Support for

parents/families

1. Managing difficult situations-

I support families in a variety of ways including eating, food and meal times, bed time routines and sleep, exam preparation and homework, anxiety and stress management, relaxation strategies as well as behaviour management and creating visual support.

2. SEND advice

I provide support for parents/carers in applications for school places etc., working effectively with SENCOs and outside agencies, negotiating the SEND Code of Practice.

3. Modelling and coaching

I support parents/carers in developing skills for supporting their child’s development, completion of homework etc.

4. Parent/carer support groups

I help with the development of parent/carer/family interaction/support groups within schools/settings and community. I can provide the opportunity to meet with other families and talk about experiences, facilitate discussion sessions on topics chosen from within the group, provide training/advice sessions on specific topics, and talks from other professionals.

Support at home

At MarieSmithSEND I offer a range of services for families within the home. The details are listed below

but if you need help with anything related to Special Educational Needs please get in touch and I’m sure I

can help.

I’ve been working with children with autism and SEND for nearly 20 years and have a range of strategies and resources at hand that can be used to support children and their families at home whatever their needs.

Tutoring

If your child needs support with preparing for exams or

any school based tests including SATs or Y1 Phonics

Test or simply needs extra support with a specific area

of their development then I have a number of slots

available.

Sessions

• are tailored to the specific needs of the child • are fun and interactive and use lots of teaching styles so that all learners can be catered for. • use a variety of resources including ICT • can include support for anxiety and exam stress ensuring that your child learns how to keep themselves well during stressful times • can include setting up revision timetables, schedules and practice activities between sessions • can focus on relaxation and well-being rather than just academic development

‘Marie has been of invaluable help to both Josh and myself over

the past few months. The thought of GCSE'S, the revision, the

exams, also how Josh would cope with it all, was quite daunting

until I got in touch with Marie. She tutored Josh weekly and not

just for his exams, but also for his College interview. With Marie's

help and support the whole G.C.S.E experience has been a good

one. Josh has been a lot less stressed and has had a structured

revision timetable. Thank you so much Marie for everything you

have done for Josh and myself’

K A Chappell

Home teaching (0-5 years)

If your child has been identified with special

educational needs or has a diagnosis of autism or

another condition and you feel that support and

teaching in the home would support their development

then please get in touch. I can offer weekly or

fortnightly home teaching slots focusing on developing

play and other early skills, support with development

of early language or social skills.

Sessions

• use a wide variety of developmentally appropriate toys and equipment • involve the opportunity for family members to watch and support the sessions so that they can be carried on independently • can include the setting up of work stations and visual support for daily routines • are fun and engaging to ensure that little ones have lots of fun and learn at the same time • always include the setting of targets before and throughout the sessions to make sure that families see progress • can include completing the Early Support Developmental Journal helping to track progress and contribute to meetings and assessments

Setting up routines

and solving tricky behaviours

If you are facing difficulties with aspects of your child’s

behaviour at home then please get in touch. Is bedtime

challenging, are mealtimes tricky, is going to the

supermarket impossible? I can help work through these

with you providing support and resources to help you

make changes and take control of tricky situations

Sessions

• informal observations of the behaviour involved • strategies and support to help manage the situation • working together and a chance to talk things through • ongoing support for as long as it is needed • development of things like visual timelines, schedules, workstations, sensory sessions • support for children with sensory needs • support for children displaying tricky or challenging behaviour

‘‘Marie came and saw us at home because our little one was very

worried at night and wasn’t sleeping. With her help, we have put

lots of new routines in place that over time have made a difference

to her sleep. It took some time but Marie kept us going with it and

now we are all getting enough sleep, which is great’

L Johnston

Advice and support for families when

dealing with SEND paperwork,

appointments, disability assessments etc.

After nearly 20 years working with children and now adults with SEND and their

families I am to support you in managing:

• medical appointments and assessments • the process to gain an Education and Health Care Plan or other support for your child • completion of paperwork for EHCP applications / Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payments and Employment and Support Allowance • talking to your child’s school about your concerns about their development or special educational needs ‘I don’t know what we would have done without Marie’s help. We were really worried about our little boy’s development and how anxious he was. Marie offered advice over the phone, by email and did home visits where we talked about our worries and she gave suggestions about ways forward. Thanks to Marie’s advice I now have a great relationship with my son’s school and SENCO, he’s been assessed by the right agencies and received the diagnosis he needed. He is getting the help he needs and is making progress and we feel happier as a family’ P A Jones ‘I have to thank you for your support in helping to get the decision of the D.W.P reversed for my brothers E.S.A payments. Your assessment of his needs and the letter written by you on his behalf, explaining in his detail his condition was definitely the reason the decision was reversed. He is now receiving the ESA payments as before. Many, many thanks for all your help’ Regards Mrs B Smith

Support during holidays

For some children school holidays are fantastic, a chance to unwind and relax but

for others being out of the school routine can cause anxiety and stress to build. If

you need help and support if setting up structures, routines and systems to help

you and your child survive and indeed thrive in the holidays please give me a call.

Support can include: • setting up work systems to ensure that children keep up with their skills and development • supporting you to set up visual timelines and schedules to help with everyday routines • signpost to groups and sessions for you to access Marie spent an hour with me and my daughter each week for 6 weeks, working with her and assessing her skills. We set some targets so that I could see whether Marie’s help was working and reviewed them after the 6 weeks. Not only did Marie work with my daughter but she also showed me how to carry on this work with her during the rest of the week as well as helping me set up other routines and picture cards that have been really helpful. I can honestly say that I am not dreading the summer holidays this years because with Marie’s help I know we have a good routine that I can keep going. Thank you’ Miss C Johnston

Development &

Project Work

I work with the community and groups

to develop policies and protocols, new

provision, and support the creation of

new initiatives.

Tutoring

If your child needs support

with preparing for exams or

any school based tests

including SATs or Y1 Phonics

Test or simply needs extra

support with a specific area of

their development then I have

a number of slots available.

Sessions

‘Marie has been of invaluable help to both Josh and

myself over the past few months. The thought of

GCSE'S, the revision, the exams, also how Josh would

cope with it all, was quite daunting until I got in

touch with Marie. She tutored Josh weekly and not

just for his exams, but also for his College interview.

With Marie's help and support the whole G.C.S.E

experience has been a good one. Josh has been a lot

less stressed and has had a structured revision

timetable. Thank you so much Marie for everything

you have done for Josh and myself’

K A Chappell

Support for

parents/families

1. Managing difficult situations-

2. SEND advice

I provide support for parents/carers in applications for school places etc., working effectively with SENCOs and outside agencies, negotiating the SEND Code of Practice.

3. Modelling and coaching

I support parents/carers in developing skills for supporting their child’s development, completion of homework etc.

4. Parent/carer support groups

Support at home

At MarieSmithSEND I offer a

range of services for families

within the home. The details are

listed below but if you need help

with anything related to Special

Educational Needs please get in

touch and I’m sure I can help.

Home teaching (0-5 years)

If your child has been

identified with special

educational needs or has a

diagnosis of autism or

another condition and you

feel that support and

teaching in the home would

support their development

then please get in touch. I can

offer weekly or fortnightly

home teaching slots focusing

on developing play and other

early skills, support with

development of early

language or social skills.

Sessions

Setting up routines

and solving tricky

behaviours

If you are facing difficulties

with aspects of your child’s

behaviour at home then please

get in touch. Is bedtime

challenging, are mealtimes

tricky, is going to the

supermarket impossible? I can

help work through these with

you providing support and

resources to help you make

changes and take control of

tricky situations

Sessions

‘‘Marie came and saw us at home because our little

one was very worried at night and wasn’t sleeping.

With her help, we have put lots of new routines in

place that over time have made a difference to her

sleep. It took some time but Marie kept us going with

it and now we are all getting enough sleep, which is

great’

L Johnston

Advice and support for

families when dealing

with SEND

paperwork,

appointments,

disability assessments

etc.

After nearly 20 years working

with children and now adults

with SEND and their families I

am to support you in

managing:

Support during

holidays

For some children school

holidays are fantastic, a

chance to unwind and relax

but for others being out of the

school routine can cause

anxiety and stress to build. If

you need help and support if

setting up structures, routines

and systems to help you and

your child survive and indeed

thrive in the holidays please

give me a call.