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The Neurodiversity Handbook for Trainee Teachers

The SEND Handbook for Parents and Carers: How to Navigate the SEND System and Support Your Child Through School.

OUT NOW.

Taylor&Francis/Routledge/Speechmark publishers.

Reviewer comments:

Firstly, I’d like to say that I wish I’d had this book given to me when I received my son’s diagnosis.  I needed to know all of this information, but did not have a clue where to go, who to turn too and where to start.  In chapter 5, the author mentions the financial transition from DLA to PIP, a phase I am now going through with my son, and it was super useful to read – so thank you for that.  I don’t know of a book that goes into this detail, for parents, that is as easy to pick up at the various stages of the SEND parents’ ‘journey’.

The 'Top Tips' are incredibly useful.

Book endorsements:

“This book works through the rollercoaster ride that is SEND parenting in such a clear, simple way and is easy to read and return to at different stages of your parenting journey. It breaks down legislation, processes, systems, applications and timescales and is an invaluable resource to have at your fingertips. The points for professional discussion for parents to take to meetings with professionals are a game changer.  The book is full of case studies that help parents recognise the link to their own situation, with great tips and reflection points for things parents may not yet have considered. Every parent of a child navigating the SEND pathway in education should have a copy of this book.” - Cheryl Warren, SEND Trainer and Consultant; Director, Aperion Training

 

“This book is an invaluable resource to help parents navigate the SEND system. I wish I had had a copy when going for my child's Education, Health and Care Plan, EHCP; it could have saved us time and stress! I will definitely be recommending it to the parent members of my local Parent Carer Form, as well as the schools I work with to help them provide signposting to their parents” -  Alice Hoyle, Wellbeing Education Consultant and Mum of three

 

“As a parent of three children with SEND, I would have loved to have a book like this when we began navigating our own journey of SEND support and EHCPs in school. The SEND Handbook for Parents and Carers is a really useful guide which helps to outline SEND systems and the support available in schools whilst explaining key terms used. With helpful ideas and tips, this book is a must-read for parents who are supporting a school-aged child with SEND.” – Tamsin Grimmer, Early Years Consultant and parent of three autistic girls.

Considering a neurodivergent world is vital in society today, and even more so in the classroom. This book will support the knowledge and development as a trainee teacher to understand the complexities of working with neurodivergent pupils. Starting with a model of difference rather this deficit, this book will support and guide trainee teachers to understand neurodiversity within the classroom, providing strategies which aim to support their students. 

Dr Sarah Alix is the Initial Teacher Training Programme Director 

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The Foster Carer's Handbook on Education

The Neurodiversity Handbook for Teaching Assistants and Learning Support Assistants: A guide for learning support staff, SENCOs and students

How can foster carers best support the education of the children and young people in their care? Many children in foster care get on with school, enjoy it and do well, but some really struggle, their ability to cope with its demands affected by the impact of previous experiences of neglect, trauma and loss. They need understanding and extra support that is not always readily available. Foster carers are likely to know the child well, and so will know whether she or he is settling into a new primary school or coping with the transition to secondary education. Teachers and other school staff can benefit from their guidance about how best to help the child feel safe and understood in the classroom. This handbook aims to support foster carers in that task, and so help children to have the best possible experience of education, right up to leaving care.

 

 

Alix, S. (2020) The Foster Carer’s Handbook on Education; Getting the Best for your Child. CoramBAAF. https://corambaaf.org.uk/books/foster-carers-handbook-education

This book is a practical support book for Teaching Assistants (TAs), Learning Support Assistants (LSAs), their teachers and their Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCos) in developing an understanding of neurodiversity in the classroom. This book covers both primary and secondary age ranges and phases within mainstream schools.

This handbook supports the understanding of neurodiversity with the use of supporting strategies for TAs and LSAs, it considers a model of difference rather than deficit

Taylor & Francis/Routledge. Publication date 1st December.

'I can see this text becoming a classic amongst its readership for a very long time.' Editor Quote.

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The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Handbook for Primary Trainee Teachers

This book is a practical support book for primary Trainee Teachers, their mentors and teacher training tutors. It provides an overview of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) roles and responsibilities in schools, the broad areas of need, assessment and support for SEND pupils.
Publication April 2024

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The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Handbook for Secondary Trainee Teachers

This book is a practical support book for Secondary Trainee Teachers, their mentors and teacher training tutors. It provides an overview of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) roles and responsibilities in schools, the broad areas of need, assessment and support for SEND pupils.
Publication 2025 - SAGE Publications

Chapter in Edited Book: Otherness in Communication Research; Perspectives in Media, Interpersonal and Intercultural Communication

Part I - Expressions of Otherness in Everyday Life

Chapter: The Neurodivergent Other in the Educational System.
Publication 2025 - Palgrave Macmillan

Part of the series: Palgrave Studies of Otherness

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