah, I hear that a lot. Because we're

00:22:14.079 --> 00:22:15.960
attached to a mainstream school and I hear that

00:22:15.960 --> 00:22:18.339
a lot. But they're just being rewarded for their

00:22:18.339 --> 00:22:20.720
negative behaviour. You're just reinforcing their...

00:22:21.099 --> 00:22:23.920
their bad behavior like and it's a real concern

00:22:23.920 --> 00:22:27.200
like i totally get what it looks like i get that

00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:30.859
this child has thrown this chair and you've removed

00:22:30.859 --> 00:22:32.940
them and spent some lovely quality time together

00:22:32.940 --> 00:22:35.099
and given them a massage like i get what that

00:22:35.099 --> 00:22:37.279
looks like i can see why somebody that doesn't

00:22:37.279 --> 00:22:39.440
understand that so yeah let's just do it again

00:22:39.440 --> 00:22:40.539
he'll just throw a chair again and then he'll

00:22:40.539 --> 00:22:43.240
get a massage like yes but you have to remember

00:22:43.240 --> 00:22:46.819
we're an education setting we're not a behavioral

00:22:46.819 --> 00:22:50.559
change unit we are here to educate them and this

00:22:50.559 --> 00:22:53.079
moment they need to be regulated they need to

00:22:53.079 --> 00:22:54.839
understand that maybe i don't need to throw chairs

00:22:54.839 --> 00:22:56.799
maybe i need to just ask for a squeeze and a

00:22:56.799 --> 00:22:59.279
break and and that the learning in that moment

00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:02.099
i agree and actually i'll hold my hand up and

00:23:02.099 --> 00:23:07.019
say a few years ago i see it yes but right they

00:23:07.019 --> 00:23:10.269
just done had that negative behavior towards

00:23:10.269 --> 00:23:12.569
the other child quite physically aggressive and

00:23:12.569 --> 00:23:14.730
now they're getting a reward yeah they need a

00:23:14.730 --> 00:23:17.809
concert like it but i think being able to reflect

00:23:17.809 --> 00:23:22.309
as a practitioner and say and you know you change

00:23:22.309 --> 00:23:27.250
your practice and then actually implementing

00:23:27.250 --> 00:23:30.529
those communication strategies at the right time

00:23:30.529 --> 00:23:33.529
teaching how to gain attention properly teaching

00:23:33.529 --> 00:23:37.730
how to actually For example, a good one's always

00:23:37.730 --> 00:23:40.069
pushing. I always think, why are they pushing?

00:23:40.150 --> 00:23:42.250
Are they pushing for attention? Is it sensory?

00:23:43.089 --> 00:23:46.230
Is it to do with their hands? Is it a full body

00:23:46.230 --> 00:23:49.049
movement? We're really, really lucky at my school.

00:23:49.170 --> 00:23:52.650
We've got some amazing spaces and we've got a

00:23:52.650 --> 00:23:54.609
room called the balance room and it's got some

00:23:54.609 --> 00:23:57.509
like suitable for like appropriate climbing,

00:23:57.670 --> 00:24:01.339
you know. So it's being able to. climb and let

00:24:01.339 --> 00:24:05.640
out energy in a school that doesn't have those

00:24:05.640 --> 00:24:08.420
amazing things there are things you can do so

00:24:08.420 --> 00:24:11.079
like we've got we've got car tires in our playground

00:24:11.079 --> 00:24:14.299
car tires the most amazing sensory resource they

00:24:14.299 --> 00:24:17.259
are free because garages need to pay to get rid

00:24:17.259 --> 00:24:19.480
of them so if you're in doubt and you don't have

00:24:19.480 --> 00:24:23.430
no budget get a load of sensory car tires really

00:24:23.430 --> 00:24:27.269
great heavy work um they you're you're tiring

00:24:27.269 --> 00:24:29.910
your arms out so they're getting rid of all that

00:24:29.910 --> 00:24:34.430
like excess fidget energy so you can lift them

00:24:34.430 --> 00:24:36.730
and build a tower you can push them over and

00:24:36.730 --> 00:24:39.019
it's really satisfying to push over yeah black

00:24:39.019 --> 00:24:40.799
everywhere because there's water in them and

00:24:40.799 --> 00:24:42.700
they they're really heavy and hard to push you

00:24:42.700 --> 00:24:45.539
can roll them you can sit in them and it's free

00:24:45.539 --> 00:24:47.779
so don't just think just because i haven't got

00:24:47.779 --> 00:24:49.619
any budget that you can't do this stuff because

00:24:49.619 --> 00:24:52.299
you absolutely can um you can push against a

00:24:52.299 --> 00:24:54.759
wall you can do deep pressure squeezes with each

00:24:54.759 --> 00:24:57.019
other they all on themselves you know there are

00:24:57.019 --> 00:24:59.920
lots of free ways of doing this so i don't want

00:24:59.920 --> 00:25:01.819
that to be a reason it's just about educating

00:25:01.819 --> 00:25:04.240
on the free ways of doing this isn't it yeah

00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:08.309
and also sort of like wrapping themselves up

00:25:08.309 --> 00:25:10.230
like rolling like you said like a sausage roll

00:25:10.230 --> 00:25:13.150
so you know you hold the blanket roll yourself

00:25:13.150 --> 00:25:16.359
up like a sausage roll and it's like that tight

00:25:16.359 --> 00:25:18.160
you know sometimes it doesn't have to be an expensive

00:25:18.160 --> 00:25:23.519
weighted blanket even even though they're not

00:25:23.519 --> 00:25:25.539
as expensive now and they're much more affordable

00:25:25.539 --> 00:25:28.140
but it can literally just be a blanket yeah and

00:25:28.140 --> 00:25:30.619
be bottled like you would a newborn um for the

00:25:30.619 --> 00:25:33.859
same reason they feel comforted by that and grounded

00:25:33.859 --> 00:25:37.500
um even uh carrying water two liter water bottles

00:25:37.500 --> 00:25:42.289
in a backpack and at the front that And again,

00:25:42.390 --> 00:25:44.130
it's a really free resource. You'll already have

00:25:44.130 --> 00:25:45.809
had those things in your cupboard and it just

00:25:45.809 --> 00:25:48.789
grounds their shoulders and grounds them. I used

00:25:48.789 --> 00:25:51.369
to, when they used to have massive Argos catalogues,

00:25:51.369 --> 00:25:54.210
they don't do them anymore. But I used to send

00:25:54.210 --> 00:25:57.109
my child on a job to the teachers upstairs or

00:25:57.109 --> 00:25:59.750
whatever with these Argos books. It sounds really

00:25:59.750 --> 00:26:01.650
mean now, but it really helped. You know, you'd

00:26:01.650 --> 00:26:03.589
have two or one Argos book spread on the side

00:26:03.589 --> 00:26:05.250
of them, just for them kind of heavy lifting

00:26:05.250 --> 00:26:08.500
work. Again, another free. acting do that just

00:26:08.500 --> 00:26:11.559
grounds his children yeah um before i move on

00:26:11.559 --> 00:26:13.940
from this one i just wanted to make it really

00:26:13.940 --> 00:26:15.980
clear that when we're saying ignore minimal behavior

00:26:15.980 --> 00:26:19.519
is what we actually mean so by ignoring we're

00:26:19.519 --> 00:26:22.299
not reacting verbally we're not even reacting

00:26:22.299 --> 00:26:24.799
with our face but we can still be there to ensure

00:26:24.799 --> 00:26:27.460
they're safe so what i do sometimes is if my

00:26:27.460 --> 00:26:29.140
child is standing on really high furniture which

00:26:29.140 --> 00:26:32.200
happens sometimes as high as my shoulder a little

00:26:32.200 --> 00:26:33.420
five -year -old will be as high as my shoulder

00:26:33.420 --> 00:26:37.599
on this on this walk now if i was to say that's

00:26:37.599 --> 00:26:40.259
like so exciting he'd start flapping he'd start

00:26:40.259 --> 00:26:42.079
jumping and I'm like no I really don't want him

00:26:42.079 --> 00:26:44.579
to be doing that so what I do is I stand next

00:26:44.579 --> 00:26:47.440
to him side by side so I'm not face on I'm not

00:26:47.440 --> 00:26:50.619
being confrontational I'm side by side I'm there

00:26:50.619 --> 00:26:54.140
if he falls I feel safe and I'm there if he wants

00:26:54.140 --> 00:26:56.839
to come down with an open hand like this so that

00:26:56.839 --> 00:26:59.380
he knows I'm there if he wants to get down and

00:26:59.380 --> 00:27:04.079
I just wait yeah sometimes I might say um like

00:27:04.079 --> 00:27:08.960
I'm here or down please maybe often i am just

00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:11.599
there and i just wait and i make it a little

00:27:11.599 --> 00:27:14.200
bit boring because yeah it's not that exciting

00:27:14.200 --> 00:27:17.119
up there and then as soon as he is down and safe

00:27:17.119 --> 00:27:20.220
then i take him to some way that he can climb

00:27:20.220 --> 00:27:22.920
safely whatever that might be um so why when

00:27:22.920 --> 00:27:25.119
we say ignore minimal behaviors it's not like

00:27:25.119 --> 00:27:27.099
literally walking on and ignoring and i don't

00:27:27.099 --> 00:27:29.079
want people no i don't want people to hear that

00:27:29.079 --> 00:27:30.799
and think because i knew what you meant but i

00:27:30.799 --> 00:27:34.559
don't want people to think yeah it's hard isn't

00:27:34.559 --> 00:27:36.980
it when you kind of naturally will say things

00:27:36.980 --> 00:27:39.960
and it probably comes across like oh no but yeah

00:27:39.960 --> 00:27:42.599
definitely not ignoring oh they're crying i'm

00:27:42.599 --> 00:27:44.319
just gonna just let them crack up with it no

00:27:44.319 --> 00:27:47.740
no no you're there you're just not reacting isn't

00:27:47.740 --> 00:27:49.839
it and so somebody's thrown something really

00:27:49.839 --> 00:27:52.140
heavy obviously you don't ignore that in the

00:27:52.140 --> 00:27:53.839
sense of obviously you remove that where the

00:27:53.839 --> 00:27:56.240
object was thrown obviously you check that the

00:27:56.240 --> 00:27:58.660
child that they threw it out or whatever it is

00:27:58.660 --> 00:28:01.680
okay absolutely yeah but what you don't do is

00:28:02.029 --> 00:28:04.630
it's become confrontational with the actual child

00:28:04.630 --> 00:28:08.430
no that's what it is isn't it yeah and i think

00:28:08.430 --> 00:28:10.430
it's also about like giving appropriate attention

00:28:10.430 --> 00:28:14.190
because for some children all at any attention

00:28:14.190 --> 00:28:16.650
whether it be negative positive that's just they

00:28:16.650 --> 00:28:18.990
just want the attention but again it goes back

00:28:18.990 --> 00:28:22.190
to teaching in their in the appropriate time

00:28:22.190 --> 00:28:26.849
teaching them how they can gain attention for

00:28:26.849 --> 00:28:35.180
an interaction or whatever Do you think you would

00:28:35.180 --> 00:28:39.059
ever teach a mainstream? You know, I once went

00:28:39.059 --> 00:28:43.000
for an interview. So I was 10 years into the

00:28:43.000 --> 00:28:46.599
last school that I was at. And I was like, I've

00:28:46.599 --> 00:28:48.660
had the same class for five years and the same

00:28:48.660 --> 00:28:50.519
class and then a different class for five years.

00:28:50.680 --> 00:28:52.900
I was kind of just done and I needed something

00:28:52.900 --> 00:28:54.420
a little bit more. I didn't want to be senior

00:28:54.420 --> 00:28:56.960
leadership team and that was the only next progression.

00:28:57.319 --> 00:28:58.880
I just kind of like, I just needed something

00:28:58.880 --> 00:29:02.859
extra. So I went for this early years job and

00:29:02.859 --> 00:29:05.119
in the interview, there was these two little

00:29:05.119 --> 00:29:08.339
kids at the front that were like, you know, doing

00:29:08.339 --> 00:29:11.329
all the stuff. There and then I was like. okay

00:29:11.329 --> 00:29:13.809
cool picked you two out like i could enjoy this

00:29:13.809 --> 00:29:16.150
because like there's still some kids that i know

00:29:16.150 --> 00:29:19.670
there and they kept trying to show me the um

00:29:19.670 --> 00:29:22.089
heist achievers books like to impress me like

00:29:22.089 --> 00:29:26.509
like look at this book and i was like yeah yeah

00:29:26.509 --> 00:29:27.869
that's cool but what are you doing for these

00:29:27.869 --> 00:29:31.990
two how are you meeting there yeah there and

00:29:31.990 --> 00:29:33.710
then when i asked that question i was like yeah

00:29:33.710 --> 00:29:35.809
i would be doing a disservice to the other court

00:29:35.809 --> 00:29:38.690
children in the class like i would I wouldn't

00:29:38.690 --> 00:29:41.130
have high enough expectations. I wouldn't be

00:29:41.130 --> 00:29:44.170
pushing the high achievers. I would be nurturing.

00:29:44.970 --> 00:29:46.490
So I just knew there and then I was like, this

00:29:46.490 --> 00:29:48.329
isn't for me. And I just said that I was really

00:29:48.329 --> 00:29:49.950
honest with her and just said, I would need so

00:29:49.950 --> 00:29:53.259
much training. It'd be like starting again. so

00:29:53.259 --> 00:29:56.559
different and i wouldn't i wouldn't push your

00:29:56.559 --> 00:29:59.440
learners like you want me to so yeah i i didn't

00:29:59.440 --> 00:30:02.000
i didn't take the job and then since then i i

00:30:02.000 --> 00:30:03.880
haven't bothered i think that just was my answer

00:30:03.880 --> 00:30:07.819
i i through and through i i couldn't i couldn't

00:30:07.819 --> 00:30:10.839
authentically do it i don't yeah i think it's

00:30:10.839 --> 00:30:15.319
um i i think that i think you i do think that

00:30:15.319 --> 00:30:19.039
every teacher should experience a special setting

00:30:19.039 --> 00:30:22.440
at some point i know that's it's difficult i

00:30:22.440 --> 00:30:25.359
think you learn so much yeah my idea of my feed

00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:27.200
actually is to try it because it's so secret

00:30:27.200 --> 00:30:29.299
isn't it no it's so hidden like we've literally

00:30:29.299 --> 00:30:30.859
got a lock on the door like none of the other

00:30:30.859 --> 00:30:34.079
teachers in my school come in um interesting

00:30:34.079 --> 00:30:38.000
well it's because my learners like they just

00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:39.799
don't really cope with people coming in and out

00:30:39.799 --> 00:30:42.759
and stuff yeah so they see us in assembly they

00:30:42.759 --> 00:30:45.119
see us at playtime but actually learning like

00:30:45.630 --> 00:30:47.349
I guess they just assume that we just, I don't

00:30:47.349 --> 00:30:49.089
know. I don't know what they assume we do, but

00:30:49.089 --> 00:30:51.289
that's what my account is about. I asked my head

00:30:51.289 --> 00:30:53.950
teacher if I could showcase the amazing things

00:30:53.950 --> 00:30:56.589
that we do. I'm so proud of our class and what

00:30:56.589 --> 00:30:58.849
we do. I kind of just want to share it. I'm like,

00:30:58.890 --> 00:31:00.809
why are we hiding this? I want to share it with

00:31:00.809 --> 00:31:03.369
the world. So luckily she was very trusting and

00:31:03.369 --> 00:31:07.690
let me go for it. I think she's a little bit

00:31:07.690 --> 00:31:09.289
shocked about how well it's done. Put some away,

00:31:09.430 --> 00:31:14.119
to be fair. yeah what happens behind closed doors

00:31:14.119 --> 00:31:16.759
though and how lonely it is because so many people

00:31:16.759 --> 00:31:19.619
still have the idea of like institutions and

00:31:19.619 --> 00:31:23.099
like i don't know like trying to correct behavior

00:31:23.099 --> 00:31:25.819
and stuff like it it's not that at all it's a

00:31:25.819 --> 00:31:29.579
very fun loving nurturing gorgeous place that

00:31:29.579 --> 00:31:33.180
we have so much fun um yeah and this is it i

00:31:33.180 --> 00:31:35.950
think it's like definitely for the children in

00:31:35.950 --> 00:31:38.829
my class I mean like I it's really funny really

00:31:38.829 --> 00:31:41.150
because mainstream I know mainstream is totally

00:31:41.150 --> 00:31:43.390
different but like after like say a half term

00:31:43.390 --> 00:31:45.470
or something you'd get back to the class and

00:31:45.470 --> 00:31:47.950
depending what kind of class you had the kids

00:31:47.950 --> 00:31:50.089
would be it would take them a while to get back

00:31:50.089 --> 00:31:53.170
into it but in my class they're like they're

00:31:53.170 --> 00:31:55.210
just so excited to be at school and like the

00:31:55.210 --> 00:31:58.329
parents would message me and they'd be like um

00:31:58.329 --> 00:32:00.980
you know I'd I'm always quite cautious about,

00:32:01.019 --> 00:32:03.140
like, you know, asking kids and parents about

00:32:03.140 --> 00:32:05.359
their half terms and stuff. But they were all

00:32:05.359 --> 00:32:08.019
just like, they were so excited to get on the

00:32:08.019 --> 00:32:09.759
bus. They were so excited to get to school. They

00:32:09.759 --> 00:32:11.900
want to get their school uniform. Yeah. Yeah.

00:32:11.940 --> 00:32:14.940
And I do really, I have really felt that, to

00:32:14.940 --> 00:32:17.299
be fair. And it, like, the class feels like a

00:32:17.299 --> 00:32:20.759
family. That's the other difference, isn't it?

00:32:20.799 --> 00:32:23.720
That is the other difference. You are so intimate,

00:32:23.839 --> 00:32:26.180
romantic with the children and their family.

00:32:26.319 --> 00:32:31.799
It is so deeper, so much deeper. um in my mind

00:32:31.799 --> 00:32:34.200
do you have your kids for more than one year

00:32:34.200 --> 00:32:38.380
as well um I don't know to be honest because

00:32:38.380 --> 00:32:40.240
this is my first year though I don't really know

00:32:40.240 --> 00:32:43.119
I think they do start sort of like seeing who

00:32:43.119 --> 00:32:46.140
goes where and we have like the early years and

00:32:46.140 --> 00:32:48.599
then the lower school then the upper school and

00:32:48.599 --> 00:32:51.160
the sixth form so I think it's quite flexible

00:32:51.160 --> 00:32:53.880
yeah I'm pretty easy to be fair like I've taught

00:32:54.400 --> 00:32:56.160
i thought like through year one to like year

00:32:56.160 --> 00:32:59.119
six or like so i don't really mind like yeah

00:32:59.119 --> 00:33:00.960
i think the age of the kids that i've got so

00:33:00.960 --> 00:33:03.700
they're like year four to six i think that's

00:33:03.700 --> 00:33:08.380
probably like my mate yeah yeah that is a nice

00:33:08.380 --> 00:33:10.940
age i had my like i said i like my last two classes

00:33:10.940 --> 00:33:13.900
for five years each and after five years you

00:33:13.900 --> 00:33:16.660
are so close to the family you know their names

00:33:16.660 --> 00:33:19.299
you know like their grandparents you know everything

00:33:19.299 --> 00:33:25.740
yeah so intense that relationship which is really

00:33:25.740 --> 00:33:27.980
wonderful and it's something that like mainstream

00:33:27.980 --> 00:33:30.599
teachers probably would never get to experience

00:33:30.599 --> 00:33:35.359
is that like family um yeah it's really lovely

00:33:35.359 --> 00:33:37.339
and for the most part we're some of the only

00:33:37.339 --> 00:33:39.039
people in the world that understand their child

00:33:39.039 --> 00:33:42.640
like they do so they can share but it basically

00:33:42.640 --> 00:33:45.859
says they've worked in sdn for 15 years do you

00:33:45.859 --> 00:33:47.319
think the needs of the children have become more

00:33:47.319 --> 00:33:49.740
complex over the years they've recently moved

00:33:49.740 --> 00:33:52.849
to an ssc in the mainstream i think that's like

00:33:52.849 --> 00:33:58.329
uh yeah like a pop yeah i i think that's a really

00:33:58.329 --> 00:34:01.190
interesting question i i honestly think um because

00:34:01.190 --> 00:34:04.789
if you go online there's loads of um it's like

00:34:04.789 --> 00:34:07.230
videos where people are like you know suddenly

00:34:07.230 --> 00:34:09.829
everyone has need but i i just feel like with

00:34:10.780 --> 00:34:15.739
recognizing it and so maybe needs are actually

00:34:15.739 --> 00:34:17.619
more complex than we thought and we're just getting

00:34:17.619 --> 00:34:20.300
better at supporting those individuals medical

00:34:20.300 --> 00:34:24.980
needs obviously like let's not and that the younger

00:34:24.980 --> 00:34:29.510
children are surviving and children are surviving

00:34:29.510 --> 00:34:32.190
through severe medical trauma because of the

00:34:32.190 --> 00:34:36.329
incredible NHS complications so children are

00:34:36.329 --> 00:34:39.449
surviving when usually they unfortunately wouldn't

00:34:39.449 --> 00:34:42.309
in years gone by which is incredible how amazing

00:34:42.309 --> 00:34:46.989
yeah that does inevitably mean that there will

00:34:46.989 --> 00:34:51.130
be more needs and medical needs in school doesn't

00:34:51.130 --> 00:34:57.070
it yeah you can't get away from it I think that

00:34:57.070 --> 00:34:59.590
as a part of it, people are having children ages.

00:34:59.929 --> 00:35:02.829
There is obvious reasons why that would be happening.

00:35:03.210 --> 00:35:07.489
And I am seeing that my class 15 years ago in

00:35:07.489 --> 00:35:11.510
a special school wasn't as complex as some of

00:35:11.510 --> 00:35:14.610
the mainstream children in my school now, which

00:35:14.610 --> 00:35:16.349
is interesting to me. Like, where were those

00:35:16.349 --> 00:35:20.510
children before? I don't know. Yeah, I think

00:35:20.510 --> 00:35:24.829
particularly in mainstream, I think the number

00:35:24.829 --> 00:35:28.489
of students... that either have a diagnosis of

00:35:28.489 --> 00:35:33.269
some sort or need one I think has increased yeah

00:35:33.269 --> 00:35:38.110
and I do think well in the UK particularly I

00:35:38.110 --> 00:35:40.190
think there's going to be a point where well

00:35:40.190 --> 00:35:43.110
the mental health services but also like The

00:35:43.110 --> 00:35:47.070
need for educational psychologists. Speech and

00:35:47.070 --> 00:35:51.949
language. I can feel it. I don't know if, like

00:35:51.949 --> 00:35:54.769
Cornwall's like 10 years behind anyway, but it

00:35:54.769 --> 00:36:00.010
is so lacking in therapy. One of my good friends,

00:36:00.010 --> 00:36:03.949
his wife is a speech and language therapist and

00:36:03.949 --> 00:36:07.730
had a really good business competing with like

00:36:07.730 --> 00:36:10.909
one of the, like the big. um names in speech

00:36:10.909 --> 00:36:17.010
and language um she then went on her own um kind

00:36:17.010 --> 00:36:19.550
of separated with a bit etc etc but basically

00:36:19.550 --> 00:36:23.130
was like in the area that they were like she

00:36:23.130 --> 00:36:26.750
will never be out of work like it's just and

00:36:26.750 --> 00:36:29.570
she just does mainstream work as well yeah i

00:36:29.570 --> 00:36:33.070
believe it it's so needed and also like um i

00:36:33.070 --> 00:36:35.610
see the littlies like three four that are coming

00:36:35.610 --> 00:36:38.119
in And their speech language is so poor. They're

00:36:38.119 --> 00:36:41.619
coming in with such poor language skills. I don't

00:36:41.619 --> 00:36:45.139
know. I don't know. I can't explain why, but

00:36:45.139 --> 00:36:47.000
I'm definitely seeing it like on the ground.

00:36:47.079 --> 00:36:49.519
I can't explain it. But even in the last four

00:36:49.519 --> 00:36:52.679
years in my current school, like the children

00:36:52.679 --> 00:36:54.739
that left in year six in my first year, there's

00:36:54.739 --> 00:36:56.219
no way that we would have children like that

00:36:56.219 --> 00:36:59.199
again. Because there is such, like the need,

00:36:59.239 --> 00:37:02.820
the children that we are getting are getting

00:37:02.820 --> 00:37:06.070
more and more complex. Yeah. I can't explain

00:37:06.070 --> 00:37:11.550
why. I'm definitely seeing it. Yeah. Well, I

00:37:11.550 --> 00:37:15.739
think it's inevitable. I think, yeah. And I think

00:37:15.739 --> 00:37:19.059
the, well, this is probably just like my sort

00:37:19.059 --> 00:37:21.619
of annoyance towards like the government, but

00:37:21.619 --> 00:37:23.559
I just think there's a huge gap between what

00:37:23.559 --> 00:37:26.500
we can see and what like those that actually

00:37:26.500 --> 00:37:29.420
make decisions, what they decide to do. Like

00:37:29.420 --> 00:37:32.440
there definitely is kind of a real difference

00:37:32.440 --> 00:37:35.800
in like what should happen. But don't you think

00:37:35.800 --> 00:37:37.800
though that all the people that are seeing it

00:37:37.800 --> 00:37:40.000
are on the ground? We're busy, like parents,

00:37:40.260 --> 00:37:43.840
teachers, carers. foster carers we're busy doing

00:37:43.840 --> 00:37:47.219
the work like we haven't got time to be MPs and

00:37:47.219 --> 00:37:50.179
be counsellors all the ones that actually know

00:37:50.179 --> 00:37:53.360
are the ones that of course have no time or energy

00:37:53.360 --> 00:37:56.440
to do it I think it's always amazing when parents

00:37:56.440 --> 00:37:58.840
do attend protests and do go there because my

00:37:58.840 --> 00:38:01.179
god it's such a huge R when you're already doing

00:38:01.179 --> 00:38:05.530
so much already If you don't model, it's like

00:38:05.530 --> 00:38:07.210
assuming that a baby will learn to talk if you

00:38:07.210 --> 00:38:10.469
never talk to them. Yeah, I was when I very first

00:38:10.469 --> 00:38:12.789
started working in the autism specialist setting,

00:38:12.929 --> 00:38:17.210
I felt, you know, I was guilty of this. And I

00:38:17.210 --> 00:38:18.829
said, oh, but they're not responding. They're

00:38:18.829 --> 00:38:21.469
not using them. And a speech and language therapist

00:38:21.469 --> 00:38:24.210
said to me that a newborn baby will hear the

00:38:24.210 --> 00:38:28.550
word daddy 10 ,000 times before they verbalize

00:38:28.550 --> 00:38:30.960
it. You don't stop saying daddy. because that

00:38:30.960 --> 00:38:33.139
newborn baby isn't speaking. And essentially

00:38:33.139 --> 00:38:36.019
using symbols is like that. It's a new language.

00:38:36.099 --> 00:38:38.840
We can't just give them to people and expect

00:38:38.840 --> 00:38:41.400
them to know what to do. They have to see us

00:38:41.400 --> 00:38:45.559
model it essentially that 10 ,000 times to ensure.

00:38:45.679 --> 00:38:47.719
And like you're saying, if they want something

00:38:47.719 --> 00:38:50.519
enough, they'll get it. And also if you model

00:38:50.519 --> 00:38:53.239
and go, oh, it's crisps today. Here's the crisps.

00:38:53.239 --> 00:38:55.260
If they don't like those crisps, they will communicate

00:38:55.260 --> 00:38:57.579
that with you. So I can say, you don't like salt

00:38:57.579 --> 00:39:00.039
and vinegar. You want red salted, right? the

00:39:00.039 --> 00:39:02.860
whole communication is it's not symbols or nothing

00:39:02.860 --> 00:39:05.940
you can look at me you can reach you can run

00:39:05.940 --> 00:39:09.099
you can move towards me you can look at the object

00:39:09.099 --> 00:39:12.039
you can do symbols you can sign we love it all

00:39:12.039 --> 00:39:14.980
equally absolutely good but how great that we

00:39:14.980 --> 00:39:17.639
can offer all of those options because something

00:39:17.639 --> 00:39:23.369
will capture your child or your person yeah and

00:39:23.369 --> 00:39:26.170
they that will just grab them and then all of

00:39:26.170 --> 00:39:27.690
a sudden they've got a voice and they're understood

00:39:27.690 --> 00:39:30.869
and this is it it's really exciting it is and

00:39:30.869 --> 00:39:32.889
i think that's the most important thing you've

00:39:32.889 --> 00:39:34.849
just said that it's about grabbing the children

00:39:34.849 --> 00:39:38.070
you know it's about getting them engaged lots

00:39:38.070 --> 00:39:40.329
of people say to me oh i'm doing the routine

00:39:40.329 --> 00:39:42.829
with them so i'm showing them that it's time

00:39:42.829 --> 00:39:44.789
to get their nappy changed and then we're getting

00:39:44.789 --> 00:39:46.670
our shoes on and we're putting our clothes and

00:39:46.670 --> 00:39:48.670
i'm like that's amazing that is wonderful that

00:39:48.670 --> 00:39:51.250
you're modeling that but Is that grabbing them?

00:39:51.289 --> 00:39:53.710
If someone came to me and went, today, Rebecca,

00:39:53.909 --> 00:39:55.630
you've got to do the hoovering. You've got to

00:39:55.630 --> 00:39:58.230
go shopping. And then you have got to make the

00:39:58.230 --> 00:40:00.710
beds. I'd be like, no, thank you. If someone

00:40:00.710 --> 00:40:03.309
comes to me and says, Rebecca, today you're going

00:40:03.309 --> 00:40:06.449
to watch an episode of Emily in Paris. You are

00:40:06.449 --> 00:40:11.789
going to have a glass of wine. so you know it's

00:40:11.789 --> 00:40:14.349
about that it's about initially getting those

00:40:14.349 --> 00:40:16.969
things that really grab really engage modeling

00:40:16.969 --> 00:40:19.130
those things that they love to them and then

00:40:19.130 --> 00:40:22.550
the other things will come it's um it's um it's

00:40:22.550 --> 00:40:25.190
you know it's a it's not a it's a What's that

00:40:25.190 --> 00:40:28.750
saying? I know what I'm trying to say. Yes, that's

00:40:28.750 --> 00:40:31.429
the one. I was going to say something. So we

00:40:31.429 --> 00:40:32.989
will know what the symbols mean straight away

00:40:32.989 --> 00:40:35.849
because we can read. So when we're talking about

00:40:35.849 --> 00:40:37.949
learning a new language, well, I know that's

00:40:37.949 --> 00:40:40.610
a drink and I know that's chocolate. If they

00:40:40.610 --> 00:40:43.269
can't read yet, they might not know. So they

00:40:43.269 --> 00:40:46.050
might need a few modelling and a few times. Absolutely.

00:40:46.230 --> 00:40:48.670
And a bit of babbling, almost like finger babbling,

00:40:48.710 --> 00:40:51.469
to know what something means. So, for example,

00:40:51.469 --> 00:40:54.590
I've taken the word off of this one. I've taken

00:40:54.590 --> 00:40:58.809
the word off of this one. That could be letters.

00:40:58.869 --> 00:41:01.769
That could be folder. That could be file. Widget

00:41:01.769 --> 00:41:03.929
is actually, I find, quite obvious. You can do

00:41:03.929 --> 00:41:06.050
it. But actually, it would take me a few times

00:41:06.050 --> 00:41:10.000
of someone modelling that word. Yeah, word. Yeah,

00:41:10.019 --> 00:41:12.239
the word. Oh, right. That's what that means.

00:41:12.360 --> 00:41:14.000
Well, that's what your child's doing when they're

00:41:14.000 --> 00:41:16.039
seeing symbols for the first time. Just how they

00:41:16.039 --> 00:41:18.480
think, especially like we're assuming now that

00:41:18.480 --> 00:41:21.300
they're analytical, neurotypical thinkers. And

00:41:21.300 --> 00:41:24.300
we know that most non -speaking children aren't.

00:41:24.300 --> 00:41:26.960
They aren't literal. They see things differently

00:41:26.960 --> 00:41:30.119
than we do. And they might look at that image

00:41:30.119 --> 00:41:32.739
and we see it's clearly a dream, but they might

00:41:32.739 --> 00:41:37.360
not. It might take them a few times to pair up

00:41:37.360 --> 00:41:39.460
with that object, to feel that experience. experience

00:41:39.460 --> 00:41:41.960
of seeing you pressing the object and the symbols

00:41:41.960 --> 00:41:43.920
and then getting the object and then, oh, yeah,

00:41:44.059 --> 00:41:46.699
right, yeah, I'll do that. And like you say,

00:41:46.739 --> 00:41:48.980
the 10 ,000 times, it might be once, twice, three

00:41:48.980 --> 00:41:51.719
times. But initially, I wouldn't assume that

00:41:51.719 --> 00:41:53.000
they would know what that means straight away

00:41:53.000 --> 00:41:55.800
if they can't read. Why would they know? It would

00:41:55.800 --> 00:41:57.239
be incredible if they could guess it, really.

00:41:57.360 --> 00:41:59.360
It would be incredible if they could guess it

00:41:59.360 --> 00:42:02.380
straight away without knowing it, right? Absolutely.

00:42:02.619 --> 00:42:06.099
So the thing I like about your symbols is actually

00:42:06.099 --> 00:42:09.869
they are. Pretty guessable. Students do pick

00:42:09.869 --> 00:42:12.590
them up incredibly quickly. We've had four new

00:42:12.590 --> 00:42:16.750
students in my class this September. And two

00:42:16.750 --> 00:42:19.550
of them we're using symbols with and widget symbols

00:42:19.550 --> 00:42:22.030
with. And yeah, within the first few days, they

00:42:22.030 --> 00:42:24.869
were they were matching and communicating and

00:42:24.869 --> 00:42:28.250
like looking at their tablet devices and pressing

00:42:28.250 --> 00:42:31.289
and thinking, this is amazing. Suddenly a language

00:42:31.289 --> 00:42:34.489
that I can understand and speak in as an educator

00:42:34.489 --> 00:42:37.980
and a caregiver. There is nothing more satisfying

00:42:37.980 --> 00:42:41.179
than seeing a young person find their voice for

00:42:41.179 --> 00:42:43.139
the first time, no matter what that looks like.

00:42:43.300 --> 00:42:45.599
Absolutely. I completely agree. And there's just

00:42:45.599 --> 00:42:48.960
too many stories that I can tell where my heart

00:42:48.960 --> 00:42:56.280
is just absolutely sound. I think my favorite

00:42:56.280 --> 00:42:58.719
ones is when they argue with me and they start

00:42:58.719 --> 00:43:00.639
like telling me no. And, you know, they really

00:43:00.639 --> 00:43:03.139
get. yeah and they're getting their personalities

00:43:03.139 --> 00:43:05.900
come out and i'm like it's amazing or they do

00:43:05.900 --> 00:43:09.300
a joke you know i love that they're silly with

00:43:09.300 --> 00:43:11.800
it because it's not just a question i mean i

00:43:11.800 --> 00:43:14.179
know i've said toilet drink chocolate crisp that's

00:43:14.179 --> 00:43:17.250
that's the typical standard however Communication

00:43:17.250 --> 00:43:21.389
is so much more than that, isn't it? It's relationship

00:43:21.389 --> 00:43:24.130
building. It's connecting over a film. Oh, isn't

00:43:24.130 --> 00:43:26.469
that funny? I love this. Isn't that yummy? Oh,

00:43:26.570 --> 00:43:29.130
I don't like that. Oh, no, get off. Go away.

00:43:29.630 --> 00:43:31.510
Communication is so much more than that. And

00:43:31.510 --> 00:43:34.469
we want our learners to not just be able to request

00:43:34.469 --> 00:43:37.190
crisps or not just be able to tap their chest

00:43:37.190 --> 00:43:39.579
when they want the toilet. we want to have a

00:43:39.579 --> 00:43:41.260
relationship we want to have two -way conversations

00:43:41.260 --> 00:43:44.639
with them and if it can't be through speech well

00:43:44.639 --> 00:43:48.159
it can be through images can't it absolutely

00:43:48.159 --> 00:43:50.420
and i think that's really important obviously

00:43:50.420 --> 00:43:52.840
you and i have both worked in settings with non

00:43:52.840 --> 00:43:55.519
-speaking people and but i think it's really

00:43:55.519 --> 00:43:58.000
important referring back to mainstream settings

00:43:58.760 --> 00:44:00.840
that are starting to use symbols with their pupils

00:44:00.840 --> 00:44:03.239
and quite often they'll say we started using

00:44:03.239 --> 00:44:07.019
them with child a the miss smith uses them with

00:44:07.019 --> 00:44:10.300
rebecca and i always say to them well are the

00:44:10.300 --> 00:44:12.639
other pupils seeing that exposure because it's

00:44:12.639 --> 00:44:15.179
great absolutely amazing that the teaching assistant

00:44:15.179 --> 00:44:17.019
and the teacher are using it with those pupils

00:44:17.019 --> 00:44:20.539
but actually the whole class need to see those

00:44:20.539 --> 00:44:23.449
symbols being used as a language so that child

00:44:23.449 --> 00:44:26.090
isn't isolated that they can have that communication

00:44:26.090 --> 00:44:29.110
and interaction with their peers and it's good

00:44:29.110 --> 00:44:31.750
practice it will support it's not going to hinder

00:44:31.750 --> 00:44:34.849
anyone i remember being in year six and you know

00:44:34.849 --> 00:44:38.690
i i didn't have a noticeable need for symbols

00:44:38.690 --> 00:44:41.610
but every morning i looked through the window

00:44:42.429 --> 00:44:45.130
Because a year six teacher would write or have

00:44:45.130 --> 00:44:48.050
pictures of what was happening that day. For

00:44:48.050 --> 00:44:50.929
some reason, it was really important to me at

00:44:50.929 --> 00:44:53.750
age 11 that I knew what my day would look like.

00:44:54.309 --> 00:44:58.070
It doesn't hinder anyone to just know and be

00:44:58.070 --> 00:45:00.630
prepared and have another language. Anyone can

00:45:00.630 --> 00:45:03.750
be dysregulated and lose their voice. And often

00:45:03.750 --> 00:45:06.090
what happens in dysregulation is you lose the

00:45:06.090 --> 00:45:09.210
ability to negotiate, communicate how you usually

00:45:09.210 --> 00:45:12.699
would make choices. not just autistic people

00:45:12.699 --> 00:45:15.219
that is not just neurodivergent people that is

00:45:15.219 --> 00:45:18.239
not just those with a learning disability all

00:45:18.239 --> 00:45:21.360
of us lose the ability to communicate how we

00:45:21.360 --> 00:45:23.260
would if we're dysregulated if we're upset if

00:45:23.260 --> 00:45:25.739
we're angry frustrated tired ill all of those

00:45:25.739 --> 00:45:27.909
things if those symbols are relaxed language

00:45:27.909 --> 00:45:29.949
then that's great we're speaking a lot about

00:45:29.949 --> 00:45:32.929
supporting pupils and people at home who are

00:45:32.929 --> 00:45:36.349
non -speaking but it's also amazing for people

00:45:36.349 --> 00:45:38.230
who speak different languages you know you think

00:45:38.230 --> 00:45:40.690
if you go to another country wherever you go

00:45:40.690 --> 00:45:42.469
you know how to use the toilet because usually

00:45:42.469 --> 00:45:44.769
there's a symbol there whether it's in arabic

00:45:44.769 --> 00:45:48.309
whether it's in french so you know symbols like

00:45:48.309 --> 00:45:50.090
we said they're universal and they just support

00:45:50.090 --> 00:45:52.590
everyone and i know that woven have said it hasn't

00:45:52.590 --> 00:45:56.619
just supported neurodivergent people it's supported

00:45:56.619 --> 00:45:59.139
people and people visiting from other countries

00:45:59.139 --> 00:46:01.920
it's supported early years children people visiting

00:46:01.920 --> 00:46:03.940
with their younger children who can't yet read

00:46:03.940 --> 00:46:07.400
you know they can now access the animals and

00:46:07.400 --> 00:46:09.340
say what they want to see because they've you

00:46:09.340 --> 00:46:12.019
know they yet they can't yet access tech so it

00:46:12.019 --> 00:46:15.000
isn't just for people with additional needs and

00:46:15.000 --> 00:46:17.639
neurodivergent people symbols help everyone and

00:46:17.639 --> 00:46:19.780
at some point in their life one in five people

00:46:19.780 --> 00:46:22.400
will have a communication difficulty whether

00:46:22.400 --> 00:46:24.150
that's where they're with it whether something

00:46:24.150 --> 00:46:26.289
happens because they have an accident whether

00:46:26.289 --> 00:46:29.929
they lose speech due to having dementia it's

00:46:29.929 --> 00:46:33.030
just so many different ways you actually have

00:46:33.030 --> 00:46:35.769
a template don't you for english as an additional

00:46:35.769 --> 00:46:39.250
language so it shows their language translated

00:46:39.250 --> 00:46:44.010
as well as english right we do so that's in these

00:46:44.010 --> 00:46:46.449
standard packages but it can be bought as well

00:46:46.449 --> 00:46:48.610
for home accounts if people wanted to add it

00:46:48.610 --> 00:46:50.969
on and there's separate when you go to create

00:46:50.969 --> 00:46:53.190
from a template there's just a separate set that

00:46:53.190 --> 00:46:55.690
says dual language and when you go into there

00:46:55.690 --> 00:46:58.349
there's over 80 different languages that you

00:46:58.349 --> 00:47:00.369
can translate to so it works exactly the same

00:47:00.369 --> 00:47:02.929
you type in the english the symbol will appear

00:47:02.929 --> 00:47:05.630
and then you just translate that document and

00:47:05.630 --> 00:47:08.500
it will pop Often, so many teachers will be watching

00:47:08.500 --> 00:47:11.719
this thinking, yes, I have an EAL pupil and I

00:47:11.719 --> 00:47:13.239
can't communicate. And actually, we have to bring

00:47:13.239 --> 00:47:15.559
their sibling out of another year just to communicate

00:47:15.559 --> 00:47:18.380
with them. Or they're good at English, but their

00:47:18.380 --> 00:47:20.940
parents aren't, whatever. How great that we have

00:47:20.940 --> 00:47:22.559
this tool on our computer that we're already

00:47:22.559 --> 00:47:25.260
using for our learners that can help us communicate

00:47:25.260 --> 00:47:27.980
with their parents or just helps them embed,

00:47:28.199 --> 00:47:30.500
you know, they're learning faster. And how lovely

00:47:30.500 --> 00:47:32.280
that we can build a relationship with them quicker

00:47:32.280 --> 00:47:36.360
because we can use their language. Without, you

00:47:36.360 --> 00:47:38.880
know, taking their pupil or lesson or whatever.

00:47:39.239 --> 00:47:42.199
And I'm sure that loads of people can relate

00:47:42.199 --> 00:47:44.340
to that situation. That, you know, this pupil

00:47:44.340 --> 00:47:45.780
just turns up. Because often you don't get that

00:47:45.780 --> 00:47:47.639
warning about these pupils either. They just

00:47:47.639 --> 00:47:49.719
turn up. They cannot speak the language at all.

00:47:49.860 --> 00:47:52.219
And they're clearly anxious. How lovely. But

00:47:52.219 --> 00:47:54.760
the first thing you do for them is not only their

00:47:54.760 --> 00:47:57.840
language. but also pictures. And it just, what

00:47:57.840 --> 00:48:00.179
does that tell them? It tells them we're here,

00:48:00.320 --> 00:48:03.099
we're trying, we're helping, you know, we're

00:48:03.099 --> 00:48:05.219
willing to learn your language. We're willing

00:48:05.219 --> 00:48:09.679
to find a solution. Because how scary must that

00:48:09.679 --> 00:48:12.719
be, you know? Just can't imagine. When I went

00:48:12.719 --> 00:48:15.159
to France, I got so anxious because I couldn't

00:48:15.159 --> 00:48:17.219
communicate what type of coffee I wanted and

00:48:17.219 --> 00:48:18.920
what sandwich I wanted. And that was, you know,

00:48:18.960 --> 00:48:20.800
that was just asking for a sandwich and I could

00:48:20.800 --> 00:48:23.760
speak, I could communicate in English. i just

00:48:23.760 --> 00:48:25.920
felt so anxious i felt silly i felt embarrassed

00:48:25.920 --> 00:48:28.480
and i would hate that that's how some people

00:48:28.480 --> 00:48:31.159
feel every single day because they're not able

00:48:31.159 --> 00:48:34.739
to communicate verbally and so yeah our aim is

00:48:34.739 --> 00:48:37.219
to be able to support everyone in feeling safe

00:48:37.219 --> 00:48:42.300
and comfortable in the world around them it's

00:48:42.300 --> 00:48:44.699
odd isn't it because that isn't necessarily autism

00:48:44.699 --> 00:48:48.219
and also not problems to be fixed as well and

00:48:48.219 --> 00:48:50.820
i think that's something that we can easily get

00:48:51.280 --> 00:48:53.980
stuck with because it's like oh I have this problem

00:48:53.980 --> 00:48:56.179
I have this problem and it's like I don't know

00:48:56.179 --> 00:49:00.000
I find that really heartbreaking I think that's

00:49:00.250 --> 00:49:03.510
you know as a society culturally and you know

00:49:03.510 --> 00:49:06.489
generationally we want things to happen now so

00:49:06.489 --> 00:49:08.630
again when you're thinking autism or not we just

00:49:08.630 --> 00:49:10.889
want things to happen we want to fix we want

00:49:10.889 --> 00:49:13.610
to nurture we want to care and what we often

00:49:13.610 --> 00:49:16.030
do is we think about that issue or that problem

00:49:16.030 --> 00:49:18.530
and then think about how to strategize it and

00:49:18.530 --> 00:49:21.710
we forget that why and like you say the why could

00:49:21.710 --> 00:49:23.769
be because they just want to make their friends

00:49:23.769 --> 00:49:26.849
laugh or they're having to interacting and they

00:49:26.849 --> 00:49:30.320
want my attention or you know behind anything

00:49:30.320 --> 00:49:34.500
there's a child there that only wants to really

00:49:34.500 --> 00:49:38.300
impress you know we all do exactly and also like

00:49:38.300 --> 00:49:41.539
why do you want to solve it is it for your benefit

00:49:41.539 --> 00:49:43.960
or is it for theirs i think that's a really good

00:49:43.960 --> 00:49:46.539
question to ask ourselves constantly as well

00:49:46.539 --> 00:49:51.210
like is ripping paper something to solve for

00:49:51.210 --> 00:49:53.809
you or is it something to solve for them because

00:49:53.809 --> 00:49:55.889
actually it's quite a safe way of meeting their

00:49:55.889 --> 00:49:59.829
need is it really a problem or is it just a problem

00:49:59.829 --> 00:50:03.030
because you need to remember to put the important

00:50:03.030 --> 00:50:04.949
bits away and it's quite annoying to have to

00:50:04.949 --> 00:50:06.510
do that you know it's like it's stuff like that

00:50:06.510 --> 00:50:09.230
it's like actually this isn't their problem this

00:50:09.230 --> 00:50:11.150
is a you problem and I think that's really hard

00:50:11.150 --> 00:50:13.449
that's really hard for practitioners and parents

00:50:13.449 --> 00:50:15.889
to hear that oh my goodness I mean there's such

00:50:15.889 --> 00:50:18.230
a journey of it I mean especially I can think

00:50:18.230 --> 00:50:20.099
about when I first started there were definitely

00:50:20.099 --> 00:50:23.039
things that would annoy me in the classroom because

00:50:23.039 --> 00:50:25.320
you're thinking about how you know you've been

00:50:25.320 --> 00:50:27.380
taught or when you've gone to the lecturers and

00:50:27.380 --> 00:50:29.840
how they've made it seem that you know you need

00:50:29.840 --> 00:50:32.800
to run your class or manage your class and then

00:50:32.800 --> 00:50:34.679
you're looking at these behaviors and you're

00:50:34.679 --> 00:50:37.219
like they're undesirable no they're not undesirable

00:50:37.219 --> 00:50:39.699
they're actually just communicating something

00:50:39.699 --> 00:50:42.099
and actually I'm really struggling for that and

00:50:42.099 --> 00:50:45.179
that's why at the same We're all human and you

00:50:45.179 --> 00:50:47.280
can tap out yourself. You know, it could be that

00:50:47.280 --> 00:50:50.539
you're having a really hard day and then a type

00:50:50.539 --> 00:50:53.510
of, I don't know, a verbal stimming. can really

00:50:53.510 --> 00:50:56.929
get to you and you need to have that time away

00:50:56.929 --> 00:50:59.610
just as much as for that individual let's say

00:50:59.610 --> 00:51:01.929
their peer doing it can really annoy them even

00:51:01.929 --> 00:51:03.809
though they're you know yeah and i think it's

00:51:03.809 --> 00:51:05.769
that's a culture that needs to be embedded within

00:51:05.769 --> 00:51:08.030
your class doesn't it and i feel like it needs

00:51:08.030 --> 00:51:11.010
to be modeled so if you're the teacher in the

00:51:11.010 --> 00:51:15.289
class or the hlta usually the others look to

00:51:15.289 --> 00:51:18.260
you to be modeling that So if you're not taking

00:51:18.260 --> 00:51:20.380
breaks or if you're not taking your lunch, I

00:51:20.380 --> 00:51:22.400
mean, I can be guilty of this. If you're not

00:51:22.400 --> 00:51:24.739
saying, you know, I need a break or I need to

00:51:24.739 --> 00:51:27.940
change adults or let's switch, then the culture

00:51:27.940 --> 00:51:31.699
in the class is I can cope. This shows capability

00:51:31.699 --> 00:51:33.980
and strength, right? It has to start and almost

00:51:33.980 --> 00:51:39.000
magnetize, magnify, sorry. you saying i need

00:51:39.000 --> 00:51:41.440
a break even if you're doing it or not you know

00:51:41.440 --> 00:51:44.219
it almost needs to become a norm culture of like

00:51:44.219 --> 00:51:47.199
a few times a day just saying let's switch it

00:51:47.199 --> 00:51:49.659
let's have a break let's try just visuals let's

00:51:49.659 --> 00:51:52.280
try this and it being because i am not coping

00:51:52.280 --> 00:51:54.280
and then therefore then it will build confidence

00:51:54.280 --> 00:51:57.260
for other people to say yeah really important

00:51:57.260 --> 00:52:00.980
and expressing that as well and expressing you

00:52:00.980 --> 00:52:03.440
know when you think about masking and camouflaging

00:52:03.440 --> 00:52:06.539
and how easily that happen you know at times

00:52:06.539 --> 00:52:09.980
i myself a challenge and think of how can i how

00:52:09.980 --> 00:52:13.300
can i model like about to go into a school and

00:52:13.300 --> 00:52:15.400
you know i need to show that it can be break

00:52:15.400 --> 00:52:18.579
down and i'll almost a script for just that interaction

00:52:18.579 --> 00:52:22.159
to be then have those you know those staff members

00:52:22.159 --> 00:52:25.349
to see yeah it's actually okay yeah you can't

00:52:25.349 --> 00:52:27.710
show weakness i think it's so difficult especially

00:52:27.710 --> 00:52:30.469
when someone's coming in from outside like when

00:52:30.469 --> 00:52:32.650
i pick your best i'm like that too because i'm

00:52:32.650 --> 00:52:34.829
so proud of our unit i just want to like put

00:52:34.829 --> 00:52:37.010
our best self forward whatever that means yeah

00:52:37.010 --> 00:52:39.769
but it's so true like all you want to see maybe

00:52:39.769 --> 00:52:41.769
we could talk about that actually like all what

00:52:41.769 --> 00:52:44.210
do you want to see i feel like all i would want

00:52:44.210 --> 00:52:47.880
to see is is caregivers that really care for

00:52:47.880 --> 00:52:51.480
and are in tune with the children. I think would

00:52:51.480 --> 00:52:52.940
be the probably the first thing I want to see

00:52:52.940 --> 00:52:55.000
actually if they're doing some kind of intensive

00:52:55.000 --> 00:52:57.119
interaction and if they're understanding the

00:52:57.119 --> 00:52:59.239
children and all their communication as a whole

00:52:59.239 --> 00:53:01.119
I think I'd be really impressed no matter what

00:53:01.119 --> 00:53:05.579
else was going on. I think that like a timetable

00:53:05.579 --> 00:53:08.019
will say now we're doing a test for autism right

00:53:08.019 --> 00:53:11.690
but all of the classes are dysregulated. get

00:53:11.690 --> 00:53:14.250
that you're really wanting to carry on and you

00:53:14.250 --> 00:53:16.670
see those supporting adults like no come on come

00:53:16.670 --> 00:53:19.170
on just by someone external so for example me

00:53:19.170 --> 00:53:21.150
coming into because they probably really want

00:53:21.150 --> 00:53:22.469
to show it off because it's probably normally

00:53:22.469 --> 00:53:25.829
really lovely but at the same time like you're

00:53:25.829 --> 00:53:30.409
saying i would love to see no okay i think we

00:53:30.409 --> 00:53:33.329
need to do let's go into a sensory break and

00:53:33.329 --> 00:53:35.190
really understanding and i'm sure we'll talk

00:53:35.190 --> 00:53:37.849
about more but understanding that movement's

00:53:37.849 --> 00:53:40.150
not just going to hold things it can be the start

00:53:40.150 --> 00:53:43.010
and it can be absolutely wonderful but it's probably

00:53:43.010 --> 00:53:45.309
going to be really difficult for those individuals

00:53:45.309 --> 00:53:48.070
to sit down sustain that attention and focus

00:53:48.070 --> 00:53:51.090
and you know sit there and do all the things

00:53:51.090 --> 00:53:52.750
that you really want them to do when someone's

00:53:52.750 --> 00:53:55.269
just walked in if they're not regular You know,

00:53:55.289 --> 00:53:58.050
and that's really important. So mine definitely

00:53:58.050 --> 00:54:01.289
would be about going, you know, I would love

00:54:01.289 --> 00:54:07.250
for educators, carers to feel more in control

00:54:07.250 --> 00:54:09.949
and just have that bit about them. That's what

00:54:09.949 --> 00:54:12.349
I look for, that they can just say, no, we're

00:54:12.349 --> 00:54:14.510
not doing the status quo or no, we're not sticking

00:54:14.510 --> 00:54:17.579
to the schedule. And I know it. It's really hard.

00:54:17.820 --> 00:54:20.260
That makes me feel better then. I've got a story.

00:54:20.639 --> 00:54:23.340
They have Ofsted in December. For some reason,

00:54:23.440 --> 00:54:25.039
I've been teaching for 15 years and it was my

00:54:25.039 --> 00:54:27.159
first Ofsted. I've always seemed to just miss

00:54:27.159 --> 00:54:29.300
them. I think I've always had the class that

00:54:29.300 --> 00:54:33.639
the Ofsted are kind of, that they kind of pass

00:54:33.639 --> 00:54:36.679
by, I think. Teachers are really good at that.

00:54:37.360 --> 00:54:39.400
Avoiding my classes. Because I should have had

00:54:39.400 --> 00:54:41.619
it about three or four times. They came into

00:54:41.619 --> 00:54:45.670
my room. She is a head teacher of a specialist

00:54:45.670 --> 00:54:48.289
provision school. So I felt in good hands. So

00:54:48.289 --> 00:54:50.130
that's a bit of context. And we were doing a

00:54:50.130 --> 00:54:53.309
sensory story. And we'd been doing it for weeks

00:54:53.309 --> 00:54:55.309
because I repeat the story every week for about

00:54:55.309 --> 00:54:57.449
six weeks. And it was probably the third or fourth

00:54:57.449 --> 00:54:58.750
week we'd done it. It was always good. It was

00:54:58.750 --> 00:55:00.750
vehicles. Sorry, they're super into vehicles.

00:55:01.090 --> 00:55:03.789
Pass the first object over, it gets thrown. And

00:55:03.789 --> 00:55:05.250
it was a really heavy thing. And I was like,

00:55:05.309 --> 00:55:07.610
okay, okay. And then we, right, okay, well, we're

00:55:07.610 --> 00:55:08.690
not going to go and pick it up. We're just going

00:55:08.690 --> 00:55:10.610
to do the next page. That gets thrown by another

00:55:10.610 --> 00:55:14.300
child. okay yeah let's do a lighter object that

00:55:14.300 --> 00:55:16.260
gets thrown as well and I was like no we're not

00:55:16.260 --> 00:55:19.659
doing this like I am not going to sit here and

00:55:19.659 --> 00:55:22.980
pretend that this is usually what happens I'm

00:55:22.980 --> 00:55:25.559
not gonna like this is not okay it's clearly

00:55:25.559 --> 00:55:28.420
we are not ready for story time right now yeah

00:55:28.420 --> 00:55:31.519
off we went and we spread out and and yeah there's

00:55:31.519 --> 00:55:34.059
people there for 45 minutes and it was kind of

00:55:34.059 --> 00:55:37.420
it was 45 minutes of like trying to work out

00:55:37.420 --> 00:55:40.099
10 different individual needs basically but you

00:55:40.099 --> 00:55:45.159
know what Luckily, she got it. Yeah. And we did

00:55:45.159 --> 00:55:47.699
really well. But it was exactly that. And I'm

00:55:47.699 --> 00:55:51.019
so pleased that in the moment, I had the confidence

00:55:51.019 --> 00:55:54.179
to think, you know what? Even if you don't get

00:55:54.179 --> 00:55:58.079
this, in this moment, my kids are not ready for

00:55:58.079 --> 00:56:00.739
story time. Someone's going to get hurt, firstly.

00:56:01.360 --> 00:56:03.639
It's not going to be fun for me. This isn't fun.

00:56:03.880 --> 00:56:06.099
I'm not enjoying this. You're probably not either.

00:56:06.780 --> 00:56:11.150
I think, like you said, cultural like having

00:56:11.150 --> 00:56:13.429
that shift because you know again when you think

00:56:13.429 --> 00:56:16.989
about interview okay um there was once upon a

00:56:16.989 --> 00:56:19.809
time that you would ask about organization and

00:56:19.809 --> 00:56:22.730
being punctual and how would you structure a

00:56:22.730 --> 00:56:25.250
lesson and how would you that's just not going

00:56:25.250 --> 00:56:28.210
to fit or that would tell me is goodness that's

00:56:28.210 --> 00:56:32.130
so much pressure and that yeah what are my students

00:56:32.130 --> 00:56:34.630
going to be doing at those times like I know

00:56:34.630 --> 00:56:37.050
that routine and structure is of course important

00:56:37.050 --> 00:56:40.030
and you will have it but same time it's about

00:56:40.030 --> 00:56:43.050
I think you're thinking about leading and being

00:56:43.050 --> 00:56:46.510
with children that are looking up at you and

00:56:46.510 --> 00:56:49.250
need you there to support them right it's so

00:56:49.250 --> 00:56:52.630
important actually go back to what you said Jordan

00:56:52.630 --> 00:56:54.530
at the beginning about thinking is it for you

00:56:54.530 --> 00:56:56.989
or is it for them you know that's all kind of

00:56:56.989 --> 00:56:59.110
my yeah because at that time if I carried on

00:56:59.110 --> 00:57:01.550
with the story it totally would have been for

00:57:01.550 --> 00:57:03.429
me it wasn't for them in any way like they were

00:57:03.429 --> 00:57:05.769
not learning they weren't ready to take anything

00:57:05.769 --> 00:57:08.659
on from there so yeah that that it just wasn't

00:57:08.659 --> 00:57:10.820
meeting their needs it's a bit of a juxtaposition

00:57:10.820 --> 00:57:13.639
isn't it because i often say our classes need

00:57:13.639 --> 00:57:17.500
to be structured and flexible and i think it's

00:57:17.500 --> 00:57:20.840
really hard to explain what i mean by that because

00:57:20.840 --> 00:57:25.469
it needs to have the concrete pillars of routine

00:57:25.469 --> 00:57:28.010
that is predictable you do this then this then

00:57:28.010 --> 00:57:29.550
this and then this then this and this and you

00:57:29.550 --> 00:57:31.289
kind of there's kind of like a rotation every

00:57:31.289 --> 00:57:33.269
kind of everyone knows where they're at maybe

00:57:33.269 --> 00:57:34.949
their table is always in the same place or their

00:57:34.949 --> 00:57:36.969
chair is always in the same place or they always

00:57:36.969 --> 00:57:39.389
go to the computer and then this or they know

00:57:39.389 --> 00:57:41.130
they're going to have snap time a few times throughout

00:57:41.130 --> 00:57:43.750
the day and that that's predictable because anxiety

00:57:43.750 --> 00:57:45.929
doesn't yeah so that's what i mean by drugs yeah

00:57:45.929 --> 00:57:49.480
but i don't mean that it's rigid i mean we have

00:57:49.480 --> 00:57:52.280
flexibility within that structure that you can

00:57:52.280 --> 00:57:55.320
maybe maybe done in any order yeah like the lesson

00:57:55.320 --> 00:57:58.340
or maybe sensory diets can be sprinkled in wherever

00:57:58.340 --> 00:58:00.320
or toilets can be sprinkled in wherever or snacks

00:58:00.320 --> 00:58:03.480
can stability within the structure and it's really

00:58:03.480 --> 00:58:05.980
hard to explain it without seeing i think it's

00:58:05.980 --> 00:58:07.809
really important important as well to think about

00:58:07.809 --> 00:58:10.409
what structure looks like so that look verbal

00:58:10.409 --> 00:58:12.789
communication structure first we're going to

00:58:12.789 --> 00:58:14.730
do this next doesn't mean I have to bring in

00:58:14.730 --> 00:58:16.849
my visuals every time and be like right this

00:58:16.849 --> 00:58:18.909
is what we're doing guys just the structure within

00:58:18.909 --> 00:58:21.929
my voice it could be structure like you say of

00:58:21.929 --> 00:58:24.809
knowing you know who's going to be in the classroom

00:58:24.809 --> 00:58:27.150
and if if it's going to be someone different

00:58:27.150 --> 00:58:29.670
that they're aware of that it can come in it

00:58:29.670 --> 00:58:32.570
doesn't need to be as you know that traditional

00:58:32.570 --> 00:58:36.449
sense of We do this and then you get this and

00:58:36.449 --> 00:58:40.030
then it doesn't happen. Because I'm sure you'll

00:58:40.030 --> 00:58:42.849
agree, but that kind of idea, if you were to

00:58:42.849 --> 00:58:45.250
come into an actual well -functioning classroom,

00:58:45.590 --> 00:58:47.710
it doesn't really look the same. Yeah, I feel

00:58:47.710 --> 00:58:52.550
like our baseline is that, like we have a plan,

00:58:52.769 --> 00:58:55.730
but I feel like the kids do this. Yeah. I feel

00:58:55.730 --> 00:58:59.210
like I'm quite a visual person. Yeah, so I think

00:58:59.210 --> 00:59:03.500
they touch base with the structure. throughout

00:59:03.500 --> 00:59:06.559
the day each of them and it looks different for

00:59:06.559 --> 00:59:08.340
every single child i have 10 children in my class

00:59:08.340 --> 00:59:09.860
and it's different for every single child kind

00:59:09.860 --> 00:59:13.300
of weave in and out of the structured day we

00:59:13.300 --> 00:59:16.519
call it consistent compassion in our class it

00:59:16.519 --> 00:59:20.619
the consistency is the band of of the structure

00:59:20.619 --> 00:59:24.440
but the compassion comes in by letting them meet

00:59:24.440 --> 00:59:28.469
their needs sensing diets as crunchy snacks going

00:59:28.469 --> 00:59:31.269
for a walk yeah maybe we just missed this to

00:59:31.269 --> 00:59:33.190
this lesson today because you're not ready for

00:59:33.190 --> 00:59:37.469
it that remember that's certainly yeah definitely

00:59:37.469 --> 00:59:39.829
and I think that's what it is is about meeting

00:59:39.829 --> 00:59:42.269
that need and at times it can be harder than

00:59:42.269 --> 00:59:45.070
others because you're letting you know resources

00:59:45.070 --> 00:59:48.250
be in place and that's including you know what

00:59:48.250 --> 00:59:50.550
if someone's ill or what if you know there's

00:59:50.550 --> 00:59:52.670
so different things that are going to impact

00:59:52.670 --> 00:59:55.269
that and sometimes you're going to walk away

00:59:55.269 --> 00:59:58.530
think gosh you know When you're packing your

00:59:58.530 --> 01:00:00.610
stuff up or you're tidying your classroom or

01:00:00.610 --> 01:00:03.710
you're going home that evening, you're reflecting

01:00:03.710 --> 01:00:06.369
on that. But that's really great as well. Like,

01:00:06.389 --> 01:00:08.789
did I meet that person's needs before? Every

01:00:08.789 --> 01:00:11.909
day. It took me 10 minutes to realize this is

01:00:11.909 --> 01:00:13.909
what they wanted because I was thinking about

01:00:13.909 --> 01:00:16.010
this. And, you know, there's so many different

01:00:16.010 --> 01:00:18.150
things that are going to be there. And it's almost

01:00:18.150 --> 01:00:21.570
like that lovely visual needs to be, you know,

01:00:21.570 --> 01:00:23.750
it needs to be there for us as well, really.

01:00:24.010 --> 01:00:29.050
Yeah, true. true like was the main baseline of

01:00:29.050 --> 01:00:31.730
the day good enough and if the answer is yes

01:00:31.730 --> 01:00:33.730
and we weaved in and out of it then i guess that

01:00:33.730 --> 01:00:35.710
we need to give that to ourselves too don't we

01:00:35.710 --> 01:00:38.389
right yeah it's true and we all come with our

01:00:38.389 --> 01:00:41.030
own expectations of the day so a speech and language

01:00:41.030 --> 01:00:43.210
therapist would visit and they would expect to

01:00:43.210 --> 01:00:44.949
see certain things or a physio would come and

01:00:44.949 --> 01:00:46.250
they would accept certain things it's really

01:00:46.250 --> 01:00:49.559
hard to meet all of all of these different professionals

01:00:49.559 --> 01:00:52.800
and my team as well they come with their own

01:00:52.800 --> 01:00:55.139
yeah expectations for the day and it's really

01:00:55.139 --> 01:00:58.440
hard to meet everyone's expectations where they're

01:00:58.440 --> 01:01:02.340
at we only have so much capacity in my room adults

01:01:02.340 --> 01:01:05.480
wise finance wise budget time it's all you know

01:01:05.480 --> 01:01:08.460
it's all our capacity so you kind of have to

01:01:08.460 --> 01:01:14.150
just pick and choose don't you yeah you do That's

01:01:14.150 --> 01:01:16.829
it for this week's episode. I hope you enjoyed

01:01:16.829 --> 01:01:19.630
taking a look back at some of my favorite moments

01:01:19.630 --> 01:01:22.349
from series one. If you would like to be on my

01:01:22.349 --> 01:01:24.989
podcast for series two, then please get in touch.

01:01:25.190 --> 01:01:28.730
You can email me at oursensorykids at gmail .com

01:01:28.730 --> 01:01:31.570
or just send me a DM on social media and I'd

01:01:31.570 --> 01:01:34.110
love to have you on. See you next time.