Removing Barriers, Celebrating Neurodiversity
There is a lot of sensory overwhelm during the month of December as children are surrounded by decorations, parties and changes to normal routines. Add in the cold, dark days and tiredness, it is no wonder our children can get overwhelmed!
There are a lot of useful suggestions in this excellent guide from Sensory Integration Education – Christmas Sensory Survival Kit.
If you do not celebrate Christmas, the strategies are easily adapted to other situations with lots of sensory overwhelm.
Throughout this year the pupils at Sciennes have shared their views about how they manage the school environment, the things that they find tricky and the things that help them to cope. We are very grateful to all the pupils who worked to make this film.
We hope that by watching it you get an insight into just how hard our young people work to navigate their way through each day – not just in school, but in our homes, in our clubs, on our football pitches.
There are many things we can do as adults and as children that can help someone else to feel understood, feel that they belong and just generally make their day a better one.
The next time you see a child displaying a behaviour that involves ‘running off, kicking off or switching off’, remember this is the sign that they cannot manage to process any more. Consider what you can do differently to reduce their load. Changing how you say something, adapting the environment or doing something differently could make a big difference to the child’s ability to manage.
Watch our film here: Neurodiversity Film
All week we will be adding clips from staff, parents and pupils on the topics of diversity and inclusion. These issues affect us all. Visit us each day to hear what we have to say.
Want to have your say? Contact paula.gilhooly@sciennes.edin.sch.uk We’d love to hear from you.
Here are our first two mini clips to kick off our conversation:
Tune in again tomorrow to see and hear the next 3 films in our mini series. This will include the film on neurodiversity made with our wonderful Sciennes pupils.
At the beginning of each year, there is an opportunity to meet the teacher for your child’s class. This year that will look a bit different and our colleagues will be introducing themselves to you shortly.
We thought it would be a good opportunity to introduce the support for learning department to all the parents in school too.
Please find our introductory presentation here:
Make sure you check out the transition supports on our Parent section. We know the transition from holiday to school is a tricky one for most children. There are some simple things we can do to reduce some of the stress we feel at this time.
You may also find the visuals and tips in this website useful too: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/backtoschool
These beautiful stories strike a cord with me right now. I hope you enjoy them.
Are you the parent of a dyslexic child? You might be interested in this course offered by CALL Scotland: How Technology Can Help Your Dyslexic Child.
It has a particular focus on helping parents use built-in features and apps for Windows PCs and iPads to support reading and writing.
The online course takes place on Thurs 4th June, 10.00 – 11.30. Sign up using the link below.
https://www.callscotland.org.uk/professional-learning/our-courses/CALL25/
Here are some links to books in different languages. They are worth checking out.
Download the Flyer for more information on where to access family support during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Edinburgh Psychological Services have been working on some guidance and documents to support parents / carers and young people during the closure period. Please see the link below for further information.
Download the flyer below for more information and contact details on where to access support during the pandemic.
There is also a list of free and low cost activities for families.
Check out the link below to listen to stories for free while the schools are shut.
https://stories.audible.com/start-listen
Bear with us while we work out the best way to use our new communication tool.
Support for Learning 