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Early Years SEND - Interventions and strategies

To fulfil their role in identifying and planning for the needs of children with SEN, the Royal Borough of Greenwich has ensured that there is sufficient expertise and experience amongst local early years settings to support children with SEN by making use of Area SENCOs to provide advice, guidance and training to early years providers on the development of inclusive early learning environments.

The Area SENCO helps make the links between education, health and social care to facilitate appropriate early provision for children with SEN and their transition to compulsory schooling.

Area SENCo’s from the Early Years Inclusion Team have compiled a range of practical support materials in the drop downs below to support parents and practitioners in adapting activities for children at different developmental stages and children with additional needs to make progress

 

'WORD' templates can be found under 'downloads'.

Intervention advice sheets (with video link)

Basic activity sheets - for parents and practitioners

Spending special time together with your child is good for your child’s development and wellbeing. That’s because it builds your relationship and boosts your child’s confidence. Special time with your child is a chance to:

  • give your child your full attention and send the message that she’s the most important thing to you
  • see the world from your child’s point of view
  • find out more about your child’s likes, dislikes, worries and frustrations
  • give your child some guidance, talk to her and listen to her.

Time spent with you can help your child feel happier, be more relaxed and build resilience for years to come

Attention seeking behaviour

Basic behaviour management

Behaviourial and emotional difficulties

Biting

Brick in a tube 

Cause and effect ideas

How to make sensory bottles

Paint application ideas

People Games

Ready Steady Go games

Sand play materials

Sensory play ideas from the pantry

Sensory tubs

Seperation Anxiety

Social Stories

Stop and Go games

Suggested equipment list

Swearing

Throwing

Turn taking games

Water play materials and equipment

Workshop ideas

Intensive Interaction

Intensive Interaction

These are the skills that are normally learnt during the first year of life, through very natural, playful interactions with parents/carers in which the carer is flexible and respond to things that the child does.  This in turn results in the infant being encouraged to do more.

The short video below gives an overview of Intensive Interaction and is delivered by Beth Gibby, Speech and Language Therapist and part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich ASD Outreach Service.

(For additional training opportunities click on the link to the Direct Services to Schools website which sets out training and development opportunities for the whole school workforce which will support schools in offering children and young people an outstanding education which significantly improves their life chances)

Intensive Interaction is therefore based on early parent-child interaction sequences.  It requires minimal resources.

Intensive Interaction      

The link/ clip below shows Phoebe Cordwell demonstrating* Intensive Interaction

* Please note that although the video clip mentions Autism, Intensive Interaction is a very useful technique for children who have Social Communications Difficulties.

This short TED Talks video of Molly Wright discussing the ways parents and carers can support their children

Understanding Sensory issues in children

Sensory issues occur when a child has a difficult time receiving and responding to information from their senses. Children who have sensory issues may have an aversion to anything that triggers their senses, such as light, sound, touch, taste, or smell.

 

Sensory Processing - Guide for Parents

How a Sensory Diet can help a child

Do you ever chew gum or fidget with a pen during a meeting at work?Do you take a walk to stay alert during the afternoon lull?

When you do these things, you’re providing the sensory input your body needs to remain focused and attentive throughout the day.

For children with sensory processing issues, these needs are even more intense. Without exposure to the input they need, they can struggle with demonstrating appropriate behaviour, remaining alert, and keeping themselves organized and in control.

A sensory diet is a program of sensory activities children perform during the day to ensure they’re getting the input their bodies need.

Whether the concept of sensory diets is new to you or you’re looking for more specific information for your child, the following advice and support can help.


Sensory diet activity ideas

'Brain Break' activity cards

Sensory diet advice sheet

When sensory information is challenging

 

Sensory Rooms

A sensory room provides physical and mental stimulus for children with physical disabilities, developmental delays and sensory impairments. For children with physical disabilities, interaction with sensory stimuli can help them to develop their sight, sound, touch and hearing, as well as encouraging independence.

Sensory room advice sheet

Sensory Circuits

Sensory Circuits is a sensory motor skills programme that helps children become more organised and achieve the 'just right' level of alertness they need to help them prepare for the day's learning.

              

Sensory Circuit advice sheet

See printable sensory circuits signs in the template list at the bottom of this page to support you with implementing a sensory circuit:

Printing instructions

  1. When printing select ‘print on both sides’
  2. When laminating it would be ideal to use ‘matt’ laminating pouches.

 Setting up symbols

  1. Ensure symbols are placed next to associated activity clearly, in order before transitioning the child to the circuit.
  2. The number should be facing up and the ‘finished’ sign floor facing.
  3. A chair associated with the ‘shoes’ symbol should be the first symbol the child is presented with.

 

Sensory Play activities

Sensory play includes any activity that stimulates a young child's senses: touch, smell, taste, movement, balance, sight and hearing. Sensory activities facilitate exploration and naturally encourage children to use scientific processes while they play, create, investigate and explore.

Messy Play

Sensory bottles

Sensory Diet activities

Sensory Tub ideas

 Why do children have Sensory issues with food?

To understand food related sensory issues, we’ve first got to talk about sensory processing, which is our ability to interpret smells, tastes, sounds, touches, sights, and movement from our environment.

Although most of us process this information in similar ways, it is completely unique to every individual, to every child.

We are bombarded all day long with various sensory input, and eating, which many of us do 5 or 6 times a day, is a huge sensory experience that most of us take for granted

The following information sheets give further advice and support

Mealtime Tips

Food is Fun!

Ideas from the pantry

Oral sensory seeking

Experiencing taste & texture

 Sensory aspects of toileting

Toileting, like eating, is an extremely sensory experience. Many children find that bathrooms and toilets are upsetting or scary.


They may have difficulties in understanding the sensations experienced by their own body and knowing how to react to them.


It is useful to look at the different sensory experiences a child has and try to analyse and understand which aspects are causing difficulty. This helps in appreciating a child’s perception and difficulties, and to create an environment where the child feels more relaxed, secure and comfortable

 

The leaflets below from ERIC (The Children's Bowel & Bladder Charity) and Gina Davis gives further advice and support for children with SEN, particularly Social Communication Difficulties/Autism.

Sensory needs and sleep

Sensory- seeking children seem to have the hardest time with sleep- which is unsurprising given that night-time and sleep are usually devoid of multiple sensations. As sensory seeking children need these sensations in order to feel calm and regulated, the quiet and dark environment can cause stress-.

For sensory avoidant children, the feel of night clothes or bedding, nightlights, mobiles or noise from within or outside the house may trigger similar feelings of stress, making sleep very difficult. Take a look at the guides below giving ideas for children with sensory needs and Autism.

'Sleep Solutions'

Sleep Strategies - Parent's Guide

External links:

Learning activities video sessions and ideas from Willowdene School

 

Messy Play from Oxleas NHS on Vimeo.

Templates:

Basic information on visual support and example templates

Board templates

Now Board template

Now & Next Board template

Now, Next & Then Board template

Choosing Board template

Activity symbols

Activities for choosing

choices

Everyday EY symbols1

Everyday EY symbols2

Everyday EY symbols3

Everyday EY symbols4

Texture symbols

dinosaur symbols

Hot and cold symbols

Promoting Positive Behaviour

Lanyard symbols1

Lanyard symbols2

Lanyard symbols3

Routine

Nursery routine

Forest School symbols

Sensory Circuit symbols

Sensory Circuit signs

Song choice symbols1

Song choice symbols2

Toilet routine

Toilet symbol lrg&sm

Talking Mats

Mixed Talking Mats - starter symbols

For parents

Home focused symbols

Please see in downloads for the most up to date RBG visual support policy

The policy has been put together by a multi-agency group including

  • ASD Outreach Service
  • Early Years Inclusion Team
  • Greenwich SALT service
  • Willowdene School specialist ASD teachers.

 It was put developed because of the need to standardise symbol use, where this is practical, across all settings in Greenwich.  It is NOT intended to be completely prescriptive, as there will always be a need to vary and deviate from the policy to be able to meet the needs of an individual child or setting. However, it does provide a set of basic principles and guidance for practitioners working with students with ASD in settings.

Small Talk activity cards

Small Talk Activity cards

Small Talk cards help develop children's communication skills through fun and games.

Small Talk cards are intended to be a resource of fun activities for parents and early years practitioners, which can be used to promote language end communication skills amongst 2-5year olds. Activities contained within the pack were compiled by Speech and Language Therapists who have successfully piloted these in local Sure Start programmes across the London Borough of Greenwich.

Click on the videos below to see members of the Early Years Inclusion Team demonstrate a range of Small Talk activities.....

GREEN CARDS

To encourage and develop - Taking turns and attention and listening

Instrument matching


Brick In The Tube


PURPLE CARDS

To encourage and develop - Talking, taking turns and attention and listening

What's Under The Cloth?

What's in the box?


BLUE CARDS

To encourage and develop - Understanding, taking turns and attention and listening

Feed the Puppet

Bean Bag Game


RED CARDS

To encourage and develop - Understanding, taking turns and attention and listening

Bubbles


Rolling and Stopping

SEE DOWNLOADS FOR ALL SMALL TALK CARDS

Non-verbal communication

Nonverbal Communication and Body Language

Your facial expressions, gestures, posture, and tone of voice are powerful communication tools.

 

What is body language?

Body language is the use of physical behaviour, expressions, and mannerisms to communicate nonverbally, often done instinctively rather than consciously.

Whether you’re aware of it or not, when you interact with others, you’re continuously giving and receiving wordless signals. All of your nonverbal behaviours—the gestures you make, your posture, your tone of voice, how much eye contact you make—send strong messages. These messages don’t stop when you stop or don’t speak. Even when you’re silent, you’re still communicating nonverbally.

The importance of nonverbal communication

Your nonverbal communication cues—the way you listen, look, move, and react—tell the person you’re communicating with whether or not you care, if you’re being truthful, and how well you’re listening.

Nonverbal communication and children with additional needs

Children with social communication difficulties or Autism and children with other additional needs can have trouble with communication, including nonverbal communication.

For example, autistic children often need to be taught about eye contact. You can do this by holding objects you know your child wants right in front of your eyes. Keep doing this until your child automatically looks up when they want something. But even when autistic children know how to use eye contact, they can often listen better when they aren’t looking directly into the speaker’s eyes. You might need to adjust your communication depending on what works best for your child.

Some children also have sensory difficulties and might find body contact like hugging difficult. These children might be more comfortable with other expressions of warmth or approval. Think about the sort of nonverbal communication that your child likes best, and use this to communicate approval – for example, clapping, winking or giving a thumbs-up.

 

Observations

Observation is often seen as one of the most simple, yet effective methods of assessing young children as they develop. For a child care provider or early childhood educator, observing a child begins with noting how each child behaves, learns, reacts to new situations and interacts with others.

Just because a non-verbal child doesn’t speak any actual words, it doesn’t mean they aren’t communicating with us.

When a child is born, we often rely solely on the signals they give us through crying. We recognise different crying to have different meanings. It could mean ‘I’m hungry’ or perhaps ‘I’m tired’ or simply ‘I need a cuddle’.

As the child develops we expect the crying to become vocalised as they develop language skills and the ability to express their needs, wishes, and feelings.

But for a child who has no verbal communication, we need to interpret and understand what signals they’re giving. For many non-verbal children, the answer lies in their behaviour.

How to observe a non-verbal child

When you are observing a non-verbal child, the observation must not be limited to the child’s emotional state. This might do a good job of helping us to understand if the child is happy or upset, but it doesn’t tell us why.

This is where you need to take a broader look around, in particular, whether the behaviour could be connected to elements of the environment.

When it comes to your record-keeping, try to ensure that you’re not just recording what you are literally seeing from the child, but that you’re keeping an open mind to help identify hidden messages within the behaviour.