This activity was developed when working on employability skills and identifying that many learners were unaware and / or unable to say what they were good at. Many learners also struggled to engage with peers outside of their friendship group. The activity encourages positive interaction between learners, makes it easier to discuss personal strengths, and if done effectively, nurtures positive self esteem. The activity consists of a range of 12 editible ‘bingo cards’. Instructions are below and included in the word document. You will need One bingo sheet per learner (there are 12 different cards provided, so you may need to print more than one set). One pen per learner Introduction Invite learners to verbally contribute a range of skills we use in school / college, especially those that will also apply in the work place. Discuss the difficulties we often have in identifying and verbalising our own skills. E.g. We are taught not to show off, so it feels uncomfortable doing what might be seen as boasting. Explain that in preparing for employment (CV writing, application forms and interviews) we need to gain an understanding of our own strengths and weaknesses and then be able to explain them to others. **Teacher Demonstration: ** • Pick one skill listed in the 3x3 table. Look around the class for someone who has that skill. • Approach the learner and tell them “I think you have this skill, because…” • Ask the learner to sign their name in the relevant box on your sheet. • Ask the learner to record the same skill in the 3x2 table at the bottom of their page. They have now “collected a skill / compliment”. Learners should now do the same, mixing with others in the group, paying them compliments by telling them what skills they have noticed. Each learner records the skills they have collected, potentially building confidence and self-awareness. Teacher notes: • Promote positive relationship building, build confidence by getting each learner noticed and encourage social etiquette in responding to compliments. • Encourage participation, aiming for the first to get 3 in a row, full house etc. • If some learners are not getting matches, lead the activity by reading out (or thinking of your own) skills and giving all learners the chance to claim them. The activity continues until one person has 6-9 different names on their sheet and all learners have 6 of their own skills identified. Extension activity: Develop employability vocabulary e.g. Do you know a better word for “being on time?” Follow up activity: Start or build on own CV by downloading and editing a skills-based-cv-template.

This resource was inspired by the Inside Out film and has been used to help autistic learners label, make sense of and respond to their own and others emotions. It links to PSHE relationships, interpersonal skills, communication, emotional literacy, reflection and much more.

Force Field Analysis was created by Kurt Lewin in the 1940s. Lewin originally used it in his work as a social psychologist. Today, however, it is also used in business, for making and communicating go/no-go decisions. Having used elements of this theory a lot when working with autistic learners, I find it to be a really effect way to add structure to the process of decision making that can otherwise be too open ended. I have uploaded my most recent version of the worksheet activity.

This resource has been created to support learners who have difficulty getting started, planning, preparing for and working through open ended tasks. Step 1. State the project, problem or situation that needs to be tackled. Step 2. Create wwwwwh questions about it. These questions could be able the logistics of completing the task or project e.g. Why does it have to be done? When does it have to be finished? Who will help me? What does it need to look like? How will I get the resources i need? The questions could also be about the content of the task or project e.g. When is my interview? What will they ask me? Where will it take place? Step 3. Try to answer each of the 18 questions. RAG rate by highlighting green when confident about the answer, amber when clarification is needed and red for when the learner doesn’t know. Step 4 (page 2). Create 3 lists, using the headings provided. Step 5. Seek answers to the ambers (quick wins). Step 6. Plan how to get the answers required and proceed.

This is a simplistic but potentially powerful activity to assess an activity, procedure, environment or resource for accessibility. I have used this lots of times to teach college staff how to make their practice more inclusive without having to be experts on disability. Instructions are included in the download along with: Numerous people / disability cards (cut into individual cards) Red, Amber and Green letters for RAG rating You will also need a hula hoop or similar. Not included! To complete the activity, participants may find it useful to research the common challenges for people with the disabilities provided.

This ‘social story’ style resource is designed to help ease some anxiety associated with lockdown by explaining why we are expected to ‘Stay at home’ to ‘Save Lives’. It will need editing to meet your individual needs.

This document guides staff though a reflective and analytical process when an individual has displayed behaviour perceived to be challenging. It seeks to support staff in exploring the reasons ‘challenging behaviour’ occurs and to promote reflective practice around education and support. The aim is to assist staff in understanding and meeting an individual’s needs so that challenging behaviour reduces. Those completing the process should consider the following key questions throughout the process: • Was the individual seeking to escape a situation they were not ‘ready for’? • Were the supposed consequences something they were actually seeking? e.g. Individual is put in ‘isolation’ but this may be relief to them if they are feeling social overwhelmed. Could this lead to the behaviour being repeated? • Can more be done to teach coping, assertiveness and communication strategies to replace the challenging behaviour? • Do staff consistently demonstrate a good understanding of an individual’s needs? • Are opportunities to share good inclusive practice maximised?

Here is a powerpoint, with activities that help to illustrate that behaviour that challenges us is actually trying to communicate with us. It may not be doing it in the best way possible but it is trying to say something, perhaps “I can’t cope”, “Leave me alone” or “stop”. The powerpoint is accompanied by the stress bucket worksheet. If you are not aware of the stress bucket, it is explained nicely here. https://youtu.be/1KYC5SsJjx8 The powerpoint is also accompanied by the ‘behaviour analysis cards’. Both of which can be used independently. The cards with red arrows indicate possible triggers for challengeing behaviour, The speech bubbles provide suggestions as to what the behaviour may be ‘saying’ and the cards with green arrows provide suggestions as to what we or the individual can do to manage challenges more successfully.