What’s new in the blog...

(Photo 96150314 © Tatyana Tomsickova | Dreamstime.com)

Young children with developmental delays often start educational and therapy interventions at an early age.

It's natural for toddlers and pre-schoolers to respond differently to these interventions. Some children eagerly embrace the activities presented by their parents and educators, showing curiosity and delight. On the other hand,...

In this blog post, I celebrate a significant milestone:

My son is finishing his first year in secondary school.

I feel immense joy and amazement at his progress. Reflecting on his journey, it's incredible to see how much he has grown. As a mother of a child with additional needs, my aim is to share our story, offering hope and inspiration to fellow parents who are also navigating similar...

(Illustration 155631998 © Ramu Chinnasamy | Dreamstime.com)

 Starting primary school is a significant milestone in a child's life, and it can be both exciting and overwhelming for parents and children alike. 

For children with additional needs, transitioning to primary school can be even more challenging, with new environments, routines, and people to get used to. 

As an...

(Photo 184933974 / Father Child Hugging © Christinlola | Dreamstime.com)

Parenting can be challenging and rewarding, and balancing discipline with love and nurturing is a constant struggle for parents. As an early intervention specialist and mother, I have been reflecting on this topic a lot lately, especially after teaching a Masterclass on Behaviour just before Easter.

Last week, while...

(Photo 251270419 © Pojoslaw | Dreamstime.com)

With World Down Syndrome Day this week, I wanted to share a personal story that has shaped my life. It's about my childhood friend Monica, who had Down Syndrome.

A story about friendship, inclusion and inspiration.

I met Monica when I was around 6 or 7 years old. I remember the first day she entered our classroom - she was the "new kid". Even...

(Photo 258330047 / Couple Child Disability © Yuri Arcurs | Dreamstime.com)

Based on my experience working with families for over 20 years, I have observed that many couples become more robust as they navigate the challenges of parenting a child with additional needs. However, it is important to acknowledge that some couples may experience the opposite and instead grow apart.

There is no...

(Photo 229746503 © Evgenyatamanenko | Dreamstime.com)

I often talk about inclusion of children with disabilities in our communities. But before we can look at inclusion in the community, we must remember that inclusion starts within the family circle.  

Enjoying a family meal, going to the playground with friends, or enjoying a sleepover at the grandparents' house, may not be...

3 Ways To Make The Most Of Therapy Time

You may not be surprised to hear that services for children with disabilities are stretched...to say the least! 

Parents and teachers are crying out for support, and direct therapist intervention is scarce. 
But you can do something to maximise the benefits of the time available with...

Here in the Angel household, we did different things this summer.

Typically every summer, we spend a few weeks near Barcelona with my parents (that’s where I am from originally).

But not this summer!

One of my nieces got married in Helsinki, Finland, where she lives, and...

(Photo 229623173 © Picsfive | Dreamstime.com)

Is it reinforcement or bribery?

As educators and parents, we offer praise when our children cooperate and follow instructions. We might even provide reinforcements for it, such as when we ask them to do a tabletop task and once completed, the child can play with their favourite toy.

Other times, we use reinforcers to get us out of...

(Photo 133939877 © Nomadsoul1 | Dreamstime.com)

Did you know that parents of autistic children have higher stress levels than other groups of parents?

Many studies reveal that parents of autistic children often report increased stress, depression and anxiety.

You might argue that becoming a parent is a significant life change and parents need to adjust to their new life situation,...

(Photo 228218828 / Child © Aaron Amat | Dreamstime.com)

Teaching communication skills with Ready-Steady-Go games.

Ready, steady, go games help develop your child's listening and attention skills and early communication skills.

In today's blog, I outline the benefits of Ready-Steady-Go games for young children with autism, so you can use these activities to help them develop early...

(Illustration 57520720 © Klara Viskova | Dreamstime.com)

Is your child/student using avoidance behaviours to escape a task?

Some children with additional needs learn behaviours that help them avoid doing activities they don't want to do.

From a young age, they may have learned, for example, that performing "party tricks", shouting, or hiding under the table are useful behaviours...

Do parents have unrealistic expectations for their autistic children?

Recently, in conversation with a group of educators, I recommended some resources and videos from well known autistic self-advocates.

One of the teachers shook her head and said, “I have to be careful with that. Parents might look at some autistic self-advocates and think their child will have...

(Photo 222860659 © Chernetskaya | Dreamstime.com)

7 tips to foster a love of books in autistic children

As an early intervention specialist and a mum of an autistic boy, books and reading have always been my best allies to help children learn. 

In their early years, I use books specifically to support language development and teach children about the world around them.

I always...

How do you know if your student is ready to learn reading?

In my last blog (Teaching Reading To Children With Autism), I discussed some key aspects to consider when teaching reading to autistic children. Today, I will address the question, “How do I know if my child/student is ready for reading?”. You may be surprised when you hear my answer.

I introduce early literacy skills...

Teaching Reading To Children With Autism

I have noticed over the years that many children with autism are interested in letters from a young age. Many of my young students enjoy matching letters, the alphabet song and looking at printed words.

My son Sebastian was the same. He was fascinated with letters from a young age: some of his first words were letter names!
However, when autistic...

(Photo Credit: 61311524 © Poznyakov | Dreamstime.com)

With the kids back in school after the break and covid numbers still high, we have many substitute teachers in schools right now, and probably this will continue for the next few months.

There will be constant changes in the classroom, with teachers and students having to take a few days off until this new wave dies down.

Today, I want...

At Christmas time, many children are going to receive lovely presents. Dolls, superheroes, figurines, toy people, family dolls... and they will enjoy endless hours of fun with them. So, let´s pay attention to what type of dolls and figurines we get for our children

When choosing these toys for our children, we must think, what type of people they represent?

Remember Barbie?

Of course,...

(Illustration 14117058Children Painting © Ewa Mazur | Dreamstime.com)

Children with developmental delays often need more time and practice to learn new skills. The same might happen when we teach them about colours. I often see parents and teachers asking children, “what is that colour?” and kids shrugging their shoulders as they are still not confident labelling...

Restricted Interests In Children With Autism.

Having restricted interest is a common characteristic of autism. Children with autism tend to focus in-depth on an issue or activity and have difficulties shifting their attention from the area of interest to something else.

This is often a problem in primary education, as in primary education, we aim to introduce children to a wide variety of...