Special Needs

Children with special needs, regardless of what diagnosis or ‘label’ they have been given by doctors, schools, or other institutions, can often be withdrawn, not very communicative and somewhat detached. They are often in need of a programme to help them with the necessary skills for reading, writing and number work. A multi-sensory approach is required to lay down a solid foundation upon which they can build and develop.  My interaction with each individual child also invites them to discover a whole new social relationship, both special and beneficial in its own right; non-judgmental, sensitive, caring and supportive. The entire experience and individual attention creates a wonderful environment for learning and breaking new ground.

Children with specific learning difficulties benefit from this multi-sensory approach whereby information is presented via as many sensory input channels as possible, i.e. the auditory channel through hearing and speaking, the visual channel through looking and the kinesthetic channel through touch and writing. If children can engage touch, vision and sound simultaneously in their learning, this encourages them to establish ideas clearly in memory.

Children can find it difficult to sit quietly and concentrate for any length of time on the task in hand, but they become much more enthusiastic and focused with a multi-sensory approach. They become less discouraged, work with good humour and their attention span improves. Children need encouragement to keep on task but do enjoy the challenge. This approach, coupled with the individual attention that leave hard pressed parents and teachers little time to administer, can open up a whole new horizon of learning opportunities for children with unique requirements.

I concentrate on strategies to help with memory, sequencing and short term memory recall. We work with excellent software covering for example, all areas of Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, graphics, mind mapping and storyboards.  We work together on their ability to understand and follow instructions and to multi-task.

Children benefit from an environment where their difficulties are acknowledged and not attributed to lack of application. All children respond to individual help, a sympathetic and supportive approach and to praise and encouragement. They progress in a structured environment where their strengths can be emphasised and their weaknesses supported. Children become more responsive, willing and eager to absorb new ideas and even to take on new challenges.

Touch Typing Skills

Children benefit immeasurably by the ability to master keyboarding and touch typing skills. It is a powerful means of sharpening up spelling skills, aiding written work, improving punctuation and sentence structure. Children with handwriting and motor skill difficulties can also experience problems with organisational skills, making free writing difficult for them and an inability to hold ideas or forward planning in their mind. My touch typing boards and specialised techniques can encourage and stimulate children with a variety of motor skill difficulties.