It’s been a while! After my brief period of being MIA I’m back with a biggie! Finding resources and aids to help your SEN child with a low budget!
When it comes to aids for our SEN kids we immediately imagine of all the wonderful things that we can have to support out little ones. It isn’t until we finally get to sit down at the end of the day (preferably with a cuppa), this kids are in bed and we, yet again, find ourselves trawling through the ‘oh-so perfect’ Instagram posts and Etsy inventions that leave us either broke or in envy of other users. Going through the endless catalogue of over-priced perfectly formed aids that we convince ourselves we can’t find any cheaper elsewhere with the same quality.
I’ll be the first to reassure you, it doesn’t have to be this way!
Having an SEN diagnosis may mind-boggle parents and some companies like to exploit this fact and charge extortionate amounts for something that you can find much cheaper elsewhere.
So here are my Top Tips for supporting your child without breaking the bank!
- Shop around…. It sounds obvious but I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve seen parents online comment “I’ve just paid £….. for mine!” Do the research and take your time to find the aid you need, don’t feel pressured into buying in a rush.
- Join social media…There’s no doubt about it, social media is used so widely for so many different reasons nowadays. You can always bet to find a variety of SEN second hand pages on Facebook. Join sites like Freecycle, you’ll never know wha you’ll find! Don’t be scared of posting a ‘WANTED’ post for items, you never know what people have lying around…if you don’t ask then you don’t get.
- Make your own!… Obviously there are limits for this for safety (and sanity!) reasons but it is perfectly doable. Whether it’s fashioning your own homemade symbols/flashcards or altering clothing to suit…give it a go!
- Look in charity/bargain shops… I’m not the first person to divulge my love of Poundland, in fact there is a whole appreciation page on Facebook! It’s called the Poundland appreciation society and there are always updates on new stock and upcycling ideas to inspire you. Shops like this and charity shops are a treasure trove for finding items that may be purposed elsewhere but can be upcycled or used as SEN items. My favourite buy so far has to be from Flying Tiger Copenhagen when they had their £2 sale….i stocked up on wobble boards and a gym ball which is a firm fave in our family!
- EBAY…Need I explain? A well used site that helped me get a whole sensory centre for my LO for just 30 percent of the RRP price! Don’t be put off by having to find a courier, it’d still work out cheaper than brand new!
- Resources… It’s pretty common now to see individuals making their own PECS and flashcards and cashing in…which is fine but if you have the time to do it then try making/sourcing your own! Twinkl has an array of ready made resources for learning or teaching daily skills. Better still you can edit some of them to suit your needs. I’ve linked some here…https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t-s-2331-ks3-visual-timetable-resource-pack.
https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t4-s-303-daily-routine-visual-aid
The official makaton site also has free resources…https://www.makaton.org/shop/shopping/browseStore/Free-resources
And the National autistic society has free online training courses…https://www.autism.org.uk/professionals/training-consultancy/online.aspx
If you’re still struggling to find resources for your LO then don’t be afraid to ask your child’s school or nursery for help. Makaton and PECs symbols are more widely used in schools and i’m sure they’d be more than happy to print you a copy!
There you have it, just a few top tips to save you money this summer!
AutisMum 