These blog posts could be interesting for anyone, but especially if you are a parent/carer of a child or young person with additional needs or a disability.
They have done it again! Watching the John Lewis Christmas 2021 advert had me welling up in tears as I saw, once again, a story of inclusion unfolding before me. Like in 2019 with the story of Edgar the dragon and his friend Ava, the new advert showcases how to be inclusive of someone who … Continue reading How The John Lewis Christmas 2021 Advert Showcases Inclusion (Again!)
It’s that time of year when the nights start drawing in, the weather starts getting colder, nature starts to shut down in preparation for the winter ahead. It can be a time that can affect many of us mentally, as we struggle with the relative lack of sunlight and being cooped up at home more. … Continue reading Self Care In The Darkness
One in five of the 13 million children and young people in the UK have additional needs of some kind, that’s approximately 2.5 million children and young people, yet many people, including lots of professionals, people running children's and youth work, and more, struggle to understand the best ways to be inclusive when engaging with … Continue reading Want To Be Inclusive? Just ASK!
There is a perception ‘out there’ that children who, for all kinds of reasons, are labelled or identified as ‘nonverbal’, are unable to communicate. That having less speech than other children (or no perceived speech at all) means that they cannot share how they are feeling, what they need, what they want to do, or … Continue reading Non-Verbal Doesn’t Mean Non-Communicative!
This week, the BBC announced a new presenter for their premier younger children’s media channel, CBeebies. What made this announcement newsworthy, and why in particular it matters to this blog, is that 20-year-old George Webster has Down’s Syndrome. CBeebies-BBC George isn’t the first BBC presenter to have a disability or difference; former CBeebies presenter Cerrie … Continue reading George Webster And CBeebies: Why Disability Representation Matters
All of us, whether adults or children, whether we have special needs or not, are sensory creatures. We can all have senses that at times are under responsive (hyposensitive), or overly responsive (hypersensitive), meaning that we regularly, often subconsciously, are trying to balance our sensory systems. This can sometimes take the form of sensory seeking, … Continue reading Fidgets And Fiddles: Meeting Sensory Needs
Film Title: The Walk That Made Me Year of Release: 2021 Written by: Chris Packham for BBC Certificate: N/A Running time: 59 minutes No longer available on BBC iPlayer, but can still be found on YouTube here: The Walk That Made Me BBC iPlayer summary: “Chris Packham explores his past as he walks a familiar path in the Hampshire countryside. … Continue reading The Walk That Made Me – A Review And Study Plan
Our Autistic son, James, had a meltdown recently, an experience that will be familiar to many families of Autistic children. Like any Autistic child or young person, when James has a meltdown there can be a wide range of triggers that could be causing it. He may be being overwhelmed by a range of sensory … Continue reading Helping Our Autistic Children Recover From Meltdowns
We’ve been warned about it, we’ve seen it coming, maybe we’ve experienced it in our own family situation, but now the evidence is all too clear and stark. We might be coming towards the end of lockdown restrictions, ‘Freedom Day’ as some seem to like to call it, but we are only just fully understanding … Continue reading Coming Out Of Lockdown: The Child Mental Health Cost And What We Can Do About It
As part of its ongoing research partnership with Pears Foundation, the Disabled Children's Partnership (DCP) of which I'm a member, surveyed roughly 300 parents in June 2021 in our final survey as part of the series. I had the privilege of being one of those parents. The findings, released today, reveal that whilst the rest … Continue reading Left Behind – Children With Additional Needs As We Emerge From The COVID-19 Pandemic
Delightful Handmade Dog Products and Gifts
An additional needs Dad and Son baking adventure...
Special Education Teaching Resources, Sensory Stories and SEND Information
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