Introduction When it comes to children with “special educational needs” (SEN) and disabilities, we tend to see a focus on observing for concerns only, leading to valuable threads of learning being lost. This is often because we are taught that early intervention is key, and the sooner we spot those “red flags”, the sooner we can prevent a delay or SEN. However, what may initially appear to be a delay could be a gateway to a developmental difference, including autism, dyslexia, or a developmental language profile, such as being non-speaking. Our initial concerns for some children may lead to adaptations in our practice that support neurotypical progress, but for other children, we may require a more permanent change in approach … Read More
Honouring Neurodiversity in the Early Years – Part 1
You have likely heard the increasing dialogue about neurodiversity throughout the past year. It is a term that is gaining momentum as we challenge some of our views and practices within special educational needs and inclusion. Neurodiversity, however, does not sit alone and forms part of a much broader approach. So, to get started, let’s define neurodiversity and how it can be applied to our early years’ practice. Defining Neurodiversity In its most basic terms, neurodiversity refers to the diversity of the human mind (Walker, 2014). Each of us has unique development, and our experiences are shaped by many different interacting factors such as our biology, environment, and relationships. Combined, these experiences can structure and define our neurology, or … Read More
Rock, Paper, Scissors – A Guest Post from Reflections Nursery
I am a long term admirer of the work of the Reflections Nursery and Small School team for a number of reasons. It is true, their space does look amazing, but what I enjoy most about their work is that children are given time. Time to truly immerse themselves in an experience or interaction. Time to experience, rehearse, reflect and consolidate. Time to be! There are lots of interesting projects to look at on their website (www.reflectionsarchive.co.uk) including the one they have kindly allowed me to feature here today. Rock, Paper, Scissors was a long term project involving paper and exploring children’s desire to transform materials. Pop over and have a look (Reflections -RockPaperScissors) I love how the team reflect … Read More
Deconstructed Role Play – A Practitioner’s Story
I am really pleased to be able to share this guest blog post with you from St Margaret’s Nursery School Barnet. All about how they introduced deconstructed role play into their setting. We had the opportunity to watch the online role play training on @abcdoes website and were immediately inspired by this idea. Our nursery is a place of possibilities where we believe in free play in an environment where every child is empowered to take the lead in their play, have their own ideas with adults scaffolding their learning. We have a large outdoor loose parts area and have seen how well our children play and learn in this area so knew a deconstructed role play inside would be … Read More