WHAT ARE SPOON SAVERS @ SCHOOL? Spoon Savers @ School is a deck of 50 cards depicting a range of accommodations and supports for autistic and ADHD students. Based on Spoon Theory (Christine Miserandino), the Spoon Savers @ School cards assist neurodivergent kids and teens to communicate about their support needs, and how to meet these in the school environment. The text is clear and direct, and each card is illustrated to assist with communication and shared understanding. These cards were designed by a neurodivergent psychologist, to enable exploration of autistic and ADHD energy, and what uses it up at school. WHO IS IT FOR? This resource can be used with children and teenagers, depending on the capacity of the person to understand the language and concepts shown on each card. For younger students or those with intellectual disability, I would suggest using a subset of the cards that you feel are most relevant. The Spoon Savers @ School cards are intended to enable more thorough exploration of neurodivergent kids’ and teens’ needs at school, than the original Spoon Savers decks (which are relevant to school, home, and community activities and experiences). The deck contains 14 cards that are found in the original Spoon Thieves Deck, and the remaining 36 cards look more deeply at ways that AuDHD students can be better supported at school. HOW DO I USE IT? In a therapy setting, the cards can be used to help kids and teens understand their needs at school, and give them the language (or a visual representation if you take a photo!) to communicate with teachers and wellbeing staff at school. They are a great tool to take along to parent-teacher meetings or learning plan meetings to map out a student's unique set of needs. For schools, the Spoon Savers @ School cards are an excellent tool for developing individual learning plans. They can be used to educate about neurodiversity at the classroom or whole-of-school level, while also providing valuable insights into individual students, their challenges, and support needs. Spoon Savers @ School can help to reduce emotional dysregulation, sensory overwhelm, meltdowns, and demand avoidance, leading to calmer classrooms. They are essential for ‘School Can’t’ students, helping families and educators work together so that neurodivergent students feel safe at school. They also provide amazing conversation and reflection points for staff development days, enhancing shared understanding and consistency of autism and ADHD supports provided throughout the school environment, and helping parents to feel that your school understands their child. The cards are designed to be used flexibly to suit the setting and needs of the individual. They can improve communication, and help build self-understanding and self-awareness. They are ideal for helping parents and family members to understand the lived experience of their loved one, and can be used to inform changes to reduce overwhelm, dysregulation, and meltdowns. For families, the Spoon Thieves cards can be used to increase understanding of what is challenging, difficult or impossible for their child or young person, and where support is needed most.
Related
Related