Read SEN Magazine SEN124: May/June 2023 here
It’s been a busy few weeks here recently, including a very worthwhile trip to Dyslexia Show 2023 in Birmingham, where I was so pleased to catch up with colleagues I’ve known for years (some previously only by email, so great to actually meet them in person). The show was buzzing with exhibitors and visitors interacting and it’s really lovely to see the enthusiasm of exhibitors sharing resources they have successfully brought to market. I was most reluctant to let go of a certain cuddly weighted lap toy and had many interesting conversations as well.
In this issue, I hope you’ll agree that our contributors continue to engage and educate, as well as providing insights into their individual settings and experiences. I was struck, for instance, by Alex Tait’s pride in what his children have achieved and how he made a career change to work as his daughter’s business partner in setting up a bakery (page 32).
You will see that there are four articles on Speech, Language and Communication Needs, in recognition of the growing need for support and the pressure schools are under, with Tia Papoutselou of Afasic, for example, (page 38), outlining the summer transition programme that has been developed to ease the move from primary to secondary school.
Rebecca Duffus explains the importance of supporting a young person following a diagnosis of autism, through working together to create a personalised resource that reflects their understanding of their identity (page 87) and, on page 78, Val Jones recounts how she developed a resource to explain autism to 5-7 year olds.
If you are living or working with a child who is reluctant to be more adventurous with their food, you can find some information from Dr Lucy Cooke on page 61 that you may find useful, if attempting to move away from a ‘beige’ diet.
As usual, I need to give a big shout out to the team for the hard work in getting this issue together when the sunshine, easter eggs and the great outdoors were all calling. I cannot thank them enough for their dedication to all things SEN.
A big thank you to all the contributors: I know how hard it can be, wracking your brain for the ‘right’ word and sourcing photos and other visuals. We do appreciate you taking the time to send in articles. Keep them coming!
Thank you also to our advertisers. We rely on your continued support as SEN magazine goes from strength to strength both digitally and in print. There are so many amazing products and services that support children and adults with SEND.
It’s a real honour to be involved.
Mary
Click here to read SEN Magazine SEN124 online:
Learning difficulties, Special needs law, Numeracy, Play, Healthy eating for kids, Autism, Speech, language and communication needs, Book reviews and more
