Steph Reed
Autism Specialist Teacher, Trainer, Coach & Mentor
BA (Hons) Special Needs and Inclusion Studies, PGCE Early Years Specialism
Ever since repeatedly trying and failing to get the attention of a 6 year old during a work-experience placement at school, I have sought as many experiences and opportunities to learn about autism, from volunteering and working in nurseries, youth clubs, schools and health services.
After studying a BA (Hons) degree in Special Needs and Inclusion Studies and PGCE with Early Years Specialism, I have spent the past 13 years teaching in various mainstream and autism specialist schools, with the last 3 years in the leadership positions of SENCo and Autism Outreach Leader.
I have taught so many incredible children and young people with different abilities and complex needs, who have inspired and taught me so much about autism, learning, communication, sensory processing and importantly, the need for a personalised, holistic approach to understanding and teaching children.
I have personal experience of neurodiverse learning as I am dyslexic and have sensory differences related to Irlen Syndrome. This partly fuels my extreme passion and understanding of the benefits of visual and practical learning supports, as well as multi-sensory teaching approaches!
In my own practice, I draw upon a wide range of evidence-based approaches and have training and experience in implementing; SCERTS, Social Stories, TEACCH, Makaton, Attention Autism, BILD Positive Behaviour Support, Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), Intensive Interaction and more.
I currently deliver tailored autism-related training to educational professionals and services and provide nurseries and schools with outreach support through coaching, upskilling and building capacity. This is all to enhance understanding across a setting about autism and effective teaching strategies that can be personalised to meet individual needs.
I completed a 2 year action-research project when developing the outreach model and the findings indicate that upskilling and developing the knowledge of school staff, empowered teachers and teaching assistants with a wide range of strategies to utilise and immediately implement effective provision, resulting in children making good progress.
I also provide online personalised coaching and mentoring for teachers and parents, to explore personal challenges, strategies, outcomes and solutions, related to autism.
I have recently been involved in international projects and spent the summer of 2019 developing an autism education program in Muscat, Oman.
I host the free Autism Spectrum Teacher Podcast which focuses on sharing information about autism-related themes through conversations with autistic individuals, parents, teachers and other professionals. I also lead the Facebook community group ‘Autism and Inclusive Teaching Ideas’ for teaching staff and family members to share and contribute successful teaching and learning strategies and ideas.
My mission is to share effective evidence-based teaching practice, as well as support schools, services and families to personalise these strategies to meet the needs of their unique children, to ensure they make good progress and maximise their potential.
My article 'Creating Autism-Inclusive Classrooms', was published in the October 2019 edition of SEN Magazine
Bespoke Services
I provide bespoke outreach & consultancy to schools and services to upskill staff and build capacity, which will have measurable impact on improving outcomes for children with autism or related needs.
I deliver tailored, interactive training workshops to develop teaching practice, knowledge and practical skills related to understanding and supporting autistic individuals and those with associated needs.
I provide personalised one to one or group coaching sessions online or in person, to problem solve and develop strategies and solutions around themes related to autism.
7 Comments
Debbie Singer · August 15, 2015 at 12:28 am
Hi Steph! So nice to “meet” you! I just noticed the message that you had left for me on Twitter back in May. Sorry for the delay! I just saw your Facebook page and it’s wonderful, too. 🙂
Debbie
http://www.AutismEducators.com
sreed · August 28, 2015 at 11:00 am
Thank you Debbie!
You have a great website, looking forward to exploring more of it!
Richard Hirstwood · October 16, 2015 at 11:16 am
Just read your article about classroom design, loved it. Keep up the good work 🙂
Richard
Maddy · October 29, 2015 at 4:51 pm
Dear Steph,
I am a sixteen year old aspiring special needs teacher who has high functioning ASD. I go to a school for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders and am currently doing the full spectrum of GCSE’s. I was wondering if you had any advice on what would be the best courses/A-levels for me to do at college to prepare for the job. Also, what qualifications I would need, including university. Is it hard to become a special needs teacher? I have a severely autistic little brother who is non-verbal and I do some sign language and use PECS with him, so I’m hoping that that will help,
Many Thanks,
Maddy
sreed · November 14, 2015 at 2:45 pm
Hi Maddy,
Wow you already have a huge amount of knowledge and experience!
You could either study Health and Social Care or Child Care at college, or you could study A Levels. If you do A Levels, I’d recommend studying psychology as one of the A levels.
I studied Health and Social Care at college and did an A level in psychology (2 years). This gave me enough points to go to uni where I studied a combined degree in special needs and inclusion studies and early childhood studies (3 years). I then followed this with a 1 year PGCE which gave me qualified teacher status.
At Uni, you could either do a teaching degree BEd (typically 4 years) or a general BA (3 years) followed by a 1 year teaching qualification. The 1 year teaching qualification could be uni based (PGCE) or school based (school direct).
If you want to talk further, send me an email on asdteacheronline@gmail.com
Steph
Steven Warnick · October 27, 2017 at 3:02 pm
Hi. I’m a first timer. Question: Are there additional considerations if I’m working with 8th and 9th grade students?
sreed · December 30, 2017 at 4:44 pm
Hi Steven,
Sorry for taking such a long time to respond, I had a problem with my emails, but that is now resolved! It’s best I’d say to take a personal/ individual approach. One strategy that works for 1 person may not work for another, no matter what age. I would say you are never to old to use visual strategies/ resources, they really help me! I’m a lover of mind maps/ colour coding and pictures! Trial and error of different strategies with the main focus of enabling a task to be completed as independently as possible. I hope that helps, Steph