All posts by Mrs McQuaid

Scottish Autism-Live Event

Autism Advice Live
April is World Autism Awareness Month. Scottish Autism want to celebrate and mark this month by providing as much support as we can to autistic people and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Life right now, is particularly challenging and stressful for many autistic people and their families. That’s why over the coming weeks we will have a series of information resources and virtual events to provide as much practical and emotional support as we can, during this challenging time.

On Thursday 9th April at 8.30pm we will run a free live event called ‘Autism Advice Live’. Prior to the event, please send us your questions around what challenges you and/or your family are facing during COVID-19, so we can help support you.

Please email us your question at events@scottishautism.org by noon on Wednesday 8th April and join us during the live event where we will answer your questions.

For those that can’t make it, don’t worry, it will be recorded and will be available after.

It is with thanks to our Autism Support Team that we are able to deliver events like these.
This team also operates our Autism Advice Line which provides valuable emotional and practical support to families across Scotland. The Autism Advice line relies on donations from the public, to donate please visit www.scottishautism.org/donate

Thank you!

Time

8:30pm to 9:30pm

Date

09th April 2020 to 09th April 2020

Location

Online

Price

Free

How to book

General Enquiries

Visit Eventbrite for more information and to register for the event

Any general enquiries for the event can be sent to events@scottishautism.org

Autism Awareness Week

World Autism Awareness Week 30 March – 5 April 2020

Join us and help us spread awareness and increase acceptance of autism. By looking at the resources below which have been provided by the National Autistic Society, you’ll be doing your bit to help autistic people and their families. 

Two fundraisers holding collection bucket

Booklet

Practical tips

With the help of thousands of autistic people and their families, we have created some handy tips

'Stories from the Spectrum' text with icons of a book, pencil, art, speech bubbles
 Read stories from the spectrum-featuring voices from across the autism spectrum

Free learning resources for parents

Learning resources created for World Autism Awareness Week have been developed for different key stages in line with the National Curriculum, and are a great way to teach about being kind, learning about how we’re the same, and how we’re different, and understanding autism better.  The resources can be used at home during this time.

SIGN UP FOR YOUR FREE RESOURCES

Information and resources on coronavirus

We know for many autistic people and their families it is difficult to cope with the changes and impact coronavirus has made to our daily lives. To help, the National Autistic Society have  created some handy tips to help during this time of uncertainty – they have asked us to share these with our school’s parent network.

Asdan Resources to support home learning

To support home learning during these challenging times, ASDAN has made available free resources for educators, parents, guardians and carers to support young people.



Free resources for pre-Entry to Level 2
The resources, ranging from pre-Entry to Level 2, have been taken from a range of ASDAN courses. They can be used in a home setting and challenges can be adapted to suit home learning, for example using video chat for group work to maintain and encourage interaction.


We hope that these resources will help support those who share our passion for independent learning, promoting learner progress, and boosting young people’s confidence and self-esteem at this unprecedented time in their education.


The resources cover areas including:

English and mathematics
PSHE and citizenship
Employability
Transition from primary to secondary school
Community, volunteering and culture

View and download resources

Support for learners with SEND

We have also made available a large number of resources for learners with special educational needs and disabilities. These include four challenge booklets from our Lifeskills Challenge programme, which offers a flexible way to recognise and reward small steps of achievement, with a focus on personalised learning and progression. Each booklet contains 10 challenges, along with an observation checklist and record of oral questioning template that can be used in a home environment. Challenge themes include living independently, keeping healthy and community inclusion. These can also be accessed from our free resources page.


Please do forward this email on to anyone who you know is supporting home learning and would benefit from these free materials.
Guidance on awarding for qualifications

ASDAN is committed to providing opportunities for young people facing barriers to learning and is open and ready to support you and your learners in the coming weeks and months.We are continuing to work with the Department for Education, Ofqual and other regulators, the Federation of Awarding Bodies and other awarding organisations to achieve guidance for awarding for our qualifications. We will provide further updates as soon as possible.


In the meantime, please get in touch with your ASDAN regional representative if you need any support. You can also get in touch with our centre support team on 0117 954 8316 or email info@asdan.org.uk. In addition, live chat is available through the ASDAN website, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.


We are sending you and your learners best wishes for your health and safety in the coming weeks.


The ASDAN team

Microsoft Teams

Support for Learning have put some useful apps, websites and learning activities on Glow as well as the school website for pupils to access at home, during this time of absence from school.

The staff would like all pupils to know that they can contact us at anytime, by following the instructions below:

  1. Go onto your Glow Account (any problems see Mr Stratton’s post on the web homepage or the school twitter account)
  2. Download Microsoft Team App
  3. Join or create a team
  4. Join a team with a code
  5. Use code cgkux5d

 

 

 

Dyslexia Awareness Week for Staff

 

 

 

 

Support for Learning have requested that staff support Dyslexia Awareness Week by:

  • Wearing the dyslexia ribbon.
  • Attending the coffee morning on Friday.
  • Reading the issued booklet with gives information and advice on dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties.
  • Accessing Dyslexia Scotland website where they will find a variety of resources as well as free Online Dyslexia Modules, offering a great CPD opportunity.
  • Referring to the strategies advised by Dyslexia Scotland for 13-17 year olds. See link below: https://unwrapped.dyslexiascotland.org.uk/info-and-support/strategies-for-1317-years
  • If they have a desire to do anything with their class they will find additional activities at the bottom of the PHSE Lesson. Various video clips are also accessible on the server under staff share/public/dyslexia.

Dyslexia Awareness Week for Pupils

Support for Learning have planned a variety of activities for pupils, which will take place during PHSE, to raise awareness of Dyslexia:

S1/2

  • Dyslexia Scotland – Children’s Presentation (Attached to email)
  • Video Clip – ‘See dyslexia differently’ (Use link below)

https://unwrapped.dyslexiascotland.org.uk/create-and-share/videos/see-dyslexia-differently

  • Dyslexia is known as a ‘hidden disability’. ‘Hidden dyslexia’ colouring activity is attached to the email, print the number required for your class and ensure you have colouring pens/pencil at the ready. The worksheet can also be download from:

https://unwrapped.dyslexiascotland.org.uk/create-and-share/images/hidden-dyslexia-colouring-in-postcard

 

S3/4

 

S5/6     (For seniors we are encouraging a more independent approach particularly for the first activity which requires the use of computers/ipads)

  • Access Dyslexia Unwrapped https://unwrapped.dyslexiascotland.org.uk/ a website for children and young people with dyslexia aged 8-18. Direct the pupils to 13-17 years where they will find articles and information about living with dyslexia including; passing your driving test with dyslexia, mental health and self-esteem, studying and exams, a guide to my mysterious dyslexic quirks, what is it like with dyslexia. Individually or in pairs/groups read through the various topic areas.
  • Read the messages from our ‘Young Ambassadors’ and watch the associated video clips unwrapped.dyslexiascotland.org.uk/info-and-support/young-ambassadors. If you cannot access the video clips they can be found in staff share/ public/ dyslexia/ambassador clips. This lesson can be done individually or as a whole class.
  • Famous People Quiz (see attached). An additional information sheet is attached with quotes from the famous people which can be given out AFTER the quiz has been attempted.

  Additional Activities

  • So, you’ve got dyslexia… what is it anyway

http://www.unwrapped.dyslexiascotland.org.uk/info-and-support/so-youve-got-dyslexia-what-is-it-anyway

  • Dyslexia – it’s NOT an illness

https://unwrapped.dyslexiascotland.org.uk/info-and-support/dyslexia-its-not-an-illness

  • Just for Fun/Wired Differently

https://unwrapped.dyslexiascotland.org.uk/just-for-fun