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Some great ideas to support regulation!

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Heavy work activities are powerful tools for self-regulation, attention, focus, body awareness, and calming sensory input.

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This directory has been set up to help you find local services and events available in your area. We make reasonable efforts to make sure that all information provided in the directory is accurate and up to date, but we do not accept any responsibility or liability for any errors in information.

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At CBeebies we believe passionately that what we do should be enjoyed by all children, including those with additional needs. We believe that it's important for children a disability to see themselves positively represented on the channel, so we make every effort to do so. We also produce shows, activities and parenting resources for children with a range of different needs.
Communication difficulties:
Problems with speech and language are the most common developmental difficulty in the UK where studies indicate that as many as 1 in 10 children may be affected in some way. Children with communication difficulties may have problems understanding language, using spoken language, producing the sounds needed for spoken language or problems with their listening and attention skills.

The impact of these difficulties can be profound, affecting children's ability to follow instructions and understand information, making it difficult for them to develop social skills and form relationships and making them frustrated at not being able to express themselves, sometimes leading to tantrums.

There are lots of strategies parents can use to help children with communication difficulties, you can find out more about these on our communication difficulties page.

Something Special, featuring Mr Tumble, AKA Justin Fletcher, is designed to be enjoyed by all children but is particularly aimed at children with communication difficulties. The show gives children an introduction to using Makaton signing, which can help support communication and language development. You can find out more about using Makaton signing and how it could help your child in this Makaton resource for parents.

The Something Special website also has a range of games designed to be suitable for children with communication difficulties and many Makaton signs to watch and print out.
Health and Medical Needs
Looking after a child with a long term health condition can be incredibly hard. It can mean frequent medical appointments and hospital visits which can be stressful both because you're worrying about the outcome and because it can be very hard to fit it around a 'normal' life, especially if you're trying to hold down a job or have oter children as well.

Our page on dealing with health problems and operations has lots of practical suggestions and strategies for making hospitals and medical conditions less stressful and easier to fit in to your life.
Physical Disabilities
Children with physical disabilities may have problems with gross or fine motor skills, balance and co-ordination, or muscle tone. They may need extra help and support with everyday activities like walking, feeding themselves or holding a pencil.

CBeebies has a range of games which are 'switch' compatible, including Something Special's 'The Looking Game'.

'Switch' is the name of the technology which makes access to computers easier for children who have difficulty using a mouse or keyboard.

'Switch compatible games' are those which have been designed to be controlled by just one or two keys - usually 'Enter' or the spacebar to select, sometimes 'Tab' as well in order to move between options. This makes the games easy to control and suitable for children who don't have a high level of mouse or keyboard skill.

CBeebies' show Tree Fu Tom has been specially designed to encourage children to develop movement skills, especially those with Dyspraxia - a developmental coordination disorder that causes difficulty in acquiring foundation movement skills. You can read more about how the movements in Tree Fu Tom can help children with movement difficulties and Dyspraxia in this article.
Deaf children and children with a hearing impairment
If you or your child uses BSL, check out Magic Hands, a ground-breaking show on CBeebies featuring poetry translated into BSL. Magic Hands features an entirely deaf cast of presenters interpreting a selection of classic poems through BSL and animation.
Children with a visual impairment
Melody is a show designed to introduce preschool children to a variety of classical music through stories and animation. Melody, the title character, is a partially-sighted girl with an incredible imagination. CBeebies worked with the RNIB to make the show as accessible as possible for children with a visual impairment, by working with high contrast colours, having centrally-focused action, bigger movements, longer shots and telling the story as much as possible with voiceover and sound effects.

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Something Special - Does your child have special needs?

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CBeebies has lots of help and resources for children with additional needs incuding Dyspraxia, Autism, visual impairment, learning disabilities, hearing impairment.

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Resources for Emotional Literacy Support Assistants - ELSA Support

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Emotional literacy support assistants - or ELSAs - are teaching assistants trained to provide emotional and social skills support to children.

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

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Special educational needs and disability - BBC Bitesize

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All the latest BBC Bitesize content about special educational needs and disability.

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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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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people's behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse.

Symptoms of ADHD tend to be noticed at an early age and may become more noticeable when a child's circumstances change, such as when they start school.

Most cases are diagnosed when children are under 12 years old, but sometimes it's diagnosed later in childhood.

Sometimes ADHD was not recognised when someone was a child, and they are diagnosed later as an adult.

The symptoms of ADHD may improve with age, but many adults who were diagnosed with the condition at a young age continue to experience problems.

People with ADHD may also have additional problems, such as sleep and anxiety disorders.

Getting help

Many children go through phases where they're restless or inattentive. This is often completely normal and does not necessarily mean they have ADHD.

But you should discuss your concerns with your child's teacher, their school's special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) or a GP if you think their behaviour may be different from most children their age.

It's also a good idea to speak to a GP if you're an adult and think you may have ADHD, but were not diagnosed with the condition as a child.

What causes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?

The exact cause of ADHD is unknown, but the condition has been shown to run in families.

Research has also identified a number of possible differences in the brains of people with ADHD when compared with those without the condition.

Other factors suggested as potentially having a role in ADHD include:

being born prematurely (before the 37th week of pregnancy)

having a low birthweight

smoking or alcohol or drug abuse during pregnancy

ADHD can occur in people of any intellectual ability, although it's more common in people with learning difficulties.

How attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is treated

For children with ADHD, although there's no cure, it can be managed with appropriate educational support, advice and support for parents and affected children, alongside medicine, if necessary.

For adults with ADHD, medicine is often the first treatment offered, although psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) may also help.

Living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Parents of children with ADHD

Looking after a child with ADHD can be challenging, but it's important to remember that they cannot help their behaviour.

Some day-to-day activities might be more difficult for you and your child, including:

getting your child to sleep at night

getting ready for school on time

listening to and carrying out instructions

being organised

social occasions

shopping

Adults with ADHD

Adults with ADHD may find they have problems with:

organisation and time management

following instructions

focusing and completing tasks

coping with stress

feeling restless or impatient

impulsiveness and risk taking

Some adults may also have issues with relationships or social interaction.

Page last reviewed: 24 December 2021
Next review due: 24 December 2024

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

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Read about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a condition that affects people's behaviour.

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NCMH (National Centre for Mental Health)

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Special Needs Jungle provides parent-centred information, news, resources and informed opinion about SEN, disability, children’s health and SEN politics

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Skip to Content

Most children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) go to a mainstream school.

Mainstream schools must do everything they can to make sure children with special educational needs get the extra support they need to achieve as well as they can. This is called SEN Support, this means that the educational setting makes additional or different provision to meet a child's needs. Sometimes other professionals will give advice or support to help your child learn. P lease see our leaflet about SEN Support in Mainstream Schools:
SEN Support in Mainstream Schools
If your child does not make progress despite SEN support being put in place an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment might be the next step.

You should speak to your setting, school or college about making a request. You can find out more in our leaflet Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment:
Education Health and Care Needs Assessment
An EHC needs assessment will not always lead to an EHC plan. The information gathered during an assessment may indicate ways in which the education setting can meet the child or young person's needs, without the need for any special educational needs provision through an EHC plan.

You can find out more about Education Health and Care (EHC) plans here:

Please also see our leaflet:

You can find out how an EHC plan can be put together here:

If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan the plan will be reviewed on an annual basis. Please watch the video below to find out more:

Please also see our leaflet
Annual Review of an Education, Health and Care Plan

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Special Educational Needs Support and EHC Plans | IASK

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Skip to Content Most children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) go to a mainstream school. Mainstream schools must do everything they can to make sure children with special educational needs get the extra support they need to achieve as well as they can.

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SEND tips and advice - BBC Parents' Toolkit - BBC Bitesize

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Activities, advice and personal stories about parenting and special educational needs and disabilities to help you support your family.

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SNJ Flow charts 2018 single charts - Special Needs Jungle

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News, resources and articles about special educational needs, disability, children’s health, mental health, rare disease, undiagnosed conditions, Education, Health and Care plans and SEN Support

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

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Supporting individuals and families affected by dyspraxia/DCD

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National Deaf Children's Society | Supporting deaf children

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We are the National Deaf Children's Society, the leading charity for deaf children and young people. We're here to support every deaf child who needs us.

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Tourettes Action is a support and research charity working to improve the lives of people living with Tourette Syndrome. Our services include online live-chat and email support, a befriender network, information, webinars, events and resources.

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Visual Stress has been known by many other names. Scotopic sensitivity syndrome, Meares- syndrome, Irlen syndrome, Visual Dyslexia, word crowding and Asfedia. Visual Stress is commonly defined as a perceptual processing disorder. This suggests that Visual Stress is not an optical problem, but a problem relating to perceptual processing. This suggests that the visual cortex of brain is unable to properly process visual information from the eyes because of sensitivity to certain wavelengths of light.
I have heard that Visual Stress doesn't exist. Why is that?
Visual Stress remains an area of contention. Whilst it was first described in the early 1980s, there is a lack of evidence that the condition actually exists. A number of research studies* have investigated Visual Stress and have concluded that there is a lack of evidence that Visual Stress exists. They have also not found proof that treatments, such as Irlen lenses, are effective in helping people with reading difficulties.

Despite this research, anecdotal comments from many people with light sensitivity is that they experience symptoms consistent with Visual Stress and that using coloured overlays or glasses is effective in overcoming their difficulties.

* https://ranzco.edu/news/no-scientific-evidence-that-irlen-syndrome-exists-say-ophthalmologists/#:~:text=The%20Royal%20Australian%20and%20New,help%20those%20with%20reading%20difficulties.

* http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2019000300194
So is Visual Stress a learning or a reading difficulty like dyslexia?
Visual stress is not a learning or reading difficulty. However it can affect the way people 'see' words on the page and it can cause physical symptoms that make it difficult to read for long periods or affect a person's ability to focus and concentrate on what they are reading.
What are the symptoms of Visual Stress?
The symptoms of Visual Stress are said to include poor concentration; difficulties with reading, writing and comprehension; glare sensitivity and poor depth perception. This can not only affect reading, but can result in a poor judge of distance and cause driving difficulties. In addition, light sensitivity can lead to eye strain may result from reading and people may develop headaches or migraines from certain visual patterns. This can result in a slow reading speed, low comprehension and visual fatigue.

Visual Stress is said to be exacerbated by environmental factors such as lighting, brightness, glare, high contrast, patterns and colours.
Who is at risk of getting Visual Stress and how can it be treated?
People of all ages report having Visual Stress. It also tends to run in families. Whilst there is not a treatment to 'cure' Visual Stress, with help, it can be overcome.
What can be done to help?
As this problem is perceptual, rather than visual, standard prescription glasses cannot help. Many people who complain of visual stress have found a specialist coloured reading ruler or overlay placed over the page can reduce glare. Likewise, when using a PC, programmes / digital downloads such as nOverlay, Tinted Windows, can easily filter the screen colour.

Lenses help to filtrate the light-waves entering the brain, and therefore it does not have to work as hard, so it calms. This can alleviate many of the symptoms, if not all, in some cases. Filters help to make reading easier, faster, for longer whilst feeling less tired and understanding more of what they have read.

It is important to note that different people prefer different colours. An Irlen diagnostician will be able to help to find the right colour. They will also be able to recommend providers of coloured glasses or contact lenses. They should be reassessed on a yearly basis or when the symptoms seem to be returning, especially during adolescence when the brain is constantly changing, and this can continue into adulthood.
What else can help?

Allow students to sit near a window for natural light.

Provide short breaks during lessons which heavily focus on reading and writing.

Allowing students to work on coloured paper.

Changing the background of Presentations to a more calming colour, such as pale blue or green.

When reading in class, tell them slightly in advance the passage/section they will be reading- this allows them to prepare.

Encouragement and positive feedback, offer to demonstrate corrections.

Ask if they require a bookstand or slides from Presentations to be printed (they can put it at an angle to benefit them).

Allow them to make notes to help them recall information/instructions, or make visible to the student.

Who can test to see if I have Visual Stress?
Until recently it was possible for Visual Stress to be screened, assessed and diagnosed as part of a dyslexia assessment. This process involved trialling different coloured overlays (or combination of overlays) and seeing it the child (or adult) is reports a preference when reading.

However, since 2018, dyslexia assessors have been advised not to screen or assess for any visual need. This is because SpLD assessors are not qualified optometrists. There were instances where they were incorrectly diagnosing Visual Stress or other visual difficulties without appropriate knowledge and training.

If you are concerned that you may have Visual Stress you firstly should have a thorough test with an optometrist. This will rule out any possible underlying conditions that may have caused problems similar to visual stress.

The second stage is a referral is made to an Irlen diagnostician who will assess Visual Stress using spectral filters. If diagnosed, they will be able to recommend the specific colour to help the individual.
- More information about the dyslexia and visual issues can be found at - For information on the common traits of dyslexia go to: https://www.dyslexiauk.co.uk/the-common-traits-of-dyslexia/ https://dyslexiauk.co.uk/dyslexia-blog/f/i-see-%E2%80%93-dyslexia-and-vision
- To discuss your concerns with a dyslexia assessor, please click here https://dyslexiauk.co.uk/contact-us

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Visual Stress / Irlens Syndrome | Dyslexia UK

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What is Visual Stress? Visual Stress has been known by many other names. Scotopic sensitivity syndrome, Meares- syndrome, Irlen syndrome, Visual Dyslexia, word crowding and Asfedia. Visual Stress is commonly defined as a perceptual processing disorder. This suggests that Visual Stress is not an optical problem, but a problem relating to perceptual processing.

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Amazing Things Happen - by Alexander Amelines

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Newsround has made a special programme about autism.

It's a condition that affects the way you live your life and see the world around you.

Our presenter Rosie was born with it. She says even though living with autism is difficult, it makes her unique and who she is.

As well as telling her own story, you'll find out how Ben, Tony and Lenny are affected by the condition.

Lots of children with autism get bullied at school and find it hard to get jobs when they grow up.

In our special film Rosie wants to tell the world what autism is and help people understand what it's like to live with it.

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Newsround has made a special programme about autism. It's a condition that affects the way you live your life and see the world around you. Our presenter Rosie was born with it. She says even though living with autism is difficult, it makes her unique and who she is.

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Clinical Partners | Expert mental health, autism & ADHD support

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Clinical Partners offers a team of leading Psychotherapists, Psychologists, Psychiatrists in London and the UK call to discuss how we can help you.

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Picture the scene: your child comes out of school and the teacher says they've behaved like the perfect child all day, but the moment you get home they have a complete meltdown. Your child screams, shouts, lashes out, sulks or generally acts in an unruly manner.
If that scene is familiar to you, you're not alone. This type of behaviour is what some psychologists refer to as 'after-school restraint collapse' and it's not unusual. It happens because your child has been busy managing their emotions all day as they navigate the complexities of school life.

When they get home, that's their safe space to let it all out!

So, now you know what it is, what can you actually do about it? Parents' Toolkit has been speaking to educational and child psychologist Dr Anisa-Ree Moses, for some tips on how to handle these outburst of emotions after-school.

1. Understand how hard school can be for some children

Dr Anisa-Ree Moses says that children can feel emotional, physical and mental exhaustion at the end of the school day. They have been trying to manage a mix of things like learning, social expectations, their own growing social awareness and all the feedback they're getting from teachers and peers.

"When they come out of that environment a pressure valve is released. If kids feel safe to express themselves, they will do so!"

The transition from school to home can also be challenging for some children: "Some kids may have difficulty separating from their parents. It's a relief when they see them, because their parent or carer represents a level of safety, but they're frustrated at the same time - the child wants them but is finding connection difficult at that moment. It's a positive reunion but it's also really emotional and can be hard for some children to channel."

Dr Moses adds that it can be particularly difficult for neurodiverse children who are coping with sensory sensitivities and the effort of containing a lot of emotions. When they come out of school they often can't hold it all in any longer.

For older children, she also says the transition home can be tricky too. They need space and time after school - they might not want to talk to you about it or will go to their room for a bit first.

Dr Moses suggests having a think about what your child needs when they come out of school.
"Do they need to go and run around the school playground a few times and let go for a bit before they walk home? Do they need movement or do they need a healthy snack? Or quiet time alone with no music or no chatting on the way home in the car or bus?"
It will be different for different kids, but Dr Moses suggests trying to be quiet on the walk or ride home.
"Connect with your child. Not by asking 'how was your day?' but through genuine emotional connection. You could say 'I'm so happy to see you, I'm glad we get to go home together, it made me happy coming out of school this way'. Being calm and using supportive words is important for your children."

She adds: "Include some downtime rather than moving straight on to homework or out to a club, so that your child can decompress. They might enjoy their clubs but still feel anxious, so build in downtime first and make their routine clear, visual and written down if they need that. You can also ask them what will help, for example drawing, reading a book or even just relaxing for a bit. Do it with them and help them to see they can do things to support themselves."

"Be understanding of their emotions - help them feel listened to if they want to talk about what's gone on, or be angry."
"You could say 'I can see you're shouting. I can see you want to be really loud, maybe let's go to the park on the way home'. Validate how they feel rather than try and control it. If they are impolite in the moment, come back to that later - talking at that moment won't help."

"Help them feel listened to and respected and make a genuine connection."
Dr Moses says the after-school 'meltdown' is an expression of emotion that often comes out physically. As parents you can recognise and label it so your child can see if for what it is.
"For example, 'I can see you are kicking the bin, I can see you're clenched and red, I can hear you're shouting and that's making me think you're angry, so I want to help you. However, here's not the safest place to do that, let's go to the park, etc.'"

"Build their emotional vocabulary and link it to the emotion - then they can tell you what they're feeling. You can say things like 'I want to help you. I can't do that when you're screaming. Let's take a deep breath, both of us.' Acknowledging it helps children to not feel alone."
With older children, Dr Moses says it's often more about them not wanting to talk or engage in any discussion about school.
"Especially for those who see school and home as two completely separate things. Just encourage them to build their emotional vocabulary, and be interested in what's happening in general in their life."

She adds: "Questions like 'how was your day?' will get a grunt or 'it's fine'. Think about what you are trying to find out. Can you remember an assignment they had or what they were going to be talking about with their friends? And connect by saying 'I'm happy to see you and hope you've had a good day' until they feel ready to come and have a conversation. Then offer yourself as being there, offer yourself as someone who wants to help and is interested in what's going on.

"Help them feel listened to and respected and make a genuine connection."

Dr Moses says your child might also be upset when they come out of school if there were any difficulties that day that weren't addressed, or there's something unresolved that's happened.

If your child's behaviour after school changes or is different to what's usual for them, try and find out if there are things happening during the school day that are affecting them.

"Think about whether you need a home-school communication book, so that you know whether what's been happening in school could trigger what happens at home. Information from school can help parents know how to approach a situation and whether there's something that needs resolving."

Connection is a great way for your child to know they're loved and that you're there for them, no matter what.
It could be snuggling up in bed, reading a book together, playing a quick game, or just having a chat.

Dr Moses suggests thinking about what your morning routine is like: "Is there anything you can build in there that can help them feel connected to you? I know this can be hard, I know how frustrating and annoying school runs can be! Let them know you're looking forward to seeing them later, just for who they are, not for what they've achieved."

She adds: "If your child is finding separation difficult, can you give them a note or something of yours to have in school? For some children, knowing that Mum or Dad is a phone call away and it won't be withheld from them helps them more.

"Also think about whether you have conversations about emotion at home. It's about helping your children with emotional literacy, building resilience and problem-solving skills, as well as building in transitioning - learning how to make things more predictable so that transitions are not as big and scary. Children are better able to manage their emotions if they know what's going to happen."

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Five tips on how to handle the after-school 'meltdown' or 'restraint collapse'

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'After-school restraint collapse' isn't unusual. Your child has been busy managing their emotions all day and when they get home, it's time to let it all out! Here are some expert tips on how to cope as a parent.

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An easy way to understand wellbeing is to say it's 'feeling good and doing good'.

Here are five ways you can help children keep their wellbeing topped up - and your own, too.

For many, it's going to be harder to get outside and move around, but we still need to keep active. When we move our bodies, it has a positive effect on how our brain works, as the brain starts releasing chemicals that make us feel good.

* Host a home disco. Play the family's favourite dance songs and have a boogie for ten minutes.

* Watch BBC Super Movers videos. These short films can get the whole family moving (and learning). Learning routines (or just attempting them) means your child's brain and body (and yours!) are keeping active and engaged.

* Blow up a balloon. Once you've tied it, see how long you can keep it up in the air while passing it between you.

Having more time at home together may also put additional stress on family relationships so give everyone in the family a chance to refuel. It can be as simple as curling up on the sofa together and watching a film or some cartoons - and then chatting about your favourite bits.

Having these sorts of conversations can help to make the positive buzz of watching (and laughing) together last for longer. It'll also improve your child's ability to reflect on their experiences and talk about their preferences.

Stories are another great way to help children recharge as they lose themselves in wonderful fictional worlds. There are likely to be some old favourites they want you to read again, as they'll take comfort from hearing a familiar tale (for children, knowing how it ends is a good thing, not a spoiler alert!).

It's helpful for children (and adults) to have a healthy balance of emotions in a day. Fears and anxieties about the current situation may, at times, overpower our positive emotions unless we make a conscious effort to re-address this balance.

Here are a couple of ways you can help your child to achieve this balance:

* Make a 'Top Times' scrapbook. Help your child to create a scrapbook of memories, with printed out photos, drawn pictures, saved tickets and other bits and pieces stuck in to help them remember. These don't have to mark occasions; they can capture smaller moments of joy, like throwing a ball for a dog or seeing a rainbow.

Once you've built a collection of pages (and maybe several scrapbooks), you can enjoy looking through them together.

* Create a gratitude jar. Another way to take in the good stuff is to write down a little note when something's gone well and keep it in a jar or box. Younger children may prefer telling you what to write so you can record the experiences for them. As they get older, they may want to write their own notes.

You can encourage them by doing this alongside them. The great thing about a gratitude jar is you can revisit it on days when you need a little boost to remind everyone of the things you've been grateful for.

Building gratitude habits doesn't mean we diminish the struggles that children (and we) experience. It's really important to talk about these difficult moments too. But, having a time in the day when you focus on the positive can be useful in helping children to keep their thoughts balanced.

Having more time at home offers an opportunity to set some goals about new things you and your child want to learn. It could be something that helps encourage their independence when they return to school, like tying their own shoelaces or buttoning up their coat. Or it could be something that helps at home, such as how to put their clothes away or helping out with washing up. When children feel they're contributing to family 'work', it can enhance their sense of belonging. If your child is capable of doing things for themselves, give them as many opportunities as you can to practise these skills.

Whatever the learning goals, it can be helpful if children understand they can improve their skills and abilities. This is often referred to as a 'growth mindset' since it's about realising we all have the ability to change the way we think and do things. So, whether it's tying shoelaces, learning to spell, or even how to hop on one leg, the way adults talk to children about the learning will influence those children's beliefs.

Here are two ways to encourage your child to adopt a growth mindset:

* Add the word 'yet'. Changing the way you talk about intelligence and ability can help your child understand that learning is a process - our skills and traits aren't fixed from birth. When your child claims "I can't do this" (whether they're talking about a new hobby, homework, or anything else), say: "You can't do it yet".

Adding and emphasising this tiny word subtly reinforces the learning process and may help them to try again.

* Practise (and fail) with your child. Trying new things can be scary, but it's often less daunting when you do it with others. As a family, you might decide to try something new and celebrate your learning and your failures when it doesn't work (the first, second, or even the ninety-ninth time!).

Being able to support your child's wellbeing also involves taking care of yourself. As a starting point, try and eat nutritious healthy food; it's a great idea to turn cooking into an activity the whole family takes part in. Life can often feel very busy and parents give themselves a hard time about being unable to do everything perfectly. Remember, though, there are no 'perfect parents'.

We all get things wrong, we all have days when we struggle. And while it may be true that you might not have done everything 'perfectly', you've probably done more things to support your child's wellbeing than you realise. So, try and focus on what you're doing well - it's not you being boastful, it's actually really helpful for your child to do this. Children can learn a lot from hearing adults respond kindly to themselves when things don't work out - and then from seeing the grown-ups try again. Notice how you speak to yourself about your mistakes. If you can cultivate kindness towards yourself, your child is more likely to practise this when they get things wrong too.

It might also be useful to take a moment and think about the activities, people and places that help you to feel brighter and refuelled. Even if you can't do these things at the moment, perhaps there are new ways that you can connect with the things that matter to you, like chatting with friends on the phone instead of meeting up. No matter how busy you are, try and squeeze in a little time for yourself. It's likely to help you with the many joys and challenges that parenting can bring.

Dr Hazel Harrison is a Clinical Psychologist with a particular focus on mental health and wellbeing.

For further information check out the rest of Starting Primary School which has lots of ways to help prepare children for different aspects of school life - both practically and emotionally.

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Five ways to support children's mental health

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Clinical psychologist, Hazel Harrison, suggests five ways you can support your child's mental health.

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YoungMinds | Mental Health Charity For Children And Young People

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YoungMinds are a mental health charity for children, young people and their parents, making sure all young people can get the mental health support they need.

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Speech and Language UK: Information and support

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Speech and Language UK: Help for parents and families

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Makaton is designed to support spoken language - the signs are used in spoken word order to help children and adults to communicate. Using signs can be useful for children who have no speech (because they have communication difficulties or are very young), or whose speech is unclear. Children's understanding often develops ahead of their speech. This can be frustrating as they know what they want but struggle to express it.

Using signing can help to empower children to say what they want to say, and alleviate this frustration. Makaton symbols can also be used to support communication in many different ways - they're especially useful for those who have limited speech and who cannot, or prefer not to sign.

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Makaton is designed to support spoken language - the signs are used in spoken word order to help children and adults to communicate. Using signs can be useful for children who have no speech (because they have communication difficulties or are very young), or whose speech is unclear.

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Welcome to I CAN's Talking Point for parents

This gives parents/carers the information they need to help children develop their speech, language and communication skills.

If a child has difficulty understanding language or speaking, they may struggle in nursery or school. If the problem persists they might require support, but with the right help, they can develop the skills they need.

I CAN has developed a range of resources and factsheets to help children with speech, language and communication needs.

Got a question you'd like to discuss with an I CAN speech and language advisor? Book a call with our free enquiry service.

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Welcome to I CAN's Talking Point for parents This gives parents/carers the information they need to help children develop their speech, language and communication skills. If a child has difficulty understanding language or speaking, they may struggle in nursery or school.

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Welcome to the Parent Portal, our award-winning speech and language support website for parents, carers and families.

At Speech and Language Link, we understand that supporting your child's language learning, alongside everything else that life demands from you, can be challenging. The Parent Portal provides ideas and advice, information and activities for developing your child's understanding, talking and listening in a way that works for all of your family.

How to use the site? Visit the development tab to help you work out what the next steps are for your child's learning and then go to the stage-appropriate activities section. You don't always need to create a special time for working on listening and talking, use our everyday activities turn many routine tasks into support activities.

Our speech and language therapists have devised support videos for you. Check out the 'Can I have your attention please?' series to help get your child in the right frame of mind for learning and access super fun games and ideas to encourage a range of language skills.

Our activities are designed to fit around normal family life and by implementing some of them every day you can make a real difference to your child's language development.

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Supporting Parents and Carers who support children with SLCN - Speech and Language resources, information and activities

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Support for Parents from Action For Children

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Does my child have a sensory sensitivity or need? - Support for Parents from Action For Children

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Is your child sensitive to sound, touch, taste, smell, or certain visuals or movements? They may have a sensory sensitivity.

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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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How does regulation develop?

The ability to regulate starts to develop when we are a baby. Long before we can self-regulate we need help from our caregivers. When babies start to show distress, their caregivers swaddle, carry, rock and feed them. Caregivers should provide what is required to help the baby to organise their arousal. As these needs are met the infant learns patterns and rhythms. They learn that when they hear mum or dad's footsteps, help is on the way.

Regulation develops over time and with experience. Each time a child experiences dysregulation and is able to regulate they learn what helps them. However, this process starts with co-regulation.

Co-regulation

Co-regulation is when someone else helps another individual to regulate. We usually think of adults helping children. However, adults help adults all the time. Think about when a friend or family member was upset and you gave them a hug. Or, a time when they were angry and you listened. One unique feature of mammals is that we frequently co-regulate. You will see a mother cat regulate its kitten through licking but you would never observe a snake or crocodile doing this with their off spring.

Toddlers need huge amounts of support from their caregivers to regulate and self-soothe. Whilst they are starting to be more a bit independent, the regulation centres of their brain are still developing. Sarah Ockwell Smith suggests that it isn't until after a child's fifth birthday that their brain is developmentally mature enough for them to start to self-soothe or self-regulate. Parents of teenagers would also argue that hormones severely disrupt this skill.

Regulation with the help of caregivers is what teaches children to self-regulate as they get older. They learn what they experience. Co-regulation helps them to develop the brain networks and strategies they need to self-regulate.

Self-regulation

Self-regulation is the ability to stay regulated without the help of others. It is the ability to use your own strategies to either calm down or energise. Some individuals need more help to learn how to self-regulate than others. Often individuals with ADHD and ASD need more support to learn to self-regulate. Sensory regulation strategies can help with self-regulation. As can cognitive strategies. We will explore these further below.

Emotional regulation

Emotional regulation refers to the ability to regulate our emotions. Toddlers and teenagers find this difficult. For toddlers this is because they haven't yet established the language and brain connections to enable them to regulate their emotions. Teenagers find this more difficult as their hormones and brain connections and changing. They need time to get used to these changes.

Neurologically the front part of our cortex (our frontal lobe) is responsible for emotional regulation. The connections to this part of the brain continue to develop into adulthood. The ability to regulate emotions improves as these connections strengthen. Again, some individuals, including those with autism, need more support to develop these connections.

What about sensory regulation strategies?

Sensory regulation strategies are strategies which use the senses to help with regulation. These are often used to support individuals with autism and those who experience sensory processing differences. But in reality, they can be helpful for everyone.

The goal when using sensory regulation strategies is to help the individual to regulate. They are often using the sensory strategy alongside them, so to support co-regulation, initially. The longer term goal would be that they could self-regulate using the strategy. Programmes like the Zones of Regulation can be helpful to teach emotional regulation and how to use sensory regulation strategies.

Sometimes the individual may need to increase their arousal level. This would mean using a sensory regulation strategy that would make them more alert.

Alternatively, sometimes they may need to decrease their arousal level. So, they will need a sensory regulation strategy to helm them to calm down.

What are some examples of sensory regulation strategies?

I will break this section into two parts. Firstly, I will give strategies that can help to increase arousal. Secondly, I will look at ideas to help to calm down. If you want to read more about sensory strategies you could also read this article.

Sensory regulation strategies to help to increase arousal (or alert)

Our sensory diet/brain break movement video playlist is a great place to start!

Movement! Go Noodle have some great songs to follow along with if you're stuck inside. Playgrounds, cycling, scooters and running are good options for being outside.

You can also create fun indoor obstacle courses. This video gives a great example.

Sensory regulation strategies to help to decrease arousal (or calm)

We have some great slow movement and breathing activities here in this playlist

Heavy work is a helpful strategy for calming. We explore this further our blog The Mystery of Heavy Work.

Yoga can be a great option. Cosmic Yoga has some great videos to follow. Each video includes a story which can help children to stay engaged.

Breathing exercises can really help to calm and organise the brains. The Smiling Minds app is free and also has good content for children. The charity scope has also published a product called Mindful Monsters, which includes breathing and relaxation activities designed for children. This monkey video gives a nice breathing sequence for children to follow. Koala goes through 2 minutes of breathing here.

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Sensory regulation strategies - how you can use them to help your child.

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The ability to regulate starts to develop when we are a baby. Long before we can self-regulate we need help from our caregivers. When babies start to show distress, their caregivers swaddle, carry, rock and feed them. Caregivers should provide what is required to help the baby to organise their arousal.

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Parents support for sensory sensitivities

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Parents support for sensory sensitivities

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Sensory Processing for Parents - Resources and Information on SPD

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GriffinOT provides resources and information on SPD for parents and teachers. This includes online sensory processing disorder training packages.

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With your help, we can keep offering free support to those who need us.

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Memory Games for Kids Online & Free | MentalUP

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Guidance on the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system for children and young people aged 0 to 25, from 1 September 2014.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

This statutory code contains:

details of legal requirements that you must follow without exception

statutory guidance that you must follow by law unless there's a good reason not to

It explains the duties of local authorities, health bodies, schools and colleges to provide for those with special educational needs under part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014.

The code, which applies to England, is for:

headteachers and principals

governing bodies

school and college staff

special educational needs (SEN) co-ordinators

early years providers

other education settings

local authorities

health and social services staff

Other SEND guides are also available.

Thank you for your feedback

Report a problem with this page

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Guidance on the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system for children and young people aged 0 to 25, from 1 September 2014.

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A child or young person has special educational needs and disabilities if they have a learning difficulty or a disability that means they need special health and education support. We shorten this to SEND.

Every child or young person may experience challenges with their learning at some point. For most, these difficulties are often overcome with support from teachers and home. However, they may need extra help or provision put in place to help them to have the same opportunities as others.

Some children may have SEND because of a medical condition or disability, other children may have SEND without a diagnosis or disability.

Children are not considered to have SEND just because their first language is not English, although some children where English is a second language may also have SEND.

This guide from the national government explains how the system that supports children and young people with special educational needs and disability ( SEND) works.

Types of SEND

The SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years sets out four main areas of special educational needs and disabilities, some children and young people may have SEND in more than one of these areas.

Communication and interaction needs

If your child or young person has communication and interaction needs, they might:

struggle to talk or say what they want to

find it hard to understand what other people are saying

find conversations and play confusing or challenging.

Find out more about speech, language and communication needs.

Cognition and learning difficulties

If your child or young person has cognition and learning difficulties, they might:

learn at a slower pace than others

find school difficult

struggle with organisation and memory

have a specific difficulty, for example in literacy or numeracy.

Learn more about learning difficulties.

Social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) difficulties

If your child or young person has social, emotional and mental difficulties, they might:

find relationships difficult

appear withdrawn or isolated

behave in ways that affect their learning, for example being disruptive

do things that impact on their health and wellbeing.

Find out more about SEMH difficulties.

Sensory needs and physical needs

If your child or young person has sensory needs, they might have a:

visual impairment (VI)

hearing impairment (H)

physical disability.

Find out more about sensory needs.

Support for your child or young person

If you believe that your child or young person has SEND, the first step is to explore the support available, and understand which is right for you.

Explore your options to find out what support is available.

You can also find support by visiting one of the following pages:

We also understand that the language of special educational needs can be difficult to understand, we try and explain any terms as we use them to help you.

Here's a jargon buster that IASK put together so you can see all the common terms and abbreviations you might come across.

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what is special educational needs and disabilities (send)?

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What is special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)?

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Learn about what special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is and how to get support.

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Colourful semantics can help children understand words and develop their language by using colour.

For any child, language is very important as it supports their ability to communicate with others. If a child is unable to communicate or struggles to interact with other people, this can negatively impact their confidence and can make them feel isolated.

Whether that's inside or outside of the nursery classroom, language is vital for helping young learners build relationships and integrate into social settings.

It's important children learn these skills during their early years, as this sets the foundation for later life. From establishing friendships with peers, to securing jobs in adulthood, the ability to communicate is essential.

However, lots of children struggle with words and find it challenging to structure different sentences. This is where colourful semantics come into play as it creates a sense of order using simple but effective visual assets.

In this blog post, we'll explain exactly what colourful semantics is and how you can use this approach in your own early years setting.

What Is Colourful Semantics?

We've touched on this slightly in the intro, but colourful semantics is an approach to learning whereby colour is used to support written and verbal language.

It was developed by Speech and Language therapist, Alison Bryan, and aims to help children develop skills when it comes to sentence structure, understanding questions, developing narrative, and understanding written text.

Whilst it is aimed at helping children develop their grammar, it is rooted in the meaning of words (semantics).

This approach can be useful for a range of children, especially those who are first learning vocabulary. However, it is particularly useful for children who struggle in the following areas:

Confusing the order of sentences and getting words the wrong way around

Piecing sentences together in a meaningful order

Always sticking to the same sentence structure

Missing out verbs and other important details in a sentence

Frequently having to restart a sentence when speaking out loud to get it right

If you're a teacher and notice some of your class struggle in these areas, then they could benefit from colourful semantics.

Similarly, if you're a parent and you've recognised some of these occurrences at home, perhaps when reading with your child or in general conversation, then this approach could be highly useful.

How Does Colourful Semantics Work?

Colourful semantics help children identify the most important parts of sentences so that they can learn how to put them together in the right order.

Essentially, it works by 'cutting' sentences up into their thematic roles and then colour codes them accordingly.

This means children are taught to associate different 'types' of words with different colours so that they can start to build their own sentences. Generally, this starts off with a simple sentence comprising two to three words and then progresses into longer, more complex sentences.

For example, take the sentence below:

'The man is eating an ice cream in the park.'

We can break this up into 4 different themes and use colours to help children understand its structure.

'Who?' - also known as the 'subject', e.g. 'the man' (orange)

'What doing?' - also known as the 'verb', e.g. 'is eating' (yellow)

'What?' - also known as the 'object', e.g. 'an ice cream' (green)

'Where?' - also known as the 'location', e.g. 'in the park' (blue)

The colours you choose aren't important and you could choose different colours instead that the child would relate to best.

For example, you could use a child's favourite colours as this will engage them in the learning activity even more. The most important thing is that once colours have been chosen, they remain the same as this ensures consistency.

Once you have taught children the 4 key stages above, there are additional stages for adverbs, adjectives, conjunctions, and negatives.

Using colours for question structures has two obvious benefits for a young learner:

1. Colours are great visual aids and can help children establish connections between words and meanings. It is also easy for teachers and nursery practitioners to integrate colours into learning across the curriculum. For instance, you could show a child an orange prompt card while reading with them and ask who has been mentioned in the story. As such, they will begin to associate orange with the word 'who.'

2. As children become more confident and familiar with which words the colours represent, they will be able to start constructing their own sentences by following the pattern.

What Are the Benefits of Colourful Semantics?

Colourful Semantics brings lots of benefits to children as it gives them confidence in their own ability to communicate.

As we mentioned earlier in the post, not being able to communicate can have a negative effect on your child as they will become very withdrawn.

Other benefits of Colourful Semantics include:

Helping children to expand their vocabulary.

Helping children to learn how to answer questions.

Develop a child's use of nouns, verbs, prepositions and adjectives.

Improving their story-telling skills, as it helps them to form a narrative.

Helps children make their sentences longer.

Can be carried out individually or in small groups which build social skills.

Ultimately will help children with sentence writing and language comprehension skills.

Who Can Benefit From Colourful Semantics?

Colourful semantics is beneficial for anyone who has difficulties with developing their words and structuring sentences.

This could include children with developmental language disorder (DLD) ( also sometimes known as specific language impairment), children with Down's Syndrome or Autistic children, or children who have any form of special educational need or disability (SEND).

However, it is also used in nurseries for children who do not have an SEND, as it supports their development in terms of their speaking and listening skills.

Furthermore, colourful semantics can help young children with their early reading and writing development as it helps them to see the order of different sentences. It can be an effective way of supporting children with English as an additional language to become more familiar with English vocabulary and sentence structures.

In turn, this helps children integrate better into a classroom environment as they are able to communicate with others. This is a core skill for outside the nursery too, as children will inevitably come into contact with other people so it's important they build their social skills.

As a teacher, it's also a great way of making your practice inclusive as it supports the needs of a wide range of pupils.

How to Get Started With Colourful Semantics

It's important to remember that every child is different.

Therefore, the starting point for colourful semantics will vary depending on a child's speech and language skills before the approach begins.

If a child can talk in small phrases like "she eating," then you can start by looking at 'who' and 'what doing' together and build the other questions in as their confidence grows.

However, some children might be much further behind and might still struggle with these smaller phrases. As a result, they will need more support and guidance from you so that they can start small with their vocabulary and work their way upwards.

Let's take a look at the different stages of getting started with colourful semantics.
Stage 1
Choose a prompt picture and give the child the 2 part sentence strip (orange and yellow which represents 'who' and 'what doing').

Provide them with a choice of 2 symbols for each section.

Work through each colour by asking - "who is in the picture" (orange) "what are they doing" (yellow). Ask the child to choose the correct symbol to answer each question and put it in the allocated space.

Once all of these symbols are in place, help the child to read out the sentence remembering to point to each picture. E.g. "the boy is eating a sandwich" "the girl is riding a bike".
Stage 2
A child should not move onto stage 2 unless they are able to consistently achieve stage 1.

This stage follows the same steps as above but will require the 3 part sentence strip (orange, yellow, and green)

Work through each colour by asking - "who is in the picture" (orange) "what are they doing" (yellow) and "what's this" (green)

Ask the child to choose the correct symbol to answer each question and put it in the allocated space. Once all symbols are in place, help the child to read out the sentence remembering to point to each picture. E.g. "the boy is eating a sandwich" "the girl is riding a bike".
Stage 3
A child should not move onto stage 3 unless they are able to consistently achieve stage 2.

This stage is about the child adding more detail to the sentences e.g. describing where the person is doing the action (blue).

Therefore the sentence above would now become "the boy is eating a sandwich in the park" or "the girl is riding a bike in the garden."

Practical tips for using Colourful Semantics

When you first start with colourful semantics, try not to be too concerned about the smaller grammatical words, e.g. 'the, is, a'.

If you find a child is missing these terms out, just model the sentence back to them with those words included for them to hear.

If a child has good literacy skills, you can also link colourful semantics into reading and writing activities too. For example, give them a reading book and ask them to colour code different parts of a sentence.

This will deepen their understanding of different words, and will also introduce them to new types of sentences.

Who Can Implement Colourful Semantics

There are a range of adults trained in the approach who can implement colourful semantics to help your child with their development.

This includes:

Speech and Language Therapists

Teachers

Teaching Assistants

EAL specialist/support Teachers

Parents/Carers

Tutors

Professionals

If you're unsure about how to implement this approach, make sure to speak to a Speech and Language Therapist.

They can provide training on how to use colourful semantics with specific children or if this is something you want to incorporate into your classroom, then they can provide training on a whole school approach.

Colourful Semantics: How Children Can Develop Language Through Colour

Colourful semantics helps children understand different words and build sentences independently by using colour.

This is a fantastic visual aid and allows children to associate different 'types' of words with different colours so that they can better understand where words fit into a sentence.

In turn, this enables them to speak and write more coherently, and also enables them to communicate with confidence.

This is a vital life skill and will set your little learner in good stead for the future. Not being able to communicate can have a huge negative impact on your child and can affect their personal development.

At Learning Journals, we know how important your child's development is to you. That's why we want to make sure you're part of their journey and don't miss out on a single moment. With our online platform, you can track your child's development and get a full picture of how they are progressing.

To find out more, request a free trial and see the benefits for yourself!

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Colourful Semantics: How Children Can Develop Language Through Colour

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Colourful semantics can help children understand words and develop their language by using colour. For any child, language is very important as it supports their ability to communicate with others. Find out more about colourful semantics in this blog post.

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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Selective mutism (SM) is used as a term to describe children and young people (CYP) who are able to talk comfortably to some people, such as family members and close friends, but are silent or unable to talk freely when other people are present. There is no guarantee that CYP who have SM will overco…

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When assessing a child for dyspraxia, what will the occupational therapist be checking for?

The occupational therapist (OT) will be looking to see if the child has difficult coming up with ideas for play, or craft, or construction. For example, can they think of things to build when playing with Lego? Can they come up with an idea for a picture when drawing? Or can they think of a game to play with their toys?

They may look for issues with tactile discrimination. Tactile discrimination links to the child or adult's ability to interpret touch sensory inputs. I discuss it further .

The therapist will check if the child can plan and organise their ideas. Children with dyspraxia typically can't figure out what to do. They may have an idea to create a cubby house, but not be able to figure out how to do this with the furniture and materials available. Their idea might be to draw a car, but they won't be able to think about how to do this. They will not automatically think that the wheels could be made by drawing circles. Once they draw a car, they will likely still need help to draw a bus as they won't necessarily generalise the plan to a new drawing. If given materials and an idea, can they create something? If you ask them to tidy up a space, can they figure out where to put things without very specific instructions?

Checking with parents and teachers

OTs will ask parents or teachers if the child finds learning new skills difficult. One of the biggest challenges children and adults with dyspraxia have is learning new skills. This is because they find ideas and planning difficult. New skills require a lot of planning. Once you have done the activity you have an idea on how to do it and then know how to do it again next time.

They will also ask about organisation of materials and time management.

What will the outcome of a dyspraxia assessment be?

This will depend on the service who has completed the assessment and why it has been requested. You may receive a summary or a longer report outlining the therapist's findings and any signs of dyspraxia they have observed. If the referral has come from your paediatrician then the therapist will provide information to help to inform their decision on diagnosis.

A home programme or list of support ideas may be provided. This may include ideas to help with self care skills, handwriting an/or sports. These vary depending on the individuals needs and preferences.

Additional therapy may be recommended and this will vary depending on the service that provided the assessment. Some therapists will recommend direct 1:1 therapy. This could include using a sensory integration approach. There is evidence for the CO-OP approach and this is used by many teams. More services are also moving to a parent coaching model where they provide parents or teachers with support to help them to identify how best to help the child to succeed.

Understanding the symptoms of dyspraxia

Having an understanding of the signs and symptoms of dyspraxia can help you to know if an assessment is needed. If dyspraxia or DCD is diagnosed, then this helps parents, teachers and the individual to have an understanding of why they find activities more challenging than their peers. As Ellie said in her TED talk, having the diagnosis was empowering and helped her parents to seek out the right support. It also helped her to know the Brownies was a more suitable and enjoyable extra-curricular activity for her than Ballet. Understanding is the first step in providing support.

Where to next?

Now you have read about the symptoms of dyspraxia, next I would recommend our post on how to help you can read it here How to Help Children with Dyspraxia - 8 Support Strategies.

If you would like to learn more about dyspraxia I recommend my post - What is Dyspraxia? It's much more than clumsiness!

If you would like to learn more about sensory processing and dyspraxia I highly recommend myonline training - Sensory Processing with GriffinOT, you can check out the free introduction to start you off.
Photo Credits
Feet on rock - Photo by Sebastiaan Stam on Unsplash, Girl 1 - Rajesh Rajput on Unsplash, Boy 1 - Jonas Mohamadi on Pexels, Girl with feathers - Photo by Mike Fox on Unsplash
Useful Reference
This NHS article on DCD also provides further information.

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Signs and Symptoms of Dyspraxia - Is my child dyspraxic? - by GriffinOT

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GriffinOT explores common signs and symptoms of dyspraxia, including personal perspectives and the process of assessment and diganosis.

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The disabled children and young people who access our services will typically have one or more learning difficulty, complex health needs, physical or sensory impairment, challenging behaviour, Autism or severe ADHD.

Our services are divided up into 4 key areas. These are:

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We Are Beams | Supporting Disabled Children and Their Families

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The disabled children and young people who access our services will typically have one or more learning difficulty, complex health needs, physical or sensory impairment, challenging behaviour, Autism or severe ADHD. Our services are divided up into 4 key areas. These are:

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Since 2016, this group of young people, ages 15-25, have shared their voices and lived experiences to steer, influence and advise the work we do. As well as advising on AET materials and strategy, Panel members speak at events, co-deliver training and support autism education networks.

Find out how this group of young people are supporting, co-producing and advising the AET.

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Helping you support autistic children and young people since 2007

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SEND in England for children aged 5-15 - Sense

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This page covers support for children aged 5-15 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in school.

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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Useful resources

Take a look at the following pages for more information on:

Strategies and advice

There are many ways to support speech development. These include

Phase out dummies and bottles as soon as possible

Be face to face when you talk

Encourage the child to look at you

Slow down your own speech

Focus on what your child says rather than how it's said

Model back the correct sounds but don't expect your child to repeat it, e.g. If your child says "tat" you could say "that's right, it's a cat"

Confirm what you DO understand

Acknowledge your child's feeling e.g. if they are frustrated

Avoid overcorrecting

Ensure your child is face watching when an adult says a word as this will ensure they can see how the sound and words are formed

Ensure your child is face watching when an adult says a word as this will ensure he can see how the sound and words are formed.

Speech workshop - Talking clearly: Helping your child's speech sound development

If your child has been seen by a member of the team you would have been advised to access our online training resource, we ask that parents /carers access this prior to therapy commencing.

Useful film clips
Top tips Sounds fun Supporting Phonological Awareness Minimal pairs - A therapy approach for children with a phonological delay or disorder Cued Articulation A guide to generalising speech sounds
Useful websites

National Literacy Trust
Has resources and information for parents, early years settings and schools to promote language and literacy development.

ICAN
For information relating to speech, language and communication needs.

AFASIC
This website supports parents and represents children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.

Talking Point
Talking Point gives parents/carers and practitioners the information they need to help children develop their speech, language and communication skills.

Training

The Children's Therapies Team support speech development at a range of levels this includes

Parent workshops

Pre-school / School years Key worker / TA workshops

Cued articulation training

Depending on your locality, these can be booked by either contact your local service or via the online shop.

Parent workshops to support speech sound development are offered by the SLT department for families known to the service.

Referral

Some speech sound errors are seen in typical speech sound development . If your child is making one or more of the typical error patterns after the age at which they are typically no longer seen, then their speech sound development is delayed and they would benefit from support from home and nursery/school.

Some children would benefit from help from the Speech and Language Therapy service and we would encourage you to consider a referral to our team if your child is doing any of the following:

Making any of the errors on the Speech Development advice sheet at least 18months after the age at which it is typically no longer seen.

Making mistakes which are not described on the Speech Development advice sheet (e.g. difficulties with vowels, missing consonant sounds off from the beginning or middle of words).

Saying words differently each time they try to say them.

Not able to make speech sounds in isolation at least one year after they should have developed (see Speech Sounds Developmental Norm Chart).

If your child is at nursery or school, discuss your concerns with them and agree together whether a referral is needed.

For Early years settings you can use the KCHFT Speech screen tool to help to decide if a referral is required. One hard copy of this screen is available to all settings for free. Alternatively please refer to below.

For school-aged children referrals should include a recent Speech Link assessment and evidence of two terms' worth of support in school.

The following speech sound development chart may also help in considering a child's speech development.

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Speech sounds are the sounds we use in words. If we use the right sounds in the right order then people can understand what we are saying. It can take a long time to learn how to make the right sounds. We think of speech sounds being different from the alphabet, they are the "pure" [...]

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Workshops for parents and carers to support children with additional needs.

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Workshops for parents Summer 2026 (1) (1) (1)