© Marie Smith Special Educational Needs 2021
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.