You are always asking me about guided reading. And how to make guided reading for special education students be successful and positive. And today, in this podcast, I’m interviewing Kelsey who is sharing all her best tips, advice and experience for guided reading in special education. Who is Kelsey? Kelsey is a 4th year teacher. Her first year was in Kindergarten, and now she works in special education. She shares with us how helpful she has found that first year in kindergarten for putting toge...
Jan 14, 2020•27 min
Chewing items is actually a really common behavior for many individuals who are diagnosed with autism. And it’s one of the most common questions that I probably receive from families and teachers asking for support and help. Which is why today I’m going to be talking all about autism and chewing. If you’re tuning in today, it’s probably because you’re looking for help and support with an individual who is chewing and possibly anything and everything. For some of our students, it could just be th...
Jan 07, 2020•8 min
We hear a lot about growth mindset and positive mindsets. But do you know how to create a positive teacher mindset? Do you know how to help your students and staff in your classroom have a positive teacher mindset? If you want to know more, you’re in the right place. On the podcast today; 5 tips for developing a positive mindset for you, your students and your staff. How to find and focus on the positive moments. Avoiding Negative-Nancy. Working on being grateful. Saving and reflecting on the po...
Jan 01, 2020•8 min
If you’re here today, it’s probably because you’re wondering about boundaries and how to set them with your students and children. Worry no more, because this episode is all about autism and boundaries. Boundaries are one of the biggest issues within the classroom. Should we set them? If so, why should we set them? Are they important? Do they make a difference? Well today, we’ll find out just why boundaries are important and why you should be ensuring that you use boundaries consistently in your...
Dec 31, 2019•8 min
The episode today is one that is probably close to all of our hearts, and it’s all about autism and bullying. I think every person in the world has had some sort of experience from bullying. Maybe it was you being bullied. Or do you know a friend or family member who has gone through bullying? And honestly, it’s one of the worst things to go through at any age – not just as a child in school! I wanted to use this as a reminder that bullying can happen at any age and in any place. It does not jus...
Dec 24, 2019•19 min
I love being able to take my students out into the community, it’s such an important skill for us to work on. And today, I’m sharing my best special education field trips tips. I’m sharing with you all my best tips, after years of experience, to help your trips be successful and less stressful. What Am I Talking About? In this episode today, I’m going to be talking about; What to take with you. Being prepared in advance. Plan A and Plan B. Staff management. Supporting students out in the communi...
Dec 17, 2019•6 min
This episode on the podcast today is all about Fragile X. Before we start, I just want to mention that there are a few other names out there for this and some of those are FRAXA syndrome, fraX syndrome, FXS, marker x syndrome, and martin bell syndrome. Throughout this episode, I will be referring to it as Fragile X. I’m answering one of the most common questions that I get today, and that is ‘What is Fragile X Syndrome?’ I actually get quite a few questions about fragile x every month. And it’s ...
Dec 10, 2019•9 min
If you’re here, it’s probably because you’re looking for help and support for toilet training for autism and special education children and students. You might be feeling overwhelmed and nervous. Or maybe you don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, this podcast episode is going to help you with everything you need to know to make toilet training a success for you and your child/students. On the podcast today, I’m interviewing Dawn Ellis from Cultivating Exceptional Minds and we are talking all t...
Dec 03, 2019•42 min
Today we are talking about something that can happen with many of our children, both at home and in school. And if you have a weak stomach, like me, it can be one of your worst nightmares. And that is smearing. So if you are looking for help, tips and information about autism and smearing faeces, you’re in the right place! Smearing is hard work and it can quickly become mentally draining if you’re dealing with smearing on a regular basis. Whether it be around your bathroom, your classroom, or ev...
Nov 26, 2019•8 min
If you listen to the news, you’ll have heard recently that anxiety in children has increased by over 40%. And that’s a huge increase. With personal experience of anxiety through my partner, and children that I’ve worked with, this is close to my heart. That’s when I knew I just had to do a podcast episode on this. So, today, I’m talking all about autism and anxiety. If you think about dismissing this episode because you don’t have any students who currently have anxiety – please don’t. Many of o...
Nov 19, 2019•8 min
I’m so excited today to be talking on the podcast about calm down vs time our areas. This is probably one of the more controversial topics that I’ll talk about on the podcast. There’s so many opinions about using time out or calm down. And today, I wanted to share the pros and cons of both. Whether you call it a calm down area or time out area – or you don’t use either! This podcast episode is worth a listen so you can find out more about both names. And how beneficial having one of these areas ...
Nov 12, 2019•11 min
Today on the podcast I’m talking all about autism masking and sensory processing disorder. I receive a lot of messages and emails from you all about masking or camouflaging. And I thought the best way to help answer your questions – was to do a podcast episode on the subject! I love being able to share my knowledge with you all, this time I wanted personal experience. I came across Emily on Instagram when she shared a great visual image about masking. And that’s when I knew, Emily would be perfe...
Nov 05, 2019•37 min
Today on the podcast I’m talking about how visual resources can be used for everyone. A lot of teachers assume that visuals are only to be used in special education classrooms. But, that’s not true! Everyone can benefit from visual resources and being sat down and have a process explained to them. Today’s Episode My podcast episode today is a little different to normal. I know that a lot of you who follow me on Instagram love my daily check-in messages. And, after my operation, I decided to shar...
Oct 29, 2019•8 min
I’m so excited to be talking about my top Autism and Halloween tips on the podcast today. Halloween can be really exciting for our autistic students and children. But, it can also be their worst nightmare. So, today I decided to share my top tips with you all to make it a bit easier for you. What Am I Talking About? Trick or Treating Trials in School Autism Friendly Events Free Resources Sensory Friendly Costumes Decorations Picture Books I’ve worked really hard to ensure that I talk about all t...
Oct 22, 2019•8 min
Today I’m talking about echolalia. During my time where I’ve been out visiting other schools and classroom, I always find it surprising how little people knew about it. And some didn’t know anything about it! Echolalia is where phrases and words are repeated. And this can actually be a sign of autism. This isn’t to be confused with young children copying you as they grow older. That’s a natural process for language development. This is more of a sign when the repetition continues on, after those...
Oct 15, 2019•10 min
Today I’m talking all about my routine for morning work for autism and special education students. I’ve been using this routine for a few years now, and it’s always successful with my students. But best of all, it lets us have a positive start to the day – and that sets us up for a much happier day. I’ve always found it very important to ensure that the morning is a consistent and structured approach for students. They may have already had a morning of uncertainty coming into school. Maybe they ...
Oct 08, 2019•16 min
Welcome to another autism and special education podcast episode. Today we are talking all about special education and using task boxes in your classroom and as part of therapy sessions too! I love to use task boxes and if you follow me on social media, you’ll see that I have my task boxes set up into different months and they’re stored in the rainbow photo containers which you can get from Michael’s. On the podcast today, I’m talking about; What task boxes are The benefits of using them How to s...
Oct 01, 2019•9 min
This week on the podcast, we are going to be talking all about stimming and autism. You may be here if you’re wondering ‘What is stimming?’ or ‘What does it look like?’ If so, you’re in the right place. In this podcast episode I’m going to be talking about; What is stimming? Who stims? Why do we stim? Common stims Links to senses Changes in behaviors Medical stims Stimming is a self-stimulating behaviour. And this can usually involve a repetitive movement or sound. It can be different for everyo...
Sep 24, 2019•10 min
If you’re here, it’s probably because you’re a teacher looking for special education interview questions. You may have an upcoming interview. Or, maybe you’re applying for vacancies and want to be prepared in advance. Being interviewed can be a scary experience – but it doesn’t have to be! In today’s podcast episode, I’m sharing a huge variety of different questions that you may be asked during a special education teacher interview. I’m talking about; Questions you’ll be asked How to answer ques...
Sep 17, 2019•26 min
Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is said to affect 1 in 20 people in our general population. And yet, I still get asked “What is sensory processing disorder?” on an almost daily basis. So many people still don’t know about it. Today on the podcast, I’m going to be talking all about SPD. We’ll discuss some signs you can look for, as well as the ways that it can affect an individual. Do you have experience with SPD? Or have you found any help/support that has really worked? Let us know in the com...
Sep 10, 2019•14 min
I am so excited to talk to you about autism and scripting on our podcast today. “What is scripting?” is a question that I get asked quite regularly from my followers – and from parents as well. There isn’t a whole lot of information readily available about scripting. It’s because of the lack of information, that a lot of people actually confuse scripting with echolalia. I have been fortunate to attend many training opportunities and conferences over the years that have allowed me to gain more kn...
Sep 03, 2019•10 min
Today on the podcast I’m talking all about movement breaks for the classroom. We love use to use movement breaks because they help give my students a break and get them moving. However, there are also loads of other benefits that come from having movement breaks. I get a lot of questions sent to me through social media and my email asking about movement breaks. Some of the most common questions that I receive are; What are movement breaks? Why should I be using movement breaks? When should I use...
Aug 27, 2019•13 min
I’m so excited to talk all about having a classroom coffee cart on the podcast today. Coffee carts are being used in classrooms all around the world. And they have so many amazing benefits – including helping your students to prepare for their future work life. We’ll be covering a classroom coffee cart set up as well as the benefits of having a classroom coffee cart. Having a classroom coffee cart can sound amazing but daunting at the same time. And it’s easy to get into a slight panic about how...
Aug 20, 2019•14 min
I am so excited to invite Kate Dawson onto the podcast today. Kate is going to talk to us about designing a sensory onesie and her company ‘ The All in One Company .’ Kate started the company when she struggled to find something to keep her daughter warm at night. She shares more about this in the episode. I recently got to work with Rachel at The All in One Company. And this is where Carys designed her very own sensory onesie using their amazing 3D portal. The 3D design tool was amazing! Carys ...
Aug 15, 2019•28 min
Are you looking for some tips for special education homeschooling? Is it your first year homeschooling and you don’t know where to start? Or have you been homeschooling for a while but looking for some tips and advice? If so, you’re in the right place. This podcast episode is full of my best tips for special education homeschooling. I’m going to be talking about curriculum, keeping relationships and so much more. If this is your first year homeschooling – congratulations for taking that huge ste...
Aug 13, 2019•13 min
Today I’m sharing my best tips for special education classroom assistants on the podcast. Are you a classroom assistant / paraprofessional who works in a special education classroom? Do you want to ensure that you are being the best version of yourself and helping your teacher? If so, this podcast episode is perfect for you. I’m sharing my best tips for how you can be a great and successful assistant that teachers all around your school will want you in their classroom! Our classrooms can’t func...
Aug 06, 2019•13 min
It’s coming up to that time of year where a lot of special education teachers are sharing information with general ed teachers about their students. And this can be a confusing and stressful time. There’s a lot of questions I’m always asked about this topic. What information should I be sharing with the teachers? How can I organise this information? What can I do to help the general education teachers feel supported and to support the student too? I love being able to help you all out. But, as I...
Jul 30, 2019•13 min
We all know the struggle of the first year teacher immune system. And sometimes, this can even last the first few years of our teaching careers. People will warn you about how sick you’ll get, and all those germs. But, you never really believe them – until they all hit you at once. First, congratulations on either completing your first year as a teacher or starting your first year as a teacher. I don’t want to scare you, but your immune system is going to be in for a shock. And in today’s podcas...
Jul 23, 2019•10 min
Today on the podcast I’m sharing some of my best parent teacher communication tips with you all. It is vital that we have good, and positive communication between our teachers and parents. We need to know what is going on both at home and at school with the student. If you want your students to have a positive and happy learning experience in your classroom, you need to ensure you have good communication with home. Many of our students are non-verbal or they’re not able to recall details from th...
Jul 16, 2019•9 min
Hi everyone, and welcome back to another episode on our podcast. Today’s episode is a little bit different. I’m going to be answering your question of why I became a TpT seller and teacher-author. This is a question that I get asked a lot on my social media accounts and through my email. It’s been such an exciting journey. And it’s helped me to grow both personally and professionally too. It has helped me to transform who I am and the way that I teach. I am so excited to share my story with you ...
Jul 09, 2019•12 min
