We often talk about the challenges faced by young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) but with the right support, SEND individuals can achieve remarkable things. Did you know that our SEND community possesses unique strengths? The dyslexic community can have an incredible capacity to visually ponder about concepts, enabling them to think outside the box, and displaying a phenomenal aptitude for creative thinking. They often shine in many artistic areas, such as the performing and literary arts.
Children with dyscalculia regularly demonstrate strong spatial awareness, leading to careers in architecture/design. As they navigate through their numerical challenges, they can find alternative routes to solving problems in many aspects of daily life.
Our autistic community can convey a striking capability to focus deeply, excelling in their competence to note fastidious detail, leaving no stone unturned. As a result, their outcomes can reflect high levels of precision. They may exhibit excellent memory competence, especially for accuracy, recalling many dates, figures and specific features.
As a group, SEND learners portray a capacity to share many positive traits that are a byproduct of their needs, offering a powerhouse of skills. We are fortunate to have this diverse group, whose capacity and thinking often lead to pioneering, dynamic opportunities.
William, who is thirteen, has dyslexia and dyscalculia. His dyscalculia has led to challenges in maths; his experience at school was difficult. The learning pace was too fast, and some teachers didn’t always understand how tricky learning is with less working memory, which then in turn triggered anxiety. He explains, “When I was rushed with maths it made me feel stressed. I need to do maths in stages to understand. I need more time”.
Additionally, there were sensory experiences at school that William found overwhelming, particularly the continual change of classrooms with the noise, chaos, hustle and bustle.
William’s mum Bridget explains: “We noticed school was having a huge impact on William’s wellbeing. He now learns through a mixture of alternative provision, educational trips, tuition and small group learning, which is much more suited to his needs.”
Recently William visited Avebury, where he learned about subjects encompassing nature, horticulture, archaeology, and history.
Avebury stones are over 4,000 years old.
He also attended the Wiltshire Dyslexic Association Event, to share some of the challenges dyslexic children can face. This wasn’t the first time William had raised awareness of dyslexia and dyscalculia. He had previously spoken at the Dyslexia Show at the NEC in Birmingham. In particular, he highlighted struggles dyslexics often have with working memory, which is often at a reduced capacity compared to their neurotypical counterparts. William describes in more detail: “One volunteer was given a large piece of paper, the other volunteer who had dyslexia, a much smaller piece. The paper was their working memory. They were then given a task, and I showed the paper size getting smaller as they worked. The volunteer with dyslexia ran out of ways to learn anything because their working memory was smaller.”
William radiates enthusiasm, empathy, and intelligence. It is evident that his SEND has presented him with an extraordinary perspective on life for someone so young.
As William finds his learning path, more doors open for him. He now also volunteers at a local community centre café, “We have eight different cakes a day. I have a lot of friends there; one of them is really jolly! I do a lot, I serve people, wash up, put things away, and do the hoovering. It’s fun.”
William also helps at his local cricket club. Cricket is one of his passions, and in a bid to give something back, William explains, “Sometimes I do the scoring. I also help the groundskeeper with maintenance… I have used a steamroller and helped paint the white lines on the crease for batsmen.”
William is incredibly passionate about everything he does. At 13 he has accomplished such a lot, much of which has been fostered due to his SEND. However, maybe William’s biggest achievement to date is becoming an author. His first book, “Gary and Maths” was written and illustrated by William and his mum, Bridget.
Gary struggles with maths at school; everything is too fast. As Gary wades through his obstacles, his teacher eventually asks: ‘Can I help you?’ What follows are useful ideas to help children with their working memory to combat maths anxiety.
Gary overcomes his maths anxiety.
If you would like to see Gary at work, follow his Facebook link for advice. Gary invites others to also share their helpful ideas.
Bridget’s pride in her son is transparent as she watches his endless capacity for life. It feels like they have had many hurdles to jump over, but now he is on a path that matches his needs and is bringing all his positive qualities to fruition.
William declares: “The only limit is the imagination”, and it looks like the sky is the limit for William. Having co-written three books, he discusses more creative ideas for the future which will soon feature on the “Billy Bees Learning” website, alongside the many other resources created by William and Bridget.
William’s journey proves that neurodiverse children have so many positive traits and we acknowledge that this will be unique for every child. With understanding, patience and love, we can help children unlock their amazing qualities.
Please note: The information provided within this blog, by SENsational Tutors, is for general information purposes only. We appreciate that every person is unique, and any advice/experiences mentioned within the content of each blog may not be reflective of your own personal experience. All information on the site is provided in good faith and is for educational informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional advice. Before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with appropriate professionals.
