Effy

My experience supporting young people with SEN: I am a highly experienced and qualified Special Educational Needs (SEN) teacher with QTS and extensive knowledge and experience in the field of SEN with specific focus on Autism Spectrum Disorders. I have more than 11 years of experience working with children and young adults with SEN, and I have worked in a diverse number of educational settings, including primary, secondary and further education learning environments in three different countries – England, Scotland and Greece. My main area of specialisation is working with children and young adults who have been clinically diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder and who may also have a learning disability, associated disturbances and challenging behaviours such as aggression, self-injurious behaviours, impulsivity, irritability, social withdrawal or avoidance, hyperactivity, non-compliance, anxiety-related and emotional dysregulation disorders, social communication difficulties, including nonverbal communication, sensory processing difficulties, as well as emotional and behavioural difficulties. I am currently pursuing my Doctoral Degree in Psychology and I am part of the Autism Research Group at City, University of London. My research area focuses on emotional self-awareness and emotional regulation and how these constructs might give rise to and/or maintain anxiety and emotional distress in autistic young people with severe and/or profound needs.

Specialist provision: With more than 9 years of teaching experience in a diverse number of special educational settings, I am adept at planning, delivering and evaluating instructional procedures for learners of different age groups, learning profiles and abilities. More specifically, my on-the-job experience has afforded me a strong knowledge base in the area of autism spectrum disorders as well as a well-rounded skill set, including versatility in teaching methods and a strong commitment to setting high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge learners. I am skilled at:

• Emotional regulation and management of anxiety disorders,
• Positive Behaviour Support (PBS),
• Behaviour management of challenging behaviours and application of de-escalation techniques,
• Intensive Interaction approach,
• Sensory Integration therapy with a major focus on emotional regulation, mindfulness, and sensory processing difficulties,
• Makaton sign language which strengthens the expressive communication of nonverbal and partially verbal individuals with special educational needs.
• TEACCH, 
• The SCERTS Model; Social Communication, Emotional Regulation and Transactional Support. 

My specialist experience working with students with SEN to develop trusting and meaningful relationships: As a tutor, it is always incredibly important for me to know the strengths, weaknesses, and needs of my students so I can plan my lessons accordingly and support my students to reach their full potential. One of the most effective ways I can get to know my students is through observation and regular interaction with them. Spending time with them, getting to know their likes, special interests and dislikes help me as an educator to create an educational plan that is tailored to my students’ profile and needs. Furthermore, setting clear expectations and goals, acknowledging success and praising every achievement are an integral part of my teaching approach. Regardless of how simple or small these achievements are, I believe that by acknowledging my students’ success will make them gain confidence, resilience to keep going, and a willingness to learn and improve their skills. In addition to positive praise and reinforcement, being consistent and trying to keep learning materials and routines as familiar as possible have always helped my students to feel confident and comfortable, and thus more willing to learn and try their best. Moreover, empowering my students and giving them a sense of control over their own learning are essential to supporting them to build their confidence, and become more responsible and independent. Finally, as a tutor, I firmly believe that being a good listener who shows empathy towards students’ needs and difficulties as well as someone who follows their own pace of learning are essential to building a strong connection and a robust relationship of trust with them.

My specialist experience teaching autistic young people (those with ASC/ASD): My experience of working with autistic young people has taught me that staying consistent as well as reinforcing the establishment of a highly-structured routine can ease the unpredictability of unexpected changes. Another important tool that proves effective for autistic young people is the use of visual supports including the use of a visual schedule of activities, a Now & Next board as well as a Choice Board. These visual aids are essential tools that support autistic young people to understand the sequence of activities and most importantly, what to expect next. In addition to alleviating anxiety that derives from unpredictability of unexpected changes, visual tools also support autistic young people to develop a better understanding of the nature of their daily tasks and activities. While working with an autistic young person, it is also important to reward flexibility and praise them whenever they cope with a change or an unexpected event. For example, when an activity is cancelled or postponed, it is important to remind the young person how wonderful it is that they are ‘flexible’ and get the young person to associate this skill with getting something they like, like attention. Furthermore, it is essential to remember that autistic young people have their own unique way of processing information. This means that they have their own way of decoding and learning new concepts. It is always helpful to allow them additional time to process the information before proceeding to the next stage of an activity. Another strategy that has proven effective from my past experience is the provision of a short break, often called a ‘choice time’ after the completion of an activity. Since autistic young people may find it quite difficult to switch between activities, it is essential that we allow them additional time before they transition to another activity. This strategy also increases their productivity and attention, as they know that after completing an activity, they will be rewarded with an activity of their choice, e.g., listening to their favourite song, spending time on the iPad for 5 minutes, etc. Another successful teaching tool for autistic young people is the use of social stories. Social stories are a good way to let an autistic young person know regarding a future change or a visit to an unfamiliar environment, e.g., a visit to a dentist. Finally, building a relationship of trust with the autistic young person plays a major role in helping them to achieve their full potential. As a tutor, I believe that getting to know the young person really well, what their preferences, dislikes and needs are, is key to success.

My experience teaching young people with sensory processing difficulties: During my teaching career, I have worked with many students who experienced sensory processing difficulties. These types of issues can be presented either in the form of sensory hypersensitivity or sensory hyposensitivity towards any types of sensory stimuli and sensations (e.g., sounds, smells, textures, etc.). These types of sensory issues not only get in the way of learning but they can also have a significant impact on the young person’s daily functioning. Considering the fact that sensory processing problems are usually associated with the presence of other conditions, e.g., autism or ADHD, it is of paramount importance to develop initially an in-depth understanding of the young person’s behavioural profile and define which types of difficulties they manifest. Following this, adapting the learning environment is usually one of the first things that help the young person to better cope with the different types of sensory input. For example, a young person who has difficulty coping with loud noises will benefit from working in a quiet work space. Having a stable daily routine and a visual timetable with clear starting and ending times for each task will also have a significant positive impact on the young person’s learning. Furthermore, providing the young person with the opportunity to have regular breaks will help them to remain concentrated and avoid being overwhelmed. Additionally, students with sensory processing difficulties hugely benefit from following a sensory diet. In the past, I have worked closely with Occupational Therapists and I have been responsible for administering and successfully implementing the sensory diet for my students. Finally, all my lessons are tailored to the specific sensory needs of each one of my students and they aim to help my students develop their self-regulation skills through positive sensory experiences and a more efficient way of handing the sensory triggers that may arise in a learning environment.

My specialist experience teaching young people with speech and language needs: I have worked extensively with children who presented with communication difficulties such as limited speaking skills, poor nonverbal conversation skills, restricted vocabulary, echolalia, use of speech in an non-functional way, and use of repetitive or rigid language. My teaching approach focuses on encouraging students to engage in an variety of learning activities that aim at improving their receptive and expressive language. First of all, learning tasks which focus on enhancing students’ handwriting style and reading comprehension skills, as well as guided reading with the use of visual aids are an integral part of my teaching method. These activities help students to develop a better understanding of the reading text as well as to increase their vocabulary. In addition, the use of visual cues which represent functional words supports students -especially those who speak few or no words- to express their needs and wants in a more meaningful manner. Through modelling and repetition, I consistently encourage my students to use functional words and make requests for motivating items. The use of objects of reference that represent the given word is also an essential tool that can support students to understand the meaning behind each word. As a tutor, I also believe that using simplified language and creating plenty of opportunities for children to make requests for motivating items are important strategies that can improve speech and language development. Finally, learning in a fun way can help students to remain motivated and focused on their tasks. Creative activities that involve singing are a great way for children to discover their voice and experiment with different sounds.

My specialist experience teaching autistic young people with SEMH/mental health needs: Autistic young people are likely to experience mental health issues, particularly anxiety at some point in their lives. Dealing with anxiety is a highly-prevalent issue in autism that can have an immense impact on the young person’s psychological wellbeing and overall functioning. Difficulties understanding and identifying their emotions are among the main reasons why autistic young people experience difficulties regulating their negative emotions which in turn renders them vulnerable and particularly prone to developing anxiety and emotional distress. My research in combination with my practical experience working with autistic young people, either high-functioning or those who speak few or no words, has taught me that setting a clear structure with clear expectations, avoiding unexpected changes, incorporating special interests into the daily routine, having sensory breaks as well as allowing for ‘quiet’ time in a low arousal environment are the first but incredibly powerful strategies that contribute to autistic young people’s emotional wellbeing. On a second level, teaching emotion recognition and labelling can help autistic young people to develop a better understanding of their own feelings as well as to differentiate similar emotional experiences from one another. My intervention involves teaching the Zones of Regulation as well as a variety of emotion-focused coping techniques (e.g., breathing techniques, deep pressure) that can help autistic young people to better manage their intense emotions. My main focus is to help equip autistic young people with the essential knowledge, skills and tools needed to communicate their emotional experiences in a more meaningful way as well as to regulate their feelings in emotionally and sensory overwhelming situations.

My experience teaching young people with ADHD: Throughout my teaching career, I have worked extensively with children with an ADHD diagnosis. While supporting a child who has difficulty in focusing and prioritising, controlling their impulses and sustaining their attention for prolonged periods of time, the following three components are the cornerstones of my teaching method: accommodations, effective instruction, and intervention. More specifically, I design my lessons in a way that facilitates my students’ learning style. Having a positive attitude, lots of understanding and patience, I teach my students the way they prefer to learn while encouraging them to work at their own pace and supporting them to produce quality work. Due to their poor attention, students with ADHD are likely to show lack of motivation and task persistence during difficult tasks. In order to overcome these challenges, I reinforce good behaviour and quality work by providing immediate and sincere praise. My experience has taught me that among the most effective tools to motivate a student with ADHD is to offer them rewards on a point or token system. Furthermore, minimising potential distractions and disruptions, and creating a quite working area that is free of distractions are extremely important for students who experience concentration difficulties. Additionally, my lessons are characterised by a high level of rigour, drive and a clear sense of purpose. I establish clear expectations at the beginning of each lesson and I use visual aids to reinforce major learning points, including the sequence of learning activities. Keeping instructions clear and simple, as well as repeating as necessary are effective instructional strategies that help students with ADHD to remain focused and attentive. Another powerful teaching strategy is having an unobtrusive cue, such a sticky note on my students’ desk, to remind them to stay on task. Finally, my teaching experience so far has taught me that a student with ADHD learns best and flourishes when they are permitted to self-pace their learning. Students with additional needs can easily feel overwhelmed and frustrated by the fast pace of learning and the increasing learning demands. Therefore, it is important that they are given choices to explore, develop their own positive learning experiences, and self-pace through learning material taking as much time as they need before they move on to the next task.

My experience teaching English including phonics: In the past decade, I have worked extensively with students who had a number of language deficiencies, including language delay, impoverished vocabulary, limited understanding of grammar and syntax, as well as difficulties understanding and using spoken language. My teaching approach incorporates the use of visual aids and involves repetition, modelling and scaffolding. When introducing a new area/concept, I always try to help my students build a bridge between what they already know and what they do not know. Praise, predictability and structure are a few more ingredients for delivering a successful lesson. My lessons also incorporate a number of multisensory techniques (e.g. music, art, sensory elements) which have proven particularly effective for teaching phonics and which can also support the students to remain engaged with the task at hand. Finally, my lessons rely heavily on my students’ special interests. I always try to link my lessons to my students’ preferences and likes. For example, if one of my students has a preference for a particular comic character or book, I try to leverage this preference and include it in my lessons so I can help my students improve their learning performance.

My experience teaching Maths: Maths can be a challenging area for many students with special educational needs. Concepts such as time telling, patterns, sequences, or even specific maths operations such as subtraction, can be quite difficult for children with special educational needs. In order to support my students to overcome their challenges, I employ a number of teaching strategies, including modelling, repetition and scaffolding. My vast teaching experience has also taught me that one of the most important skills that a child with SEN needs to develop from a young age is their ability to generalise the skills they have learned at school in a real-life context. For this reason, I place great emphasis on planning creative and meaningful lessons that involve functional Maths and hands-on activities which can help my students develop their reasoning and problem-solving skills. I also find the use of visual aids and teaching materials such as Numicon, counting cubes and number lines particularly effective.

My experience working with young people to boost their confidence and self-esteem: Throughout my teaching career, I have learned that making students believe in themselves is key to success. Teaching students how to set high expectations about themselves helps them become more confident in their abilities and empowers them to perform better in tasks. As a tutor, I always strive for making every learning experience an opportunity for assessing growth. I make sure to provide consistent, constructive feedback on my students’ performance and areas of growth. This helps them to feel confident that they can progress in learning. When it comes to expectations, challenging but realistic expectations is the guiding principle that underpins my teaching practice. Finally, I believe that it is very important for my students to develop their self-talk and reflect on their own learning process. By doing so, they can develop a deeper understanding of their strengths and weaknesses as well as a greater sense of responsibility.

My specialist experience providing fun and engaging sessions to inspire a love of learning: Each child with SEN exhibits a different and unique behavioural profile. Some children have a highly focused level of interest in particular topics, including music, arts, maths, astronomy, cars, etc. My experience has taught me that it is extremely useful to incorporate my students’ special interests and preferences into the learning process. This facilitates their meaningful engagement and learning by helping them to become more focused and interested in completing the activities as well as more able to sustain their attention for longer periods of time. Besides special interests, I always try to make my sessions interesting and enjoyable by implementing fun and creative activities, such as puzzles, games, Lego therapy, painting, music, dancing, and multi-sensory elements. These activities are a fun way for children not only to practise their problem-solving skills, but also to develop their social skills and ability to concentrate. Depending on my students’ personal preferences, going on a trip is another excellent activity that can prove gratifying for children, since it allows them to explore different surroundings, discover new things and develop their independence. Overall, students’ self-confidence and communication skills can flourish when they feel creative. Also, I firmly believe that the learning process works better when it is fun and engaging. This is why I always strive for giving my students the opportunity to take part in activities that will make them feel creative, motivated as well as challenged in a positive way.

My skills and experience supporting students to develop their independence: Teaching independence is among the main targets that I set for my students. My experience has taught me that when working with students with special educational needs on any skill, it is crucial to think it forward. Visualising outcomes always provides a great framework to set goals and a good motivator to teach independent skills. Building independence is a lifelong journey which should start at an early stage. My teaching strategy is to provide my students with options and to encourage them to take ownership of them. It is extremely important for students to feel empowered and to be in a position where they feel that they ‘own’ their learning and they have a ‘meaningful’ voice in the process. Making choices and refusing things is an important life skill and can be applied to preferred and non-preferred activities. Additionally, creating a visual schedule is a great tool that reduces anxiety and unpredictability, promotes successful transitions and supports children to develop a better understanding of what activities will be happening in order. My sessions are designed in a way that involve short, manageable tasks which are followed by quick, motivational rewards. My aim is to break tasks down into short bursts of productivity with regular breaks in between. That helps my students to develop a great sense of achievement and success as a direct result of their own actions and effort. Additionally, during my lessons, I always encourage my students to request a ‘break’ when they feel overwhelmed or tired. Although it may seem like a simple thing, knowing how and when to ask for a break allows my students to regain control over themselves and their environment.

My experience supporting young people with study skills and executive functioning: Over the past decade, I have worked with a number of students who required support with developing effective study skills, including active listening, memorisation, note taking, time and stress management. My first and foremost aim is to build a strong positive relationship with my students that allows them to feel confident through exploration and to be able to take risks in their academic tasks. I always make sure to keep track of my students’ strengths and to work alongside them to identify their challenges. It is very important for students to recognise what is hard for them. My teaching approach empowers my students to ‘own’ their learning, to make meaningful choices regarding their learning, and to help them brainstorm solutions when they find something challenging. By making my students able to monitor their own work without relying on others is key to success. Furthermore, I teach my students the importance of prioritising their tasks and working on easier tasks before moving on to more difficult tasks. Keeping a planner is a useful tool that helps students to keep track of their own learning and to be on top of their responsibilities, including deadlines for projects and assignments. Additionally, I encourage my students to break workload into small, manageable tasks. This can offset cramming and procrastination and help my students feel more confident along the way of learning and studying. Avoiding distractions is another important strategy that contributes to student success. By encouraging my students to stay focused only on one task before moving onto another task, my students are able to sustain their attention for longer periods of time. I also teach my students to ask for help when they struggle with understanding a specific concept. When this is the case, asking for help is key to success. Finally, I work alongside my students to create a plan and set goals before beginning a project, as well as to evaluate those goals afterwards. It is extremely important for students to reflect on their own practise and gain insight into their strengths and weaknesses.

My experience supporting young children (age 5+): The early years of a child’s life are deemed to be a critical period for their development and future progress. Drawing on my extensive experience and expertise, I highly endorse the implementation of a holistic and systematic teaching intervention that will start as early as possible and which will have the child’s special interests and abilities at the core of each lesson. I believe that young children with SEN benefit from a teaching approach that involves fun, multisensory activities such as music, games, puzzles, arts and crafts. My aim as a tutor is to create immersive learning experiences for my students and to provide them with the support they need so that they reach their full potential.

My experience supporting young people with dysgraphia: Over the past decade, I have supported effectively students who experienced challenges with writing including impaired spelling, typing and handwriting skills. Dysgraphia is not a matter of intelligence, and the challenges with writing often arise from impaired motor skills. Therefore, overcoming dysgraphia requires a solid foundation and an effective support plan. First of all, my teaching method focuses on enhancing students’ hand strength and coordination. Several dysgraphic children complain of their hands hurting when they write; an issue which is likely to be linked to a lack of hand strength and muscle coordination. My support plan involves a number of fine motor skills activities such as threading, using playdough and putty, colouring and painting. During these activities, dysgraphic children practise a number of fine motor skills, including squeezing, pulling, pinching and rolling. Thus, they learn how to improve their eye-hand coordination and muscle control. In addition to therapeutic fine motor activities, I support students with dysgraphia by encouraging them to take part in fun and creative letter formation activities that use practical and multi-sensory components. Writing with fingers in shaving cream, salt, sugar or oatmeal are fun ways that help dysgraphic students to practise the shape of letters in lots of different ways. The use of multi-sensory elements also reinforces students’ memory and helps their brain to register the shape of letters in a more effective way. In addition to multi-sensory elements, my lessons involve several individually tailored writing tasks throughout which my students learn how to improve their handwriting style by holding a pencil with a functional pencil grasp. To this end, the implementation of specialist writing and typing tools is deemed essential. More specifically, the use of pencil grips, specialist pencils, a slant board, and raised or highlighted paper are few of the specialist resources that I use in my lessons. Finally, it is useful to keep in mind that with dysgraphia, as with any other learning disability, there is no ‘quick fix’. However, through well-considered instruction delivered over an extended period of time, it is possible for children with dysgraphia to overcome their difficulties and improve their handwriting performance.

My experience supporting young people with writing resistance: Children learn and develop their skills at their own pace. My main goal as a teacher is to inspire my students with writing resistance and instil a desire to improve their handwriting performance in them. First of all, my teaching method aims to encourage children’s intrinsic motivation for writing. Incorporating children’s special interests is a powerful strategy that can help stoke children’s curiosity and prompt them to remain engaged in the learning process for longer periods of time. For example, encouraging a child to draw their favourite character or game, and then to write a brief description of it could help the child’s attitude change towards writing. Other fun and interesting activities that could help children build their confidence in writing involve dot-to-dot activities, mazes, word hunts, hidden picture puzzles, and word puzzles. During my sessions, I also aim to expose my students to a variety of educational content, from printable worksheets, to multi-sensory activities such as finger painting and handwriting without tears. Finally, creating a rewards system, offering children choices and the flexibility to take regular breaks when they feel overwhelmed or frustrated can have a positive impact on their writing experience.

Individualised way of teaching and learning: I am passionate about delivering high-quality, individualised teaching that is designed and developed to meet the individual cognitive profile and needs of the learner. I am adamant that the ‘one size fits all approach’ is rather ineffective and that each learner requires their own pace of instruction. As such, I always tailor my teaching strategies and instructional materials to individual need, aptitude and interest and preference.

Holistic instructional model: My teaching method embraces a holistic approach that addresses all areas of development of learners, including their cognitive profile, their affective (or emotional) needs, as well as their social needs. A holistic approach to teaching is the basic tenet of self-determined and solution-focussed approaches to learning.

Strong collaboration with parents, schools and cross-sectional professionals: I am a fervent believer that the key to success while working with students with special educational needs relies heavily on the strong, positive and consistent communication and collaboration between parents and professionals. A skilful educator understands the importance of building a support network for students between school and home, and may have to be the first to initiate that network. Thus, I consistently attempt to develop strong relationships with parents, schools and other cross-sectional professionals such as Speech and Language therapists, Occupational therapists and Physiotherapists in order to ensure cross-setting consistency in intervention implementation which ultimately increases the potential for generalisation and maintenance of positive outcomes in children.

Identification and assessment of individual strengths, weaknesses and abilities: During my tenure as an Special Needs Teacher in the past nine years, I have acquired invaluable experience in carrying out diagnostic assessments, updating and implementing Individual Education Plans, reviewing Education, Health and Care Plans, developing Schemes of Learning for my courses, taking part in Annual Review meetings, as well as liaising directly with external agencies, including local authority services. I have developed a deep understanding of how to effectively assess a student’s needs, abilities and weaknesses, and how to move towards by placing the right strategies in place in order to successfully meet the EHCP outcomes and support the student to achieve their full potential.