Kids Planet supports World Autism Acceptance Week

This World Autism Acceptance Week, Kids Planet has been focusing on all things SEND. We spoke to our internal SEND team at Kids Planet and award-winning Early Childhood Consultant, Sue Asquith, in our most recent podcast.

Not only that, this weekend, both the dedicated SEND team and Kids Planet Middlewich team took part in the Spectrum Night Walk on 2^nd April, to raise money for the National Autistic Society.

The Kids Planet SEND team (Becky, Rachael and Lauren) massively exceeded their target of £100, raising over £750. “We want to help change attitudes, to transform lives and create a society that works for autistic people.

Being part of the SEND team at Kids Planet, we work with children and families with autism daily, and know that the huge support, guidance and advice from the NAS makes a huge difference.” You can show your support here.

And Kids Planet Middlewich nursery raised over £1000, with several members of staff getting their steps in and walking the 10km to support Pam, a practitioner at the nursery whose son Henry was diagnosed with autism in January 2020.

Pam’s son, 8-year-old Henry, has been supported at nursery through an emotional journey towards and following his diagnosis, and is now developing confidence and gaining support. This is something invaluable to the whole family, who have had to adjust their lives to support their brother and son. You can show your support here.

SEND at Kids Planet

At Kids Planet, in addition to the SENDCo (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator) based in the nurseries, we have a SEND team who provide support, advice and guidance to the Nursery SENDCo for those children who present with additional needs.

Becky, Rachael and Lauren work across all of the settings, liaise with external professionals, and have written a SEND Level 3 qualification. They revealed that what they’re really passionate about is working with parents to ensure families with children with SEND feel supported each step of the way.

The SEND team believe we have come a long way with SEND knowledge, and one thing that has changed is the pressure on the term ‘one to one’ support. The SEND team like to call it ‘targeted support’, based on each individual child and setting.

A common misconception is that a child’s behaviour is only as it appears. The SEND team believe that every behaviour is a form of communication, and it’s important to look at what triggers could have led to the behaviour, and think outside of the box. They call themselves ‘half SENDCo’s/half detectives’.

When working with SEND children and their families, the unique child is at the core of everything. As part of our inclusive practice at Kids Planet, we appreciate that every child is unique and there are lots of categories to consider under neurodiversity, there are not only two categories.

We are all neurodiverse, for example with our preferences: what we like, don’t like, what we’re afraid of and so on. It is our responsibility to always be thinking about what can we do to help and to remember that there is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach as every child is different.

The key person or SENDCo in each setting needs to understand the whole family; the support we provide is not just for the child. We know we often have to deliver information that can be difficult to hear, which is why we are understanding, non-judgmental, and supportive, taking the time to understand the family and provide inclusive support.

Find out more about additional support with Kids Planet.

Share