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All Cats are on the Autism Spectrum by Kathy Hoopmann

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The code of practice sets out four broad areas of special educational need that include a range of difficulties and conditions:
1. Communication and Interaction (C&I)
2. Cognition and Learning (C&L)
3. Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties (SEMH)
4. Physical and/or Sensory Needs (P&SN)

The code states that:
"These four broad areas give an overview of the range of needs that should be planned for. The purpose of identification is to work out what action the school needs to take, not to fit a pupil into a category. In practice, individual children or young people often have needs that cut across all these areas and their needs may change over time."

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A local offer is for children and young people with SEND aged 0 to 25 years. It provides information and support services available to families in their local area.

The name the 'local offer' is a term from the national government. In Kent we call our local offer the 'SEND information hub'.

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sen; send; special education needs; special educational needs; special needs; disabled children; children with disabilities; kent sen; kent send; special edicational needs in kent; local offer; kent local offer; kent's local offer; sen local offer; sen offer; send offer; send local offer; send information hub; send newsletter; sen information hub; kcc send; kcc sen

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Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

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SEND information hub (local offer) providing services and support for children and young people (0 to 25) with special educational needs and disabilities.

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All Dogs Have ADHD by Kathy Hoopmann

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This Padlet is designed to give you a better insight into SEND support at Hildenborough CE Primary School, as well giving lots of advice and information to support you in supporting your child. Scroll down the columns to find links to resources, advice and activities.

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The Information Advisory Service Kent (IASK) is an invaluable resource to parents. IASK support families of children with SEND. They hope to empower young people and their parents to make informed choices about their education and communicate confidently their views. Information about how they may be able to help can be found on their website, alongside some really helpful downloads about SEND across Kent.

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Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA) is a registered charity operating in England, which offers free and independent legally based information, advice and support to help get the right education for children and young people with all kinds of SEND.

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(IPSEA) Independent Provider of Special Education Advice

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(IPSEA) Independent Provider of Special Education Advice

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IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice) - helping children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the education they are entitled to by law

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The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Services (SENDIASS) offer information, advice and support for parents and carers of children and young people with SEND.

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About SENDIASS SENDIASS stands for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service. It's a free, impartial, and confidential service offering information to young people with special educational...

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In September 2014 (updated January 2015), a new Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Code of Practice came into effect. Under the new Code of Practice, a child is deemed to have Special Educational Needs, or SEN, if he or she has, 'significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age' or his or her disability, 'prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in a mainstream school'.

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Children are identified as having communication and interaction needs if they have speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and/or autism (ASD).

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Children are identified as having cognition and learning needs if they have difficulties with literacy and numeracy (which therefore impacts their ability to access learning across the curriculum), or if their levels of attainment are significantly below age-related expectations. Specific learning difficulties (SpLD) include a range of conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.

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Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties

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Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties

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Children are identified as having social, emotional and mental health difficulties if they have an underlying difficulty such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) or attachment disorder.

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Children are identified as having sensory and/or physical needs if they have a disability, such as a physical disability, vision impairment, hearing impairment, multi-sensory impairment (both hearing and vision difficulties) or dyspraxia.

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At Hildenborough CE Primary School, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive environment, welcoming children with a range of learning and physical disabilities to our school. We are fully committed to ensuring that all pupils, regardless of their background, additional educational needs, race or gender, are able to fulfil their potential, and strive to ensure that our classrooms cater for all need types, through outstanding classroom practice and informed methods that enable all children to succeed academically, socially and emotionally.

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My name is Mrs Forward and I am the Special Education Needs and Disability Coordinator (SENDCo) at Hildenborough CE Primary School. I am responsible for coordinating special educational provision within the school. Whilst your child's teacher will always be your main point of contact, I am here to offer support and advice if needed so please do not hesitate to get in touch if needed.

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SEND Intent, Implementation and Impact Statement

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My name is Mrs Stone and I am the Inclusion Manager at Hildenborough CE Primary School. I have worked at the school for over 20 years so have an extensive knowledge of SEND and a specific specialism in Therapeutic Play Therapy.

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The Colour Monster by Anna Llenas

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We also have a number of Teaching Assistants, some of whom work 121 with specific children.

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Children's Therapies - The Pod: Autism

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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What is autism?

Autism, also called Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), is a lifelong condition that affects how a person relates to other people and communicates with them. If your child is autistic they will experience the world differently. These differences can bring challenges as well as unique strengths.
Things you may notice
Your child may struggle with social communication. They may display differences in how they understand and use verbal, and non-verbal communications like eye contact, tone of voice, gestures and expression. They could have little or no speech or good speech but struggle to follow or join in a conversation.
Routine or repetitive thinking and behaviours
Your child may have a strong desire for rules, routine and for things staying the same. They might have very intense interests, a special interest which they know lots about or like to collect things. They often like structure and find change difficult and may like and organising things like their toys.

Autistic children are often over or under sensitive to senses like touch, taste, sound, temperature or pain. They may find some clothes unbearable, may only eat particular foods, find public spaces or parties too loud or overwhelming and may not tell you when they are hurt or feel unwell.

What causes autism?

We don't know what causes autism but we do know it's not caused by vaccines, bad parenting or infections. Autism is present from birth but is not usually diagnosed until children are older, and sometimes only when they are adults.

If your child is autistic they do not have an illness or a disease, they just have a brain that works differently from other people's.

How can I help my child?

Autism is a spectrum, which means it is different for everyone. Your child may need little or no support, or may need extra help from a parent, teacher or carer every day.

There is no treatment or 'cure' for autism, but by breaking down the different things your child finds difficult you can find strategies to help them. Because there is no treatment, if your child is referred to us for assessment and they are diagnosed with autism, they will be discharged from our service.

Strategies and advice

If your child is diagnosed, understanding autism and helping to change the way we interact with someone with autism will support them to reach their potential.

The National Autistic Society has a short video about autism and lots of useful help, information and advice for parents/carers and schools.

It also has a video about autism which is aimed at children.

Referrals

If you have concerns, please see our Community Paediatrics page for information on how to refer your child.

Useful websites
The National Autistic Society
Kent Autistic Trust: For information about the diagnosis of autism and the local area. It provides support services for families that are tailored to individual needs.

Because sensory processing can be part of several different types of neurodivergent conditions, we have a separate information page which contains useful videos, tips and advice.

Frequently asked questions

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What is autism? Autism, also called Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), is a lifelong condition that affects how a person relates to other people and communicates with them. If your child is autistic they will experience the world differently. These differences can bring challenges as well as unique strengths.

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We are the UKs leading charity for autistic people and their families. Since 1962, we have been providing support, guidance and advice, as well as campaigning for improved rights, services and opportunities to help create a society that works for autistic people.

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We are a well-respected specialist provider of services for young people and adults with autism and have a passion for people on the spectrum.

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A manual for parents and professional all about PDA, including useful strategies.

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Speech, Language and Communication Needs

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Speech, Language and Communication Needs

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Speech, Language and Communication Needs

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This website places cookies on your computer to improve your experience. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. For more details, see our privacy policy. I agree

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The British Dyslexia Association is the voice for the 10% of the population that are dyslexic

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This resource is a useful reminder of what a dyslexia-friendly classroom should include.

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iPad Apps for Learners with Dyslexia/ Reading and Writing Difficulties.

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This app helps reduce eye stress when looking at PC screens.

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ColorVeil: Reduce eye strain, help with Dyslexia and Visual Stress

A screen color filter over any application you are using

Helps users with Dyslexia and Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome

Reduce eye strain along with screen brightness

Easily customize the color and opacity of the filter

Match the prescription from the optometrist

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Dim screen brightness, reduce eye strain, and save energy. It helps with eye strain, Dyslexia, Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome, or Visual Stress.

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A guide to using immersive reader.

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Hear posts, chat messages, and assignments read aloud using Immersive Reader in Microsoft Teams for Education. Immersive Reader also includes grammar tools such as Parts of Speech and Picture Dictionary.

Launch Immersive Reader from a message

1. Hover over a message with your cursor or tap with your finger on a touch screen device.

2. Select More options , and then Immersive Reader .

Immersive Reader will launch as a full-screen experience.

Launch Immersive Reader from an assignment

If you're a student, open an assignment and select Immersive Reader .

If you're an educator, open an assignment and select Student view, then Immersive Reader .

Immersive Reader will launch as a full-screen experience.

Immersive Reader features

You can do one or more of the following in Immersive Reader, depending on how you'd like to focus on the message or assignment text.

Select Play to hear your document read aloud and to see the text highlighted simultaneously. The narrator starts reading from the top of your page by default, unless you have selected a word, in which case it will start reading from the selected word. Select Pause to stop narration.

Select Voice Options on the top right of the document to change the speed of narration.

Text Options

You can change the appearance of your document by using Text Options. Text options can help you focus on your content and remove visual distraction.

Set Text Size, Spacing, Font, and Themes that suit your learning needs. You can increase or decrease text size and the amount of spacing between letters and words. The Theme color you select becomes the background color of the document.

Switch on Show Source Formatting to retain formatting from the original text, such as bolding or underlining.

Parts of Speech in Grammar Options

Select one or more of the following options:

Reading Preferences

Line Focus enables readers to narrow the focus of their reading experience by highlighting sets of one, three, or five lines within their chosen material in Immersive Reader. Use the toggle to turn it on or off.

Select Close to exit Immersive Reader.

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Learn how to read messages and assignments using Immersive Reader in Microsoft Teams for Education.

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Free eBook library | Oxford Owl from Oxford University Press

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Browse our library of free children’s eBooks to read with your child including Oxford Reading Tree adventures with Biff, Chip and Kipper.

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Activities and resources to support children with dyscalculia or Maths difficulties.

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iPad Apps for Learners with Dyscalculia/ Numeracy Difficulties.

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Virtual Maths manipulatives to support learning.

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The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled.

JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser.

Hands-On Math Goes Digital In and Beyond the Classroom!

Explore Our Collection of FREE Virtual Manipulatives

From Number Lines to Base Ten, Pattern Blocks to Place Value, Disks our collection of free Virtual Manipulatives gives educators and families access to visual and hands-on digital resources that lead to understanding. Students can use these resources in class and at home to practice math concepts, reinforce their growing math understanding, technology they love in the process.

Free Resources & Instructions for Teachers and Families

We've developed these resources for easy access and easy use:

How-To Videos

There's a short video for each of the Virtual Manipulatives in our collection so teachers can use these digital materials easily and confidently with students.
Watch Now

Activities

Activities from the Didax books that teachers use most for easy download. Engaging challenges address core math operations, concepts and skills, from early numeracy all the way to introductory geometry and algebra.
Access Now

FAQ

Download this document of FAQ's to answer your Virtual Manipulative questions.
Download Now

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Demonstrate key math concepts in your classroom using our new virtual manipulatives!

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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

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Lots of useful information and resources in the Resource Hub.

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The ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity - an integrated health and education service.

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Children's Therapies - The Pod: ADHD

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

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Many young children seem to have endless energy and struggle with staying focused or organised but children with ADHD may seem unable to sit still, constantly distracted, struggle to wait their turn, think before they speak or consider risks. Some children will also have difficulty falling or stayin…

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Teaching and Managing Students with ADHD

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The aim of the SEND Strategy is to improve the educational, health and emotional wellbeing outcomes for all of Kent's children and young people with special educational needs and those who are disabled.

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A parent carer forum, where you can join to help get your voice heard.

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We are a forum for parents and carers of children and young people who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) within Kent local authority.
Kent PACT is a way to empower you as parents and carers and enable you to have your say.
The combined voices of Kent PACT are fed into how services are designed and delivered in Kent.

We are part of a National Network of Parent Carer Forums and are supported by parent led charities that you may know in your local area.

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We are a forum for parents and carers of children and young people who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) within Kent local authority. Kent PACT is a way to empower you as parents and carers and enable you to have your say.

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The mainstream core standards explains what schools must do to support children and young adults with SEND. This guide is for parents and carers. It explains the purpose of the Mainstream Core Standards and provides a summary of the guidance given to schools by the Local Area (Education, Local Authority and Health) about how they can make sure that they are doing everything they can to meet the needs of their pupils with SEND.

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Children's Therapies - The Pod: Occupational Therapy

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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Her Majesty, the Queen's funeral on Monday, 19 September is a bank holiday. All urgent care services, or services that would normally operate on a weekend or a bank holiday, such as, district nursing and rapid response, will continue.

Planned appointments for other services will be rescheduled. If this affects you, you will be contacted by the service and informed of the cancellation. The service will contact you again to rearrange your appointment. Catch-up clinics are being planned to keep waiting times to a minimum. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. Please contact the service if you need any further assistance.

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Children's TherapiesThe Pod Occupational therapy Some children may struggle with getting dressed and ready for school, using cutlery, joining in with ball games or using playground equipment in the way their friends do. Our aim is to support children and young people who are experiencing difficulties with participating in everyday activities or occupations.

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Children's Therapies - The Pod: Physiotherapy

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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Children’s TherapiesThe Pod Physiotherapy Paediatric (children and young peoples) physiotherapy is the physical treatment, of childhood diseases and conditions that may impact on development and well being. Community paediatric physiotherapists provide specialist assessment and a range of therapeuti…

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This resource pack contains lots of activities to focus on specific areas of difficulty.

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Using a word processing package can help children with their writing and spelling and enable them to produce a higher quality of written text. Keyboard skills are particularly useful as children get ready to move on to secondary school. Therefore, learning to touch type can be very beneficial.

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Learn how to touch type with the BBC Dance Mat Typing game. It's a fun introduction to touch typing game for kids and covers levels 1, 2, 3, 4.

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Backward chaining is a useful approach to teaching children a new skill. You can use the approach for mastering a range of skills such as dressing and undressing, doing up and undoing zips and buttons, as well as writing letters and drawing.

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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We are a team of school nurses who work with children, young people and families.

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Place2Be is a children and young people's mental health charity with almost 30 years' experience working with pupils, families and staff in UK schools.

We provide mental health support in schools through one-to-one and group counselling using tried and tested methods backed by research. In addition, we also offer expert training and professional qualifications.

Why it's important

1 in 5

children and young people have a probable mental health condition, and many continue to have these problems into adulthood.

50%

of those with lifetime mental health problems first experience symptoms by the age of 14.

1 in 10
boys aged 5-19 with a mental health condition are suspended in some form from school.

Find out more about our work

How we help

Mental health support in schools

Our in-school mental health service supports the wellbeing of pupils, families and staff.
Find out more

Our mental health services in schools

We provide mental health services in schools that contribute to a whole-school approach to mental health.
Find out more

Counselling training and placements

Gain experience and skills with our child counselling training and placements.
Find out more

Place2Be is part of our school family. It is more than an office, more than a therapy room and more than a collection of counsellors.

Glyn Ellis - Headteacher, Haslingden Primary School

My daughter had become a different person - one we didn't recognise - but since counselling we see signs of our old loving daughter coming back.

Parent

If you have problems or worries you get a chance to talk to a person you trust. When I grow up I want to help children like Place2Be helps children.

Eight-year-old girl

Your support makes it possible

Thousands of vulnerable children and families depend on our work every single day. We simply cannot reach them without your help. There are so many ways to lend your support.

Place2Be's counselling service in primary schools has the potential to return £8 to society by improving long-term outcomes for each child.

Make a donation

How you can help

Fundraise for us

Raise money to transform children and young people's mental health. Browse ideas, tips and advice.

Get fundraising inspiration

Take part in an event

Run, cycle, walk. Trek to great heights or tackle some muddy obstacles. Take a look at our fundraising events.

Take on an event

Partner with us

See how your organisation can help us to support more children, families and school staff across the UK.

Find out more

Our impact

In the last school year

6,901

pupils were supported through one-to-one counselling.

33,327

pupils booked their own appointments o speak to our mental health professional.

After one-to-one counselling with Place2Be

76%

of children with severe difficulties show an improvement in mental health, according to parents.

64%

of pupils whose difficulties impacted their learning in class improved, according to teachers.

75%

of children and young people found it easier to make and keep friends, according to parents and carers.

Place2Be: mental health support in schools

Hear from children and teachers about the impact of Place2Be.

News & blogs

Eating Disorders in Children and Young People: a major public health concern

Clara Faria and Professor Tamsin Ford reflect on the impact of eating disorders on children and young people's mental health.

Read more

New report from NHS England shows increase in children experiencing mental health difficulties

Published today, the report reveals that 1 in 5 children and young people now have a probable mental health condition.

Read more

The BAFTA Roadshow with Place2Be arrives in North-West London

BAFTA and Place2Be team up to bring the BAFTA Roadshow to North-West London.

Read more

Sign up to our newsletter

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Improving children's and young people's mental health - Place2Be

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Place2Be provides mental health counselling support and training to schools to improve the emotional wellbeing of children, young people, families, teachers and staff.

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Body. Mind. Spirit. People. Place. Planet. Research is showing us how our health and happiness can be boosted by doing certain things on a day-to-day basis. The Wheel of Well-being is your guide to some of them. Start WoWing yourself now.

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Please have a read of the Autumn Term 1 SEND Newsletter.

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Inclusion Matters at Hildenborough CE Primary School Autumn Term 1 SEND Newsletter

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No Worries! An activity book for children who sometimes feel anxious or stressed.

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The Zones of Regulation is a framework designed to support children in building an awareness of their feelings and tools and strategies for regulation

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Worry Monsters can be useful to use with children who struggle to verbalise their worries or those who physically need to let them go (the idea is that monster eats the worry).

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Maths and Spelling Shed

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The web game for EdShed, including Spelling Shed and MathShed.

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Log in to Atom Learning - the UK’s leading 11 Plus / Pretest online revision platform, tailored to learning both at home and in the classroom.

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Understanding ADHD by Dr Christopher Green

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Children's Therapies - The Pod: Speech and Language Therapy

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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Some children may need further sessions focused to support the development of their speech, language and communication. This will be determined by a number of factors such as; area of need; service criteria; child's motivation.

Your child will be discharged when they no longer need our service / meet the service criteria. The main reasons (but not all) include;

- The child / young person has achieved the therapy aims and no longer requires intervention

- They no longer meet the service criteria

- Their speech, language and communication needs can be met via universal (everyday) and targeted approaches within the setting

- The family or setting are unable to carry out the activities at that period of time

- The child / young person is not ready or motivated for therapy

- Family have moved out of area or have not attended appointments

Children can be re referred at a later stage if there is evidence of speech and language needing to be involved.

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Children's TherapiesThe Pod Speech and language therapy Speech and language therapy provides treatment, support and care for children and young people who have difficulties with communication, or with eating, drinking and swallowing. Our aim is to work in partnership with key people (parents, carers, teachers, pre-schools, occupational therapist, physiotherapists, nurses and doctors) in your child's [...]

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Children's Therapies - The Pod: Sensory Processing Differences

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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Sensory processing is the way our brain sorts out sensory information so we understand the world and can manage our everyday life.

For most children the development of their sensory processing (sometimes called integration) occurs as part of their normal development and they learn to respond appropriately to sounds, smells, touch, taste, sights and movement.

We all have some sensory processing differences. Some of us like very strong tastes and smells and others avoid them. Some people enjoy roller coaster rides whilst others would avoid even a merry-go-round. As long as we can manage to take part in the things we want and need to do these sensory processing differences don't matter or need support.

Some children's sensory development is delayed or disordered, and they may struggle to take part in everyday childhood activities. For example, they may be so distressed by noise they can't go to a friend's party or they hit out when someone brushes up against them as they experience it as painful.

Parent sensory workshop

Welcome to this Sensory processing workshop.

Most of us know about five senses but there are in fact, eight.

The workshop is divided into three sections:

1. Introduction to sensory processing

2. The senses

3. Strategies

Introduction to sensory processing The senses Strategies
The strategies may help your child to engage in their daily activities and routines by doing something differently. As Laura says in the video, you know your child best and by trying out one strategy at a time you will be able to monitor how these have, or have not helped. It takes time for strategies to take effect, and then embedded into our daily routines.

All of us have different levels of comfort and response to sensations from the world around us. This is usual and what makes us unique. The aim of our workshop is to help you to better understand your child's sensory processing preferences and challenges so that you can support them at home, at school and in the community.

Once you have watched the workshop it is important that you try out strategies and adjustments that you think might help your child. If you think your child might need further support from an occupational therapist you will need to keep a record of the ways you have tried to help your child's sensory processing over a period of at least three months. This is because it takes time for change to happen and while some strategies might have an immediate impact on your child's abilities to take part in activities, others might take longer.

Please use the Sensory strategies family record sheet to record your child's progress.

For more information about how sensory processing differences can effect children's eating please go to the Fussy feeders workshop and information.

Please note that our service does not accept referrals for children whose difficulties are solely related to restricted eating as a result of sensory processing differences.

What next?

For many families the information in the workshops is enough for them to be able to support their child without direct intervention from an occupational therapist.

If after three months of using different strategies, your child is still having difficulties participating in everyday activities because of their sensory processing challenges, you can ask to join an online group session with other parents and an occupational therapist. During this session you will be able to ask any specific questions about your child's needs and further discuss ways to support them. It is also an opportunity to share and hear ideas from other families.

If you would like to join one of these groups please make this request by emailing your local team (see below) and attach your parent record sheet outlining the strategies that you have tried and the goals you have been working on.

East (Canterbury and Thanet) - kentchft.cteast-admin@nhs.net
West (Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells) - kentchft.ctwkadmin@nhs.net
North (Dartford Gravesend) - kentchft.ctsnorthteam@nhs.net
Remember: You must have tried ideas from the workshops and kept a record of them and their impact for at least three months before making this request. This information will help inform the advice the occupational therapist can offer you and is a requirement of joining the group session.
Please feel free to share this webpage with your child's nursery or school staff who are welcome to join this workshop.

Sensory circuits

Sensory circuits is a program that is most often used in schools to support children get into a ready state for the activities ahead.

This workshop outlines the principles behind the program and shares top tips for setting up and running a successful sensory circuits group.

Many of the activities in the video can be used with individual children at home, school or out and about in the community. Therefore it not only supports staff working in schools but families too.

Useful websites and apps

Growing hands on kids
A site with ideas videos and information to support a child's development. Some useful information videos.

OT Plan
Website with activities to support a child's development. Choose by skill and activity.

Pinterest
Lots of fun sensory activity ideas for home.

Sensory Smarts
Website related to book 'Raising a Sensory Smart Child' - free advice and resources on website.

The Inspired Treehouse
Sensory ideas to help children pay attention.

Strategies according to Sense
Sight is processed through the 'Visual' sense. Visual sensory stimuli is 'picked up' through visual receptors located in the eye and are stimulated by light, colour and movement.

ARFID Awareness UK
The UK's only registered charity dedicated to raising awareness and furthering information about Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. As a not-for-profit, they work to provide individuals, parents, carers and medical professionals with up-to-date relevant information, research and support.

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Sensory processing is the way our brain sorts out sensory information so we understand the world and can manage our everyday life. For most children the development of their sensory processing (sometimes called integration) occurs as part of their normal development and they learn to respond appropriately to sounds, smells, touch, taste, sights and movement.

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Understanding and Supporting Children and Young People with Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) by Dr Tina Rae

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© 2018 - 2023 STAMMA, British Stammering Association trading as STAMMA, reg. charity no. 1089967/SC038866, reg. company no. 04297778 (England & Wales)

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More Than Words Charity was founded by Paul and Hannah Hughes after being inspired by their daughter Gracie. Gracie has an undiagnosed genetic disorder which has presented her with several difficulties. However, despite Gracie's challenges she continues to prove to medical professionals that with the right support anything is possible, and Hannah and Paul have used Gracie's determination to focus their negative energy on something positive.

One of Gracie's daily hurdles was her inability to communicate verbally, which caused her considerable frustration when trying to interact with her friends and family. As a family they worked hard to independently introduce signing with Gracie to which they saw an extremely positive result.

One of the hurdles that Gracie's parents encountered was that Gracie's disorder did not 'FIT IN A BOX'. This made it difficult for the family to access the right support for Gracie. It was also extremely frustrating as they knew that access to certain services would be really beneficial for Gracie's development. The longer the family continued on their journey they found that the services for disabled children in Kent were few and far between. They felt that if these services were easily accessible to children it could make a huge difference to not only the child's life but also the family.

It was at this point More Than Words was born with the aim to help as many families as possible regardless of their disability.

In the UK, over 1 million children and young people, that's 2 - 3 in every UK classroom, have some form of long term and persistent speech, language and communication difficulty. This can affect them early, severely and for life.

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More Than Words Charity was founded by Paul and Hannah Hughes after being inspired by their daughter Gracie. Gracie has an undiagnosed genetic disorder which has presented her with several difficulties. However, despite Gracie's challenges she continues to prove to medical professionals that with the right support anything is possible, and Hannah and Paul have used Gracie's determination to focus their negative energy on something positive.

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Supports children with speech, language and communication difficulties. Children with communication difficulties might find it hard to express themselves, understand words, speak in sentences and understand simple instructions. I CAN’s mission is to ensure that no child who struggles to communicate is left out or left behind.

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Sensory craft ideas.