Join educational and autism consultant/author Laura Kerbey for a presentation on PDA. Learn about the main characteristics of PDA, and crucially how young people often avoid things they love to do because of the anxiety triggered by the perceived demand or expectation. Laura talks us through some tools for support, including low-demand communication.
Join Reena Anand for an exploration of autism among minority ethnic groups. Reena shines a light on the relevance of cultural considerations, norms and expectations when supporting autistic children and young people across different racial and ethnic groups. We consider how to understand parental responses and how best to support families.
Join Dr Kate Cooper for a deep dive into the intersection of autism and gender dysphoria. Watch this webinar for an understanding of how challenges with communication, dealing with change, and identity can affect an autistic young person experiencing gender dysphoria. There are lots of practical tips for support: how to approach this with kindness and curiosity, and how to empower parents in helping their children.
Join Dr Mary Hanley for an inspirational look at how the classroom environment can be adapted to reduce anxiety and sensory arousal in autistic children. Watch for details of the excellent (and free!) “Triple A” training that Durham University have created for schools.
Take a tour around a London special school with Riverston School as they share the ways they support their autistic students. Join K’dee Bernard, Director of Sen, and Nicole Damala, Head of Therapy, for insight into a specialist setting and some tools that can be used in any school.
Teacher and wellbeing coach, Ola Elkhatib and Dr Weston share a range of evidence-based ideas designed to help you feel better, less anxious, less stressed and energised for the term ahead.
Whilst it might not sound that big an issue, there are crucial distinctions between the concepts of secrets and surprises. Nudging children to understand and recognise these differences is an important way to help keep them safe and maintain their wellbeing. Having open conversations about this at home (the exact opposite of secrecy) and being mindful of the language that we use ourselves is a good place to start.
The Tooled Up library covers numerous different subjects relating to parenting and education. Our content ranges from articles and interviews about connecting with nature and children’s relationship with fire, to quizzes about clouds and James Bond. But there are some subjects that we are asked about very frequently. We want to make sure that you know exactly where to find the answers to all of these common questions. Hopefully this A-Z will help you to locate what you need in the library. Some of the topics on this list are relevant to children and young people of particular ages or developmental stages. Others are more universal. We could have included many more questions, but we wanted to give you a good snapshot of exactly what we can offer. Enjoy!
Many young children have meltdowns and they can leave adults feeling helpless. Neurodiversity and early childhood specialist, Kerry Murphy explains everything we need to know about the potential causes of meltdowns and how best to respond to them.
If your child feels high levels of anxiety about fire, in a way that isn’t proportionate to their exposure or level of risk, it’s important to encourage them to work through their fear. Here are some effective tips for helping equip children with the skills to navigate anxious thoughts and adopt positive coping strategies.
