Specialist Experience and Skills
I specialise in working with children with autism, anxiety, complex needs, ADHD, cerebral palsy, PDA, learning difficulties and children with emotional/ behavioural challenges. I have extensive knowledge of using calming strategies to support children with anxiety issues, for example music therapy, sensory toys, flickers, sensory rooms etc. Whereas I currently work as a specialist SEN tutor, I previously worked as a member of a school Inclusion Team. I led occupational therapy sessions and speech language lessons using various resources including PECS, makaton, visual support strategies, TEACCH... Read More
I specialise in working with children with autism, anxiety, complex needs, ADHD, cerebral palsy, PDA, learning difficulties and children with emotional/ behavioural challenges. I have extensive knowledge of using calming strategies to support children with anxiety issues, for example music therapy, sensory toys, flickers, sensory rooms etc. Whereas I currently work as a specialist SEN tutor, I previously worked as a member of a school Inclusion Team. I led occupational therapy sessions and speech language lessons using various resources including PECS, makaton, visual support strategies, TEACCH, and IT.
I was responsible for planning and organising specialist 1:1 and group ‘catch-up’ lessons. I support children to develop receptive and expressive language using a variety of strategies including matching puzzles and games. I have extensive experience working with children to develop their social/general skills and ability to focus and concentrate. Helping to develop their confidence within English/comprehension and Maths (from number bonds to word problems).
I have experience working with students with PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) within mainstream school (inclusion) and privately. The main target was to develop trust between student and me (and if possible another adults/closest peers), to help them understand how to regulate their emotions and concentration using various tools -learning breaks, physical activities etc.
I have worked with students with dyslexia which led to anxiety issues and in some cases, very challenging behaviour. We used positive approaches with lots of positive praise and tailored their tasks towards their specific needs. This included using various visuals or writing the answers for them in order to build confidence and interest in the various tasks. As the confidence grew, we then started to model various real life situations and how to potentially deal with them. During all tasks we made sure there were lots of breaks so as to not overwhelm the student with too much information. I have also worked within school settings with students who had various levels of cerebral palsy and communication difficulties. I helped them to access curriculum using special personalised communication toolkits.