The Neurodivergent Teacher

27/11/2023

Do I need a diagnosis for my child to receive SEN (special educational needs) support?

No

My approach is rooted in the philosophy ‘support the child not the diagnosis’. Whilst a diagnosis can provide direction and support for educators, this shouldn’t be a barrier to providing the support children need now

14/11/2023

03/10/2023

There are lots of little joys to be found in teaching. One of them is getting to read children’s books. Here’s a few that I’ve really enjoyed reading as an adult!

📚 The Boy in the Tower by Polly Ho-Yen

📚 Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo

📚 Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah

📚 Shakespeare Stories by Andrew Mathews and Tony Ross

📚Room 13 by Robert Swindells

What recommendations do you have for me?

27/09/2023

Children’s writing improves as does their confidence if we help then make it a regular habit. Try this 5 day challenge. Maybe you could join them and make it a family affair? I would love to see/hear some of your work!

Day 1️⃣

Chips and fish
Write a paragraph (or more if you feel like it) where people say things the wrong way round e.g Chips and fish, don’ts and dos

Day 2️⃣

Fun facts
Write 5 facts (or more) about the topic you’re most interested in right now

Day 3️⃣

Modern fairy tale
Write a modernised version of a traditional fairy tale

Day 4️⃣

Teleportation
Describe the place in the world you would most like to teleport to right now. Don’t use the place name and see if a friend or family member can guess from just your description!

Day 5️⃣

What’s next?

Use the sentence starter below. What comes next? Set a timer for 10 minutes and see what you come up with.

The snow had fallen for days…

23/09/2023

01/09/2023

Worried that your child’s fine motor skills are stopping them from developing their writing? Remember that the physical act of writing is simply a way of recording ideas. Whilst there is absolutely merit in developing this skill, it doesn’t need to be a barrier to the creative aspect of writing. Typing or using assistive speech technology are equally valid ways of recorWorried that your child’s fine motor skills are stopping them from developing their writing? Remember that the physical act of writing is simply a way of recording ideas. Whilst there is absolutely merit in developing this skill, it doesn’t need to be a barrier to the creative aspect of writing. Typing or using assistive speech technology are equally valid ways of recor creative writing.

Comment below with any other alternate ideas to recording your writing.

05/06/2023

Hi, I’m Laura. Autistic woman. Teacher. Lover of the arts, creative writing and expanding my knowledge of the world of autism. I am combining these special interests to build an online creative writing course for children with autism. Thanks for joining me from the outset. More details to follow 😊