Sue Larkey Blog

HOW TO USE THE RED BEAST TO TEACH CHILDREN ABOUT ANGER WITH AUTHOR K.I. AL-GHANI Subscribe to this podcast via your favourite app Join my newsletter for more awesome information about ASDToday I will be interviewing K.I. Al-Ghani. Kay is a lecturer in autism spectrum at the University of Brighton, Autism Transer, Specialist Teacher, Author of multiple books and most importantly, mother of a son wtih autism who will soon be 35! Kay is the author of many books but the one which most of you will know best is “The Red Beast: Controlling Anger in Children with Asperger’s Syndrome”.  Kay’s other books help children understand anxiety, disappointment, jealously, ADHD and her most recent book focuses on PDA. All her books are available on my website and below In my interview with Kay we discuss ✅ How Kay was inspired to write by one of her students who had violent rages and they couldn’t find the trigger ✅ How Kay got her son to draw as a method of communication when he was younger and...

10 Tips for Autism and Social Skills Subscribe to this podcast via your favourite app Join my newsletter for more awesome information about ASD The relationship between social skills and autism is complex and multi-layered. Everyone makes some social mistakes but on the whole we are quick to recognise our errors and act to repair them. However, students with autism are seriously disadvantaged socially as they have great difficulty understanding non-verbal communication, such as facial expression, body language and/or tone of voice. Their literal interpretation of language means that they frequently misunderstand the actual words. I have put together 10 Top Tips to help you when teaching social skills to students with autism       Initially, it may seem challenging to integrate social skills and autism as interpersonal skills are are complex and so much depends on ‘reading’ an individual, and adjusting to the individual situation as it evolves. We often do not realise exactly...

PUBERTY: Preparing for Success at Home and School Subscribe to this podcast via your favourite appJoin my newsletter for more awesome information about ASD Puberty is part of natural development for all children. Puberty usually starts in girls around 10-11 and boys 11-12. Menstruation for girls typically occurs between 12 and 13, while voice changes for boys is often around 15. We ALL need to have on-going discussions with the child and this is where having both home and school helping the child’s understanding is vital. Boys and girls need to know about their changes and changes in the opposite sex too (particularly, if they have opposite sex siblings or are at co-ed schools). It is important to start sharing this information with them before the changes occur otherwise the children may worry that something is wrong with them. I know some parents who talk about the changes before they happen and then as they happen their children tell them and they celebrate! Open, honest and...

Best Tips for Employment for People with Autism and Neurodiversity Subscribe to this podcast via your favourite app Join my newsletter for more awesome information about ASDYenn is an autistic author, speaker and advocate. Yenn is an avid writer not only writing fabulous books but also has a wonderful blog (check it out here). Yenn has authored numerous books covering everything from Women with AS, Mental Health, Education and more which are all available on my website.        I find Yenn’s writings and weekly quotes a source of insight, understanding & inspiration. Yenn has a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome and atypical schizophrenia. For me, Yenn’s sharing of their mental health challenges helps me support the students I know and their families. Two years ago Yenn affirmed that they are non-binary and changed their name from Jeanette to Yenn. I am just letting you all know, as many of their books are under the name ‘Jeanette Purkis’ and I would hate for you to miss out on...

How to Help Children Manage Their Emotions with Lauren Brukner Subscribe to this podcast via your favourite app Join my newsletter for more awesome information about ASDThis week on the podcast I have the lovely Lauren Brukner. I am sure many of you have heard of Lauren or have her books in your school or home library, but for those who haven't Lauren is a wonderful author. In my interview with Lauren we discuss: ✅ Lauren’s four ways of labelling our feelings✅ Different stages on Lauren’s “continuum of self-regulation” ✅ Importance of empowering the child to communicate their needs and design their own strategies ✅ Invaluable insight into the content in Lauren’s four books Her bestselling emotional regulation series contains four books providing awesome strategies to help children stay in control and keep calm!What I love about Lauren's books is that they contain awesome visuals and tips ready to be used in the classroom or at home. Here is a peek at the episode ... >>...

QUICK RESULTS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS WITH AUTISM Subscribe to this podcast via your favourite app Join my newsletter for more awesome information about ASD  6 KEY STRATEGIES Strategies have been taken from The Essential Guide to Secondary School By Sue Larkey and Anna Tullemans In my experience one of the biggest challenges for staff and students with autism is the number of staff involved with the student compared to primary school. Staff should endeavour to share what works and problem solve with the whole team. Reinforcement across all settings will build competence faster and will result in more success for staff and students. All of this information is still easy to implement when we are learning from home. Teachers I know it is challenging teaching online but I really think all of these strategies can be applied over Zoom, Microsoft Teams, FaceTime etc Think of each student as an individual. Support the age appropriate interests* and raise expectations towards...

Recommended Resources To Support Students with Autism Educating at HomeNDIS. /NDIA / FaSCHIA : Claiming Resources Depending on your plan you maybe able to claim resources using NDIS /NDIA . We are not a provider, but can invoice your provider or provide tax invoice to claim off your child’s plan. Feel free to email my PA Dearne dearne@suelarkey.com.au if you want help understanding how to use NDIS/NDIASue Larkey's Recommended Resources List During Coronavirus Click for Link to Sue Larkey's Resource List During This Coronavirus...

Sue Larkey’s Lock Down Tips for Children with Autism  Subscribe to this podcast via your favourite app Join my newsletter for more awesome information about ASD Setting Up Learning From Home for Students With Autism Spectrum, ADHD, ODD, PDA & Neurodiversity1. Position To LearnWhere your child is seated is very important in how effective their learning will be. Students with autism often work best in environments where distractions are minimised.  I recommend finding a room with a door so they can close it to decrease/increase noise at their leisure. Ensure the student has a comfortable flat surface and chair to be working at. It is important that your child is comfortable and their individual sensory needs addressed.2. WRITING60% of students with autism have dysgraphia. This means handwriting can be messy, slow or sometimes even avoided, especially as they get older. You may need to consider allowing iPads, computers and other forms of technology as their means of writing as...

Using Timers To Support Students with Autism Educating at HomeWhy You Should Use Timers with Students with Autism Timers tell the student HOW LONG and WHEN they are going to have to do an activity. Timers allow you to pre-warn the student about activities finishing or starting. They help answer many of the questions these students may have: What is happening? What order? What time? What is next? How long? Timers also add certainty. As they inform the student of what to expect when and for how long. This can help to drastically reduce anxiety, which is especially important during this stressful Coronavirus period. Here is a review from one of my lovely members in my Facebook podcast community  Using Timers to Manage and Reduce Anxiety Time Management = Anxiety Management = Improved Behaviour Remember the higher student's anxiety the less flexibility they will have in completing tasks. By using Timers & Schedules anxiety is reduced and there is less need to fight for control....

Schedules: Number One Strategy for Students with Autism in these Uncertain TimesIs your child/student struggling to Stay engaged with online learning Get into a routine when learning from home Handle anxiety in this strange time Stay away from the screen Stay on task If you answered YES to any of the above questions, then I recommend you start using SCHEDULES Why YOU Should Use Schedules for Students with Autism  Schedules provide students with autism, ADHD & ODD a way to understand what is happening, when it is happening and any changes that are happening. They are the number one strategy for students with autism because they can make a huge difference to the overall wellbeing of the child. Why do Schedules Work for Students With Autism? Schedules work so well for students with autism because they address many of the fundamental issues students with autism may have. These are: Rigidity and a need for sameness - changes can create considerable stress for students with autism...

Using Social Scripts to Help Students With Autism Understand CoronavirusDuring these stressful and uncertain times, it is vital that we help our students with autism understand coronavirus; what it is and why everything is changing all the time. This is because uncertainty can often result in intense feelings of anxiety for students with autism. Social scripts are the key for helping students with autism to understand events and situations. This is why I love the quote below "Improvements in behaviour doesn’t come from the social script. It comes from improved understanding of events and situations."The advantage of social scripts is the children can refer back to them many times to boost understanding. Social scripts can also tell students what they can do, by providing alternative situations (e.g. whilst the social script might explain why students are unable to see the grandparents for a while, they can also explain that students are still able to FaceTime them). This is why I...

❤️ USING VISUALS WHEN TEACHING STUDENTS WITH AUTISM ❤️ Subscribe to this podcast via your favourite app Join my newsletter for more awesome information about ASDChildren on the autism spectrum often can struggle with processing verbal or written cues. This is why it can be so effective to use visuals when teaching students with autism. Visuals include real objects, parts of objects or remnants (e.g. empty packet of sultanas), photographs of the actual object, photographs of similar objects, drawings, computer generated symbols (e.g. Boardmaker, Pics for PECS) and written words. Why Use Visuals When Teaching Students with Autism? Up to 80% of families have their child’s (with autism spectrum disorder) hearing test first because of delays in language development and not responding to verbal cues. The hearing test normally shows no problems, the issue is actually difficulty processing or understanding language.  This is why visuals are very important to use with a child on the autism...