Lorna McCann is specialist teacher with Reachout ASC. She is a specialist teacher and trainer working with autistic, ADHD and PDA pupils in EYFS-KS4 in both mainstream and special schools.

“I’ve had several teaching jobs spanning over 35 years including being a Department Head and a Deputy Head with specific responsibility for children and young people with autism and severe learning difficulties. I have my Masters of Education (M.Ed.) in Psychology; Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), specialising in Autism and Children; and National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL). I am particularly interested in sensory processing and have worked collaboratively with an outside specialist sensory integration practitioner to plan and create a bespoke 3 storey sensory area for autistic young people aged 11-23 years.

I remember once how an exasperated teacher asked me to speak to an “insolent” KS2 child. I could tell that the child was perplexed about what had happened. It transpired that this was a language need and not mis-behaviour so I made referrals, and reached out to other agencies. This ignited my interest in autism and I have never looked back since!”

Contact Lorna Read Lorna’s blog

“The support we receive from Reachout ASC over the past two years has been invaluable. Our specialist teacher Lorna has worked with a large number of children from reception to year 6 and helped us cater for children with a wide range of needs. She has been key in identifying the needs of those struggling, advising strategies, interventions and suggesting changes to the learning environment to help support our children. The advice and recommendations are always realistic, achievable and based upon what our school can provide. As a SENCO, I have developed my own knowledge of ASC and how to support children thanks to working so closely with Reachout. Their knowledge and expertise has been vital when dealing with children with complex needs, for example, we were supported by both a specialist teacher and an occupational therapist to help identify the needs of a child requiring specialist provision and adjust our setting accordingly until they were able to gain a place in a specialist setting. The ‘Getting It Right For Me Reports’ really help staff develop targets and track the progress of their children. I would highly recommend Reachout to any school looking for support with children with ASC.”

“We have been working with Lorna from Reachout for this past academic year.  She has a caseload of five pupils who she works with on a rota throughout the year.  Lorna has really taken the time to get to know the pupils and the staff who work with them, providing detailed reports with strategies to support in class.  Staff are benefitting from her experience and knowledge and we look forward to working with her again next year!”

I wanted to thank you for the training last night and today. The teaching staff and teaching assistants this morning said your training was ‘amazing. The best they have had for ages’. One of them could recognise themselves in some of your learning and said they found that helpful for them individually. Some have a child of their own that they can apply the learning to. And we have so many in school that will now benefit too.
Thank you Lorna!  And thank your for all the work you do with Andy, our SENCo.
Very informative, well-structured and felt confident to run a session of my own in the near future. I learnt that Lego is harder than it looks, and there is so much to do with it and skills involved that can make a positive impact both inside and outside the classroom.  
Thank you also for this year – really appreciate your ongoing support, as do our children!