For our current dates of available courses and workshops please see the events page.
Our short courses and workshops are aimed at all those with an interest in the care and education of children and young people. They are of particular relevance to parents or guardians, child minders, nursery staff, teachers, SENCOs, teaching assistants and paediatric health care professionals. We regularly run the following courses:
National Autistic Society Understanding Autism Seminar
This is an introductory seminar aimed at parents and carers who have had a fairly recent diagnosis of autism for their child.
The seminar provides parents and carers with an opportunity to discuss the diagnosis, learn more about autism and communication, and understand how to access support. It aims to provide parents with opportunities to share experiences, strategies and approaches in order to help them understand their child and support them in the future.
This Seminar is delivered by Tracy Bowyer founder of The Isabella Trust, NAS Autism Seminar Facilitator, Elkan Let’s Talk Together Tutor and ICAN Early Talk 0-5’s Licensed Tutor.
National Autistic Society Sensory Needs Seminar
This is a seminar aimed at parents who have a child with a diagnosis of autism, who would like more information on sensory differences that their child may be experiencing.
The seminar gives parents an introduction to the sensory systems and sensory processing. It explores the potential differences in sensory processing that might be experienced by children with autism.
This Seminar is delivered by Tracy Bowyer founder of The Isabella Trust, NAS Autism Seminar Facilitator, Elkan Let’s Talk Together Tutor and ICAN Early Talk 0-5’s Licensed Tutor.
Elklan Let’s Talk Together
A practical training course for parents, carers (including child minders) pre-school and school-based practitioners wanting some key skills and knowledge in developing the communication skills of children with social communication needs including autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The Course gives practical advice and strategies which help parents and carers maximise their child’s communication potential and help them to access the curriculum.
This course provides attendees with:
• Opportunities to discuss ideas to help children learn to listen, understand and talk.
• Information about communication difficulties children can experience.
• Opportunities to meet other school practitioners, parents and carers.
• Information about normal speech and language development.
• An illustrated workbook full of practical tips and ideas which provides a rich source of individualised strategies and information to support a specific child.
There is also the opportunity to complete an accreditation by an externally quality assured and Ofqual regulated national Awarding Organisation. The accreditation gained will be 3 credits at level 1.
This course is delivered by Tracy Bowyer founder of The Isabella Trust, NAS Autism Seminar Facilitator, Elkan Let’s Talk Together Tutor and ICAN Early Talk 0-5’s Licensed Tutor.
Combined Sensory Processing Difficulties & Sensory Strategies Course
The aim of the course is to provide attendees with an understanding of sensory processing difficulties and how they can affect a young person’s ability to successfully access learning, play and social situations in the home and school environments.
Further to this you will explore practical intervention strategies (eg sensory diets) and how these may best be used to achieve positive outcomes for the young person.
This course is delivered by Lisa Hamer from Shine Therapy Services. Lisa is an experienced occupational therapist and advanced practitioner in sensory integration.
Tears, tantrum’s and pain in everyday activities Course (Sensory defensiveness)
Within this course we take a closer look as to why individuals can find everyday activities such as toothbrushing, hair and nail cutting, dressing and bathing distressing, and in some instances painful. Not only will attendees develop their understanding of such difficulties but they will also leave the course equipped with the holistic strategies and knowledge needed to support and develop their child’s abilities and independence in such tasks.
This course is delivered by Lisa Hamer from Shine Therapy Services. Lisa is an experienced occupational therapist and advanced practitioner in sensory integration.
Eating Difficulties Course
This course explores some of the reasons as to why children experience eating difficulties/”fussy eating” and how all those that care for and support the child can help to increase their confidence, motivation and ultimately the number of different foods that they eat.
This course is delivered by Lisa Hamer from Shine Therapy Services. Lisa is an experienced occupational therapist and advanced practitioner in sensory integration.
Toileting Workshop
Within this workshop we have a look at some of the reasons as to why your young person is struggling to become toilet trained and strategies you can use to help them achieve independence.
This course is delivered by Lisa Hamer from Shine Therapy Services. Lisa is an experienced occupational therapist and advanced practitioner in sensory integration.
Praxis Workshop
This workshop takes a closer look at Praxis and what associated difficulties your young person may be experiencing within the home environment. Strategies and interventions will also be explored to ensure you feel more equipped to support and develop such difficulties.
This course is delivered by Lisa Hamer from Shine Therapy Services. Lisa is an experienced occupational therapist and advanced practitioner in sensory integration.
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)
The aim of the course is to provide attendees with an understanding of pathological demand disorder (PDA), some of the behaviours children with PDA may display and strategies that may support them.
Through interactive learning sessions attendees will get the opportunity to experience and reflect upon the everyday challenges that children and young people with PDA encounter. Further to this, practical support strategies will be explored.
This Course is delivered by Jude Seaward from Simply Misunderstood. Jude is a Nurse Consultant/behaviour therapist whose background lies within learning disability nursing
Recognising and Managing Emotions
An interactive workshop that focuses on the theory and intervention for recognising emotions and developing new skills for the child to be able to effectively recognise and manage their emotions.
This Course is delivered by Jude Seaward from Simply Misunderstood. Jude is a Nurse Consultant/behaviour therapist whose background lies within learning disability nursing
Autism & Anxiety
This course is aimed at parents and carers and looks at autism and anxiety. The aims are to support parents and carers to help autistic children and young people understand their anxiety and provide strategies to enable them to manage it throughout their lives. The course includes practical activities and resources that help.
This course is delivered by Lynn McCann from Reachout ASC. Lynn is an autism specialist, author and trainer.
Women and Girls on the spectrum
This course looks at the identification, characteristics and support needs of autistic girls from the early years through to becoming young adults.
This course is delivered by Lynn McCann from Reachout ASC. Lynn is an autism specialist, author and trainer.
Autism and Transition
This course looks at different kinds of transition and how we can help autistic children manage the changes. First there are daily transitions, between home and school, activity to activity…then there is the transition to a new class in the same school which happens mostly in September.
Finally, we look at the transition to secondary school and how we can make this major event be more successful for our autistic young people.
This course is delivered by Reachout ASC.
Autism and ADHD
Increasing numbers of children are being diagnosed with both autism and ADHD. In this course you will learn how the two conditions present and interact in individual children.
This course is delivered by Reachout ASC.
Makaton Taster Session
This session gives a brief introduction to Makaton signs and symbols and you learn 30 signs/symbols and practise using them to underpin spoken language.
This workshop is delivered by Helen Adams Speech and language therapist and regional Makaton Tutor.
Makaton Two Day Beginners Workshop
The Beginners workshop provides a comprehensive introduction to Makaton and how it can support communication together with learning signs/symbols from stages 1-4 of the Core Vocabulary plus the additional vocabulary
The sessions are varied with practical sessions and short lectures on how Makaton differs from BSL and also how to use Makaton signs/symbols to support learning/communication.
Upon completion of the two day workshop attendees will have the confidence and skills to use the signs to support verbal communication on an everyday basis.
They will also understand how Makaton differs from sign language and how to introduce signs/symbols to a child/adult with communication difficulties.
This workshop is delivered by Helen Adams Speech and language therapist and regional Makaton Tutor.
ICAN Early Talk 0-5 – Working With Under 3’s
This course is aimed at early years/pre-school practitioners who want to increase their knowledge of the approaches and strategies that can be used in settings to support the development of speech, language and communication in children aged 0-3 and speech and language therapy assistants who have limited experience of working with children in early years / pre-school settings.
Working with under 3s is a one-day course that both enhances practitioners’ knowledge, and provides them with strategies they can use to support communication and language development right from the start of a child’s life.
This course is delivered by Tracy Bowyer founder of The Isabella Trust, NAS Autism Seminar Facilitator, Elkan Let’s Talk Together Tutor and ICAN Early Talk 0-5’s Licensed Tutor.
ICAN Early Talk 0-5 – Working with Parents
This course is designed for family facing practitioners, including health visitors, early years practitioners and family support workers, with the aim of enhancing parental support of early communication development.
Working with Parents will help participants be aware of adult behaviours that affect children’s communication development, practitioner behaviours that affect parents’ support of their child’s communication development.
This course is delivered by Tracy Bowyer founder of The Isabella Trust, NAS Autism Seminar Facilitator, Elkan Let’s Talk Together Tutor and ICAN Early Talk 0-5’s Licensed Tutor.
ICAN Early Talk 0-5 – Supporting Communication and Language
This course is aimed at early years/pre-school practitioners who want to increase their knowledge of the approaches and strategies that can be used in settings to support the development of speech, language and communication in children aged 0-5.
Supporting Communication and Language is a one-day training course focuses on increasing participants knowledge of typical communication and language development, developing practitioners’ strategies and interaction styles to maximise their opportunities to develop every child’s skills in communication and language.
This course is delivered by Tracy Bowyer founder of The Isabella Trust, NAS Autism Seminar Facilitator, Elkan Let’s Talk Together Tutor and ICAN Early Talk 0-5’s Licensed Tutor.
ICAN Early Talk Accreditation Programme
Early Talk is I CAN’s highly successful communication and language programme, aimed at the early year’s workforce in partnership with parents.
I CAN’s Early Talk Accreditation products are designed to help teachers and staff in early years settings to:
• Create communication rich environments
• Improve their knowledge of communication development and how to identify children with SLCN
• Improve the speech, language and communication skills of the children they work with
• Work collaboratively with speech and language therapists and other support agencies on education plans for individual children
• Provide good information and practical strategies for parents
Settings, schools and childminders can work towards accreditation at 2 levels with The Isabella Trust
Level 1: Supportive/universal
Settings accredited as offering a ‘supportive service’ for children’s communication meet the standards set for good practice in supporting all children’s speech, language and communication development. These settings also show good practice in the identification and referral of children with speech, language and communication difficulties.
Level 2: Enhanced
Settings accredited as offering an ‘enhanced service’ for children’s communication meet the standards set for good practice related to supporting the communication and language skills of all children including those with identified SLCN, working collaboratively with other professionals and parents. Accreditation recognises good practice in providing targeted support for children in the setting and in the identification and referral of children with SLCN.
This Accreditation programme is mentored by Tracy Bowyer founder of The Isabella Trust, NAS Autism Seminar Facilitator, Elkan Let’s Talk Together Tutor and ICAN Early Talk 0-5’s Licensed Tutor.
Courses and Workshops Coming Soon.
Elklan Let’s Talk with Under 5’s
A practical training course for parents, carers (including child minders) and pre-school practitioners wanting some key skills and knowledge.
The course gives practical advice and strategies which are also suitable for children with English as an additional language and other special educational needs. This course helps parents of young children maximise their child’s communication potential and ensure they are ready for school.
The course provides attendees with:
• opportunities to discuss ideas to help children learn to listen, understand and talk;
• information about communication difficulties children can experience;
• opportunities to meet other pre-school practitioners, parents and carers;
• information about normal speech and language development; and
• an illustrated workbook full of practical tips and ideas which provides a rich source of individualised strategies and information to support a specific child.
There is also the opportunity to complete an accreditation by an externally quality assured and Ofqual regulated national Awarding Organisation. The accreditation gained will be 3 credits at level 1.
This course is delivered by Tracy Bowyer founder of The Isabella Trust, NAS Autism Seminar Facilitator, Elkan Let’s Talk Together Tutor and ICAN Early Talk 0-5’s Licensed Tutor.
Speech and Language Therapist Interactive focused workshops
We will be introducing workshops for parents, carers and practitioners on a range of subjects and areas including:
Intensive Interaction
Attention, Listening and understanding
Blank Language Scheme