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Speech, Language and Communication support

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Speech, Language and Communication support

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Children’s Speech and Language Therapy :: North Cumbria Integrated Care

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We work with children and young people up to the age of 19 who have speech, language or communication needs. We can also help if your child has difficulties with eating, drinking or swallowing.

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In Morecambe Bay, Community CAMHS services are provided by Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust.

Further information about CAMHS can be found on the Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust website.

For referral criteria for CAMHS please see pages 9-11 of the criteria booklet:
Criteria Booklet
Contact details - North Lancashire

Lancaster and Morecambe CAMHS

Ross Centre

Euston Road

Morecambe

LA4 5LE

Tel: 01524 550650

Contact details - South Cumbria

Phone: 01229 402696
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or
NHS Net: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Address: South Cumbria CAMHS

Alfred Barrow Health Centre

Barrow in Furness

Cumbria

LA14 2LB

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Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)

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In Morecambe Bay, Community CAMHS services are provided by Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust. Further information about CAMHS can be found on the Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust website.

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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 SEND Local Offer is the central information point for families with children and young people aged up to 25 years with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

If you have would like to contact a member of the SEND Team, please see contact details below:
Barrow, Eden and South Lakes
inclusion.bandsl@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk
Tel: 01229 407403 You can also download our new Westmorland and Furness SEND Structure Chart [PDF 197KB] to contact a member of the SEND Team. Please note: Some web pages and service records are currently duplicated across both Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness sites. In due course, information will be split across the 2 new authorities.

News and events

1. Westmorland and Furness Council Library Service is hosting a variety of fantastic events over the coming weeks. The Summer Reading Challenge continues to play an...

2. Sign up for Newsletters to keep up to date with Cumbria's Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Continuous Improvement Plan...

3. On the 1 of April 2023 the Local Government Reorganisation will come into effect, and Cumbria County Council as well as the 6 district councils...

4. If there are particular areas of work or themes that you would like support with, activities or events then do let us know. We would...

5. News and Opinions All the latest news from across the SEND sector alongside expert comment and stories from the ground. News, blogs, resources, events and...

View all news articles

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Families Information | Westmorland and Furness SEND Local Offer

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The SEND Local Offer is the central information point for families with children and young people aged up to 25 years with special educational needs and/or disabilities. If you have would like to contact a member of the SEND Team, please see contact details below:...

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Family Hubs provide a welcoming space for families and the wider community in Westmorland and Furness. You can find your Family Hub in Barrow at Barrow Library.

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Starting Secondary School - children with SEND

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Starting Secondary School - children with SEND

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BBC Bitesize

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Starting secondary school with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

This film was recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a parent or carer of a child with special educational needs, or a child with an educational health & care plan the very idea of moving from primary to secondary school can feel daunting. Here are 5 top tips from an experienced inner city secondary school special educational needs co-ordinator, SENDCo, to help.

1. Create a one page profile about your child noting the difficulties and barriers they face at their primary school, and the strategies that work and that don’t work. This will help the school understand the world of your child quickly, from the people who understand them best, you. Things to consider when pulling it together; what’s currently working well at primary school? Can these strategies be replicated at the secondary school? Situations for your child to avoid, and main concerns about secondary school?

2. Visit the school on a regular school day with, and without, your child. When there, ask as many questions as you like; the school is new to you so don’t feel anything is silly to ask. What do you see are the barriers when you walk around; take notes if you need to.

3. Request a multi-agency meeting that will bring all key adults and agencies connected to the support and care of your child together in one meeting. Any key adult involved with the child would attend this meeting; class teacher, TA, parents, educational psychologist, communication interaction team, speech & language therapist etc. Your current primary SENDCo will be able to co-ordinate this with their secondary school equivalent. Bring along the one page profile, multiple copies if possible, so that it can be shared with everyone, and questions following your visit to the school.

Sample questions to ask:

Where can my child go if they are struggling/anxious/having a meltdown?

What happens at break and lunch time when it is unstructured time?

How can my child get help with reading/spelling/maths/homework?

How will support in assessments work?

Will my child get a Teaching assistant?

4. Ensure you have a named contact at the secondary school and their contact details. This can be the form tutor, SENDCo or head of year. Ask the school which is the best way of contacting them.

5. Consider what needs to be shared with your child:

Transition plan - between the professionals. Lists of multiple individuals and agencies could be overwhelming for the child.

Transition booklet – a go-to guide for the child with named staff and photos of key adults and rooms that they can keep in their bag or locker.

Avoid making your child anxious by saying things like "I don't know how it works, I don't know who to ask". Hopefully with a named contact this shouldn't happen.

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Starting secondary school with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

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SENDCo Trudi Skinner gives advice for parents of SEN children about to start secondary school.

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Top tips to help you / your child prepare emotionally for Secondary School

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Top tips to help you / your child prepare emotionally for Secondary School

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BBC Bitesize

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This film was recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Parents share their concerns before their child starts secondary school, including forming new friendships, new routines, and being overprotective. The film offers tips that can help you and your child prepare emotionally for these changes.

Tips:

Get your child to make a list of things they like about themselves, making sure they identify the attributes behind those qualities

Don't let your worries become their worries

Don't let them feel unsafe because you are constantly talking about safety

Prepare them for all of the new and fun opportunities that they'll have by talking to them about clubs and activities and encourage them to explore what's available

Increase the independence that you give them over the summer holidays or even their last months at primary school so that the jump to secondary feels natural

Let them know that should they need you, you are there for them and will help them no matter what

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Tips that can help you and your child prepare emotionally.

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CBBC Newsround

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What's it like starting a new school? | Newsround | Back to school

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Moving Up! Transition to Secondary School

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Moving Up! Transition to Secondary School

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Anna Freud

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Moving Up! The transition to secondary school (SUBTITLED)

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Starting Primary School - children with SEND

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Starting Primary School - children with SEND

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BBC Bitesize

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Madeline explains what happened when her daughter Eleanor, who has Down’s Syndrome, started primary school.

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BBC Bitesize

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Starting primary school - BBC Parents' Toolkit - BBC Bitesize

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Advice and games to help you and your child prepare for primary school, then thrive during their first year.

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Starting Primary School - parent stories

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Starting Primary School - parent stories

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CBeebies

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CBeebies

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Starting school: parents' stories

All Time for School
Time for School - Starting school: parents' stories

Real-life experiences, memories and advice from teachers, parents and CBeebies presenters about starting school.

Your child's first day at school can be really nerve-wracking for both you and your little one. Here at CBeebies Grown-ups we've collected some of our favourite articles about starting school. We asked some parents to share their own personal experiences with us and some of the CBeebies presenters joined in on the action too!

The teacher's story: starting school

Mum and early years teacher Susan tells CBeebies Grown-ups what it's like when you're a teacher and your own child is starting school...
Can you remember how you were feeling on the first day – what happened?
That’s the trickiest part of balancing being a teacher and being a mum – I wasn’t able to take time off work to be there... READ MORE

Parent's experience: starting nursery

Mum Emma talks to CBeebies Grown-ups about her experience of her daughter Fianna (aged two) starting at nursery…

Why did you choose the nursery that you did for your little girl?

My daughter Fianna originally went to a child minder from the age of twelve months, but just after her 2nd birthday my husband and I... READ MORE

Parent's experience: starting school

Mum Beate talks to CBeebies Grown-ups about her experience of her son Lucas starting Reception.

Can you tell us a little bit about you and your child?

Lucas is now six years old and about to start year 2. He has loved going to school, most of the time... READ MORE

Parent's experience: starting home education

Mum Alice talks to CBeebies Grown-ups about her experience of starting home education with her son...

Why did you choose to home educate?

After my son arrived our bond seemed so strong that I couldn’t think of sending him into day care, be that a nursery or a child minder... READ MORE

Parent's experience: starting school with special needs

Dad Chris talks to CBeebies Grown-ups about his experience of his daughter Harriet starting school…

Can you tell us a little bit about you and your children

Harriet is a twin who is diagnosed with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) and was born premature at 28 weeks... READ MORE

Starting school: Cerrie's memories

CBeebies presenter Cerrie shares her own memories of school and her experiences as a mum...

What do you remember about starting school?

I couldn't read until I was eight (when my dyslexia was finally diagnosed) so my I spent my first four years of primary school in a lovely imaginative daydream... READ MORE

Starting school: Cat, Andy and Katy's memories

We caught up with some of the CBeebies presenters to see what they remember about their first days at school… READ MORE

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Time for School - Starting school: parents’ stories

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Real-life experiences, memories and advice from teachers, parents and CBeebies presenters about starting school.

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Top tips to support your child starting primary school during the pandemic

This article was last updated on 24 August 2020

by Paula Nagel, Educational Psychologist

Starting school is a big event which typically involves a rollercoaster of emotions. This year, however, isn’t typical and we might already feel as if we've been riding the emotional rollercoaster for some time.

As we continue to adapt to the uncertainties of the pandemic, we can’t always prepare for big events as we usually would - and starting school is one of them. So if your child is starting school this year and you’re worried about the impact of the current situation and being ‘school ready’, you’re not alone!

Here are some tips to help your child - and you - feel confident about the big day.

1. Focus on the things you can control

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You may have had expectations about the run up to starting school, the meetings and visits, that haven’t been able to take place. Focusing on what might have been and the things that are out of our control can be emotionally draining, but remember that your child is unlikely to be aware of these expectations and will take the new plans at face value. Try instead to focus on what you can do to help your child feel confident and excited about starting school.

Although you may not have been able to visit your child’s new classroom, many schools have online tours, photographs and school information on their website. Share this information with your child so they are familiar with people and places. Take a virtual tour of a reception class and make a list of the activities they are looking forward to trying. If you can, rehearse the school run a few times. Help your child practise important independence and social skills such as getting dressed, making choices and taking turns. You can explore some of these themes in the My First Day at School game.

2. Wonder about emotions

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Helping your child to begin to put their feelings into words is a step towards school readiness. When children can recognise their feelings, and say things like, ‘That makes me mad’ or ‘I’m feeling scared’ then they are less likely to be hijacked by difficult emotions that can get in the way of learning and making friends. Young children often watch adults to learn how to deal with their emotions, especially during challenging times. Set an example by talking about some of your basic feelings using words like ‘happy’, ‘sad’, ‘angry’, ‘scared’, ‘excited’, and use books and stories to explore how the characters are feeling.

Try to put yourself in your child’s shoes and notice and wonder how they might be feeling and why. Remember that they may not share your concerns about the current situation and may be more worried about things like making friends, what happens at lunchtimes and breaktimes, and using the bathroom. Help them to notice how their body responds to their different feelings. For example, “I can see you are frowning and I’m wondering if that’s because you’re feeling puzzled or worried? Is that right?”

As well as noticing and naming emotions it’s important to help your child learn that there are things we can do to manage our feelings. Why not make a calm box or self-soothing bag filled with things you both enjoy and can do together when you’re feeling big emotions like worry, sadness or anger? Try putting a range of things in your calm kits like bubbles, favourite books, soft toys, textured materials, colouring or sorting activities, and see what works best.

Being able to notice feelings, name them, and find ways to manage them is a lifelong skill, and it’s never too early to start encouraging this.

3. Try to give information that is ‘just right’ for your child

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Don’t be afraid to talk about any difficult feelings children may have about school or the current situation. Understandably, we often have the urge to make things better and solve or get rid of the emotion as quickly as we can, especially if it’s a difficult or painful one. But that’s not always possible or the most helpful thing to do.

Try to listen carefully, take their worries seriously and see things from their point of view. For example, “I know you’re worried about meeting your new teacher and it’s ok to feel worried when things are new and different.” Then try to give honest information to reassure them. “Your teacher is there to look after you and they want you to be happy. They will have lots of exciting things planned to get to know you and help you make friends.” It’s ok not to have all the answers but try to be open and honest, giving ‘just the right amount’ of information. You know your child best, so remember the idea of not giving ‘too much’ or ‘too little’.

4. Try to establish some routines

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Having a routine can be like putting down an anchor when things around us feel different, so keeping some familiar home routines is always a good idea when children start school. However this year, with the disruption of the pandemic, we may have lost many of our established routines. Your child may have spent longer periods of time at home and you may be worried about how they will separate from you during those first few days. Remember it’s normal for young children to show some distress when they go into an unfamiliar situation, and this usually won’t be long-lasting.

Try to reassure your child by giving them simple, practical information about the school day and drop-off and pick-up arrangements. It’s a really good idea to try to get some regular routines in place before your child starts school. Think about how you can make bedtime, morning, and after school routines more predictable. In the weeks leading up to the start date try to practise morning and evening routines.

Familiarise your child with the school run, or make laying out the uniform, packing the school bag and the bedtime story all part of the usual bedtime routine. If you have information about the plans for breaktimes and lunchtimes, and expectations for handwashing and sanitising in school, make this into a story for your child so that it feels familiar before it happens. Routines can help us all feel safer; if we know what to expect, it can take away some of the guesswork and stress.

5. Remember to look after yourself

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Looking after your own wellbeing needs to be a priority. It’s so much harder to be there for your child’s emotional ups and downs if you don’t care for yourself first. It also sets a good example for your child too. Self-care is very personal and can look different for each of us. Try to spend some time thinking about the healthy things that help you feel good about yourself, switch off and relax.

Find out what works for you - whether that’s having a quiet cup of tea, catching up with a friend, keeping a journal, yoga, listening to music, or walking the dog. Starting school isn’t a one-off event, but a process which will last over the coming weeks and months, so try turning your own self-care into a long-term habit. Don’t think of it as a luxury; it’s a necessity.

By Paula Nagel, Principal Educational Psychologist at children’s mental health charity Place2Be.

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Top tips to support your child starting primary school during the pandemic

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Is your child starting primary school this September? Educational Psychologist Paula Nagel has some advice for parents/guardians.

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BBC Bitesize

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Starting primary school - BBC Parents' Toolkit - BBC Bitesize

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Advice and games to help you and your child prepare for primary school, then thrive during their first year.

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Bereavement and loss ELSA Resources - Elsa Support

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Bereavement and loss resources are focused on death, dying or emotions around loss. This may be due to separation or divorce. Animals are covered in some resources because this may be a pupil's first experience of loss.

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Winston's Wish is the UK's childhood bereavement charity. We support children and their families after the death of someone important.

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A folder with lots of activities to learn how to spell common exception words

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Child and Family Support Service

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Home * What we do * Children & Families * 0-19 Child and Family Support Service

Supporting children and families in Allerdale, Barrow, Carlisle and Copeland

Family Action is delighted to be working closely with Cumbria County Council to deliver their new 0-19 Child and Family Support Service, having officially taken over provision on 1 January 2020.

Our support

We are currently in the process of mapping existing provision against the new service specifications. In the meantime, we expect existing services to continue as usual. If you have any specific questions, for instance around session times or availability, please see the new ' What's On ' guides for each area below, or speak directly with your local centre manager.

Once the above mapping has been finalised, we will be offering a wide range of services, including but not limited to:

Advice:

Information and advice sessions

Online information, advice and support

Signposting to local services

Universal peer support group

Help:

Support and coaching on a 1:1 basis

Referral to a universal or specialist service

Participation in specialist group work

Further help:

Bespoke 1:1 support and coaching to help you address your and your family's needs

Referral to a universal or specialist service

Follow-up coaching

Current services

Get information on all the current services and activities available in each area in our new ' What's On ' guides, as well as where to find them and how to get in touch, by clicking on the relevant section below.

We're here to provide a listening ear, answer particular parenting questions or help with guidance around more complex issues. All support takes place via telephone, text message or email and is free.

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0-19 Child and Family Support Service - Family Action

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Family Action is delighted to be working closely with Cumbria County Council to deliver their new 0-19 Child and Family Support Service, having officially taken over provision on 1 January 2020. Our support We are currently in the process of mapping existing provision against the new service specifications.

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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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12 Amazing Superpowers of students with ADHD 

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12 Amazing Superpowers of students with ADHD 

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The positives of ADHD are numerous and mighty - creativity, empathy, and tenacity, just to name a few. Here, readers share their amazing superpowers.

Thinking positive to find the plus sides of adhd.

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Problem solving skills are a positive about ADHD.

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Children use their creativity to build a fort.

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A teenager consoles a friend, using her gift of compassion.

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Girl with snorkel by family unpacking van shows her sense of humor.

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The word impossible is written on a chalkboard, with the "im" crossed out, because those with ADHD have perseverance.

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A woman is very observant and employs her keen sense of observation.

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A mom holds her child while also ironing - multitasking is a strength for those with ADHD.

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A man is very focused on writing in his notebook. Hyperfocus is a positive trait of ADHD.

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A group of young children are running with endless energy, another positive trait of ADHD.

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A father and son play airplane together. Their seal for life is an ADHD superpower.

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A green apple in a group of oranges illustrates differences. Kids and adults with ADHD are very accepting.

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A road sign has an arrow pointing to Right and another toward wrong. Those with ADHD have a strong moral compass.

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Young minds advice for supporting a child with ADHD

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Young minds advice for supporting a child with ADHD

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What is ADHD?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects behaviour and concentration.

Children and young people with ADHD often seem unusually restless, impulsive or distracted. They may speak or act without thinking, struggle with organisation, find it hard to focus or appear to be always on the go. Some people with ADHD do not experience hyperactivity though, and this is sometimes called attention deficit disorder (ADD).

ADHD is not a mental illness or a learning disability, though children and young people with ADHD may also have other conditions or experience mental health problems.

Living with ADHD can be very challenging, for children and young people as well as for their parents and carers. But the right diagnosis, treatment and support can make a big difference to a child's learning, life skills and relationships, as well as making family life easier. There is also lots you can do as a parent/carer to help your child manage the things they find difficult.

What are the most common symptoms of ADHD?

A child with ADHD may be:

easily distracted, finding it difficult to start or finish tasks

often unable to concentrate

often restless or fidgety

very talkative, often interrupting or blurting things out

impulsive, acting before considering consequences, prone to taking risks

easily angry or frustrated, struggling to deal with emotions

finding making or maintaining friendships difficult

disorganised, for instance often losing things or being late

lacking awareness of time

Every child or young person with ADHD is individual and they may not display all of these behaviours. And many of these traits and behaviours are typical in younger children, or can follow a traumatic experience - they don't necessarily mean your child has ADHD.

Age and gender can also affect how someone with ADHD behaves. This can make it harder to spot signs of ADHD, particularly in girls, who are more likely to be undiagnosed or wrongly diagnosed with other conditions(i).

Typically the symptoms of ADHD develop in early childhood and they may become particularly noticeable at times of significant change, such as starting or changing school.

What to do if you think your child might have ADHD

If your child frequently experiences some of these symptoms; this is affecting their day- to- day life; and it's happening in more than one setting (for instance at home and school), discuss your concerns with your child's GP. Before doing this, talk to your child's teacher and the school special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) about what they have noticed.

The GP may want to refer your child for assessment, as ADHD can only be diagnosed by a specialist such as a child and adolescent psychiatrist or paediatrician.

Sometimes parents are reluctant to pursue assessment. They may be worried about 'labelling' their child or about stigma, or they may prefer to watch and wait. These feelings are normal. But parents and young people who do seek diagnosis can find it helps them access the right support; understand and manage challenges; and identify individual strengths.

We have more information about getting support from the GP, CAMHS or school in our guide.

ADHD diagnosis, support and treatment

ADHD assessment is usually done through the specialist Children and Young People's Mental Health Services, commonly referred to as CAMHS.

Diagnosis is most commonly made in childhood, and in the majority of cases, symptoms affecting daily life continue into adulthood(ii).

There is no single, definitive test for ADHD. Specialists will base clinical diagnosis on a combination of observations of your child; discussions and questionnaires (with you and your child); and information from your child's school.

They will consider how long the symptoms have been present; their impact on your child's daily life; and whether they might be due to another condition. Approximately 60-80% of children with ADHD have at least one other condition,(iii) (such as autistic spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, anxiety or behaviour problems) and your child may be given more than one diagnosis.

Support and treatment options

You and your child should be offered support and advice to help manage ADHD in their day-to-day life.

ADHD can also be treated with medication and/or therapies. These should be discussed with you when your child is diagnosed, and are set out in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on ADHD.

ADHD can be treated with therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). For more information about therapy, see our parent guide to counselling and therapy.

There are a number of types of medication. These are not a cure for ADHD, and many children do not take them, but they can help manage some of the symptoms. Medication must be prescribed and overseen by a specialist.

You may also be offered ADHD -focussed parent training. This does not mean your parenting is somehow wrong. It is designed to provide support and specific strategies and skills to help you and your child thrive.

Jack is still perennially late, disorganised and impulsive; but he's also energetic, original and creative. The medication is helping him make the most of all of that.

How can I help my child with ADHD?

Be explicit and consistent about unacceptable behaviour, such as violence. Set appropriate consequences and follow them through, but try to stay calm in the moment to avoid escalation. Dealing with challenging behaviour can be very hard, and our parent guide has helpful advice.

Plan the day so your child knows what to expect. Maintaining regular sleep patterns, physical activity and mealtimes can help your child. Some people find dietary change and/or certain supplements helpful, but there is no clinical evidence for this and medical advice should be sought first(iv). Our young person's guide has helpful advice on sleep problems.

ADHD and your child's mental health

Any child or young person can struggle with their mental health and wellbeing, whether or not they have ADHD. This might be caused by things like family change, bullying, exam stress or a traumatic event.

But having ADHD may also mean your child has extra challenges - such as social difficulties, struggling to manage their emotions or getting into trouble at school - that leave them more vulnerable to low self-esteem, anxiety or depression.

Children and young people with ADHD frequently have other developmental or mental health conditions and it is important to ensure they have the appropriate support for these.

As a parent there is a lot you can do to support your child with their wellbeing and mental health:

encourage your child to talk about how they are feeling with you. Our starting a conversation guide has ideas for keeping communication open

if you feel your child may have a mental health problem or another condition alongside ADHD, discuss your concerns with their GP or ADHD specialist.

Working with school if your child has ADHD

ADHD is a special education need (SEN), and it may be referred to as a specific learning difference (SpLD). Your child is entitled to appropriate support to help them thrive socially and educationally. This could include potential adjustments in certain situations, such as extra time or rest breaks for exams, movement breaks in lessons, written instructions for tasks and a seating plan that minimises distractions.

Discuss the diagnosis and needs with the school's SENCO, taking a list of your concerns and background information to the meeting.

Your child may be entitled to an education, health and care plan (EHC plan) which details the support they need and how it will be provided. (The National Autistic Society has helpful information about EHC plans.)

Good communication between you and school can be really helpful in ensuring your child thrives in education and meets their potential. Our parent guide to support has more advice on talking to school or college.

ADHD in teenagers and beyond

If your child is a teenager or young person, their needs and the support you give may well be different from when they were younger. They may like to read our young person's guide to ADHD and mental health. But there are still many ways you can help.

Looking after your own wellbeing

Parenting a child with ADHD can sometimes be isolating, upsetting or exhausting. Sometimes parents feel judged or blamed by others (unjustifiably as parenting does not cause ADHD). It is entirely understandable if you are finding things difficult.

It's important to recognise the impact the situation is having on you, and think about ways you can take care of yourself - including getting support from other people so that you can take some time off. It's okay to ask for help when you need it, and to share your worries with someone you trust. We have advice on looking after yourself as well as your child.

Our son's challenging behaviour with ADHD had an enormous impact on the whole family, as we and his brothers bore the brunt of his anger.

Where to get further support

If you would to speak to a professional adviser or find out more about how you can support your child, these organisations can help.

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Help Your Child With ADHD | Parents Guide to Support

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What is ADHD? Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects behaviour and concentration. Children and young people with ADHD often seem unusually restless, impulsive or distracted. They may speak or act without thinking, struggle with organisation, find it hard to focus or appear to be always on the go.

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Resources to support young people with ADHD

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Resources to support young people with ADHD

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

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Fine Motor Skills Activities for Older Kids

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These fine motor skills activities could work with older kids who find other tasks too childish.

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Gross Motor and Core Strength Activities

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Gross Motor and Core Strength Activities

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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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Looking to boost your typing speed? Kidztype.com has got you covered with our exciting collection of free typing games. Unleash the power of your fingers as you enjoy thrilling activities like whacking moles, racing through the jungle, bursting rockets, and competing in races with cars, bikes, and boats. Our captivating keyboard games provide the perfect blend of fun and skill-building, allowing you to enhance your typing skills while having a great time. With Kidztype's tailored-made games, you'll be typing faster and more efficiently in no time!

Fun and Engaging Free Typing Games for Kids: Boost Typing

Advancing Skills through Games:

Coordination and Accuracy: Typing game improve hand-eye coordination as kids learn to synchronize their hand movements with what they see on the screen. This helps them become more accurate and proficient in navigating the keyboard.

Vocabulary and Spelling: Many keyboard games incorporate word and sentence challenges, expanding children's speech and enhancing their spelling skills. Kids reinforce their language skills while improving their typing speed by repeating words and sentences in a fun context..

Speed and Motivation: By offering challenges and achievements,kidztype games motivate kids to improve their speed and accuracy. Setting high scores and beating previous records provides a sense of accomplishment and encourages them to continue practising and advancing their skills.

Engaging Kids through Interactive Games:

Easy-to-Learn Methods: The games use simple and memorable techniques to teach keyboarding skills. Kids can quickly grasp concepts like letter placement, home rows, upper rows, and numbers, making learning more accessible and enjoyable.

Exciting Themes: With captivating themes like fantasy worlds, car races, and space adventures, these games capture children's imagination and keep them engaged. The immersive experience ensures that learning to type feels like an exciting adventure rather than a chore.

Customizable Difficulty: The games offer scalable complexity and difficulty settings, allowing children to progress independently. Whether they're beginners or more advanced typists.

Suitability for Kids of All Ages:

These Keyboard games and dance mat typing activities are suitable for kids of any age. Starting early with keyboarding skills sets a strong foundation for the future. Whether your child is just beginning or wants to refine their typing abilities, these games provide a platform for growth and improvement.

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Typing Games - Learn Typing with Free Keyboard Games - KidzType.com

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Kidztype Typing Games: Kidztype's keyboard games are the best way to master typing speed and accuracy. Choose a suitable typing game to sharpen your fingers! Check us out and start playing now!

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Site about touch typing technics, here you can download typing tutor, get online typing test and to play in online typing games.

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Easy, actionable, and functional Occupational Therapy activities and interventions. OT resources and information to help kids thrive.

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Videos

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These are videos that we have found useful working with young people and families as well as videos they have suggested to us.

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Apps

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A meditation app that acts as a personal guide to health and happiness

An online cognitive behaviour therapy program for depression and anxiety

​

A free app designed to help teens and young adults cope with anxiety.

Helps build resilience - the ability to stay strong, motivated and optimistic even in the face of difficult obstacles

Turns the latest innovations in the science of happiness into activities and games that help you lead a more fulfilling life.

A meditation program developed by psychologists and educators to help bring mindfulness into your life

Chill Panda helps children better understand their stress and shows them ways to feel better using breathing techniques, yoga, exercise and calming games.

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A meditation app that acts as a personal guide to health and happiness An online cognitive behaviour therapy program for depression and anxiety ​ A free app designed to help teens and young adults cope with anxiety.

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Advice, learning activities & recommended toys, books & resources for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

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Fun and practical phonics activities you can do at home

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Learn while being active!
Lots of ideas for Maths at KS1 and KS2!

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Super Movers helps children across the UK to get physically active with curriculum linked videos.

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Mental Maths challenges

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Daily 10 - Mental Maths Challenge - Topmarks

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Daily 10 is a primary maths resource for teachers of Years 1 to 6. It asks ten random questions on addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, ordering, partitioning, digit values and more. Ideal for use on a IWB and as a starter or plenary activity.

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Quick fire maths questions covering a range of key maths facts

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QR CODE

Scan this on mobiles and tablets to quickly open this web page.

Hit the Button is an interactive maths game with quick fire questions on number bonds, times tables, doubling and halving, multiples, division facts and square numbers. The games, which are against the clock, challenge and develop mental maths skills. An untimed, practise mode is available in our Hit the Button app along with lots more extra features.

The activities can be matched to appropriate mathematical ability. Regular use of Hit the Button can help students to sharpen their recall of vital number facts in a fun way and learning multiplication tables need not be boring.

AGE

6-11 Years

SUBJECTS

Maths Times Tables Division Number Bonds Doubles Halves Square Numbers

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Hit the Button - Quick fire maths practise for 6-11 year olds

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Quick fire questions on number bonds, doubles, halves, times tables, division facts and square numbers against the clock. Superb!

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You will need individual login details for this. Please ask your class teacher if you are unsure of how to login.

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Times Tables Rock Stars – Times Tables Rock Stars

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A number of games to help strengthen your memory in different ways

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PLAY NOW

Why MentalUP Memory Games?

MentalUP used trustfully by schools and thousands of families, helps memory matching improvement and learning ability of children and contributes to their success at school.

There are over 150+ online exercises for free! Let's test, train and improve your mind:

MentalUP is a participant of the University College London Institute of Education EDUCATE Program.

Trusted by World Leading Communities

We recommend the MentalUP which is developed by academicians and pedagogues and is filled with educational brain teasers.

MentalUP Educational Games will enable your child to use technology in a beneficial way.

MentalUP is an online innovative games resources for teachers and parents.

MentalUP does brain training well. Its games are easy to understand while challenging the skills which they are designed to stretch.

MentalUP is a UK-based award-winning scientific-educational application containing cognitive learning games for K-8 learners.

MentalUP developed by game designers and academics incorporating innovative teaching methods to offer dozens of mind games.

CONTENTS OF THE MEMORY IMPROVEMENT GAMES

ONLINE VISUAL MEMORY AND AUDITORY MEMORY GAMES.

FREE & FUN EXERCISES IMPROVING SHORT-TERM AND LONG TERM MEMORY.

EFFICIENT MEMORY IMPROVING TECHNIQUES.

BENEFITS OF MENTALUP

ONLINE 20-MINUTES DAILY MEMORY EXERCISES

HELP TO REMEMBER MORE

IMPROVE CONCENTRATION AND SUSTAINED MEMORY

SUCCESS AT SCHOOL AND DURING EXAMS

Try MentalUP Memory Training Games and Improve Your Skills!

PLAY FOR FREE

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Memory Games for Kids Online & Free | MentalUP

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You can boost your skills with MentalUP's memory games for kids online, memory card games, memory match games, memory board games, working memory games.

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Dyslexia is a learning difference which primarily affects reading and writing skills.

However it does not only affect these skills. Dyslexia is all about how you process information.

Dyslexic people may have difficulty processing and remembering information they see and hear, which can affect learning.

And when we're almost all stuck at home studying, that can cause huge challenges if not managed in the right way.

"It must be quite overwhelming"

Mollie King is an ambassador for the British Dyslexia Association. She was diagnosed with dyslexia when she was in primary school.

"I was about 9 years old when I got the diagnosis," she says. "Suddenly everything made sense... I now understood why I found my reading so hard compared to my classmates.

"I found homework so hard because I learned through having a conversation and having a teacher talk to me about something."

When you're working at home on your own and not having conversations with friends and teachers that can make learning really tough. And if you have dyslexia, with virtual deadlines, it can be even tougher.

"It must be so overwhelming at points... If someone said to me you've got to read this quicker now all that's going to do is make me read more words in the wrong order... I'm best when I'm most relaxed and have time to process things."

And that's the key to getting a grasp of your dyslexia. Time to process.

Top tips for managing your dyslexia:

Setting the scene - make sure you're in a quiet place and minimise your distractions.

Take a brain break - take time out to help process information into bite size chunks... BUT don't watch TV!

Keep a learning journal - like a scrapbook it will help you keep track of what you've learnt.

Mollie and Donna from the British Dyslexia Association have shared their insights into how best you can handle your dyslexia in lockdown and help you form strategies that will have a positive effect on your learning, whether you are remote-learning or in the classroom.

Dyslexia can be your superpower

Mollie, who's a member of the girl group 'The Saturdays', and now a Radio 1 presenter, says her dyslexia has never held her back - and she's not met anyone who's dyslexic that hasn't had the "fire in their belly" to work hard.

Dyslexia is definitely not something to hold you back, and in some ways can actually be a superpower

She says being dyslexic has only meant she, like many others, have just had to work that bit harder.

Whilst recognising that learning in lockdown must be incredibly challenging if you have a learning difference like dyslexia, identifying and understanding how to manage it can actually make you better equipped to deal with difficult circumstances, like home learning.

And with that determination to succeed it can be your superpower.
How have you been handling your dyslexia in lockdown? Do you have any tips for what's worked for you? Let us know.

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Mollie King on dyslexia: In some ways it's your superpower - CBBC Newsround

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Dyslexia is a learning difference which primarily affects reading and writing skills. However it does not only affect these skills. Dyslexia is all about how you process information. Dyslexic people may have difficulty processing and remembering information they see and hear, which can affect learning.

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Amazing Things Happen - by Alexander Amelines

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Home * What we do * Children & Families * 0-19 Child and Family Support Service

Supporting children and families in Allerdale, Barrow, Carlisle and Copeland

Family Action is delighted to be working closely with Cumbria County Council to deliver their new 0-19 Child and Family Support Service, having officially taken over provision on 1 January 2020.

Our support

We are currently in the process of mapping existing provision against the new service specifications. In the meantime, we expect existing services to continue as usual. If you have any specific questions, for instance around session times or availability, please see the new ' What's On ' guides for each area below, or speak directly with your local centre manager.

Once the above mapping has been finalised, we will be offering a wide range of services, including but not limited to:

Advice:

Information and advice sessions

Online information, advice and support

Signposting to local services

Universal peer support group

Help:

Support and coaching on a 1:1 basis

Referral to a universal or specialist service

Participation in specialist group work

Further help:

Bespoke 1:1 support and coaching to help you address your and your family's needs

Referral to a universal or specialist service

Follow-up coaching

Current services

Get information on all the current services and activities available in each area in our new ' What's On ' guides, as well as where to find them and how to get in touch, by clicking on the relevant section below.

We're here to provide a listening ear, answer particular parenting questions or help with guidance around more complex issues. All support takes place via telephone, text message or email and is free.

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0-19 Child and Family Support Service - Family Action

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Family Action is delighted to be working closely with Cumbria County Council to deliver their new 0-19 Child and Family Support Service, having officially taken over provision on 1 January 2020. Our support We are currently in the process of mapping existing provision against the new service specifications.

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Independent Provider of Special Education Advice

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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

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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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Who to contact

Contact Name

Action for Children

Telephone

01539 734456

E-mail

south.lakeland@actionforchildren.org.uk

Where to go

Address

Lund Terrace
Ulverston
Cumbria

Postcode

LA12 9BE

Last updated: 18/12/2020

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Contact Name Action for Children Telephone 01539 734456 E-mail south.lakeland@actionforchildren.org.uk Address Lund Terrace Ulverston Cumbria Postcode LA12 9BE Last updated: 18/12/2020

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Here at Hart Street everybody is treated as an individual with respect and dignity. The Home provides short breaks care as a positive and flexible service for children/young people of both sexes aged 8-18, with learning disabilities - some of whom may have associated physical and/or sensory disabilities. All young people have a social/family worker and are evaluated for the service by The Panel that meets monthly. The Home aims to work with the young person, their parent/carer and any associated person, in order to provide an individualised service. We work with the social work team to provide a service offering support to the families and giving the young people a variety of experiences.

Who to contact

Contact Name

Frank John Tripp

Contact Position

Registered Manager

Telephone

01229 582271

E-mail

frank.tripp@carlislemencap.co.uk

Last updated: 18/12/2020

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Hart Street - Short Break Commissioned Providers

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Here at Hart Street everybody is treated as an individual with respect and dignity. The Home provides short breaks care as a positive and flexible service for children/young people of both sexes aged 8-18, with learning disabilities - some of whom may have associated physical and/or sensory disabilities.

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BBC - how to boost positivity for your family at home

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BBC - how to boost positivity for your family at home

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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we live as individuals and as families. We are uncertain about the future and we are limited in what we can do. It's not surprising that we may sometimes struggle to feel happy and motivated.

This is true for both grown-ups and children. How often have we, as parents, felt frustrated or irritable during lockdown? How many times have we found ourselves snapping in situations that we could usually take in our stride? This is the same for children, and it often simply reflects that we have all been facing a difficult situation and need to find better ways of coping with it.

Unfortunately, we can't magically change our feelings, or our children's feelings, by clicking our fingers. However, we can work to change our behaviour, which in turn can influence our emotions.

Here are some tips to help you boost positivity within your family and manage difficult emotions that may arise at this time and in the future.

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How to boost positivity for your family at home

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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we live as individuals and as families. We are uncertain about the future and we are limited in what we can do. It's not surprising that we may sometimes struggle to feel happy and motivated. This is true for both grown-ups and children.

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Mental Health film made by children (Anna Freud)

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Mental Health film made by children (Anna Freud)

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Free online platform with leaning games about vocabulary and grammar

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Break Down Barriers and Increase Outcomes:

Vocabulary Ninja was created to offer exciting, time saving and evidence-based learning resources that have impact, particularly focusing on developing, deepening and widening a pupil's vocabulary. Your student's vocabulary is quite simply their key to unlocking the doors to a world of understanding. Without an ever widening and deepening vocabulary, we can never hope for our children to be excellent communicators, problems solvers or empathetic and understanding human beings. Vocabulary, or quite simply put...words can be a significant barrier to understanding, learning and communication. And so, it is Vocabulary Ninja's mission to provide an ever-developing range or learning resources for schools, parents, teachers and pupils to engage with and use.

Free For Everyone:

Vocabulary Ninja's Mini Games are totally free to use, are ad free and are 100% safe for your child to use on a range of different mobile and computer-based devices. Each game has been designed to be simple to use and extremely playable, whilst covering a range of vocabulary, grammar and sentence level priorities that align with the National Curriculum. 'What's the catch?' I heard you ask. There's not catch, no-one is excluded, and everyone has the opportunity to grow and develop their working vocabularies! All we ask is that you spread the word and share the Vocabulary Ninja Mini Games with everyone you know! Especially in the modern home learning climate, Vocabulary Ninja's Mini Games are a fantastic resource to be able to share with parents and pupils to support the development of their learning at home.

A Whole World of Vocabulary Ninja:

If you haven't heard of Vocabulary Ninja previously, we have an outstanding resource website with thousands of high-quality resources to support learning in school and at home. We offer low-cost, annual teacher subscriptions as well as subscriptions for the whole school allowing for multiple users. Vocabulary also has a series of highly-recommended academic texts covering vocabulary development, reading comprehension and writing, all of which can be found at www.bloomsbury.co.uk or vendors such as Amazon.

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Vocabulary Ninja was created to offer exciting, time saving and evidence-based learning resources that have impact, particularly focusing on developing, deepening and widening a pupil's vocabulary. Your student's vocabulary is quite simply their key to unlocking the doors to a world of understanding.

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Home * What we do * Children & Families * 0-19 Child and Family Support Service

Supporting children and families in Allerdale, Barrow, Carlisle and Copeland

Family Action is delighted to be working closely with Cumbria County Council to deliver their new 0-19 Child and Family Support Service, having officially taken over provision on 1 January 2020.

Our support

We are currently in the process of mapping existing provision against the new service specifications. In the meantime, we expect existing services to continue as usual. If you have any specific questions, for instance around session times or availability, please see the new ' What's On ' guides for each area below, or speak directly with your local centre manager.

Once the above mapping has been finalised, we will be offering a wide range of services, including but not limited to:

Advice:

Information and advice sessions

Online information, advice and support

Signposting to local services

Universal peer support group

Help:

Support and coaching on a 1:1 basis

Referral to a universal or specialist service

Participation in specialist group work

Further help:

Bespoke 1:1 support and coaching to help you address your and your family's needs

Referral to a universal or specialist service

Follow-up coaching

Current services

Get information on all the current services and activities available in each area in our new ' What's On ' guides, as well as where to find them and how to get in touch, by clicking on the relevant section below.

We're here to provide a listening ear, answer particular parenting questions or help with guidance around more complex issues. All support takes place via telephone, text message or email and is free.

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0-19 Child and Family Support Service - Family Action

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Family Action is delighted to be working closely with Cumbria County Council to deliver their new 0-19 Child and Family Support Service, having officially taken over provision on 1 January 2020. Our support We are currently in the process of mapping existing provision against the new service specifications.

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What is Autism Support Cumbria?

Autism Support Cumbria provides personalised services to children, adults, families, businesses and organisations.

Autism Support Cumbria serves northern areas of Cumbria, providing support and strategies for individuals who are on the autistic spectrum and their families; I know from personal experience how difficult day-to-day tasks can be for someone who is autistic. Managing socially, getting organised and being bombarded with everyday situations can be overwhelming for anyone on the spectrum: the sound of hand-driers, the feel of clothing, walking into a crowded room, meeting new people, being asked to perform more than one task at a time - can all cause difficulties, whether or not they have learning needs or are high-functioning.

You do not need an official diagnosis of autism to contact me.

Support for adults and children

I am able to offer 1:1 support, working with individuals who want strategies to cope with certain situations eg social conversations, managing anxiety or coping with every-day tasks.

Family support

I can offer advice, guidance, support and strategies to parents and carers on how best to work through everyday situations and how to deal with potential conflicts and 'meltdowns'.

Form filling

Do you need help with form filling such as the Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Education Health & Care Plan (ECHP)?

Do you need advocacy when trying to resolve issues with others, such as school?

Are you an adult encountering difficulties within the workplace, do you need someone to speak for you?

Consultancy

Does your business or organisation require guidance with regard to employees who have a diagnosis of autism?

What do 'reasonable adjustments' mean for you?

Do you need advice about autism and what it means for your business?

Do you need more information about autism and how to help your customers in order to provide a better service?

I am able to deliver an autism awareness package, highlighting what autism is and how you can be more autism friendly.

Schools and colleges

With more than 1 in 100 children on the autism spectrum, it is one of the most common types of special educational need, and it affects children in every school in the country. Some 70 per cent are educated in mainstream schools.

As such I am able to provide staff training for teachers.

One survey carried out by the NAS found that 58% of autistic children and young people with autism believe that the single thing that would make school better for them is 'if teachers understood autism'.

A survey conducted by the NASUWT in 2013 found that 60 per cent of teachers believe that they haven't had the training they need to teach pupils who are on the autism spectrum.

Support Groups

I am able to offer general strategies to those who require further information about autism and strategies about the condition, whether your support group is for children or adults.

Academic Tuition

As a trained English teacher I am able to privately home tutor clients in some academic subjects such as English and History. I offer tuition up to GCSE standard. This service is offered regardless of a diagnosis for autism.

Charges are discussed with you on application.

'If you've met one person with ASC, you've met one person with ASC'. (Anon.)

Because every person on the spectrum is different, my approach with every person is individualised; unique to them.

Contact me by email:

Amanda's gift is in pastoral work. She has been able to establish an excellent rapport with her students, which has meant that she has commanded the respect of all her classes and inspired students to want to make progress. Amanda is skilled at dealing with a range of ... personal issues with sensitivity, and students feel confident and safe to express their opinions ...... She has well-developed negotiating skills, along with a creative approach to problem-solving and, being versed in restorative practices, she has used these effectively in the most delicate of situations.

At all times she has been professional, friendly and organised. Her recording is exemplary and a useful tool which she draws on in her supervision.

I think Amanda stands out for her ability to connect with children in a way that facilitates change and growth. Her approach is always playful and focussed on the child. I would not hesitate to recommend her for further pieces of work.

Extract taken from Reference given by:

Thinking Allowed (specialist CAMHS service for children who are looked after or adopted)

(Full reference available on request.)

Amanda was a valued and respected colleague, a much vaunted middle leader, and a colleague who was comfortable and energised by working hard and tackling complicated and intricate issues; both pastorally, with parents and external agencies, and strategically with other stake holders.

Peter Harlow

Retired Deputy Head Teacher

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What is Autism Support Cumbria? Autism Support Cumbria provides personalised services to children, adults, families, businesses and organisations. Autism Support Cumbria serves northern areas of Cumbria, providing support and strategies for individuals who are on the autistic spectrum and their families; I know from personal experience how difficult day-to-day tasks can be for someone who is autistic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What is Autism Support Cumbria?

Autism Support Cumbria provides personalised services to children, adults, families, businesses and organisations.

Autism Support Cumbria serves northern areas of Cumbria, providing support and strategies for individuals who are on the autistic spectrum and their families; I know from personal experience how difficult day-to-day tasks can be for someone who is autistic. Managing socially, getting organised and being bombarded with everyday situations can be overwhelming for anyone on the spectrum: the sound of hand-driers, the feel of clothing, walking into a crowded room, meeting new people, being asked to perform more than one task at a time - can all cause difficulties, whether or not they have learning needs or are high-functioning.

You do not need an official diagnosis of autism to contact me.

Support for adults and children

I am able to offer 1:1 support, working with individuals who want strategies to cope with certain situations eg social conversations, managing anxiety or coping with every-day tasks.

Family support

I can offer advice, guidance, support and strategies to parents and carers on how best to work through everyday situations and how to deal with potential conflicts and 'meltdowns'.

Form filling

Do you need help with form filling such as the Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Education Health & Care Plan (ECHP)?

Do you need advocacy when trying to resolve issues with others, such as school?

Are you an adult encountering difficulties within the workplace, do you need someone to speak for you?

Consultancy

Does your business or organisation require guidance with regard to employees who have a diagnosis of autism?

What do 'reasonable adjustments' mean for you?

Do you need advice about autism and what it means for your business?

Do you need more information about autism and how to help your customers in order to provide a better service?

I am able to deliver an autism awareness package, highlighting what autism is and how you can be more autism friendly.

Schools and colleges

With more than 1 in 100 children on the autism spectrum, it is one of the most common types of special educational need, and it affects children in every school in the country. Some 70 per cent are educated in mainstream schools.

As such I am able to provide staff training for teachers.

One survey carried out by the NAS found that 58% of autistic children and young people with autism believe that the single thing that would make school better for them is 'if teachers understood autism'.

A survey conducted by the NASUWT in 2013 found that 60 per cent of teachers believe that they haven't had the training they need to teach pupils who are on the autism spectrum.

Support Groups

I am able to offer general strategies to those who require further information about autism and strategies about the condition, whether your support group is for children or adults.

Academic Tuition

As a trained English teacher I am able to privately home tutor clients in some academic subjects such as English and History. I offer tuition up to GCSE standard. This service is offered regardless of a diagnosis for autism.

Charges are discussed with you on application.

'If you've met one person with ASC, you've met one person with ASC'. (Anon.)

Because every person on the spectrum is different, my approach with every person is individualised; unique to them.

Contact me by email:

Amanda's gift is in pastoral work. She has been able to establish an excellent rapport with her students, which has meant that she has commanded the respect of all her classes and inspired students to want to make progress. Amanda is skilled at dealing with a range of ... personal issues with sensitivity, and students feel confident and safe to express their opinions ...... She has well-developed negotiating skills, along with a creative approach to problem-solving and, being versed in restorative practices, she has used these effectively in the most delicate of situations.

At all times she has been professional, friendly and organised. Her recording is exemplary and a useful tool which she draws on in her supervision.

I think Amanda stands out for her ability to connect with children in a way that facilitates change and growth. Her approach is always playful and focussed on the child. I would not hesitate to recommend her for further pieces of work.

Extract taken from Reference given by:

Thinking Allowed (specialist CAMHS service for children who are looked after or adopted)

(Full reference available on request.)

Amanda was a valued and respected colleague, a much vaunted middle leader, and a colleague who was comfortable and energised by working hard and tackling complicated and intricate issues; both pastorally, with parents and external agencies, and strategically with other stake holders.

Peter Harlow

Retired Deputy Head Teacher

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What is Autism Support Cumbria? Autism Support Cumbria provides personalised services to children, adults, families, businesses and organisations. Autism Support Cumbria serves northern areas of Cumbria, providing support and strategies for individuals who are on the autistic spectrum and their families; I know from personal experience how difficult day-to-day tasks can be for someone who is autistic.

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panic attacks

Panic attacks, Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia are common problems and respond well to psychological treatment.

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One of the main treatments is graded exposure. This is a behavioural intervention that can be illustrated in an easy to understand way. Elements of this booklet may also be useful in the treatment of other anxiety disorders.

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This booklet covers the main principles of graded exposure. It is designed to be used with a therapist explaining how to carry out the intervention, and the booklet illustrates the main concepts. Outside of sessions the illustrations will have enough information to act as a reminder to the client.

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Instead of having a traditional "Exposure Diary", there is a graph where individuals can track their experience of exposure exercises. They can log their level of anxiety before, at the start, and at the end of each exposure exercise, and this will let them see the process of habituation.

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It's recommended that one graph sheet is used per step on their graded exposure hierarchy.

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therapy resources | thrapycomics | panic

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A workbook to treat panic attacks and panic disorder using graded exposure. Uses comics instead of text.

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A folder of resources to help children discuss and process their worries

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Free online platform with leaning games about vocabulary and grammar

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Break Down Barriers and Increase Outcomes:

Vocabulary Ninja was created to offer exciting, time saving and evidence-based learning resources that have impact, particularly focusing on developing, deepening and widening a pupil's vocabulary. Your student's vocabulary is quite simply their key to unlocking the doors to a world of understanding. Without an ever widening and deepening vocabulary, we can never hope for our children to be excellent communicators, problems solvers or empathetic and understanding human beings. Vocabulary, or quite simply put...words can be a significant barrier to understanding, learning and communication. And so, it is Vocabulary Ninja's mission to provide an ever-developing range or learning resources for schools, parents, teachers and pupils to engage with and use.

Free For Everyone:

Vocabulary Ninja's Mini Games are totally free to use, are ad free and are 100% safe for your child to use on a range of different mobile and computer-based devices. Each game has been designed to be simple to use and extremely playable, whilst covering a range of vocabulary, grammar and sentence level priorities that align with the National Curriculum. 'What's the catch?' I heard you ask. There's not catch, no-one is excluded, and everyone has the opportunity to grow and develop their working vocabularies! All we ask is that you spread the word and share the Vocabulary Ninja Mini Games with everyone you know! Especially in the modern home learning climate, Vocabulary Ninja's Mini Games are a fantastic resource to be able to share with parents and pupils to support the development of their learning at home.

A Whole World of Vocabulary Ninja:

If you haven't heard of Vocabulary Ninja previously, we have an outstanding resource website with thousands of high-quality resources to support learning in school and at home. We offer low-cost, annual teacher subscriptions as well as subscriptions for the whole school allowing for multiple users. Vocabulary also has a series of highly-recommended academic texts covering vocabulary development, reading comprehension and writing, all of which can be found at www.bloomsbury.co.uk or vendors such as Amazon.

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Vocabulary Ninja was created to offer exciting, time saving and evidence-based learning resources that have impact, particularly focusing on developing, deepening and widening a pupil's vocabulary. Your student's vocabulary is quite simply their key to unlocking the doors to a world of understanding.

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Letter Reversals...they are a major cause for handwriting concern by most parent's standards. Here we are covering information about writing letters backwards and what is normal for letter reversals in development. We also have some great tips for addressing common letter reversal struggles and even reversal activities that can help with visual perception handwriting struggles. Read on!

Letter b and d reversals: These specific strategies cover letter b and d reversals.

Letter p and q reversals: You'll find more specific letter reversal information in this post on reversing letter p and q.

Also check out these activities to work on backwards letters.

Writing Letters in Reverse

Do letter reversals mean dyslexia? Not exactly! Dyslexia means problems learning to read, spell, and write. However, there is much more to reversals than what meets the eye, and should be assessed before jumping straight to the conclusion of dyslexia. Be sure to read our resource on Dyslexia and occupational therapy for more information.

One creative tool to support the skills needed for this area of development is our new color by letter worksheet. Just print and go and work on letter identification and matching skills.

Check out all of our letter formation worksheets for more free printables to target letter forming.

Letter Reversals Normal Development

Reversals are age appropriate up until 7-8 years of age!

That's right! Letter reversals are normal up to a certain age range. And when kids write letters backwards it is actually typical development in handwriting skills. Working on letter reversals in occupational therapy (and other visual perceptual areas) can be a common occurrence for school-based OTs...but just because kids are writing letters backwards, it doesn't mean there is a true problem indicating a need for intervention.

It takes our brains that long to integrate all the skills needed to form a letter correctly and automatically during written expression. Skills needed range from phonetic awareness, ability to imitate pre-writing strokes, automation of letter formation, and higher level cognitive skills for multi-tasking.

Some kiddo's develop these skills faster than others. Some kiddo's struggle with these skills and may receive support services such as occupational therapy or pull out services with their school's reading specialist before age 7.

Services provided before age 7 are typically preventative and because the child has shown struggles in the foundation skills needed for reading and writing, such as phonemic awareness, challenges with pre-writing strokes and shape formation (visual motor integration), poor fine motor skills, dominance concerns or underlying vision concerns.

What is a letter reversal

The term Letter reversals refers to several things related to reversing letters in reading or writing:

Writing a specific letter backwards, when they replace a letter with another such as forming a letter b as a d or a letter p as a letter q

Writing a letter upside down or flipped, such as forming a u as an n

Reading a letter backwards, as when kids replace a d with a b

Writing letters backwards as when kids write letters h, n, s, z, etc. in a mirror image

Transposing letters or switching the order of letters when writing

Reversing or writing numbers backwards

Common Letter and Number Reversals

So, knowing that it is quite common developmentally, to reverse letters and numbers up until age 7 or 8, it can also help to know which letters are commonly reversed in writing.

Letter Reversals List

These letters and numbers are often times transposed for one another:

It's easy to see why the letters and numbers listed above are often reversed. They all contain similar pencil strokes. For children that are just learning to write, spatial integration can be still developing. Kids are getting the muscle memory in place can replace one letter or number for another.

These letters are often written backwards:

Each of these letters has a starting point at the top and pencil strokes that then go into a different direction. Children that are still developing handwriting skills are establishing the motor plan for direction changes with the pencil. The can sometimes "guess" the correct direction which results in letters being written backwards.

Numbers that are commonly written backwards include:

Each of these numbers also have a direction change which could easily be confused.

In many cases, working on letter and number formation so the muscle memory is established with fix reversal issues. Using multisensory formation activities helps to establish that motor plan.

Phonetic Awareness and Letter Reversals

The current theory among the educational community is that reversals start with phonemic awareness. If a child is lacking phonemic awareness, they may struggle with letter identification and spelling needed for fluent written expression. Similar struggles may also be seen with numbers, resulting in a negative impact on math skills.

In my clinical experience, I have found that children with high rates of ear infections and PE tubes (ear tubes) struggle with sound awareness. If the kiddo is unable to hear the sound of the letter clearly and consistently, it leads to poor sound awareness.

I have also found that children with difficulties with attention and auditory filtering often pair the wrong letter sound with wrong letter. This is important to note in sessions as it may require remediation by a speech therapist or reading specialist if available. Here is more information and activities for auditory processing.

While phonetics play a large role in reversals, many other foundational skills may influence whether a child will struggle with reversals or not.

Hand Dominance and Letter Reversals

Hand dominance is typically fully developed by five years of age. Right at the same time most children are learning and mastering the formation of letters and numbers. It also coincides with the start of kindergarten, or formal education where children who are struggling may be noticed for the first time. Writing with both hands can be a common struggle and an indicator of hand dominance challenges.

Children with handedness issues, whether it's mixed dominance or delayed development of dominance, are more likely to struggle with left versus right tasks.

This plays into reversal concerns as many of these children cannot consistently discriminate left from right, leading to b's and d's, p's and q's being flipped. Often times, they are unable to recognize that they have made the mistake as their brain is registering the letter as they meant it to be.

Letter Reversals and Visual Processing

Vision is can be one of the biggest challenges facing children who struggle with reversals. Chances are, they have had an underlying vision concern that goes unaddressed or unrecognized during the critical learning period of letters and their sounds.

You will find much more information on visual perception in our free visual perception lab series.

(Children in the U.S. typically begin to learn letters and sounds between 3 and 4 years of age when they enter preschool programs. Curriculums now expect children to know their letters, sounds and how to write them upon entering kindergarten.)

Due to their vision deficit, the child may not consistently see the same image of the letter each time, or may not see the letter that is being taught due to "wandering" eyes or poor abilities to focus on the letter. The kiddo now has a poor foundation from which to build on, due to difficulties with recalling from their visual memory what the letter looks like, and pairing it with the correct sound.

To add to vision deficits, vision is not just what we see, or how the eye's work together. It is also a motor task of taking information in with the eyes and reproducing an image, or in this case, letters on paper. This skill is known as visual motor integration and also plays a role in reversals.

Here are free visual perception worksheets that can address a variety of visual skills.

Visual Motor Integration and Letter Reversals

Visual motor integration allows us to write, draw and paint freely. To do all of these things, we go through a set development of producing pre-writing strokes and basic shapes in imitation to freely producing them from our memories and eventually becoming automatic. Here is more information and activities related to visual motor skills.

Most children learn to imitate these strokes and shapes at a young age from top to bottom and left to right. However, some children do not learn it this way or their brains are not "wired" to follow this pattern of development.

Children who deviate from this pattern may have difficulties with reversals as they struggle to learn and integrate letter stroke combinations in the correct order. When this happens, they struggle to write fluently and reversals may begin to appear.

Signs of poor visual motor integration skills that could lead to reversals include:

Segmental Drawing-drawing a shape one stroke at a time instead of integrated

Bottom to top orientation when drawing

Right to left orientation when drawing

Difficulties crossing the midline during drawing tasks

Rotation of the paper to adjust for angle execution

Failed attempts to imitate basic shapes after the child has stated what the shape is

Executive Functioning and Letter Reversals

Executive functioning skills refer to our higher level thinking that includes attention, multi-tasking and memory, among many other skills. Writing requires all of these skills to be working at their best. If a child is struggling with any of these skills, they may demonstrate reversals and poor overall handwriting.

Reversals and poor handwriting may be the result of the child being unable to recall the strokes of the letter, the sequence of the strokes, what the letter looks like, where to start the letter, how big to make the letter, what each letter sound is, how to spell a word and complete their thought.

Oh, and lets add in that they have to remember how to hold their pencil correctly. For a kiddo who is struggling, this is a CHALLENGE.

There are so many more things that go into writing that may lead to reversals then what I have listed, but are too many to list out.

The main concept of executive functioning is that if the child cannot make it all work together, from fine motor to phonemic awareness to visual motor, they are more likely to struggle with reversals in their work.

Letter Reversal INterventions

It is important to recognize that reversals may be the sign of underlying deficits with foundational skills and should be addressed when they are noticed. The sooner that these underlying deficits are addressed the better off the kiddo will be. Once a child has had a long enough time period to practice incorrectly, it will be that much harder to break the "bad habits" and correct the reversals.

You will find many letter reversal interventions in this blog post.

This resource on letter b and d reversals is a helpful read on how specifically to work on these commonly reversed letters. You'll find multi-sensory writing strategies to address b-d letter reversals.

2. Try "building" letters to establish the motor plan needed to create muscle memory. Use different colors to help children see the ways that the pencil moves when writing letters and numbers. This letter construction activity explains more about this process. This letter building strategy, paired with other forms of multi-sensory handwriting and teaching letters in groups based on the ways the pencil moves can make a big impact.

Addressing some of the other co-existing issues discussed in this article can be a start.

3. Address the motor planning in handwriting necessary for letter and number formation. Strategies that develop motor planning skills utilizing multi-sensory approaches can help with letter reversal.

With handwriting practice of letters with visual, auditory, and kinesthetic sensory channels at the same time, the weaker channel may be reinforced (Berninger, 2000).

Multi-sensory letter reversal strategies include:

4. Work on visual perception with toys and games, and activities to address specific visual perceptual skills or visual motor skills.

5. Use cursive writing in some cases. Here are creative ways to teach cursive and our entire cursive writing series.

6. Gain a better understanding of visual processing and all of the "pieces" of the vision puzzle that play into letter reversal and other concerns by joining thousands of other therapists, teachers, and professionals in the Visual Processing Lab.

7. Use this Vision Screening Tool to identify and address specific vision concerns such as letter reversals.

8. Try some of these activities to address visual motor integration and eye-hand coordination.

9. Try rainbow writing.

Have concerns? Talk to your child's teacher or occupational therapist to address your concerns.

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Letter Reversals and How to Fix Them - The OT Toolbox

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Try these letter reversal strategies to help kids who write letters backwards. Understand what's really going on behind letter reversals in writing.

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Folder of resources to support Zones of Regulation

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Help

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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:

Syllables to break words into syllables.

Nouns to highlight nouns in your document in purple.

Verbs to highlight verbs in your document in red.

Adjectives to highlight adjectives in your document in green.

Adverbs to highlight adverbs in your document in yellow.

Switch on Show labels to see the label underneath the highlighted parts of speech.

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.

Picture Dictionary gives you the ability to click on any single word to hear it read aloud and see a picture that helps define the word.

Translate lets you translate your text into other languages by word or document.

Select Close to exit 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. Hover over a message with your cursor or tap with your finger on a touch screen device.

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Parenting and Family Support - Family Lives (Parentline Plus) | Family Lives

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Parenting and family support from Family Lives (formerly Parentline Plus) through our website, helpline 0808 800 2222, email service at askus@familylives.org.uk, live chat and local services.

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Easy classroom tips for Literacy strugglers

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Easy classroom tips for Literacy strugglers

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Website

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Free Text to Speech Online with Realistic AI Voices

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Convert text into ultra-realistic audio. Have any text read aloud with AI Voices. AI text reader for pdfs, books, documents, and webpages.

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It's normal for children and young people to feel worried about something that's happening at school - for example, when starting a new school or during exams. Sometimes, however, school can become challenging, stressful or distressing over a much longer period of time.

If your child is feeling anxious about school, or not able to go, it can be exhausting for both of you. Mornings in particular can become really stressful for the whole family, as you try to juggle your child's feelings alongside the need to get them to school and get on with your other responsibilities such as work. Even if you manage to get your child to the school gate, you might know how difficult they're going to find the day - or know that you'll be facing the same problem tomorrow morning.

If you're in this situation, we've got advice to help you explore what's going on with your child, make changes at school that can help, and find the support you need if your child can't go to school.

About the term 'school refusal'

When anxiety builds up to the point that a young person cannot go to school, this is often called 'school refusal' - and you might hear the school or other professionals using this term. However, many young people and parents do not like this term because it implies that 'refusing' school is a choice, and you may prefer to use terms such as emotionally-based school avoidance (ESBA) or anxiety-related absence.

What makes young people feel anxious about school?

Young people can feel anxious about school for lots of different reasons. They might be worried about making friends or fitting in, find schoolwork or lessons confusing, feel pressured to learn in a certain way or find their relationships with teachers difficult.

Sometimes, going through difficult experiences outside of school - such as bereavement, an illness in the family or being a young carer - can also make it harder for a child to feel settled at school.

For some young people, the school environment isn't right for them, and trying to fit into it can create a huge amount of stress. This might be the case if they are struggling with their mental health, or have a neurodiverse condition or Special Educational Need (SEN) such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia or dyspraxia. This can make the school environment anxiety-provoking and exhausting, especially if their condition or need is undiagnosed or not being well supported.

Young people might show they're feeling anxious about school by:

not wanting to get up and get ready

saying they can't go

worrying a lot about small issues, such as having the right equipment for a lesson

feeling sick, or having stomach aches or headaches

not sleeping well

not doing schoolwork, or their grades dropping

being angry or upset, or acting out - at school or at home

withdrawing - seeming low, quiet or depressed

Finding out what's going on for your child

Sometimes it can be difficult to work out what's making your child feel anxious, and the first step is often helping them to identify exactly what's worrying them. Once you understand the problem, you'll be in a much better position to make changes that can help.

Young people can find it hard to explain what's causing their feelings, and might not be able to answer direct questions like 'what's going on?' Using an anxiety iceberg can help to open up the conversation - giving you a more relaxed way of exploring together what's causing their anxiety.

Watch our video to find out how to make an anxiety iceberg with your child.

If you're making an anxiety iceberg with younger children, you might want to draw images on the iceberg, or encourage them to write simple words. With older children and teenagers, you can ask them to write key words and phrases on the iceberg, or do this as a mind map, with 'school' in the middle and all the things they're finding difficult around the outside.

Through this exercise, you might identify worries such as arriving at school, finding the environment noisy or overwhelming, finding lessons confusing, feeling lonely through the day, or feeling uncomfortable during specific subjects.

Making changes at school

Once you understand what's going on for your child, you can use their anxiety iceberg or mind map to communicate with the school and ask for specific changes.

Follow these steps to start a conversation with the school:

Here are some examples of things you can ask the school for:

Remember that even though this situation can be really tough for you and your child, it's a good idea to maintain a positive relationship with the school. Recognise the support they're offering and any changes they're making. This will help you work together to make things better for your child.

Building a relationship with the attendance team at my son's school was hugely helpful, we were talking with them each day.

Strategies you can try at home

For more information and advice on managing anxiety, have a look at our guide for parents.

If your child isn't able to go to school at the moment

If your child isn't going to school at the moment, this can be incredibly stressful and exhausting for you - and really tough for your child. You might be worried about whether they will be able to get back to school or the impact on their education. Or, you might feel overwhelmed because you're juggling this alongside work and other family commitments.

If your child's anxiety about school has built up to the point where they can't go, it's a good idea to get them some professional mental health or SEN support - see our advice on this below.

Alongside requesting professional help, try to:

The school's SEN and attendance policies should be on their website. Knowing what these are can support you during meetings with the school.

This can help if your child is unable to go to school for a longer period of time and you need to ask for more support, including provision of alternative full-time education.

Encourage your child to get up, do some studying and stop for lunch at the same times they would if they were in school. This will make adapting back to school easier. Explain to your child that if they cannot go to school, they will need to study at home - at least until alternative arrangements are put in place. Ask the school to help you facilitate tasks and activities your child can do and use online resources such as BBC Bitesize.

Not going to school could leave your child feeling really isolated. Make sure they stay connected to the outside world by seeing friends and family, doing activities they enjoy and getting outside for walks and exercise.

Speaking to friends online can be really important if your child is feeling isolated at home. Sometimes, however, you might notice that your child is spending lots of time gaming or on their phone, and that this is getting in the way of important daily activities like spending quality time with family, learning, or sleeping and eating well. If this is becoming a problem, have a look at our guide to gaming or guide to social media for more information and advice.

Local authorities must provide alternative education if a child of compulsory school age is unable to attend school over a longer period of time. If your child cannot attend school because of a mental or physical health issue, the local authority should provide an alternative as soon as it is clear that they will be away from school for more than 15 days (either consecutively or over time). Find out how to request alternative education.

What will happen if my child doesn't go to school?

Parents often tell us they are worried about fines and prosecution, but schools generally consider this only if they feel there is no valid reason for the absence, or that parents aren't engaging with the problem.

If the absence is prolonged, the case may be referred to a local council Education Welfare Officer (EWO). They will arrange a home visit to find out more and discuss strategies. The school may also refer to other support, including from CAMHS.

Helping your child return to school after an absence

Getting back to school after weeks or months may feel extremely difficult for your child, but you and the school can help make it more manageable. Here are some things you can do to help:

Set small, achievable targets, such as visiting the building outside school hours or attending one lesson.

Request a home visit from a school staff member so your child can check in while feeling safe, see that the school cares and discuss any strategies that might help them.

Ask for a reduced timetable, with regular reviews to discuss building back up at a manageable rate.

Discuss changing classes or sets if your child thinks this would help.

Focus on qualifications needed for what your child wants to do next, perhaps dropping a less relevant GCSE to reduce stress.

My son wasn't questioned about his absence when he did feel able to pop in for favourite lessons, helping to ease him back into full days of education.

Getting mental health and SEN support

If your child is struggling with anxiety and it's affecting their day-to-day life, learning or relationships, it's a good idea to find some professional support. Speaking to the GP and finding them a counsellor or therapist are two good places to start. You can find more information about GPs, counsellors and other mental health services in our guide to getting help for your child.

If there is no other obvious reason for your child's inability to attend school, they may have an undiagnosed Special Educational Need (SEN) such as dyslexia, autism or ADHD.

If you think this is the case:

Speak to the school's SENCO or your GP to ask for a referral for an assessment.

While you are waiting for an assessment, you can also ask the SENCO to refer your child for support from other professionals, such as an Educational Psychologist or Speech and Language Therapist. These professionals can identify specific needs and make recommendations for additional support the school can put in place - even if your child hasn't had a formal diagnosis yet.

SEN support at school
If your child is diagnosed with SEN, extra support and adjustments should be put in place at school to help them attend and learn. This is called SEN support, and should be available within the school's existing resources. Speak to the school's SENCO in the first instance about how the school will support your child.
Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans
If you do not think your child's needs can be met by the school's existing resources, you can ask the local authority to carry out an Education, Health and Care needs assessment (EHC needs assessment). If the local authority decides your child needs additional support, they will then make an Education, Health and Care plan (EHC plan). This outlines how the extra support they need will be provided. Find out more about EHC plans.
Your Local Offer
Your Local Offer is the information, support and services available for young people with SEN, and for their parents and families. You can find out what support is available in your area by going to your local authority's website and searching for their Local Offer.

If you need more information and advice about getting the right education for your child when they have been diagnosed with a Special Educational Need (SEN), IPSEA can help.

If you need to talk through a problem, their Advice Line can provide support with any educational issue resulting from your child's SEN. You can also find lots of information, including information on assessments and diagnosis, as well as getting support from the school and local authority, on their website.

Finding more information and advice

Useful helplines and websites

While we take care to ensure that the organisations we signpost to provide high quality information and advice, we cannot take responsibility for any specific pieces of advice they may offer. We encourage parents and carers to always explore the website of a linked service or organisation to understand who they are and what support they offer before engaging with them.

You might also find this helpful

We have more tips and advice on supporting your child with school, and information about how you can get in touch with our Parents Helpline.

This page was reviewed in December 2022. It was created with parents and carers with lived experience of supporting their child or young person with school anxiety. We will next review the page in 2025. YoungMinds is a proud member of PIF TICK - the UK's quality mark for trusted health information.
Whether you love the page or think something is missing, we appreciate your feedback. It all helps us to support more young people with their mental health.

Please be aware that this form isn't a mental health support service. If your child is in crisis right now and you want to talk to someone urgently, find out who to contact on our urgent help page.

At YoungMinds we take your privacy seriously. If you'd like to read more about how we keep the information we collect safe, take a look at our privacy policy.

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School Anxiety and Refusal | Parent Guide to Support

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If your child is anxious about school, or refusing to go to school at all, read our tips and advice on how you can support their mental health.

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How to not need a holiday after the holidays

The holidays can be a stressful time for single parents, Natalie is a volunteer in our Wellbeing Digital Group and recently held an online workshop where she shared her 'go to' tools for managing the...

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We are Gingerbread, the charity for single parent families. We provide expert advice and practical support for single mums and dads in England and Wales.

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Change the colour of your screens for free.

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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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Once Upon a Picture - Images to Inspire - Teaching Resources

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All of our children are expected to make predictions while reading. Here's a look at the curriculum objectives:

KS1: Predict what might happen on the basis of what has happened so far
KS2: Predict what might happen from details stated and implied

So, this can be as simple as asking the question, 'What do you think is going to happen next?', quickly followed with, 'Why?'.

However, we need to make explicit the additional skills needed to be able to do this. To be able to predict, you need to be able to read and understand what has happened, and is currently happening. You need to be able to retrieve and infer ('details stated and implied'), combine this with your knowledge of the world, weigh up probability, and make a sensible prediction of the next outcome. It might come naturally to many, but it's worth breaking it down to look at what's involved.

I've selected these images because they are 'in the heart of the action'. They allow for discussion around what has just happened, to use inference to work out additional information, and then a discussion of what might happen next. Here's a useful resource (aimed at Upper Key Stage 2, but could be used with children of all ages to introduce the language) for thinking about possibilities: Making predictions - modal verbs and adverbs. After teaching children how to predict, and how to answer questions, move them on to doing this with text.

When teaching prediction, it really does come back to the simple question:
What do you think is going to happen next, and why?
Just remember what else is needed to answer that question.
Note: In SATs papers, this question will come in several forms, such as, 'Will Taylor change his behaviour on future visits to the field?' or, 'Based on what you have read, what does the last paragraph suggest might happen to the explorers next? Use evidence from this paragraph to support your prediction.'

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The Prediction Collection - Once Upon a Picture

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All of our children are expected to make predictions while reading. Here's a look at the curriculum objectives: KS1: Predict what might happen on the basis of what has happened so far KS2: Predict what might happen from details stated and implied So, this can be as simple as asking the question, 'What do you think is going to happen next?', quickly followed with, 'Why?'.