special education – Sensational Learning with Penguin

Days Out In The South East: Herstmonceux Observatory Science Centre

November 10, 2021

In the mid 20th century, the Royal Observatory at Greenwhich was moved to Herstmonceux, East Sussex, to escape the problems of being in London (lights, smog, electric fields etc). However, after just a few decades at Herstmonceux, it was decided that this location wasn’t ideal either. The giant Isaac Newton Telescope that had been installed … More Days Out In The South East: Herstmonceux Observatory Science Centre

AAC Apps: Who Are They For & What Is So Great About Them?

October 8, 2021

AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, and it’s a term used for all kinds of methods that can be used for communicating other than speech. October is AAC Awareness Month, and last October I wrote a big old blog post about AAC: Basic Facts And Helpful Resources, which is still relevant and informative, but not … More AAC Apps: Who Are They For & What Is So Great About Them?

How Pumpkin Carving Sparked A Communication Milestone For Our Nonverbal Teenager

November 1, 2020

I hope everyone’s had a happy Halloween out there, even if it might be a bit different to usual this year. For me, the most memorable moment of this Halloween week happened on Thursday evening, when Penguin and I were making a start at carving the largest of our pumpkins… I used his AAC (we … More How Pumpkin Carving Sparked A Communication Milestone For Our Nonverbal Teenager

Special Needs Learning At Home: How Can I Help?

March 21, 2020

Last night I wrote a post titled ‘No School?! No Panic…’, about how I don’t think parents should feel any pressure to mimic school or set up super ambitious schedules for learning at home during these times of school closures, social distancing, and isolation. If you haven’t read the post yet, you can find it … More Special Needs Learning At Home: How Can I Help?

No School?! No Panic…

March 20, 2020

I’m seeing a lot of posts at the moment about how to fill your days at home, now that the kids will be out of school (and not allowed to hang out with friends etc). And more than once, I’ve felt a wish to tell parents to please calm down. Not about the virus, that … More No School?! No Panic…

My nonverbal 12 year old autistic child talked to me about his drawing!

February 23, 2020

The event that I’m going to tell you about in this post happened the other week, but at the time felt too overwhelmed to write about it, and then when I tried I found it tricky to put it into words. I’m not sure I’ll be entirely successful now either, but I’m giving it a … More My nonverbal 12 year old autistic child talked to me about his drawing!

‘Guess that smell’: Matching activity with visual supports

January 14, 2018

As you might already know if you follow this blog, Penguin is pretty much non-verbal, or minimally verbal, or pre-verbal, depending on which term you prefer to use. He’s also got a very strong visual sense, which he relies on heavily, for learning, communication, and more. To play an activity of guessing smells, I couldn’t … More ‘Guess that smell’: Matching activity with visual supports

How do you mean, “sensational”?

May 30, 2017

I feel that I owe you an explanation as to why I’ve chosen the name “Sensational Learning”. Although I’m hoping that the learning experiences I try to create for Penguin will indeed sometimes be sensational, in the usual meaning of the word, I wouldn’t have chosen the name on that basis alone. Instead, it comes … More How do you mean, “sensational”?

Sweet Music

May 29, 2017

I think most of us can agree that music affects us. That it can change our mood, make us feel stronger, fill us with joy or sadness. Our hands and feet start tapping, and some of us end up doing a little dance at the bus stop. Music offers a way of communication which taps … More Sweet Music