Nip in the Bud Podcast - Lauren Whitaker - Celebrating Diversity

Nip in the Bud® Podcast - The children's mental health health charity

In today's episode, we will be looking at celebrating Neurodiversity and strategies to support neurodiverse children attending mainstream primary schools and nurseries.
I am talking with Lauren Whitaker who has been a teaching assistant, a higher level teaching assistant (HLTA) and a special educational needs manager, working in schools for over 15 years.
Lauren has worked with neurodiverse children and their families for years. Supporting them by seeing and meeting their unique needs, helping them to feel nurtured in school, and guiding them, and those who care for them, to empower learning and encourage development.
Be sure to listen right to the end as Lauren shares many different strategies that she uses successfully to help children reach their potential and be happy in school. You can easily adopt or find our more about these strategies and use them with the children you care for.
Helpful links to strategies mentioned in the show:
Nip in the Bud free factsheets:
https://nipinthebud.org/fact-sheet/
Emotion Coaching UK:
https://www.emotioncoachinguk.com/
Nip in the Bud Tips for teachers:
https://nipinthebud.org/films-teachers-category/tips-for-teachers/
Nip in the Bud - Colour coding your emotions:
https://nipinthebud.org/films-for-parents-carers/colour-coding-emotions-for-children/
Protective Behaviours Information:
https://familiesfeelingsafe.co.uk/what-is-protective-behaviours/
My Network Hand:
https://www.mefirst.org.uk/resource/my-network-hand/
Zones of Regulation:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/zones-of-regulation-12361024

Nip in the Bud - Where to get help

https://nipinthebud.org/where-to-get-help/

Chapitres

1. Nip in the Bud Podcast - Lauren Whitaker - Celebrating Diversity (00:00:00)

2. Lauren's background and journey to working in schools (00:02:07)

3. Working with neurodiverse children and their families (00:02:52)

4. What is meant by neurodiversity? (00:04:11)

5. Celebration weeks (00:06:00)

6. How to work with parents and carers (00:07:29)

7. How have you focused on treating the needs of a child? (00:09:09)

8. How to teach differences to the whole class (00:10:26)

9. What strategies do you use with supporting neurodiverse children? (00:12:22)

10. Importance of relationships and getting to know the child (00:15:10)

11. Movement breaks (00:17:19)

12. Protective behaviours approaches (00:18:34)

13. Children have the right to feel safe all the time (00:18:43)

14. Zones of regulation (00:19:56)

15. Network hand (00:20:18)

16. How can parents use some of your strategies at home? (00:23:38)