Author: Lesley Parker

Sensory Differences

  By ,

Our lives are full of sensory experience. We all respond to sensory information. We touch, move, see, hear, taste and smell. It is important to recognise that the sensory information we process can have an impact on how we feel, how we think and how we behave and respond. Any of the senses may be over, or under sensitive, or both, at different times.

These booklets will give you some ideas and examples of things that you can try to help you support your child with their sensory experiences.

  • Making Sense of Sensory Behaviour – Falkirk Council
  • Sensory Approach for Parents and Carers – Falkirk Council
  • Sensory Issues in Autism – East Sussex Council

      

Autism Outreach Service – ‘Teaching Scotland’ Magazine Articles

  By

The latest GTCS magazine, January 21, ‘Teaching Scotland’, includes an article on autism.

The magazine is sent out regularly to members but it is also available online. If you want to have a look through back issues the website link can be found here.

An autism lens on nurture

The article is written by Lorna Johnston and Marion Rutherford from the National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT).

The authors reflect upon adaptations to nurture-focused and compassionate approaches which might be relevant to autistic children .

At the end of the article reference is made to the GTCS booklet ‘Meeting the needs of autistic learners: A Professional guide for teachers’ which we have added below.

 

Let’s not just see how it goes

This is an article from the November 2019 issue discussing six key anticipatory supports which have been found to be relevant for pupils with autism in secondary schools.

 

 

Make a change

This article was first published in the May 2019 issue. Frances Young, is a Support for Learning Teacher who is also the parent of a child on the spectrum. In the article Frances outlines her views on how you can help pupils with compliant autism in your classroom.



New Nursery Blog

  By

Resources, Guidance, Advice and Ideas

Hello 🙂

Welcome to our new Nursery blog page.

We have set this page up for all our parents and children of Orchard Brae Nursery at Howes Road and Ashgrove.

We hope this page will provide you with easy access to any guidance, resources, advice and ideas specific to the early years that we think you might find useful!

The staff will still be in regular contact but we wanted you to have a page that you can access at anytime to suit you and your family circumstances.

We will update with new resources as and when we can, so please check back regularly to see what’s new!

To get us started, the following booklet published by Falkirk Council, gives some practical advice and information for parents and carers with young children at home.

Autism Outreach Service – Presentation: Nursery to P1 Transition

  By ,

This is a new presentation written by Hayley McFarlane, a member of the Autism Outreach Team. Under the current circumstances we thought it would provide useful information for those schools with pupils transitioning into Primary 1 from Nursery.

Specifically the presentation will look at how to support transition through the use of visuals.

Autism Outreach Service – Presentation: Supporting ASD in the Secondary School

  By ,

This presentation is one that has been delivered to education staff in the past as a twilight workshop, presented by Hayley McFarlane and Laura May, members of the Autism Outreach Team. Under the current circumstances, our team thought it would be useful for staff to have access to it online, to help contribute towards CLPL.

The presentation will briefly discuss the following topics, giving you some simple ideas of how you can support an autistic young person in your class or school :

  • Anxiety and ASD
  • Sensory Needs
  • Transitions
  • Emotional Regulation
  • Exam Support
  • Support in class
  • Routine and Structure

Autism Outreach Service – Autism friendly classroom guides!

  By

 

The following two booklets, a primary version and a secondary version, have been written by David Burns author of ‘Do lemons have feathers?’. They are short guides aimed at supporting teachers in setting up an autism friendly classroom. The ideas and strategies that David has chosen to share will be to the benefit of all children in the class not just those on the autism spectrum.

“We don’t have to learn a whole set of separate ideas to apply to certain pupils – they’ll benefit everyone. How good is that?”

 

Autism Outreach Service – Free Webinars from Children in Scotland

  By ,

 

 

Children in Scotland is a national charity that is delivering some free webinars throughout the month of July. The webinars are on a range of topics and are aimed at parents and carers of children with additional support needs. The webinar titles and dates are listed below.

If you are interested in joining in one of the webinars you can book by clicking the link here which will take you to the Children in Scotland booking page on eventbrite.

 

Tuesday, 7 July 2020, 10.30 till 12.00

Discussing coronavirus and lockdown with children/teens with ASN

Corrie McLean, Three Sisters Consultancy

 

Monday, 20 July 2020, 15.00 till 16.30

Supporting children/teens with ASN to manage health anxieties

Corrie McLean, Three Sisters Consultancy

 

Thursday, 23 July 2020, 10.30 till 12.00

Understanding children’s rights and additional support requirements

My Rights, My Say

 

Tuesday, 28 July 2020, 10.30 till 12.00

Creating positive home routines for children/teens with ASN

Corrie McLean, Three Sisters Consultancy

 

Friday, 31 July 2020, 15.00 till 16.30

Supporting children/teens with ASN with their transition back to schooling

Corrie McLean, Three Sisters Consultancy

 

 

 

Autism Outreach Service – Presentation: Behaviour as Communication

  By

 

‘What is your child or young person’s behaviour trying to tell you?

A guide to resources, strategies and tips to support positive behaviour management.

 

Sometimes, when you have a child or young person with an additional support need, working out what they are trying to tell you can be difficult! Your child or young person may be beginning to develop some behaviours that challenge you or they may already have behaviours that challenge you. There are often complex reasons behind a child or young person’s behaviour and it is rarely anyone’s ‘fault’. All children and young people are different and there is often no single answer as to why the behaviours are happening. These behaviours can occur at any time, and in any place, but the strategies and supports that will help are the same no matter where, or when, the behaviour happens.

There is no ‘quick fix’ but hopefully this presentation will give you some ideas and advice and show you that there are lots of ways you can help and support your child or young person.

At the end of the presentation there are lots of links to additional resources that you may find useful!

 

Autism Outreach Service – More Resources to Download!

  By

Below you will find some more visual resources that can be used at home or school.

Remember, if you would like some of the resources to use at home with your child or young person but are unable to print out and make them up yourself, then we can help you with this.

Just contact Dahni, our team member for resources, at:

DaNewcombe@aberdeencity.gov.uk

It would be helpful if you could give Dahni the following information when you email her:

  • Your Name
  • Child’s name, class and school
  • Whether they are currently supported by the Autism Outreach Service
  • The resource that you are looking for

Dahni will get in touch to let you know that she has received your request and then email you back when the resources are ready and arrange to get them out to you!

Please note that we can only provide this service for children and young people who are attending, or will be attending, an Aberdeen City Council educational placement.

The symbols used are Boardmaker from Mayer-Johnson.

 

ACTIVITIES TO DO WHEN OUT AND ABOUT!

I CAN DO IT MYSELF BOARDS!

 

WRITTEN SCHEDULES!

 

REMINDER CARDS!

At School

At School (Lanyard)

When out shopping