This blog post is written by Mark Arnold’s daughter, Phoebe, who shares her experience of growing up as an additional needs sibling to her brother, James, as well as offering learnings for us all…Growing up I didn't often see a family unit similar to my own; from a young age I was a carer for … Continue reading Five Ways To Support Additional Needs Siblings, An Often Overlooked Group
I watched the BBC News last night, and it broke me. I’m not the same since and I don’t think I ever will be. There was a report about children, young people, and adults, with additional needs and disabilities in Ukraine and how they are kept in horrendous conditions in institutions that have no place … Continue reading This Could Be Any Of Our Children. This Could Be James.
It’s holiday season! That time when we either pack up our stuff and head somewhere for a week or two, or maybe have a ‘staycation’ and relax a bit locally. Either way, a popular item in our collection of things for the holidays is our reading list; some great books that will entertain, delight, scare … Continue reading Additional Needs Summer Holiday Reading
“Phew! Wot A Scorcher!” screams the newspaper headlines as the temperature rises to new record levels once again, but for families with children with additional needs, the screams are all too real as they and their children struggle to cope with the heat. So, here’s some links to places that families of children with additional … Continue reading How To Help Children With Additional Needs Cope In The Heat
Are you planning a holiday club for this summer? Many churches will be running one for the first time since the pandemic started and if that’s your church too then you’ve got a golden opportunity to use your holiday club as a way to become more inclusive of children and young people with additional needs. … Continue reading Seven Ways Holiday Club Can Help You Be More Inclusive
Nothing says ‘summer’ more than ice cream. Just hearing the distinctive tones of the ice cream van evokes memories of sunny days, long holidays, relaxing in the garden, the park, or at the beach!We have an ice cream van that regularly visits our street, and a recent visit got me thinking about how our children … Continue reading How Children With Additional Needs Are Like Different Ice Creams!
I recently asked a whole bunch of parents of disabled children, and disabled people themselves, what they think of as some of the most inappropriate or downright offensive language that they have heard or experienced as a result of their own or their child’s disability. The result was a huge discussion that produced a massive … Continue reading Bad Language?
Whether you are an overworked children’s, youth or families worker, or a frazzled, stressed out, parent or carer of a child or young person with additional needs, this story is for you. It’s a story about a bumble bee and a hare, a journey God took me on at a retreat, but it’s your story … Continue reading The Story Of The Bumble Bee And The Hare: Choosing Better
Sometimes it can be hard to support our children to learn and develop, especially if their additional needs make learning extra hard. So, what can we do to help them to engage, stay focussed, and enjoy learning and developing?One way can be to use what they already enjoy doing to help them to learn. This … Continue reading Six Ways To Use Football To Aid Additional Needs Learning
Whisper it very quietly, but maybe, just maybe, it might be possible to have a holiday this year! After over two long years of restrictions, lockdowns, red-lists, cancellations and reschedules, this summer might be the one where some sense of holiday ‘normality’ returns!So, what do we need to do to prepare our additional needs children … Continue reading 10 Top Tips For A Successful Summer Holiday!
Teaching Resources, Sensory Stories and SEND Information
The Additional Needs Blogfather 