EOTAS – Case Study 4
EOTAS (Education Otherwise Than at School) is a legal provision in the UK allowing specific children with special needs to be educated in an alternative
April 15, 2025
Kids
EOTAS – Case Study Three
EOTAS (Education Otherwise Than at School) is a legal provision in the UK allowing specific children with Special Needs to be educated in an alternative
April 10, 2025
Communication and Autism
“There are 700,000 autistic people in the UK”. However, a recent study by The Lancet, in 2023, suggests this figure is substantially higher. There is
March 31, 2025
How can I Support my Child’s Sensory Needs?
In June 2024, GOV.UK recorded that “Over 1.6 million pupils in England have special educational needs (SEN)”. This was recorded as, “an increase of 101,000
March 24, 2025
How to Foster Social Skills and Friendships for Your Child with Down Syndrome
As parents strive to give their children tools to carve out positive friendships and social skills, it is helpful to remember that children with SEND
March 17, 2025
EOTAS – Case Study Two
EOTAS (Education Otherwise Than at School) is a legal provision in the UK that allows specific children with special needs to be educated in an
March 14, 2025
ADHD: The Pros and Cons of Medication
The website ADHD UK states that “a research survey of 10,438 children between the ages of 5 and 15 years found that 3.62% of boys
February 17, 2025
The Benefits of Gaming: How Can it Help a Child with Special Needs?
Gaming is very much embedded in the culture of young people today, allowing them to escape and construct, create and conquer in a fantasy virtual
February 6, 2025
SEND Maths – Are We Reaching Our Children?
Love it, like it, or loathe it — most of us have an opinion about maths. Those who “loathe” it may recall maths as long,
January 21, 2025
How can Alternative Provision work for my child with EOTAS?
Education Otherwise Than at School (EOTAS) was first recognised by Parliament during the preparation of the Children and Families Act 2014. Subsequently, Section 61 of
January 9, 2025
What is Gestalt Language Processing; what do we need to know?
Gestalt Language Processing (GLP), is a style of learning language where children initially memorise phrases, and then work backwards to eventually learn the meaning of words.
January 1, 2025
Thriving with SEND: Celebrating Strengths and Achievements
We often talk about the challenges faced by young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) but with the right support, SEND individuals can
December 18, 2024
Supporting your child with PDA in education
Pathological Demand Avoidance, or PDA as it is more commonly known, is a neurological condition. Currently, most professionals work alongside the premise that if a
December 10, 2024
What to do When Experiencing School Refusal
School refusal describes a child’s consistent wish to avoid school, ranging from occasional days at home to a total rejection of school culture. Children’s charity,
November 28, 2024
Living with Dyslexia as an Adult
Dyslexia impacts on a person’s ability to learn, and quite often can remain with someone throughout their adult life. It is often assumed that people
November 20, 2024
What Should I do if I am Refused an EHCP and How Can I Appeal This?
An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is an important legal document for a child that has SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities). It will
November 13, 2024
ARFID: How Can This Impact on my Child’s Learning?
ARFID, a term created in 2013, is an acronym of “Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder”. ARFID children will experience issues with food choices, often exhibiting fears
November 6, 2024
Why Should I Choose SENsational Tutors for my Child’s EOTAS Package?
EOTAS, (Education Other Than at School), is a phrase now synonymous with the recognition of children who cannot be taught in school. These children require
October 31, 2024
Does My Child Have PDA?
Pathological Demand Avoidance, or PDA as it is widely known, was defined as a neurological condition in the 1980s. It is not easy to know
October 22, 2024
ADHD & Gut Health: What Are The Links?
Statistics from the website “ADHD UK” estimate that there are 708,000 children living in the UK with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Children with the
October 18, 2024
Accessible Learning for Children with Long Term Stress Due to a Past Event
Safety is at the core of life. It is a parent’s role to safeguard their children and a teacher’s role to safeguard their students in
October 10, 2024
Top Tips to Support Your Child With Dyslexia in School
It is estimated by the British Dyslexia Association that 10% of people in the UK have dyslexia. From this statistic, 4% of the population are
October 3, 2024
I May Be Non-Verbal, But Please Can I Tell You Something?
Communication is our lifeline; it allows us to create friendships, convey our feelings and learn about our world. We cannot be sure how many people
September 25, 2024
Autism, ADHD & Masking
When we mask, we camouflage and present a different reality to the world. The neurotypical population may mask to ease their nerves on their first
September 19, 2024
Living With PDA
Coined as a condition in the 1980s, Pathological Demand Avoidance, or PDA as it is more commonly known, has only become more widely recognised since
September 6, 2024
Pre-Teens With Autism & ADHD
The pre-teen years, when a young person begins the transition from childhood to adolescence, are a difficult time for most children. This period coincides with
August 28, 2024
School Trauma
Some people look back on their schooldays with great fondness while others shudder to recall harsh teachers and playground spats. But if you were to
August 1, 2024
Gaming & Kids With Special Needs
We often hear people express concern that kids spend too much time online these days when they should be out in the fresh air, getting
June 18, 2024
Nurturing Social Skills
Nurturing – providing food, comfort, protection or support – is often associated with looking after pets or plants or bringing up children. Certainly, all children
June 13, 2024
Trauma
‘Trauma’ is a word we hear a lot of these days and for many people, it suggests an event or set of circumstances where something
June 6, 2024
Dual Diagnosis of Autism & ADHD “AuDHD”
If a person has been diagnosed with autism, it’s highly likely that they will also have other conditions alongside such as dyspraxia, sensory processing disorder,
May 25, 2024
Living With FASD
Even if you haven’t heard of the term ‘FASD’ – Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder – you’re probably aware that drinking alcohol while pregnant isn’t good
April 17, 2024
Autistic Girls
Society is gradually becoming more aware of how autism presents itself in females. Until fairly recently, it was widely believed that ASC was largely a
April 3, 2024
Making Maths Enjoyable
If you’ve ever tried to help your child with their maths homework, only to panic that you don’t know what you’re doing, you’ll understand just
March 21, 2024
Alexithymia
According to the dictionary, ‘alexithymia’ is ‘the inability to recognise one’s emotions and describe them’. It often occurs as part of autism and other neurodiversities
March 13, 2024
World Book Day – The Benefits Of Reading Aloud to Kids With SEN
Charlene Andruskevicius has twin sons, Oliver and Harry, who are now eighteen. Harry is autistic, visually and hearing impaired and has the cognitive ability of
March 7, 2024
Neurodiversity & Eating Issues
It’s well-known that neurodivergent people can have food challenges. Reluctance to eat or following a restricted diet, for example, are common issues in neurodiverse children
February 29, 2024
Parenting Children With Special Needs
If your child has any kind of special need, they could face different challenges to most of their peers. On top of that, because everyone
February 22, 2024
Autism, Youtube & Digital Technology
As we’re often told, many autistic youngsters are welded to their computers and tablets. Playing games, looking at websites, or scrolling through social media channels
February 5, 2024
Time To Talk Day – Getting Kids With SEN To Open Up
‘Time to Talk Day’ takes place on February 1st and is now in its tenth year. Organised by mental health charities ‘Mind’ and ‘Rethink Mental
February 1, 2024
How To Motivate Disengaged Students
Many young people hit a patch where they lose interest in their studies. This might be due to any number of factors such as teenage
January 25, 2024
EOTAS Packages
The term ‘EOTAS Package’ may sound like a cut-price holiday to a little-known Greek island but it actually stands for ‘Education Other Than At School’.
January 10, 2024
SENsational Tutors Blog On Trauma
When a person is described as having experienced ‘trauma’, this usually means they have gone through or witnessed events that are extremely frightening or upsetting.
January 3, 2024
Christmas Crafts
The Christmas period often inspires a flurry of creative activity in even the most Scrooge-like individuals. There are presents to wrap, cards to make and
December 14, 2023
Chocolate Social Enterprise
We often hear how difficult it is for a person with ASC (autism) to find any kind of employment. According to the National Autistic Society,
December 6, 2023
Homeschooling & EOTAS Packages
A number of adults who work in offices came to appreciate the benefits of working from home during the Covid lockdowns and for many people,
November 30, 2023
Family Life With PDA
Life changes when you become a parent and even more so when you have a child with special needs. Learning to understand and adapt to
November 23, 2023
Anti-Bullying Week
Falling out with brothers and sisters or school friends, learning how to manage relationships and emotions, and understanding how to negotiate conflicts is part of
November 14, 2023
Executive Function
‘Executive function’ or ‘executive functioning skills’ refers to a set of cognitive skills that enable us to make plans, organise information, follow instructions, maintain focus,
November 9, 2023
Play Therapy & SEN
According to the British Association of Play Therapists’ website, ‘Play is children’s primary form of communication. Children tell us about their inner world through play
November 1, 2023
Supporting A Young Person With Dyspraxia
In some ways, dyspraxia is the ‘poor relation’ of special needs. Not everyone has heard of it and those that have might be unsure about
October 16, 2023
Empathy In Neurodiverse Students
Empathy – the ability to sense what someone else is feeling and understand it from their point of view – is a vital part of
September 29, 2023
Making Literacy Enjoyable For Dyslexic Students
Dyslexia is a neurological condition that affects a person’s ability to read, write and spell but it can also impact their ability to organise themselves, retain
September 20, 2023
What Is It Like To Have Adhd?
When we think about someone with ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – many of us picture a small boy, hurtling around the classroom –
September 15, 2023
Is An EHCP Always Necessary?
An education and healthcare plan – known as an ‘EHCP’ – is a document drawn up by a local authority which sets out exactly what
August 24, 2023
Sensory Issues In The Classroom
It goes without saying that we all experience the world through our senses. In fact, it’s how we learn anything – from riding a bike
June 9, 2023
Money-Management For Kids With SEN
Remember the thrill of getting pocket money as a child and splurging it on something completely frivolous such as three bags of jelly babies or
June 1, 2023
Making Friends And Managing Conflict For Kids With SEN
Going to school is as much about making friends – and falling out with them – as it is learning your times tables. But for
May 26, 2023
Coronation Blog – Role Play And Dressing Up
Seeing King Charles III glide solemnly through Westminster Abbey in his velvet robes and regalia for his coronation, how many of us are secretly reminded
May 3, 2023
Drama & SEN
You might imagine that school drama lessons would give kids with SEN the perfect opportunity to improve their confidence and social skills along with boosting
March 31, 2023
Irlen Syndrome And Special Needs
Irlen syndrome – sometimes referred to as ‘visual stress’ or ‘perceptual processing disorder’ – is a neurological condition which affects a person’s vision. However, it
March 20, 2023
Interoception = Body Emotion Connection
Have you heard of ‘interoception’? Many of us have only recently become aware of the word as it’s a ‘hot topic’ in the field of
February 17, 2023
Verbal Dyspraxia
Not everyone has heard of dyspraxia – a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by problems with muscle coordination and poor organisational skills. Even less well-known, perhaps, is
February 10, 2023
‘Time To Talk’ For Kids With Special Needs
‘Time to Talk Day’ was established in 2014 to encourage friends, family members and colleagues to share their mental and emotional struggles with each other.
February 2, 2023
Gaming and Special Needs
Like many innovative ideas, Dan Clark’s enterprise started with a ‘What if…?’ Having worked in a school for many years teaching IT and music, he
January 29, 2023
The Sensory Challenge Of Christmas
Much of what makes Christmas an exciting time of year is its sensory appeal – brightly-coloured wrapping paper, twinkling lights and scented candles, special food
December 14, 2022
SENsational Tutors – PANS/PANDAS
9th October is PANS/ PANDAS awareness day, but what is PANS/ PANDAS? WHAT IS PANS/PANDAS? Many parents of children with special needs have a niggling
September 29, 2022
ADHD; Food & Nutrition
If your child has recently received a diagnosis of ADHD, you’ve probably done what many other parents in your situation have done before you and
September 26, 2022
Girls vs Boys With Autism
The last few years have seen an upsurge in awareness of the differences in boys and girls with special needs. Neurodivergent males, the experts now
June 23, 2022
National Epilepsy Week
Epilepsy is a neurological condition that affects approximately 600,000 people in the UK. Many of us associate it with what we’ve seen in films and
May 22, 2022
The Challenges Of Having More Than One Child With Special Needs
Discovering that your child has special needs – which could be anything from a physical disability such as hearing impairment or cerebral palsy to the
May 10, 2022
Teens With Special Needs
For most people, the teenage years are a time of great highs and soul-destroying lows. You get to experience some of the freedoms of adult
April 27, 2022
How Can Animals Help Kids With Special Needs?
When the writer George Eliot said, ‘animals are such agreeable friends. They ask no questions; they pass no criticisms,’ she was onto something. Many of
February 28, 2022
How Can Music Help Kids with Special or Additional Needs?
Most of us know the pleasure that comes from singing along to a favourite song or dancing to a funky disco number. But according to
February 22, 2022
What Do Teachers And SENCos Want You To Know?
Whatever you do for a living, your professional life brings you knowledge and understanding that people in other fields might not ‘get’. According to people
January 20, 2022
What Parents Of Kids With Autism May Want You To Know
Many people don’t give much thought to autism – until, that is, they discover that one of their own children has ASD. After that, most
January 3, 2022
Enhancing Learning During The Christmas Holidays
As most people who work in education will tell you, it’s important to grab ‘real life’ opportunities to consolidate what children learn in the classroom.
December 20, 2021
Working With Kids With High-Functioning Autism
As in many areas of life, the last few years have seen people re-evaluate the way they talk about special needs. When it comes to
December 17, 2021
How to help children with SEN deal with decisions and choices
There is ever-increasing pressure on our young people in modern society: social media, mobile telephones, the world wide web, friendships, peer groups, norms and expectations
November 29, 2021
Improving Listening Skills
Ever drifted off in a meeting and been jerked back to the present moment by someone asking you a question you can’t answer because you
November 7, 2021
Supporting Children With Dyspraxia at Home
Dyspraxia – also known as developmental coordination disorder – is a condition where a person finds it difficult to make their body perform simple, everyday
October 5, 2021
Learning Schedules & Sensory Diets
As many wise people have often said, ‘Fail to plan and plan to fail’. This is particularly true when it comes to working as a
September 30, 2021
Boosting Confidence At Home
Tutors often point out that boosting a student’s self-confidence is crucial if you want to help them make academic progress. This is especially true for
September 22, 2021
Preparing To Go Back To School For SEN Children
Remember the excitement of starting a new academic year every September? Even if you weren’t too fussed about school in general, it was usually thrilling
August 26, 2021
Sensory Needs & Special Educational Needs
If you’ve ever winced at the sound of a fingernail scraping a blackboard or shuddered at the texture of a spoonful of rice pudding, you’ll
August 16, 2021
Persuading Kids To Try New Things
Growing up, in many ways, is a series of ‘firsts’ – your first day at school, for example, or learning to ride a bike, your
July 25, 2021
Adopting Children With SEN
There’s no doubt that parenting is a tough job but being an adoptive parent comes with a host of extra challenges. All children need patience
July 13, 2021
Boosting Learning Outside The Classroom
Teachers often talk about learning ‘by stealth’ – in other words: ‘helping children to acquire new skills or improve their existing abilities without them realising
June 25, 2021
Learning Disability Awareness Week 2021 – 14 – 20 June
Many things can get in the way of a child or young person’s ability to learn. It could be that they have a condition such
June 14, 2021
What Are SEN Tribunal Appeals and How Can I Win?
When you have a child with special needs, you become an unwitting expert in all kinds of things you never thought you would need to
June 3, 2021
Pathological Demand Avoidance
Most children kick up a fuss now and then about being told to eat their dinner, do their homework or go to bed. But for
May 17, 2021
Special Needs In Girls
As someone with a diagnosis of autism, dyspraxia, dyslexia and ADHD, Sienna Castellon understands more than most what it is like to live with a
April 12, 2021
World Autism Awareness Week 2021
World Autism Awareness Day was set up by the United Nations in 2007. It takes place on April 2nd each year with the aim of
March 29, 2021
What is Executive Functioning?
You may have been told that your child has a problem with ‘executive functioning’. Although this might conjure up images of middle-aged men in suits
March 23, 2021
Teaching Maths To Children With Special Needs
For some children, out of all the subjects covered at school, Maths may cause the most anxiety. For children with special needs, who may have
March 1, 2021
Lockdown teaching: 21 Top Tips for Families – Part 2
By Specialist SEN Tutor – Gillian Working with families with children with SEN has put extra demand on teachers to be all-encompassing, as well as
February 10, 2021
Lockdown teaching: 21 Top Tips for Families – Part 1
By Specialist SEN Tutor – Gillian Families with children with special needs have put extra demand on teachers to be all-encompassing, as well as their
January 27, 2021
Emotional Regression In Lockdown: – Children With Special Needs
In ‘normal’ years (which 2020 is certainly not), there is usually a cause for celebration when midnight strikes and when we bring in the new
December 30, 2020
Covid Christmas For Children With SEN and ASD
Christmas can be challenging for children with SEN and ASD (autism). Changes to their usual routines, bright lights, shiny wrapping paper and different food and
December 21, 2020
Online SEN tutoring and homeschooling – why it works!
Written by Joanna Gibbs, (PGCE, QTS, B.A. (Hons), M.Ed.) specialist qualified teacher and founder and director of SENsational Tutors As the world adapts to new
April 30, 2020
Coronavirus home learning: 60+ brilliant free online resources every parent will need
Written by Joanna Gibbs, (PGCE, QTS, B.A. (Hons), M.Ed.) specialist qualified teacher and founder and director of SENsational Tutors Coronavirus home learning: 60+ brilliant free
March 25, 2020
How to get through the corona virus with your child with SEN – how to help them develop a growth mindset
Written by SENsational Tutors Ltd. How to get through the corona virus with your child with SEN – how to help them develop a growth
March 19, 2020
Three tips for developing better communication skills with your child with SEN
Written by SENsational Tutors Ltd. Register as a parent here to receive information about our services for children with SEN. Three tips for developing better communication
January 24, 2020
10 top-tips to have an enjoyable Christmas with your child with SEN
Written by SENsational Tutors Ltd. Register as a parent here to receive information about our services for children with SEN. 10 top-tips to have an enjoyable
December 20, 2019
How to encourage your child with SEN to write
Written by Longina, a tutor working through SENsational Tutors Ltd. How to encourage your child with SEN to write For many children, not only those
December 10, 2019
How to encourage children with SEN to try new things
Written by SENsational Tutors Ltd You can register for FREE on our website here Author: Sarah McCaan QTS, PGCE, BSc (Hons) How to encourage children with SEN to
October 21, 2019
