Wow! Just Wow!

Jane Stratton • March 14, 2023

NEUROPOINT WORKSHOP AT ITAKOM

Wow!

Just wow!

Imagine me open-mouthed and lost for words! Quite difficult? That’s because it doesn’t happen often.

However, that was exactly what happened at the end of the most amazing workshop I attended yesterday at the ITAKOM conference.

Hands down, it was the most effective and informative session about neurodiversity I have ever attended (and I have attended quite a few).

The reason it was so good? It was delivered by a group of neurodiverse young adults from the Neuropoint Stakeholders Group from the Salvesen Mindroom.

In case you ever have the luck to attend this (I am hoping they manage to offer this further and wider), I am not going to include any spoilers here. However, it was a fully immersive session and effectively had every professional in the room understand exactly what it would feel like to be given a task to do at school, work, or anywhere in life, without being equipped to understand the instructions.

It was well-thought out, simple in its delivery and made every person in the room think, long and hard, about what life is like for so many in our society. The young people delivering it were confident, positive, and let the activity tell the story. They did not tell us their personal experiences (though we would have listened intently I’m sure), they did not tell us how difficult life can be, they did not tell us the numerous negative situations they will most certainly have encountered. They simply let us find out for ourselves!

The young people moved around the room after the first part of the session, confidently telling us exactly how we had done. It was uncanny. They were speaking to a large group of professional adults, those with an interest in the topic and all of whom probably previously thinking they had known what this would be about, yet the room was still. Everyone of us was feeling exactly how it must be for neurodiverse pupils in our schools, students in our tertiary education, and colleagues in our workplaces. We felt it. Truly felt it.

Contrast was masterfully created in the second part of the session, developing a sense of relief throughout the room. Once again, we felt it. Really felt the anxiety fall away and the confidence grow.

I have thought about nothing else since yesterday, such was the intensity of the experience. I would dearly love in this piece to describe every part of the session in intricate detail. However, it needed for us all to be unaware of what was ahead of us, and that is how it must be for you too, for true understanding.

The next steps? We need to ask this group of amazing young adults to take this far and wide and let professionals around the country, by their participation, feel the experiences of so many.

Let’s come together for change and make our society a truly inclusive place!

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The Growing Crisis: 10-Year Waiting Lists for Neurodivergent Diagnoses in Scotland

By Jane Stratton • January 10, 2025

What Does a Decade-Long Wait Mean?

One Year On; A Blog by my first tutoring consultancy client

By Charlotte Kirkwood, Kirkwood Tutoring • July 23, 2021

It's hard to believe that I've been doing this for a year now. Sitting down at my computer a few times a week and getting to speak to unique, intelligent and wonderful young people who all want to push themselves that little bit further. In light of this, It feels only right to reflect on what I've learned myself in this time. Spoiler alert; it's far more than I thought I would. Expect the unexpected It's safe to say I didn't think I was going to end up doing this, and I think that's a big part of what has made the experience so special. Life is so unpredictable, and for someone who loves to plan, it's huge for me to even say those words. But, more often than not, unpredictability leads to where you were meant to go. Don't fear trying something new, you might like where it gets you. Be willing to ask for help The only reason I am where I am is through the support of others. Be it Jane , for helping me get started with the business, to my family supporting me through it, and even to my friends for reassuring me when I wasn't sure if I could do it. Asking and offering help is, as we have all learned in the past year and a half, one of the most essential parts of our humanity. We undeniably need each other, and shouldn't be afraid to admit it. Never Underestimate Young People This is the second biggest lesson I learned. Every single young person I had the joy of interacting with over this first year has disproven every stereotype the world puts out there. They are all bright, brilliant communicators, funny, unique and caring. There wasn't one session where they didn't also ask me how I was before we started. Each one of them proved to me that they didn't deserve to be underestimated in the slightest. Pulling their grades up through hard work, teaching me something I didn't know, creating masterful pieces of writing, and even proving to themselves that they knew what they were doing. We need to listen more to our teenagers This, for me, is the biggest lesson for everyone who may come across this post. I have always valued the voices of our young people. I believe they're fundamental to our developing society and our future. Unfortunately, I know many who would rather believe the contrary. The individuals that I worked with over this year proved that young people deserve a say in their lives, their future, and their education. Many of them are passionate to take a stand for their peers, they just need the support. I love doing this. At the end of the day, it's simple. I always thought I'd be working with young people in some capacity, and here I am. Three weeks out from beginning my teaching journey, and from tutoring beginning again. I honestly cannot wait. Being able to make a difference, no matter how small, means a lot to me. I fell in love with this role over the last year, and I can't wait to keep going. So, to the Kirkwood Tutoring Class of 2021, I wish you all the luck in the world. You all deserve it 10 times over. And thank YOU, for teaching me and trusting me. I hope the world is kinder to you all this year.

A Tutor's Journey; Part 2

By Jane Stratton • April 4, 2021

Currently in my forties, heading towards my fifties, I can look back and see just how perfect this career has been for me. All my children have additional support needs and have needed a hands-on mum to advocate on their behalf and negotiate what has been to them, a stressful and damaging education system. I have gained such a wealth of knowledge of child development, neurodiversity, education systems and learning styles, both in my personal life and in my career, that I am now able to offer so much to the families and youngsters with whom I work. I bring to my tutoring, not only knowledge learned from research and qualifications but more importantly from lived experience. It has given me a confidence in what I do too, and I have been able to adapt over the years from black and white books and paper posters through the introduction of coloured books and laminated adverts (!) to eBooks, social media marketing, websites, a plethora of digital resources and a physical in-house science lab for practical experiments and monthly tutorials. With the Covid-19 situation, I have seamlessly moved to online tutoring and am actually thoroughly enjoying being able to offer my services further afield, although I also look forward to the day when I am able to see some pupils again face-to-face. Education itself has seen numerous changes over the years, with the need once again for drastic change. I have learnt so much about adapting my tutoring style as curriculum changes have been introduced and assessments have been redesigned. Many have opposed these changes but as tutors, we have to constantly adapt if we are to successfully support today’s learners. Private tutoring, with its flexibility, personal approach and adaptability lends itself well to modern learning and I just love what I do! For so many people who have recently graduated, lost their job or whose family situation has changed, employment is looking bleak. All I can say is, if you are passionate about a subject, and would love to share it whilst also improve the prospects for the next generation, give tutoring a try ; it can truly change your life!