Education consultant in neurodiversity
Hi, I’m Karen; welcome to my site.
After being a coordinator and teacher in Melbourne classrooms for over 34 years, I am utilising my passion and drive through my company, Your Personal Best. I have a Post Graduate degree and Masters Degree in autism. I focus on how to cater for the spectrum of neurodiverse learning and behaviours that challenge in mainstream schools. Utilising, research, classroom skills as I continue to work days in mainstream and autistic schools. This is a unique skill set!
In addition to specialising autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and co-occurring syndromes, I have comprehensive knowledge of the Australian Curriculum. The intention is to work collaboratively with leadership teams, staff members or individuals in education to create positive and realistic evidence-based interventions for teachers and their neurodivergent students.
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In 2023, I have worked in many schools in the West of Melbourne. Schools are so varied in their approaches, and their ability to adjust programs and routines to cater the diverse learners and behaviours that can challenge. Professional assistance is required to relieve the pressure on the classroom teacher and to create realistic interventions.
Schools
Your Personal Best works collaboratively with mainstream schools, at the whole school level, in teams or individually to identify students’ needs through understanding neurodiverse thinking and behaviours.
Parents
Parents/carers know and understand their child, student, and adolescent. It can be daunting to realise that a child is neurodiverse. What can you do? What does this mean? Where can I find support? Your Personal Best will assist parents in having answers to these questions and more.
Preschool
Supporting and guiding childcare, pre-school and kindergarten educators to identify children’s needs, develop knowledge of neurodiverse behaviours and how to intervene, support and generate positive outcomes.
Professional
Development
The BIG areas that impact schools today.
Understanding the varied spectrum behaviours and putting in place practical, achievable strategies to assist with positive improvements.
Co-occurring syndromes for students on the spectrum and the impact on their lives.
Attention span - areas such as ADHD, anxiety, delayed language disorder (DLD), diet, sleep.
Adjustments, modifications - differentiation or supplementary assistance according to the NCCD.
Collecting data and ways to assist student growth in all areas of the curriculum.
Challenging behaviours - the impact on the class, teacher and student. Why are they occurring? Using evidence-based interventions.
Friendship issues in class and in the playground.
Online PL or in school available
Sensory sensitivities can be assisted to enable the child/adult to function to the best of their ability. This chart displays the basics to begin to understand the various forms of sensory sensitivities. Being an educator and going into many schools, teachers are attempting to assist students by having a sensory box purchasing sensory aids. However, they are not individualised to the student and all children are wanting them. Sensory aids only work if they are meeting the individuals specific need and their choice of what makes a difference to them. Asking questions and observing to get to the individual is extremely important. The tool does not need to be fancy it can be a piece of material, cotton wool... it just needs to be the thing that that individual can use to self-regulate. Sensory aids are one way but adjusting the environment is most important for success.
Everyone deserves to reach their Personal Best.
When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows,
not the flower.
– Alexander den Heijer