Month: February 2016

Using The Engagement Profile and Scale (EPS) for Baseline Assessment.

In these days of Assessment without Levels , a new range of possibilities emerge for utilising the EPS for  the continuous assessment of children with Special Educational Needs.
The article by Karam Bogal on pages 16-19 of the latest issue of SEND magazine, illustrates how the EPS can be used effectively for Baseline Assessment. ( see below.)
This article is based on  a final study Karam conducted , under my supervision , for his Schools Direct PGCE programme.  It shows that there is always  something for teachers to learn from each other –  whatever stage they are at in their careers.

Anxiety & Autism

Even though mental illness can be more common among autistic people than the general population, the mental health of people on the autism spectrum is often overlooked.

The National Autistic Society provides a range of information and advice on dealing with mental health issues and anxiety, which can be found on our website.

http://www.autism.org.uk/about/health/mental-health

The NAHT Special Schools, Specialist and Alternative Provision Conference 2016..

The NAHT Special Schools, Specialist and Alternative Provision Conference 2016 theme is Promoting wellbeing for children, young people and staff (Thursday, 10th to Friday, 11th March, 2016) at The Hinckley Island Hotel, Leicestershire) .The link to the full conference description http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/naht-events/conferences/send-conference-2016/)

Books to support Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)

As schools grapple with the challenges of implementing policy, pedagogy and practice around SEMH , they should certainly look at the potential offered in Books Beyond Words. Don’t be put off by the fact that there are no words! These books allow the emotional centres of the brain to express deep and complex emotions . They will be especially useful for a range of children and young people with SEND. The story format of each books  encourages emotional expression , and facilitates resolution to emotional issues that children with Autism , for example, do not find easy to decode.
There are a range of books that particularly support Personalised Learning too. Topics that we may find difficult to articulate to the child, or for which the bog standard leaflet has no relevance, (e.g., managing Type 1 Diabetes) are powerfully expressed through the medium of pictures, in a way that is comprehensible and informative to the child with SEND.
I have work with the Team at Books Beyond Words to classify from their catalogue those books most relevant to SEMH, and Personalised Learning . They will enrich our curriculum journeys in these areas considerably.

The experiences of family carers in the delivery of invasive clinical interventions for young people with complex intellectual disabilities:

The experiences of family carers in the delivery of invasive clinical interventions for young people with complex intellectual disabilities: policy disconnect or policy opportunity?

This is a little discussed topic , but one that faces many families of children and adults with an complex learning difficulty and disability.

Authors:Michael Brown, Louise Hoyle and Thanos Karatzias

Click thumbnail image below to download and view this article:

Screenshot 2016-02-03 10.31.41