Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I have been asked for a few basic dos and dont’s for teaching children with ASC/ADHD so here goes…

Explicit communication:

Tell them what to do. Not what you don’t want them to do

Visual processing:

The ASC brain is predisposed to visual processing and therefore many of these children will struggle with listening to verbal instruction, much preferring visual.   For example:

• “I could sometimes hear a few words at the beginning but the rest became a blur”

• “Of the twenty words you just said, I heard the first three”

• Use pictures wherever possible to consolidate activities. This is particularly useful for consolidating conversational activities, but can also be effectively used for prompts within classroom tasks.

• Back up speech/instruction with images.

• Allow the more needy children to put up the (vertical) visual timetable for the next day, at the end of each day (allowing thinking time, avoiding anxieties).

• Back up instructions with a visual prompt (either physically, or with a picture, symbol or photograph).

• Use flash cards for basic needs? Ie drink, toilet, time out etc. – maybe on a key ring or something.

The children will benefit from as many visual interventions as possible and this will avoid confusion triggering challenging behaviour.

Motivation

There needs to be an individual motivational force – and wherever possible, an irresistible one!  Rewards and sanctions have to meet the needs, interests and aspirations of the individual.  Therefore, there is a need to find out as much as possible about each child in the class.  One very simple way to do this is to create an all about me box.  Each child should take home a shoe box and put in some items that they feel describe themselves and their interests.

Please see the Andrew Whitehouse All about Me Shoe Box.

Find out what makes them tick!  With information like this you can build a positive personalised reward (and sanction) system to effectively identify areas of individuality.  You will be amazed at the things you find out!  Remember, nothing too precious as they may get lost.

• Don’t tell me, show me. Most these children will respond better to visual interventions, particularly those with ASD, ADHD and Dyslexia.

• In SEN it is not “Don’t state the obvious”; it is “If it’s obvious state it!” (Explicit communication).

• Consistency: Consistency of approach is always crucial to success.

• Remember at this age his/her attention span is short and build activities around this consideration.

• Where possible, keep activities interactive – using the interactive whiteboard for group activities.

• Give clear instructions and use visuals wherever possible.

• When creating visual interventions, make sure that they can be seen from all around the classroom.

• Be positive; “please walk”, not “don’t run”. Some children only hear key words, whilst others need to know what to do, not what they are doing wrong.

Be flexible

Stay in touch

Andrew

This one-day course for teachers and support staff is designed to enable successful inclusion of learners with Autism and Asperger Syndrome in the classroom.  Delivered by Andrew Whitehouse

Find out more and book at:

https://www.eirim.ie/getting-it-right-for-learners-with-autism-asperger-syndrome-and-adhd/

Andrew Whitehouse came to our school to deliver 2 training sessions on PDA to a group of teachers and ETAs who work in an ASC resourced provision. Prior to actually arriving at school, Andrew did all he could to ensure the day was well planned to meet our needs.

On the day, Andrew trained my team in two groups and every single one of my colleagues came out of the training feeling motivated and energised to try the strategies discussed and develop what we already do to a different level. Andrew’s enthusiasm and passion for special education was infectious!

The training was informative, thought provoking and entertaining! Andrew related the approaches he discussed to actual working practice, making it easy for staff to see how strategies can be easily implemented into the school day.

We will definitely be looking at how we can work again with Andrew in the near future to improve the SEND provision we offer to our students.

Sarah Summersall-Frith

Teacher in Charge – ASC Resourced Provision

I attended one of Andrew’s PDA workshops and it was brilliant to hear from someone with so much knowledge and passion for SEN!!! The workshop was informative, engaging and full of useful hands on strategies I can take back to the classroom. If anyone is lookibg at SEND training, this is the man for the job, it would be great to get him into our school!!

Michelle Hourihane-Jones

I’ve been on several training courses with Andrew and each one has been extremely informative and engaging. I always leave knowing more than when I arrived and the strategies he introduced have already helped my practice and improved my classroom/ student management. Would definitely recommend!

Charlotte Reynolds

I first met Andrew when I attended his social stories training and found him to be incredibly interesting, knowledgeable and entertaining. He then came into our school to work with staff to help support a child with ASD. His expert advice was excellent and he was incredibly supportive and attentive in addressing a variety of concerns and questions that we had. I have no hesitation in recommending Andrew and hope to meet him again in the future.

Katherine Dixon

Kate Brown

Imran Choudhry

I hope you enjoy my recent interview about my upcoming TEDx Talk on Siren Radio at the University of Lincoln.

Andrew x

Our very good friends at PAACT Lincoln have invited me to host these highly discounted workshops  –

PLACES ARE EXTREMELY LIMITED

Andrew

• Where to start, what you need and in what order

• What help you can get to help and who is out there

• What is best to set up? Ltd company, partnership, sole trader etc

• Choosing the right accountant

• Sub contracting to an agent

• Effective, cost conscious marketing strategies

• Developing a strong web presence including Google analytics

• How to use a range of social media platforms and know the difference between them

• Business development and taking it forward

• Tax and compliance

• Budgeting/getting paid

Sat, January 20, 2018

9:30 AM – 3:45 PM

Cost £135 per person

For more than 10 years now I have been running a successful educational training company, and my goodness it is hard work! I have made some monumental screw ups and yet I have always managed to keep it all going – even surviving the banking crisis!

Regularly I am asked for advice by teachers, head teachers SENCOs on how to set up an educational training company/consultancy/specialist teaching service. So here we go…

There are some amazingly skilled people out there! and they need to get out there! so here we go, a brand new course:

Business development for setting up your own education/training/consultancy facility.

This course will cover:

• Where to start, what you need and in what order
• What help you can get to help and who is out there
• What is best to set up? Ltd company, partnership, sole trader etc
• Choosing the right accountant
• Sub contracting to an agent
• Effective, cost conscious marketing strategies
• Developing a strong web presence including Google analytics
• How to use a range of social media platforms and know the difference between them
• Business development and taking it forward
• tax and compliance
• Budgeting/getting paid
• Whether you want to be a peripatetic music teacher, full time consultant, additional literacy tutor,school speaker or many other possibilities, this course is for you.

Find your magic bullet!

Parking, lunch and refreshments are provided

DATE AND TIME

Sat, September 16, 2017

9:30 AM – 3:45 PM BST

Add to Calendar

LOCATION

Premier Meetings

Clenchwarton Road

West Lynn

King’s Lynn Norfolk

PE34 3LW

Book here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/business-development-for-setting-up-your-own-educationtrainingconsultancy-facility-tickets-34507591134#map-target

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Andrew Whitehouse MSpEd CPSE (PGCert) BAHons QTS

Organizer of Business development for setting up your own education/training/consultancy facility

Andrew Whitehouse is a specialist in Neurological Disorders and provides therapy for: Attachment Disorders, ADHD, Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia, Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome and related conditions.  Andrew has a number of roles including training education professionals in schools and colleges, observing young people in the learning environment and providing intervention strategies, working directly with young people to help them achieve their potential.

As well as running networking day courses across the UK for SEN, Andrew provides short courses for Bishop Grosseteste University as well as holding a number of other UK contracts and outreach services including Norfolk, Harlow, Flintshire and Wakefield.  Andrew also provides family therapies and works closely with a number of parent and professional organisations to help create and nurture “working together” dialogues.

Further afield he has provided hands on training events in Cork and Dublin and advised on a Special Schools project in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  Andrew is currently working on two projects for the United Arab Emirates and is preparing to travel to Belgium to work with British Schools overseas to provide Autism and ADHD interventions and Qatar to provide Special Needs training for professionals.

Andrew will be delivering a speech at the Aqdar World Summit Abu Dabi.

Routines create a sense of consistency and security for children. When children know what activities are part of their day, transitions and activities can be easier and less stressful. Timetables are useful at school, home, and in the community. This article discusses key elements of creating a useful timetable.

1. Account for All Time – First, establish how much time will be included in the timetable. For example, 8:45 to 3:15 for a school timetable or 4:00 to 8:30 for a home timetable.

2. List Activities – Once the time frame is established, make a list of the activities you would like the child to accomplish during the time frame and the approximate time to complete each activity. Total the time. Add or remove activities to make the activity time and total timetable time approximately equal. When accounting for activities be sure to stagger breaks or fun activities into the day.

4. Determine a Location – Put the timetable in a place that is easily accessible for the child. Placing it on a wall, at a desk, or on a device they carry is a way for children to reference the timetable as needed.

5. Create a Way to ‘Use’ the timetable- Some classrooms have overall timetable visible to all of the children. For some children this is effective but many children need their own timetable to view and use. Individual timetables can be a row of velcroed pictures or words that are removed as children complete the task. Written timetables can be printed and activities crossed off as they are completed. When a timetable is created, teach children how to use it and provide reinforcement and support for children independently managing their timetable .

6. Build Choices into the timetable- Everyone likes opportunities to be ‘in charge.’ Children are no different. Find opportunities for children to choose what they want to do in the timetable. For example, a choice board of activities during break times or picking what to do first, second, then third during math. Choice doesn’t remove work or responsibility, it gives children autonomy and teaches decision-making skills.

7. Account for Inaccuracies in Time Estimates – Planning is never perfect. When designing timetables include flexible time activities before inflexible ones. For example, if the class has physical education at 10:15 put a break before physical education rather than an academic activity that may take more or less time than expected each day.

8. Practice Change – Sometimes schedules change unexpectedly. If you know in advance of a change, add it into the timetable. If not, practice activities like fire drills or unexpectedly leaving the house to pick up a sibling. Some people use a question mark card or other visual to represent a schedule change.  For more info go to:

9. https://andrewwhitehouse.co.uk/training/social-stories-training/

Hello friends and colleagues,

Two fantastic, exclusive SEN events coming very soon.

Get along if you can.

Click on the fliers for details.

My very best

Andrew