Amanda

I am a highly experienced teacher with 19 years teaching experience, and a specialism in autism. I am also a qualified SENCo, recently in a mainstream secondary school. My own two children (young adults now) have SEND related to their autism and other neurodivergence, and needed additional support in school and out of school. I am also autistic; therefore I have a unique perspective as an autistic person with autistic children, who has specialised in teaching autistic students. I also understand personally and professionally the importance of having good relationships with the students’ parents as well, and I work with families to help support their children. My role as a tutor is to help the students learn and flourish in ways that suit them best as individuals.

My specialist experience teaching students with SEND: I am a qualified teacher and SENCo, and have taught students with a range of SEND including autism, ADHD, SpLD, SLCN, MLD, SEMH needs and medical needs such as epilepsy, in mainstream and special schools. I have taught in both primary and secondary schools, from Reception to Year 11. I also tutor university students who require study skills support. My teaching is adapted to enable all students to learn at a level suited to their ability and from their individual starting points. Many complex SEND students have had previous negative experiences of education so there is a need for a calm, consistent and nurturing approach to their education.

My specialist experience working with students with SEND to develop trusting and meaningful relationships: I have over 19 years’ school teaching experience and over 15 years’ experience of tutoring students with additional needs. It is vital to understand the individual student, to know their strengths and interests, their difficulties and their needs. By taking time to get to know the students, and meeting them where they are, I build very positive relationships with them, which enables me to find ways to engage them and have a positive learning journey. They trust that I am there for their benefit and want them to do the best they can. I am empathetic and supportive, whilst also gently encouraging students to try things they might be reluctant to. It is very rewarding to see the students learn and make small steps of progress, especially if they had doubted their ability to do so.

My specialist experience teaching young people with anxiety: I have taught and tutored many students who have experienced anxiety. This has sometimes been related to other SEND, such as ADHD or autism. Where this is the case, it is important to know, as their anxiety does not exist in isolation from the condition which causes it. In many cases, there are known triggers for their anxiety, which I would like to know. I have supported a large number of neurodivergent students who also experience anxiety.

I am calm, patient and understanding. If a student is in a situation which I know could trigger their anxiety, I always approach it tentatively. I would not want to create a meltdown or panic attack; but likewise we need to find small ways to start coping with the source of anxiety. For example, I had a student who tried to avoid Maths as they thought they were not able to keep up with their classmates. When working 1:1 with the student, we were able to try things out in a safe environment, without fear of judgement. In this situation, I used whiteboards before writing in books, as they are not permanent. We broke it down into small, achievable steps. Through modelling and shared working (“my turn, our turn, your turn”) the student was encouraged and reassured that they were able to do the work assigned to them. They did need to work on asking for processing time in class, so this is something we practised in our sessions. They were also able to recognise that a demand was too much for them to manage alone.

I help students to understand that they experience anxiety, and what that looks like in them. For some it can be quiet refusal to work, for others it can be explosive reactions, and for others in may be anything in between, such as an increased in stimming behaviours such as tapping or rocking. We work on strategies to help manage the anxiety. This can include breathing exercises, mindfulness techniques, or having time out to listen to music, go for a brief walk outside etc. If they have external support, e.g. from CAMHS or a counsellor, I reinforce the techniques they suggest for the student, and make sure that I am not introducing something which is incompatible with what they are being taught by mental health professionals.

My specialist experience supporting students with ADHD: I have taught students with ADHD (including inattentive type) as part of a whole class, in smaller intervention groups, and on a 1:1 basis. Due to their needs, and the fact that studying and learning can take longer than it would their peers, these students can lack self-esteem or confidence, so praise for effort as well as attainment, and gentle encouragement are important. Having time-out, brain breaks or movement breaks when needed are very beneficial, as is access to fidget items at any time the student chooses. Some students need to move or walk around more and cannot sit still, as this helps them to maintain attention on the task in hand.

Students with ADHD need to feel motivated, and also benefit from a clear structure for sessions, so they know what is expected and can be gently prompted to remain on task. I calmly refocus and redirect students who are distractible, while acknowledging that they may want to talk about or look at something else, so they do not feel dismissed. Tasks which are less motivating may be necessary, but are worked in to the overall session so there is a balance and students do not simply hyperfocus on the interesting tasks.

I support students with ADHD to complete activities they might otherwise avoid, by being present with them and helping break them down into smaller, achievable chunks. I use multisensory inputs to help students with the tasks they are more likely to lose focus doing. We work to personalised targets in terms of how long they can maintain attention and concentration. We plan for short-term and longer-term success, depending on the student’s needs at the time. All successes are celebrated. Where appropriate, I also help the students to understand how their neurodivergence affects them, and to accept who they are and embrace their uniqueness. Together we identify strategies to help with areas they find difficult. I also help students to understand that some days are trickier than others, and that is ok.

My experience teaching young people with working memory difficulties: Students with poor working memory or processing difficulties may miss a lot at school or college as they are not able to keep up with the fast pace of classrooms. In tuition, we can work at the student’s own pace so they understand what they are learning. At the same time, we also carry out activities to practise improving working memory, such as card games, sequencing activities, and listing games.

For older students, we revisit learning from college or university, and make sure that they have enough time to process and understand what they have been taught. We also work to find what helps them with processing – for example some students need visuals to help them process auditory inputs, and others need clear task checklists with information broken down into simple steps. I help students to identify the organisational tools which help them best, then we practise using them. If there are too many demands or sensory inputs, it can be overwhelming and hard for the student to know what to do next. I love helping students find what really works for them.

My experience teaching Executive Functioning and Study Skills: I work with my students to help them understand their tasks and their requirements, then we look at the time they have to complete the task. We plan backwards and I show students how planning their time can help them. I also help them to understand that many people have difficulty with executive functioning, but there are tools and strategies they could use to help support them. We break tasks down into smaller, achievable chunks. This helps to reduce anxiety or demand avoidance they may experience. For older students, we may look at apps and online calendars to help them. Each individual’s difficulty can be a significant barrier for them, but it helps them to know that this happens to other people too, and we can work together to find ways forward that work for them. This is done in conjunction with my academic mentoring, so it helps them to know themselves as learners and how to work towards their target areas.

My experience in teaching social skills and friendship skills: Through my personal and professional experience, I know that neurodivergent people can find social skills, including making and maintaining friendships, tricky at times.

Over the years, I have taught specific social skills that individuals have needed to develop, as well as general social and communication skills that may be beneficial. Role-play can help with this, as although it is artificial, it helps students to practise what to say in different scenarios and how to say it.

I speak honestly with my students about why these skills may not always be easy, and help them to understand other people’s actions and potential motivations. I also help them to learn how to advocate for themselves and interact and socialise with others.

For some older students, I have coached them through what to say or do in challenging situations e.g. with college / university staff or classmates, and supported them by guiding them to feel confident. I also check in with them to see if they need any further support from me in specific situations. We explore what friendships are, the types of communication you can have with a friend, including online friends, and the unwritten expectations that a friend may have. I help students to look out for potential areas of concern with friends, and to know what to do if they are worried about an interaction.

My students appreciate the fact that I am also neurodivergent and do not judge them in any way. Speaking from a place of lived experience helps to normalise the fact that these skills do not come naturally to everybody, and that is ok.

My specialist experience as a mentor, and helping young people to boost their confidence and self-esteem: As well as teaching and tutoring, I also do mentoring with children and young people. This can be in formal sessions, to look at specific things they find difficult e.g. executive functioning, time management, managing tricky emotions, confidence and self-esteem etc., or it can be to look at how their SEN or condition affects them. I also use mentoring techniques when teaching my students, to support and encourage them. I have worked in a range of settings including specialist provisions, and I know that students need to feel understood and validated when they are struggling with their learning. I show them I am there to help them on their journey in a non-judgmental way, and we can find out together what works best for them.

As an academic learning mentor, I support older students, including neurodivergent university students, to understand what their individual barriers to learning are, and to guide them through different strategies which could help them overcome these. I know that these can cause significant anxiety, and so I work with the students to help them discover themselves as learners, and to help them with the areas they need most support with. I encourage them to be self-directed and autonomous where possible; and my role is to support and guide, model different strategies and techniques, assist with learning new things, and be a person that they can “check in” with when they need more support, or for me to check in with them to help keep them on track and focused (depending on individual need). This has had powerful positive effects on my older students, who have developed an understanding of themselves, the requirements of their courses / modules / tasks, and achieved grades they had only aspired to.

My specialist experience providing engaging sessions to inspire a love of learning: Students can find 1:1 sessions quite intense, so I like to make them engaging and interesting. This is done through a range of tasks, including interactive where possible, such as online times tables or grammar games. By having a good relationship with the students and knowing them well, I am able to adapt to their needs. As well as having sessions to improve in areas of difficulty, I also believe it is important to encourage students further with what they are good at and embrace their areas of interest so they have the feeling of success. This can include weaving their interests into their work; for example I had a young student who loved Spider-Man, so this was incorporated into English work which culminated in writing a hero story, and using Spider-Man times tables mats.

For older students, I like to have a little time in sessions for us to talk about their interests, hopes and aspirations, both short-term and longer-term as appropriate. My students know we will work on the focus areas in ways that enable them to access the learning and make progress. To further engage students, sessions are broken down into achievable chunks so they stay motivated and focused. I believe it is important for students to understand themselves as learners, so they are able to make progress and achieve things they would have otherwise found hard. Tutoring is highly personalised, so sessions are always geared towards supporting the individual student to achieve the desired outcomes.

My skills and experience supporting students to develop their independence: As I have taught a range of ages and year groups, my aim is always to encourage my students to become independent learners where possible. During sessions, there is some independent work for students to do, but I am there to guide, prompt and support as needed. I adapt the teaching and learning so that students can move from being told how to complete a task and simply following instructions, using scaffolds such as task planners or writing frames which are carefully removed when no longer needed, to using metacognitive strategies they have been taught for how to approach a task. It is great to see students apply their skills and knowledge to new learning situations.

My specialist experience of autism: I have extensive experience of autism – as an autistic person, with autistic children (young adults), and having specialised in teaching autistic children and young people.

In my previous school, I ran the autism provision within a mainstream secondary. This was a wonderful opportunity to make a real difference to the educational experience of these students. I worked very closely with my colleagues in the team to identify and plan appropriate interventions and development programmes for individuals and groups of students, from their starting points. Many of these were on “soft skills” such as social and emotional skills, communication skills and life skills. As part of my role, I delivered autism training to the whole school, and have delivered autism awareness assemblies for students with autistic students assisting.

Outside of school, as part of my self-employed autism work, I have delivered training and workshops to a variety of groups across the country, including parents, health and social care staff, foster carers, pre-school practitioners and school staff. I have also spoken about autism at several local and national events. In 2022 I delivered a presentation at an international autism conference in Poland, about the autism research which I carried out for my MSc Psychology dissertation. I feel it is important that marginalised voices are heard. As an autistic adult, I want to help others learn about what it is really like to be autistic, to break down assumptions and stereotypes; and to empower other autistic people to be able to speak up about their experiences and advocate for themselves.

I enjoy teaching autistic students and getting to know them as individuals. I have taught and tutored autistic students ranging in age from Reception to Year 11, on a variety of subjects and skills. They know I understand them and am not in any way judgemental. Students I particularly enjoyed tutoring at home, as I could see the huge impact it had, include a KS1 student who I tutored for several hours a week while they were waiting for a place in a special school, and 1:1 tuition with autistic GCSE students, which helped them achieve their potential in their exams.  Additionally, I provide study skills support for autistic university students, which I very much enjoy as they learn more about themselves as learners, and develop skills and confidence to succeed in their courses. I have also supported autistic children and young people to access community activities and in weekend and holiday clubs.

Every autistic person is unique and it is great to see them not only make progress, but to flourish once the right support and teaching methods are used. This can include adapting teaching methods and resources to make them more multi-sensory, and use of visuals to support spoken and written language. It is important that instructions are broken down into clear, concise chunks, so the students understand what is being asked of them. Extra processing time can also be beneficial. Some students require scaffolding, such as task planners, and prompting before they can work more independently. It is important to help the child in accordance with their individual needs. Autistic children have a broad range of educational needs, so it is also important to incorporate support they may need for areas such as speech and language, attention and focus, sensory needs, executive functioning and emotional regulation, among others. I see each student as an individual who will be able to flourish once they have the right support. This has also been crucial for me as a parent when my children were still at school, and even for myself as an autistic mature student in my recent studies. My autistic students know that I understand their difficulties and we work together to help them find what helps them best.

My specialist experience supporting students with speech and language needs and social communication needs: I have taught students with a variety of speech, language and communication needs in schools and in tuition. This includes difficulty with receptive language, expressive language, and with social communication. I have also been a support worker for autistic children and young people who are non-speaking and pre-verbal.

Students with speech, language and communication needs require clear and unambiguous communication. Instructions and tasks may need to be broken down into simple chunks, and visuals are very helpful to support the student to access their work. Task planners and using symbols and pictures can further support understanding and independence where appropriate. Multisensory inputs help children with understanding.

I have worked closely with speech and language therapists to support students, and I use techniques and resources such as colourful semantics to help build sentences, shape coding to structure sentences, and sorting games and barrier games to make using language fun. I have also used phonic strategies and listening games to help with developing speech sounds, and am patient with students who are looking for words to express themselves or manage stammering.

Students with social communication difficulties may find it difficult to express their thoughts and feelings. Recognising and managing emotions can also be tricky. I firmly believe that behaviour is communication – for example a student may “act out” or refuse to work. This is not a deliberate choice, but is them communicating an emotion, such as they are scared or experiencing high levels of anxiety which they cannot manage. By knowing my students well, I can help reduce the likelihood of shutdowns or meltdowns. Once a child feels safe and regulated, they are more able to learn. I am patient and am child-led.

My experience supporting students with sensory needs: Many neurodivergent children have sensory needs. This can range from being hypersensitive and needing to reduce sensory input, to being sensory-seeking and wanting lots of sensory input. As each child has an individual profile, I get to know them and what their needs are. I can then plan in appropriate support. This can include having sensory breaks i.e. to have some time where they can regulate themselves. For some of my students we can incorporate sensory activities into the learning time, such as being more active and using multisensory tools such as kinetic sand, bubbles, fiddle objects. Other students need to have breaks where there is low arousal so they can regulate themselves. Doing a sensory profile with a new student is a good way to help plan for what will help them to be able to access their learning.

My specialist experience teaching life skills and independence skills: Students who are autistic may need explicit teaching of life skills. This will vary according to the age and ability of the student, but can include areas such as knowing how to make an emergency phone call, making and preparing drinks and snacks, tying shoelaces, doing laundry and washing up, making their bed, personal hygiene, buying items in shops and handling money, travelling independently and internet safety. Some younger students may need to work on areas such as how to sit at the table with their family during meal time. Older students may need to work on areas such as applying for jobs or college and managing a budget.  These skills can be taught by having the student watch someone model it and talking through the steps, looking at the steps (either pictorial or written down) and discussing them / reordering them, practising in a safe environment (including role-play) and then trying them in the real environment with support. We will also practise the social skills involved in these activities so that students can become comfortable and know how to approach a situation which could otherwise be stressful. I like making these activities as interactive and fun as possible, so that the students can feel relaxed about what they are learning. This can include things such as trips to a cafe where they are practising more than one of these skills at a time.

My experience supporting young people with PDA: I have taught a number of students with PDA over the years. It is important to get to know the individual child: what they like and what their triggers are. What causes anxiety and what are the demands they find difficult? Do they find praise difficult to accept? By working with the child and their family to know this, I can plan for how to approach these issues if they are necessary. I will also be able to spot signs that the student may be becoming dysregulated, and use the agreed strategies to reduce anxiety and help them regulate,

As the sessions are personalised, I explain what we are doing and why, and prepare my students in advance for anything that may be a bit different. I am patient, understanding and friendly, and will not push ahead with things that could cause distress, leading to meltdowns or shutdowns, and reduce demands until they are able to manage. I am flexible and show the children that I care about their wellbeing. I am happy for the students to have time out to regulate themselves when needed.

If they are able to, I work with the child to co-create a set of strategies and a profile of themselves, and a timetable for sessions, so that they have ownership of what is happening. Sessions are child-led and non-hierarchical.

My experience teaching English and literacy: I have taught English and literacy from KS1 – KS4, including GCSE classes. My experience include teaching phonics and reading, grammar and spelling, and reading comprehension, as well as writing fiction and non-fiction genres. I was also a marker for KS2 English SATs tests for many years. I enjoy teaching English, both English language and English literature.

I have taught students in small classes to help them achieve their potential in English, both at GCSE and Entry Level. I have tutored students to use phonics and begin reading, to understand comprehension questions, to write creatively, and to make progress with their GCSE studies and  achieve good passing grades. Tuition is very individualised, so I can target specific areas of English to help the students in the areas they most need. I have tutored autistic students 1:1 to achieve good passes in their GCSE English and English Literature exams.

I aim to make English accessible and help students to understand it more. For phonics and reading, I like to use interactive resources to keep students engaged and make it more fun. With reluctant readers, I have used picture books across KS1 and KS2 to spark enjoyment of texts. I also use visual texts, including pictures and film, to engage students whilst they are developing their inference and deduction skills. Media is very multi-modal, but essentially the same literacy skills are needed to understand it. Speaking and listening skills are crucial in developing literacy skills. Once a child has begun to develop these skills, we can move to the written word. I also use film clips with older English students, for example to help them understand specific detail in GCSE texts. As our children are growing up in a very media-heavy world, this can often be a good way to show why literacy is important across different media, and then translating those skills to reading and writing.

My experience teaching young people with dyslexia: I have taught many dyslexic students over the years and coordinated support for them. Each child needs adaptation in terms of resources and accessing the work. On a 1:1 basis it is good to know how the student’s dyslexia affects them so that personalised support can be provided. Students need sessions and resources to be well organised. This includes multisensory supports so that sessions are not written text-heavy. I have a range of coloured lined paper for students to use if they need it, and coloured overlays we can use in sessions. Where possible I also prepare printed resources on light coloured paper and use sans serif fonts. For reading, I show students how to use text to speech software and for writing we explore voice recognition software, as appropriate. We work on understanding the requirements of written tasks, and I help to break it into manageable chunks. Dyslexic students may need extra processing time I help students with organisation by using writing frames and task checklists. For students who are working on reading and spelling, we use ICT programmes / apps to practise and improve confidence. We also look at study skills and executive functioning skills to help students develop metacognition and become more self-aware. I also celebrate neurodivergence with my students, and help them to realise that many dyslexic people have difficulties, but that they can still be successful in their particular areas of strength.

My experience teaching young people with dyspraxia: Dyspraxia (developmental coordination disorder) is not as simple as a person having coordination difficulties, as it affects  time management and organisational skills as well. Dyspraxic students often appear clumsy, forgetful or disorganised. They may sit awkwardly and need to move around more. In tutoring sessions, brain breaks and movement breaks are naturally incorporated. If the student has intervention from an occupational therapist, I ensure to include the recommendations.

Dyspraxia is another neurodivergent condition, and often co-occurs with conditions such as autism and / or dyslexia, but can occur in isolation. Chunking information, having processing time, and adaptations to access learning are vital. Working memory can also be affected by dyspraxia, so I include activities which can help. Each dyspraxic student is different, so knowing them and their needs well is very important. My son is also dyspraxic, so I have personal experience of supporting a dyspraxic child and young person as well as professional experience.

My experience teaching students who learn English as an additional or second language (EAL/ ESL): As a teacher I have taught many students who speak EAL, in particular in my most recent school in East London. I have had one GCSE English class recently where my students spoke seven different languages, and some were at an early acquisition stage. There are a variety of strategies I employ, including visual scaffolds, gestures, prompts, using the student’s first language alongside English (eg having an English poem with the translation into home language next to it), dictionaries, and explicit teaching of language, words and vocabulary including phonics and reading comprehension where needed. Immersion in English helps, but translanguaging is an important step in enabling access to learning. I have loved teaching students who speak EAL, and learning more about their culture and background. It helps to build a positive learning environment.

My experience teaching Maths: As a primary school teacher, I taught Maths to all year groups, spanning a range of abilities from KS1, to bottom set Year 5, to top set Year 6. I have also taught Maths at secondary school for KS3 SEND and lower ability students. In tuition, I have covered Maths at similar levels, catered to the needs of the individual student. I like to show students how Maths can be applied in functional ways as well (eg calculating change when purchasing items in a shop). I use online tools, physical objects and manipulatives as it often benefits the student to have multisensory input. I teach a variety of techniques and help my students to identify ones they are comfortable and confident with. I also like to show how Maths can be fun and enjoyable. For younger students, we explore Maths through puzzles and games, and I show how how Maths is all around us by using mathematical language and concepts in normal daily activities.

Being a SENCo: As SENCo, I planned appropriate support for students, who were taught by a range of teachers, by ensuring their support plans targeted areas of specific need and clearly stated the provision which must be made. This included any interventions which helped students in areas they found difficult. I was also responsible for timetabling and allocation of teaching assistants (TAs), line management of TAs, carrying out reviews including annual reviews for students with EHCPs, and the required paperwork. I worked closely with our Educational Psychologist, CAMHS practitioners and the local authority regarding specific students. I also attended middle leaders’ meetings and wrote reports as needed.

My motivation: I feel passionately that all students deserve the very best. I know how crucial it is for children with SEND to be well-supported in order to make progress with their learning, social and communication skills and emotional wellbeing.

I bring a lot to my role due to my motivation, passion and commitment. I enjoy helping students by providing high quality teaching, support and guidance.

My professional development: I have completed an MSc in Psychology and am currently studying for a PhD in Psychology. I have worked as a SENCo in a secondary school, and have the NASENCO qualification and Postgraduate Certificate in Special Educational Needs, which involved research and practical application of skills and knowledge in many areas of SEND. I have also researched different aspects of autism for postgraduate qualifications, and have attained a Postgraduate Certificate in Autism Spectrum Conditions and Learning. I am passionate about my own learning and professional development, and have attended a variety of SENCo meetings and training sessions organised by the LA, which have been useful for my CPD and to make changes for the benefit of students.