Hi, my name is Jordan. I am a special education
teacher from the UK. I share my passion for everything
communication, sensory regulation and fun lesson
ideas for my classroom of disabled pupils aged
4 to 11. Each week I am joined by experts in
the field answering your questions and sharing
our knowledge and experience working alongside
our beautiful young people. Let's get started.
As I did last summer holidays, I'm going to kind
of run a roundup of this academic year's podcast
episodes over the next few weeks for you to enjoy.
And maybe you missed a couple and you want to
come back. So yeah, here are my favorite clips
from the last year. I feel like whole class regulation
strategies would be really helpful. So taking
breaks, using tools or practicing self -regulation.
So it's not seen as different, but a normal part
of daily school life for everyone. And this is
the first step in children building their self
-awareness of their own needs and then their
confidence and then later their ability to advocate
for themselves at school. Other strategies like
accessible spaces and sensory tools for students
who might need them. make it easy to manage sensory
needs without that stigma clear predictable routines
and expect expectations and to help students
feel safe and confident and the ability to engage
in learning because obviously when neurodivergent
students don't feel safe it'll be even harder
for them to engage and participate at school
um something else that's um It could be quite
helpful as having those interest -based clubs
and projects. So creating opportunities for students
to connect with other peers over their shared
passions. And that also can help to support socialization
and sense of belonging in an authentic way for
something that they really enjoy together. And
then again, I think teacher and staff training
on neurodiversity and strengths -based approaches
would be really helpful to equip educators with.
those evidence -based strategies to support every
student's learning and their wellbeing. Yeah.
And they're all things that are totally achievable
for schools. Everything you mentioned there.
can be easily added in fact there might be already
starting those things maybe just like not even
consciously already like our school clubs you
know how could we make those even more accessible
and even more as a celebration what are the barriers
to some of our neurodivergent learners joining
those clubs or maybe maybe that's a great place
to start for your school I totally agree sharing
across the year groups those shared interests
is such a beautiful way Yeah. Offering those
lovely social opportunities. Yeah. Yeah. Something
that feels safe to them. Yeah. They can share
their knowledge and their understanding of it
and feel confident and say, I know something
about this particular. I bet they are, but they're
so incredibly wise about that subject. It's something
that they are an expert in. So it gives them
the opportunity to be the leader maybe in that
social environment and teach their peers something,
which is just awesome, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah,
especially talking about mental health and connectedness.
I think it's really great to find that balance
in some way. So yeah, offering our neurodivergent
students to share what they're great at is a
really great start. Yeah, definitely. I love
that. So all the more reason for teachers to
step up and offer to do clubs. It's always something
to avoid. In addition to everything else that...
Whenever I mention clubs, I just look down like...
But you need to find an educator that has a shared
passion in a particular area. You know, like
there's a teacher who loves Lego, could do a
Lego -based or Pokemon. I know, you know. Right.
there would be surely some some adults within
true we've had we've got some incredible clubs
at my school we've got knitting we've got art
we've got music we've got sign language yeah
lego all sorts it's really exciting but it takes
that commitment from the staff member to stay
after school and i guess i could never justify
it before but actually when you when you display
it like you have of building connectedness social
opportunities neurodivergent people finally feeling
like an expert in something they can take the
lead i'm in well it could also be at lunch time
it doesn't need to be after so flexibility and
you can share it with a colleague i've done that
before so we do a week each that makes it feel
more achievable or a half term each makes it
feel more achievable there are lots of ways around
but now I'm you've kind of sold me on the whole
thing now whereas I've always avoided it before
so maybe that's homework for me coming from this
podcast I always try and give myself some kind
of developmental target after the podcast and
um that's definitely one for me to like yeah
There was also one more strategy that's embedded
throughout the whole of the In My Shoes program.
So across the 10 lesson plans, this strategy
is embedded across all of them. And in each of
the lesson plans, it covers a different area.
So for example, managing conflict at break times,
knowing yourself within the classroom, those
sorts of things, or managing when change happens
as well. It's called Look, Think, Decide. So
the idea is that it's trying to teach students
that perspective taking to be able to first...
look at what's going on, what's happening in
a situation, body language, facial expressions,
tone of voice, think about what the person might
be thinking, think about what the person might
be feeling. And obviously our neurodivergent
students might need scaffolding and support with
this. And within the program, there is those
resources to help with that. And then the last
step is to decide what can I do in this situation
that might be an inclusive action to help in
this scenario. So the idea is that the child
is trying to put themselves in someone else's
shoes. So that's a name. of the program in my
shoes so I think if we could help and another
simple strategies at school could be to help
start teaching that perspective taking and to
get all students to start shifting their perspective
of you know how would I feel if I was in their
shoes what can I look at what's happening can
I think about it and can I decide what I can
do to help And I find that really fascinating
because I think every child would thrive in such
a bespoke environment that adapts literally to
them. Special education needs or not. I just
think every child would thrive in that situation.
It's why homeschoolers do so well because it
is built on their interests. It's built on their
style of learning and all of that. I just think,
no, special education is a luxury. And we're
so lucky to be able to choose that as a career
and as a path because it does give that freedom
to meet every child's needs where they're at
that you can't do when you've got 30. You couldn't
possibly. You could be the best teacher in the
world and you've got 30 faces in front of you.
You couldn't possibly. make them all feel seen
and heard and needs met in that moment is not
possible. But you can in special education. And
it's so fulfilling as a teacher to have that
impact. Is there anything that you miss, though,
from mainstream? Because it is very different.
It is. I don't think I saw it as big of a deal
as other people saw it. But then I do it with
most things. I'm like, oh, I'll just give it
a go. I'll give it a try. That's the worst that
can happen, right? well exactly I thought it's
um yeah and I why not have a change why not try
something new but I think the thing I do miss
I was worried I'd miss colleagues and I'd be
isolated like I said to the staff I absolutely
love them and they put up with me knocking on
their door all the time and I do think the thing
that goes round and round in my head is that
assessment how that i think that you just so
when you become a teacher it's so ingrained in
you must assess you must have compared you must
have next step like when i was finding that actually
to anybody that would listen i could reel off
everything the child could do everything that
i think in my head they're working for i could
reel it all off but obviously if i wasn't in
that day who am i going to reel it off to so
having that a bit more A bit more of a rigid
scaffold, which actually in reality I don't like.
This is why it suits me so well. You feel like
you should have that, yeah. Yeah, I kept waiting.
I was like, okay, the local authority are going
to come round and check. We've been here a month.
They'll come round with their clipboard, tell
us to be doing X, Y, Z. They came, nodded, left.
Stead came, nodded, left. I think the thing I
miss the most is maybe having like a big brother
telling me what to do kind of thing. Yeah, because
you're the pioneer in there. Yeah, but I don't...
I think because it's going well and because of
the relationships I have with staff, I'm not
missing it. And actually, at the moment, we're
kind of working on like five or six different
ways of assessing. But they are so different.
I don't feel it's right to. Communication and
speech, for example, just because one is a really
good communicator using words, one is like a
gestalt stage three speaker, and one is... non
-speaking I don't it's I could have created my
own scale but actually I'm not going to say they're
on stage one right if I do xyz they're going
to be here yeah because it's not because isn't
it yeah yeah and you almost I would need I was
trying to make 12 different ways to assess or
I was bringing welcome I was I was any kind of
way and so I kind of just settled on all the
little ways we're assessing I'm trying not to
trying to put them all into one group because
they're not and they're not going to have the
same outcomes exactly and ultimately like the
targets are the speech and language targets or
the targets are their individual educational
plan or their um educational health care targets
like you don't actually need any more targets
than that like that already is the priority and
it's trying to get your head into that mindset
isn't it of like my only legal requirement is
to meet the eacp like that is it and it's like
which can be interesting well yeah that's another
thing do use your reviews wisely in that first
year of having a child often you have to like
rewrite the whole thing yeah i've had some awful
targets on them our previous ones like eye contact
and all sorts so yeah sometimes like we do it
all but once you're happy with like what you're
working with and yeah that is the target isn't
it so you know that that is what matters and
that is so beautiful as well for those people
that are listening to this mainstream teachers
because we do have a few and thinking oh this
sounds interesting I'm thinking about making
a shift what would be your advice to them one
when they're thinking about whether they want
to make the shift but then also people maybe
that are also in where you were a couple of years
ago starting this new thing or last year starting
this new thing what is what's your advice for
those people too I suppose there's two groups
there I would well I did it a little bit at the
beginning before we had any children but I wish
I did more of it just go and visit where you
can because just because you've seen one base
provision doesn't mean you've seen them just
because you've been to one specialist school
doesn't mean you've seen and I think the more
I saw the more people I networked with the more
I not even for me knowing what to do because
I did I know what to do we're teachers we're
trained we're caring people we know how to meet
the needs of children we know how to find out
how to meet the needs of children but I think
for my own peace of mind seeing other people
and seeing actually that we've they've all made
their own way and it's okay to be flexible in
that way I has really benefited me and I think
um just getting to go and see them because you
think they don't exist you think they're special
or like exclusive and hidden but like like you've
you're one I'm one they're popping up they're
popping up everywhere I don't think they're going
to go anywhere no not that's why I started my
account actually because they did feel so exclusive
and hidden and that they were all behind a locked
door because of the children's safety and we
were doing such gorgeous work and I love my job
so much with we're really experts what we do
and my team are and I just wanted to celebrate
that honestly like I wanted other people to see
it and just because of the nature and anxiety
of my children We weren't able to do that as
well as I wanted to. So that is why I started
this. I just wanted to shout out, like we aren't
an institution. This is love. Like this is teaching
at its absolute highest quality, best level teaching.
Like this is it. Like learn from us. We're experts.
That's kind of like what my account was about.
And I'm really pleased that it's coming across
the right people like yourself of like. inspiring
other creators because it's not for everybody
and I respect it if it's not for you that's absolutely
fine but if you have got that kind of creative
inkling that desire for send you're seeing these
send kids in mainstream and something in your
gut is telling you that you kind of want to do
something a little bit more creative a little
bit out there test the waters a little bit then
yeah go and see your local specialist provisions
your local provisions talk to your head teacher
about possibly starting a resource space and
give it a go because genuinely what is the worst
that could happen it could be the best decision
you've ever made right people are gonna want
to know how to get hold of you especially for
the lesson plans but for everything else you
offer so you do you it's magic moves isn't it
that you do it's a movement -based program for
schools and a six -month program for parents
do you want to talk about that a little bit yes
um yeah so my school's program is called magic
moves it's a movement program so it's essentially
40 weeks of movement videos that uh tell a story
so each week is a different story so maybe week
one might be jungle theme week two might be under
the sea or whatever and each day builds upon
the story every video is only about five minutes
long so it's about five minutes a day it's really
great for a movement break and all the movements
are those early developmental movements plus
proprioceptive input plus interoception as well
so it helps children tune into themselves so
it's essentially a program that I pulled together
because I it was everything I want to kind of
see happen in schools that I say over and over
and over again and I thought actually why couldn't
I bring this all together and do it in a really
fun story -based way it's a pre -recorded thing
you could either play on your whiteboard or play
at home whenever you need that really rich well
put together movement break yeah or movement
movement um it'd be a really good thing to play
that's awesome I love the sound of that you've
also got calm the chaos as well can you tell
us a little bit yes sure in fact actually before
i talk about calm the chaos i might just say
on that you can also add other bits so i i also
do sensory champion training so i like training
kind of one or two or a few staff in a school
to be almost sensory champions so they are kind
of the sensory lead for that school and it's
quite an intensive training that I do with them
and intensive support and they have a lot of
access to me and it helps filter down those kind
of sensory bits throughout the whole school.
It really adds it then in the whole school. Yeah
absolutely and I think it's quite a empowering
role for a member of staff to have as well especially
when you start seeing the kind of impact of it.
And I'm sure every headteacher or SENCO listening
to this can immediately think of somebody in
their school that would be a great advocate,
that's already a great advocate, really harness
that interest and really boost out the skills
in you to get everybody else levelled up, I suppose.
Absolutely. And what's lovely about that is we
also have a monthly. Q &A session for all the
sensory champions. So all the staff from the
different schools can come together and talk
about what they're doing in their school. And
it's a really nice kind of networking opportunity
as well. So that's been really lovely. And then
I've got my parent program, which is Calm the
Chaos. So it's a six month, quite intensive support
package. Again, because working in previous roles,
I was never able to give families. the level
of support that they needed and the kind of long
period of time that they needed to embed things
and just to have someone there for them so i've
developed that so i can kind of feel a bit like
a family member to them and they can just rely
on me when they need me yeah absolutely and I'm
with them every step of the way and so in that
you've got some coaching with me you've got training
videos based on your child's needs you've got
sensory screenings you've got support for the
school you've got the movement videos um there's
a lot in it And it's quite an intensive package,
but it's really wanted it to just feel like a
hug for a family. And it's to support the whole
family. And I can help with multiple children.
I can even help adults understand their own sensory
needs. So those are my two main packages, really.
They sound incredible. And it's so what's needed.
Like I said, I'm in Cornwall and getting access
to anybody is so, so difficult. That's if you
know what you're even after. and it's so difficult
to even know who you need in the therapy kind
of world. So that sounds amazing. And I would
say from my experience of working with a load
of different experts, regulation is first. So
if you're struggling with any other areas, behaviour,
communication, whatever it is, eating, everything,
all comes back down to regulation. So I would
say I would advocate that. It's a really good
place to start a funeral, I'm sure. Yeah, 100%.
Regulation before everything. I will die on that
hill. I mean... Everyone will expect you to say
that because you're an occupational therapist.
Occupational therapists say that. So I'm just
going to put my thing as well. I agree. I'm a
special education teacher. I teach lots of different
things. I speak to lots of different people.
And I agree with you that regulation is key.
It has to come first. It really, really does.
Without that, you can't hope you could have the
best systems in the world. You can have the best
communication, iPad and training and expertise
in the world. It will not support as well as
it can do. your children are regulated so yeah
i definitely i would die on that hill too so
for those that haven't heard of rise therapy
it's a four -step system of and led by the learners
and so the pace is led by the learners and you
moving from step to step is led by the learners
too and if you only if they're only ready for
step one and you just do step one That's also
good. And that was the fundamentals of this neurofaring
practice. Remember, we're listening to them.
We're helping them to understand their bodies
and when they need to move on and when they don't.
So step one is all about regulation and reconnection.
So it's all about connecting after anything that's
broken down, any broken promises that have happened
all throughout the day. We break promises all
the time as practitioners. Even if we don't know
we have, you know, a learner might have been
expecting a certain snack and then it's not in
their lunchbox. So we've broken that promise,
you know. Maybe we've made a change to the timetable.
Maybe the photographer's in the hall and the
PE can't happen. Maybe it's raining, so we have
outdoor play. All of those kind of broken promises
throughout the day. So step one's all about reconnecting,
co -regulation, and yeah, regulating together
and connecting together in a beautiful, intensive
interaction kind of way, if you know that term.
And then step two, if they're ready, is about
a lead adult stepping away. and inviting them
into a group type scenario so it will be highly
visual highly motivating and the idea is that
we want the learners to notice this and come
on over on their own terms or not come over on
their own terms. And that is honoured also if
they want to stay in step one or they can observe,
they can come on over. And the idea is when they
do come over, we start steps three right away.
They get right into the action straight away.
We've had learners to jump straight into the
tough trays. We've had learners sprinkling things,
banging things. They're in the action straight
away. They don't have to wait. They want to explore.
We've got their engagement. We're going to validate
that and celebrate that. Step three is... about
being alone together so playing in all of our
own beautiful ways but alongside each other because
that's how collaboration starts that's how social
interaction starts and we have seen some really
lovely interactions happening on their own terms
which is really exciting and meanwhile the adults
are kind of validating all of the communication
they see all the attempts all of the social play
attempts all of their play styles and all of
those things everything's safe we are validating
and modeling back at them and then step four
When we're ready, when the learners are kind
of feeling like they've had enough and you can
see that they're starting to disengage, maybe
wander off, maybe, you know, finish playing.
It's time for step four, which is ending. A whole
section on its own, all about the ending of a
loved activity, transitioning out of it and what
that looks like. So it looks like making a game
out of tidying up a little bit Mary Poppins style.
Find the game in the tidying up so it's less
triggering and less dysregulating for our learners.
And also that they can see that it's visually
and slowly in their own time coming to an end.
We get rid of the visual clutter and they can
see that, you know, they can pace it out that
the ending doesn't happen straight. away and
we go and get on with something else just as
even more exciting over the other women and they
can join again something that we noticed was
I only wanted to create this as a afternoon communication
group offer activity lesson to replace some of
the more compliance -based practices that I was
using before but actually what's happened is
it isn't a lone session at all it's actually
now kind of bled into everything we do so even
when my learner to go to the toilet for example
we are using a rise race approach to do that
we're thinking okay we need to connect first
before we ask them to do this really tricky activity
for them how can we make the activity as fun
and affirming as possible and validating for
them and their needs and then how can we finish
this activity in a really positive and learner
play and it's kind of it's led into everything
really so we call it rise sessions but actually
it seems to be like a rise system more than that
because it really is in the best neurofirming
practice. And I'm incredibly proud of it and
we've seen some amazing results. I went to a
school just last week and I'd never met the learners
before. They were early years, absolutely gorgeous.
I think I was 10. early years autistic children
non -speaking that I'd never met before and ran
a RISE session and every single one of them joined
it when they don't normally. We had some beautiful
spoken and AAC communication and we finished
the activity regulated and having had a really
great time and that would just never happen in
a brand new class that I'd never met before with
other practices that I've used in the past which
just shows that the learners were heard, they
were invested, they wanted to be there. And all
of a sudden there was no behaviours because they
wanted to be there. And often crisis behaviours
and hurting behaviours come from two things,
either not feeling heard and understood and things
feeling triggering for them. and then being made
to do it or a sense of not um dysregulation as
in the sensory wise and i feel like rise listens
to their sensory needs and regulation all the
way through and it also helps them to feel heard
so we just we're just not seeing as much of that
um spiking behavior yeah i don't know what you've
found yes so i've really liked it's exactly what
you said about like some of those i guess key
principles as well like that connection with
the child and i think having that time to regulate
at the beginning learning it kind of reminds
me of the there's like a triangle model the Taylor
Trott pyramid of learning you know where it starts
with the central nervous system then it's like
sensory systems the auditory and visual processing
language then learning it's just so nice to sort
of it's so funny you mentioned that because that
is absolutely the fundamentals of everything
I do if you want to look at it up it's called
the pyramid of learning and yeah it's so true
it the sensory system is the basis of all learning
and then right at the top of this pyramid is
academic learning there's no way we could get
to that point without all of these fundamental
skills learned beforehand