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Heather

@iamhthr.bsky.social

190 followers 360 following 140 posts

Gen X | autism specialist teacher | SEND parent | late-diagnosed AuDHD | knitter & crocheter | void cat owner | TV and film obsessive | they/she

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Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · Nov 16

Here are some things I love, in no particular order:

Our Flag Means Death
Stardew Valley
John Green
Knitting
What We Do in the Shadows
Iceland
Pedro Pascal
Birds
Crochet
Andrew Scott
Occasional cosplay
Hannah Gadsby
Podcasts
Yorgos Lanthimos films
Peep Show
Chappell Roan
Killing Eve
Lego

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 13h

Introduce yourself using only one food you refuse to eat, one movie you'll never watch again, and one song you can't stand.

- Coconut
- Requiem for a Dream
- Rockstar by Nickleback

Dr. Briana Jackson 🏴‍☠️ @baladria.bsky.social · 17h

Introduce yourself using only one food you refuse to eat, one movie you'll never watch again, and one song you can't stand.

-Mushrooms
-The Wind that Shakes the Barley (spectacular film)
-Amazing Grace on bagpipes

jules | #LongLiveOFMD @blandbeard.bsky.social · 18h

Introduce yourself using only one food you refuse to eat, one movie you'll never watch again, and one song you can't stand.

- liver
- lawrence of arabia
- karma chameleon

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 13h

The boy is poorly with (I think) tonsillitis. Because he has interoception & communication difficulties, I always worry in case there are symptoms he can't tell us about.

Even scarier is when a high fever makes him have waking dreams/nightmares and wander round the house.

Hope it calms down soon.

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 13h

a man is sitting at a table in a waiting room with the words `` same to you '' written on the screen .

ALT: a man is sitting at a table in a waiting room with the words `` same to you '' written on the screen .

media.tenor.com

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 13h

That looks interesting, I will try and find time to read it.

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 13h

To me it seemed lacking on specific detail on how and when this happens.

The only example given is of a child working hard but underachieving. The parents have concerns about underlying needs.

He doesn't explain at all about what these might be.

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 13h

Looking at it from the other point of view, doing nothing to support carries much greater risk.

My personal & professional experience is with autistic children. For some of them, spending hours in a classroom environment that causes them distress is hugely damaging and potentially traumatic.

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 14h

If the child has input from outside professionals then they usually have an EHCP.

The question of whether strategies included in EHCPs are effective is a much wider one.

But I will say that these professionals often do observe the child in school & talk to teachers before making recommendations.

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 14h

I'm not saying we can't study and measure. Just that measuring is very, very complicated.

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 14h

You need to be much more specific about what you are talking about. Which mental health interventions? Which children?

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 14h

Yes, learning is the goal.

For some children, being in a classroom environment causes them a lot of distress, and we need to address the causes of this.

Sensory issues are significant.

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 14h

Overall, I agree that more parents are asking for/expecting "additional" support for their children but I think this piece conflates underachievement with SEND in an unhelpful way.

It also comes across as dismissive of reasonable adjustments that can make a real difference to children's wellbeing.

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 14h

5. "Evidence" of the effectiveness of many strategies is best judged by the teacher.

If we see that a child is struggling to sit still and stay regulated enough to learn, we can try giving them (say) a wobble cushion and then observe if it makes a difference.

If it doesn't, then try something else

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 14h

4. You can't disprove the "evidence" for "mental health interventions" without specifying what interventions they are and who they are for.

And you can't expect there to be strong evidence that one particular intervention would prove to be effective for one particular SEND.

Children are different.

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 14h

3. Lumping together a broad range of different types of support in order to dismiss them is really unhelpful.

And none of these things are supposed to "boost attainment" - that's not what they are for.

Children can't learn if they can't access the learning environment. Small adjustments can help.

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 14h

2. Are schools really offering "fiddle toys, coloured paper and wobble cushions" for children whose only difficulty is achieving the grades expected of them?

This doesn't resonate with my experience at all.

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 14h

So much to unpick here.

1. If the parents' only concern is that their hardworking child is not getting high enough grades, why would this necessarily lead to "some sort of diagnosis"?

It's much more likely that there would be wider concerns than that.

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 16h

This is awful - a SEND child in so much distress in school that she would lock herself away and try to abscond.

Yet even the person *defending* the family in court said "She's simply a girl that doesn't like school."

Special Needs Jungle @spcialndsjungle.bsky.social · 4d

Parents fined as daughter with SEND absent nearly 200 times from school. Basically, we tried to help, the parents tried hard, but we thought it best to fine them… It doesn’t say if she had a needs assessment or an EHCP www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/...

Parents fined as daughter absent nearly 200 times from Stoke-on-Trent school

A mum and dad have been fined, despite spending up to £70 per week trying to get daughter to school, a court heard.

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 16h

You are dismissive of many strategies because they are not proven to boost attainment.

But many children need strategies to support them to be regulated enough in the classroom environment to be able to learn.

Learning can't happen if sensory/emotional dysregulation is an ongoing issue.

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 4d

Slow Horses S5 Ep3 no context

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 4d

Was awake since 3.30am and couldn't get back to sleep so decided to watch it.

Absolutely superb episode, 10/10 no notes.

Gatimo @gatimo.bsky.social · 4d

Slow Horses 🐌🐴 | tv+ #SlowHorses

Episode 3 Dropped (Season 5)

Reposted by Heather

SoupBeech @soupbeech.bsky.social · 5d

I don’t usually post much personal stuff, but I thought this was worth it. Cleaning my little boy’s room and found that he’s been writing some notes to himself to make sure he keeps his head up. 🥹

Post it note with child’s handwriting.

Text reads:
The test was probably hard, but at least you’re done.

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 6d

I was born in the 70s and have never seen Back to the Future. Also never seen a single episode of EastEnders or Coronation Street.

Hannah Fearn @hannahfearn.bsky.social · 7d

Inspired by a post I just saw in which someone admitted they hadn’t seen a single episode of Friends nor the film Love Actually… what cultural hole do you have that’s a bit weird for your generation?

I’ll go first: I haven’t seen Dirty Dancing.

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 7d

Any recommendations for Australian crime/drama series?

I have already watched and very much enjoyed Mr Inbetween, Deadloch, Black Snow and North Shore.

a man wearing glasses and a blue shirt is sitting in an office

ALT: a man wearing glasses and a blue shirt is sitting in an office

media.tenor.com

Heather @iamhthr.bsky.social · 8d

Saturday viewing:

1) The Royal Hotel: Fairly straightforward but decently engaging thriller.
2) Hotel Coolgardie: The documentary that the above was based on. Riveting & disturbing in equal measure.
3) The Assistant: Same director as TRH. Understated & quietly powerful. Julia Garner is brilliant.

Reposted by Heather

Ben Newmark @bennewmark.bsky.social · 9d

#FridayFive
1. Kiss the Rain. Billie Myers.
2. On A Rainy Night In Soho. The Pogues
3. So Central Rain. REM.
4. Only Happy When it Rains. Garbage.
5. Raining in Baltimore. Counting Crows.