General experience with a range of SEN: I have had 17 years of experience supporting children with Special Educational Needs. I began my career working in the home of a young boy with Downs Syndrome supporting him with his communication and independent skills within the home and out in the community. I built strong relationships with both the child and family, respecting being within their family home and following their aspirations. I developed good communications skills being both professional and friendly. I also became adaptive and creative in finding ways to support the child within a range of settings in the community and using resources available within the home.
Following this, I became a Teaching Assistant within a SEN school working with children with Severe Learning Difficulties. I developed my knowledge and skills to work with a range of needs inclusive of Autism, ADHD, ADD and GLD. I worked on a 1:1 basis as well as with small groups and learned about ways to communicate using Makaton and PECS as well as using structured teaching systems such as TEACCH, visual timetables and use of specialist resources to support cognition. I also developed my understanding of the importance of building trusting relationships in order for the children to be able to learn confidently. I developed skills in promoting positive behaviour for learning and became incredibly inquisitive in understanding why a child would be presenting with challenging behaviour and what it was that I could do to help them. I recognised that behaviour was a communication of need and if I could identify the need, I could meet that it and support the child to develop a more positive way of communicating that need.
I then went on to University to obtain my teaching degree, whilst continuing to work with my previous client during the holidays, and spent my first two years teaching within a mainstream primary school. Here I developed a solid understanding and of the Primary Curriculum and variety of teaching strategies to deliver differentiated, creative and engaging learning experiences. During this time, I worked with pupils with Autism, ADHD and SEMH needs all of which had higher educational and communication levels than my previous experience. I was able to use the strategies I had developed previously and adapt and apply the principles to meet a different level of need.
I spent the following eight years of my teaching career in a SEN school with pupils with Severe Learning Difficulties. I supported a broad range of needs with varying communication and educational levels ranging from non-verbal to verbal communicators who were working within the early P scales to the key stage two curriculum. I developed my skills further to support pupils with Attachment disorder, Foetal Alcohol Syndrome and Pathological Demand Avoidance. The strategies I had developed needed to be much more flexible and adaptive to the individuals, using them in combination of each other. Emotional and sensory regulation became central to the children’s day and my classroom was adapted to offer spaces for children to engage in sensory and emotional regulation as and when they needed, enabling them to then re-engage with their learning and the class timetable without reaching crisis. Planning was focussed more on the individual children’s interests in order to engage them and I adapted of my language for individuals for example using less direct language in order to engage pupils who were avoidant. I also developed new skills to recognise early signs of disengagement, distracting and diverting children, in order to reduce their anxiety, re-direct behaviours and ensure they remained successful with positive experiences throughout the day.
Teaching Strategies/Experience: Throughout my experience working within mainstream and specialist provision I have used a variety of strategies to support a range of learning needs. I am creative and flexible with my planning and am able to build learning step by step in order to ensure the concept is well understood and children are confident in generalising their understanding.
To support children’s focus and understanding of learning expectations I often use the TEACCH style structured work system, following a training course I attended. The clear structure supports children to see the beginning and end and formulates a familiar process/expectations that allow the children to focus on the learning. I vary the level of challenge within the activity trays to ensure that the child can experience challenge as well as success to boost their confidence. I equally include a variety of resources that explore the same concept to support generalisation as well as hands on tasks that support focus and attention. The system also allows for children to build up their skills in becoming an independent learner.
To support children’s understanding when introducing new learning concepts, I scaffold learning to build a child’s confidence and understanding of the concept. I will begin with modelling the concept with high levels of support and will then reduce the support, exploring the concept with a variety of resources until the child is able to generalise their skills and understanding independently.
In addition to a using structured teaching processes I use a range of visual resources within learning such as visual timetables and visual boards to communicate in learning activities. This allows learning concepts to be explained as well as giving children a way of communicating their understanding and choices. The use of visuals has been really effective in breaking down communication barriers in learning as well as supporting focus and attention when a child is struggling to process auditory information. I can develop the use of questioning within learning using the visuals to encourage children to be inquisitive and to develop their own learning tools. It breaks down barriers allowing children to access learning.
Communication is a key area of need when working with SEN and is a skill that underpins all forms of learning, engagement and access to the world. I am trained and have experience of using Makaton, PECs and Social stories to support communication in learning. These aids support the explanation of learning concepts, questioning as well as giving children skills to communicate socially and understand some social experiences they may find challenging. In addition to these communication strategies, I am also Lego Therapy trained, a concept that supports communication, extends language development and encourages children to be able to collaborate with others. The use of the Lego as a resource encourages engagement and interest and supports problem solving and cognitive skills.
In addition to teaching structures, styles and communication strategies to support learning, I also have experience supporting children with their sensory and emotional regulation needs. I have used sensory circuits to alert, organise and calm children and the Zones of Regulation to explore emotions and methods to regulate. Within my experience I have found that using the core elements of these strategies and adapting them to suit the individual to be the most effective e.g. using organising and calming strategies with a child who does not need to be alerted, using them discreetly as part of everyday regulation than in a circuit.
I am holistic in my approaches to learning e.g. developing communication and thinking skills within Maths and Literacy to support questioning and explore puzzles and patterns. I will also use the teaching of personal development skills e.g. independence in cooking to teach skills in Maths and Literacy to ensure learning is engaging, meaningful and in context. I will use sensory stories/ activities to support regulation needs whilst learning through educational subjects. These are all suited and individual to the needs and interests of the child.
Senior experience: In addition to my teaching experience, I spent the last 4 years as a senior manager of Behaviour and Well-being. As part of this role it was my responsibilty to review the school behaviour policy and implement changes to support positive behaviour for learning. I implemented sensory spaces within the classrooms so children could regulate as and when needed supporting them to manage these needs early to be ready for learning. I mentored and trained staff, introduced the Zones of Regulations creating an adaptive framework and also created a referral system where teachers could request my support and advice for individual pupils. I also became a Team Teach trainer and focussed training on supporting children’s behaviour in the early stages to support a child to avoid reaching crisis point. I also worked with families offering support and advice. I developed further creativity in my advice and support recognising and planning for the impact available resources, environment and personal circumstances have on the support given, creating strategies individual to the child.
