Nathalie

My expertise – Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), ADHD and Emotional Regulation

I have led and managed a diverse caseload of children and young adults ranging from 2 to 19 in many different roles for over 25 years – as a class teacher in Mainstream Schools, a Forest School practitioner leading sessions for children with SEMH and SEND, an Inclusion Teacher leading interventions, a Nurture teacher in an alternative provision and an inclusive ‘Champion’ Childminder when I was homeschooling one of my children with autism. I have had extensive experience working with a range of multi-agency teams including Speech & Language Therapists, Educational Psychologists, Specialist Advisors, Learning Mentors and Social Workers.

How I teach children and young people with autism

Living in a household with three young adults with autism, I can strongly say that the following saying is true “If you’ve met one person with autism – you’ve met one person with autism.”

I strongly believe in being a positive advocate for children with autism. Some of the ways in which I have achieved this is by highlighting some of the positive aspects of autism to parents/carers/teachers and children – e.g., amazing memory, incredible focus, love of routine, strong sense of justice.

I have offered information and advice to parents with children ranging from 2 to 19 in the form of:

• Leading workshops about ‘Raising children with SEND’, Autism and Literacy Interventions (RWI), Zones of Regulation, Inclusive classrooms
• Liaising between parent and specialist support services such as Speech and Language Therapists, Educational Psychologists and Occupational Therapists
• Making referrals to respite services and NAS services
• Acting as a support for parents with their own complex mental health needs/trauma to access services (accompanying child to hospital for ADOS screening, Early intervention support, liaising with family caseworkers, referring to Parent Partnerships)
• Signposting staff and parents to websites and resources specialising in Autism such as AET, Able2Learn, Joel Shaul (Autism Teaching strategies), Tony Attwood, Social Stories, Comic strip Conversations, Attention Autism, Widgit and Colourful Semantics
• Provided support with Tribunal appeals and writing EHCP’s for the Statutory Assessment Process
• Leading training for teachers on ‘Raising attainment in writing for SEND pupils’; Using widgit in the mainstream classroom’; ‘Zones of regulation’ and “Inclusion for all.’
• Teaching in an alternative provision

I have always developed strong and trusting relationships with parents throughout my work. Working as a volunteer and actor at Chickenshed Theatre for over ten years has given me invaluable insight into the minds of young people with autism. Placing the child’s interests and needs first and viewing parents as collaborators is crucial to my approach.

How I teach Maths

I have experience in teaching Maths at all levels within primary and I am passionate about making it an enjoyable learning experience for my students. I achieve this by incorporating a variety of songs, games, and practical activities, using manipulatives to capture their interests. I have taught Maths Mastery which I believe is a particularly effective programme as it focuses on building maths vocabulary and problem-solving skills using manipulatives. My teaching methodology focuses on fostering meaningful connections to their lived experience, encouraging problem-solving abilities, and equipping students with step-by-step strategies to confidently approach increasingly complex maths questions.

How I teach English

As a parent of children with autism, I understand that writing and reading can be a particular area of difficulty for children with SEND. This may be due to additional poor fine motor skills, dyslexia, thought processing difficulties or poor executive functioning skills. But with effective strategies and flexible teaching approaches children can and will succeed! The use of visual supports, such as colourful semantics, widgits and writing frames help students understand the writing process and organise their thoughts. My pupils are encouraged to write for a purpose and meaning so book making is a big part of my teaching approach. Children are encouraged to use whiteboards and laptops in the early stages of writing.
Working in Year 1 and teaching phonics gave me invaluable knowledge of teaching phonetic awareness and the power and effectiveness of shared and modelled writing.

How I teach children and young people with concentration challenges

I have extensive experience working with children with focus and concentration in a variety of settings. I strongly believe in the Maslow hierarchy of needs model which embraces the idea that basic needs need to be met before learning can take place. I have successfully delivered the Sensory circuit, a form of sensory integration intervention, which provides the child with the right type of sensory input in order to calm and organise them ahead for learning to occur. This has proved very effective in the context of whole classes as well as 1 to 1.

I help empower students to be more in control of their learning by giving them visual timetables, checklists, timers, scheduled movement breaks and rewards.