Sue Larkey Podcast - Autism (ASD), ADHD, ODD and PDA education

It can take a lot of energy and planning to get each student off to a good start for a new school year. In this podcast I have included some tips and ideas to help everyone get off to a great start: ✅18 Ways to Set up a Classroom (Quick reference & guide) ✅ 13 Key Strategies to Setting Up Your Classroom which includes more in depth information and tips to help you set up your classroom. Read the full blog post about setting up the classroom suelarkey.com.au/ideas-to-help-you-set-up-your-classroom-for-success/ To learn more about teaching or understanding ASD please visit my websites below. Australian residents: https://elearning.suelarkey.com.au/ Rest of the world: https://www.autismspectrumelearning.com/

Here are the questions sent in by listeners of the Sue Larkey Podcast. For all of the answers in full written form please see the full blog post - suelarkey.com.au/q-and-a-from-podcast-listeners Question: One of my young gentleman is constantly wearing his jumper and track suit pants we're already reaching 39 degrees and soon it's going to hit 51. Do you have any suggestions about helping him realize to wear appropriate clothing? Question: A couple of comments from educators I work with these. The child just won't eat anything. Question: The other question Monique had is we've got a kid who pulls everything off the shelves, out of the baskets, resulting in chaos. What do we do? Question: Would it be possible to create a podcast for families who have just received a diagnosis. Question: "One of our families just got a diagnosis and this was immediately followed up by taking him to an OT, Speechie and the families didn't even know what the different people were for" Read the full blog post of this Q and A at the link below. https://suelarkey.com.au/q-and-a-from-podcast-listeners/ To learn more about teaching or understanding ASD please visit my websites below. Australian residents: https://elearning.suelarkey.com.au/ Rest of the world: https://www.autismspectrumelearning.com/

Toilet training your child is a big task even for neuro-typical children. Parents often procrastinate over when to start and we keep delaying it for whatever reason we can think of! My biggest concern for children with ASD is if they are not out of nappies by five years of age then they often start to lose muscle control and can end up with long term bowel and bladder issues. Toileting is not something that the child will grow into or get better with age. We all need to action ASAP – and this includes schools. If a child is attending pre-school or school when the parents are toilet training then we all need to get behind the toileting programme and provide consistency all day every day until the child has mastered it. Read the full blog post about my Tips for Toileting at the link below. https://suelarkey.com.au/top-tips-for-toilet-training/ To learn more about teaching or understanding ASD please visit my websites below. Australian residents: https://elearning.suelarkey.com.au/ Rest of the world: https://www.autismspectrumelearning.com/

When I worked as an outreach teacher supporting students in mainstream schools. I created some easy to use cheat sheets for the staff and the students I supported. The more information we share the more we can prepare! But I found sometimes there was too much information, and much of it was not actually read or used. THE MOST popular and useful documents are available at the podcast show notes page here: https://suelarkey.com.au/slp-010-transitioning-cheat-sheets/ To learn more about teaching or understanding ASD please visit my websites below. Australian residents: https://elearning.suelarkey.com.au/ Rest of the world: https://www.autismspectrumelearning.com/

Transition includes change in teacher, change in room, change in students in the class not just starting preschool, school, high school and beyond. The nature of ASD is such that transition can be extremely stressful, no matter what age or how BIG or SMALL the change maybe. Changing Teacher is like…. Moving to a Foreign Country For the child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) moving to a new teacher, classroom or campus is like moving to foreign country. There is a different language (eg one teacher says 'pack away', new teacher says 'clean up'). Teachers and other students have different facial expressions and body language to interpret, new rules, new schedules, new smells, different pencils just to mention a few changes. This new 'foreign country' causes the child to feel enormous anxiety and stress, which in turn can lead to behaviour. This anxiety and behaviour can be managed by effective planning and transition strategies. This article aims to give you ideas, strategies and solutions to managing transition and have in place strategies ready to make next year a Success! To learn more about teaching or understanding ASD please visit my websites below. Australian residents: https://elearning.suelarkey.com.au/ Rest of the world: https://www.autismspectrumelearning.com/

Managing meltdowns is very important. I believe the key is getting in early and putting in place strategies before the behaviour escalates. You will need a range of strategies to prevent the meltdown escalating. For some students strategies that may help include: ignoring, distracting, redirecting, send on an errand, and more. Understanding the Three Stages of a Meltdown will make it easier to identify and apply strategies to prevent. To learn more about teaching or understanding ASD please visit my websites below. Australian website: https://suelarkey.com.au Rest of the world: https://www.autismspectrumelearning.com/

Download this podcast Subscribe to this podcast via your favourite app Join my newsletter for more awesome information about ASD Many people on the autism spectrum have difficulty with social skills as they are not logical – rules change, games change, people are your friend one day but not the next and children use language and phrases that can be confusing. In addition not being able to predict what people mean and understanding the context of a social situation can make social situations very frustrating. This is called 'Theory of Mind'. Most children can pass a Theory of Mind test by age three, whereas most people with ASD have an impaired Theory of Mind. To read my detailed blog post on this subject please go to https://suelarkey.com.au/theory-of-mind/

Download this podcast Subscribe to this podcast via your favourite app Join my newsletter for more awesome information about ASD Exam time and tests are often a very difficult time for students with ASD. Their anxiety, fear of failure, perfectionism and learning style often makes this a highly stressful time for everyone. In my experience often their longer processing time makes it difficult to read a question and then figure out what it really means. They may also perseverate (become stuck and not move on) on a question that they don't know. Some students have difficulty explaining their 'thinking' and just put the answers rather than showing their 'working out'. It's important we put in place appropriate procedures /adjustments so that students can perform at their best in tests & exams.

Download this podcast Subscribe to this podcast via your favourite app Join my newsletter for more awesome information about ASD The One Thing I Wish I knew YEARS ago was the IMPORTANCE of executive functioning and HOW to improve it as it underpins everything from behaviour to social to engagement. Executive functioning refers to the part of your brain that organises, prioritises and regulates emotions. However, I prefer to refer to it as the 'Air Traffic Control,' as just like air traffic control has to manage thousands of planes on countless runways with perfect timing, students have to manage information and distractions. Impaired Executive Function can impact significantly on children with autism spectrum disorder's ability to learn and engage in busy learning environments. To read the comprehensive blog post about Executive function please go here: https://suelarkey.com.au/the-one-thing-i-wish-i-knew-years-ago/

Download this podcast Subscribe to this podcast via your favourite app Join my newsletter for more awesome information about ASD This podcast gives you some insight into how Sue got into the Autism Spectrum Disorder eduction in the first place, what motivates here and what to expect from this podcast. Sue Larkey enlightens, and entertains with valuable insights into Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, ODD and PDA. Covering strategies from the Early Years to Teens Years and Beyond. Join Sue as she shares simple yet effective tips, supports and strategies on a range of topics including social skills, communication and positive behaviour support. Sue Larkey is uniquely positioned within the education system having taught both as a primary school teacher and a special education teacher. She combines this practical experience with extensive research, having completed a Masters in Special Education and currently undertaking a Doctorate of Education, focusing on inclusive education. Sue is unashamedly passionate about her mission – to inspire parents and educators and teach them how to Make it a Success.