Supporting Parents to choose the right school placement A practical guide for SENCOs working with neurodivergent learners and their families. My name is Katie Fletcher and I am an associate specialist teacher for Reachout ASC. As a qualified SENCO, I know the pivotal role in guiding families through one of the most significant decisions in […]
For many years, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been misunderstood in schools. Too often, children and young people with ADHD were labelled as disruptive, lazy, or poorly behaved. But our modern understanding tells a very different story. ADHD is not about a child choosing to misbehave—it is about differences in how the brain […]
By Josh Collins (part of the Reachout ASC team) For me, an autistic person, at 24, I would say that I am in the golden age of friendships. Social occasions are more frequent than they are seldom. Parties, gatherings, catch-ups, and fulfilling conversations and events are not at all uncommon in my adult social life. […]
By Josh Collins: Our Newsletter writer at Reachout ASC September 2024 From my first day of reception to the final question on my third physics paper in June of 2016, I have had a teaching assistant sat beside me, or with me, in some capacity. For many across the country, a teaching assistant is going […]
Are you an Early Years teacher or teaching assistant? Do you have children in your class that you are struggling to engage or understand their needs? Do you think they might be autistic or have other SEND needs that you are not qualified to diagnose? Are you struggling with the slow pace of getting help […]
Dean Beadle is an autistic conference speaker, writer and singer. He has delivered over 900 talks in seven countries and has sung at balls, festivals and conferences in the UK, Ireland and Denmark. He is gay and can often be found adorned in tassels and sequins. OK, I know you must be thinking “what on […]
I want to explain why despite the effort, it seems like a person with ADHD might struggle to get things finished and how we can support them. 13 Ways to encourage poster – click here People still think ADHD isn’t a real thing or a ‘naughty boy’ invention. Or an excuse for bad behaviour. Or […]
Another blog by Sarah Loveridge, one of our specialist teachers. Change can be scary, especially a big change like a new baby joining the family and ESPECIALLY if you’re autistic. Thankfully, we often have around 9 months to get ready for this change, and autistic children will need as much of this time as possible […]
By Lynn McCann author of Stories that Explain *Social Stories are a Trademark of Carol Gray https://carolgraysocialstories.com As an autism specialist teacher, I have been writing social stories for over 15 years. But I’m the first to admit that social stories can be ineffective, damaging and even dangerous. The trouble is that many people […]
By Sarah Loveridge One of the most common issues we come across when going into schools is children struggling to work without constant prompting. This can be for a variety of reasons including (but not exclusively) fear of failure, difficulty getting started (the dreaded blank page problem!), distractions in the environment around them, trouble […]