Teaching Autism and Special Education by Nikki

In this episode, I dive into the idea of "age-appropriate" in special education and why it’s okay (and often beneficial) when students gravitate toward interests that don’t align with their chronological age. I share a personal story about using a student’s love for trains to drive engagement and growth, explore the balance between respecting interests and teaching social awareness, and give pract...

In this episode, I’m diving into one of my favorite topics: building independence in the special ed classroom. We’ll explore why independence is such a crucial skill for our students and how it benefits not just them but us as teachers, too. I’ll share a personal story about how teaching one small skill made a big difference and give you practical tips to help your students develop life and self-h...

Episode Summary: In this episode, I’m diving into a topic that I know we’ve all struggled with at some point: work-life balance. If you’ve ever been the first car in the parking lot or the last to leave, this one’s for you. I’ll be sharing my personal journey, what I’ve learned about setting boundaries, and why taking care of yourself isn’t selfish—it’s essential. What You’ll Hear in This Episode:...

Welcome back! It’s been a long time since my last episode, but I’m so excited to be here with fresh energy, exciting updates, and a renewed passion for this podcast. A lot has changed since June 2021, and in this episode, I’m catching you up on everything—from personal life shifts to how I’ve been balancing motherhood, working, running a business, and taking care of myself. Whether you’re a return...

Today on the podcast is an episode that is really important to me.. Teachers, Enjoy Your Summer Break! And it’s something that I feel really passionately about. It is so easy these days to think that we need to sacrifice our summer break and keep working. Many teachers even admit to going into school to work over the summer holidays.. And this is something that I really want to focus on with you t...

Today on the podcast I’m discussing ending the school year positively. Let’s face it, the end of the school year can be tough, stressful and very overwhelming. And it’s very easy to start feeling really negative and just wishing those last few days away. But the end of the year is the perfect opportunity for us to reflect and look back on the school year. And there’s no better feeling than walking...

I am so excited today to be sharing my 5 must-do’s for the new school year. I always get asked about what my to-do list looks like for the new school year. And while I do have a list longer than 5 items – because let’s face it, who doesn’t? I do have a priority list of 5 must-do’s that I get done every school year. And I focus heavily on getting these 5 things done before I move onto anything else...

I am so excited to be sharing my 5 end of year tips for special education teachers in this podcast episode. It’s really important to have a good plan in place for the end of the school year. One reason being is that it will help you to have a more relaxed summer – and actually take time off from work. So, if you’re ready to take control and have a smooth end of year, this is the episode for you. W...

I think it’s safe to say we all know how hard it is keeping students engaged at the end of the year. Over the years, I’ve really tried a number of different strategies – and used a lot of trial and error – to help with this. And today I am so excited to share my top tips with you for keeping your students engaged during this busy and sometimes crazy time of year. What Am I Talking About? Tips for...

Today on the podcast I am sharing my top 5 tips for transitioning students to a new classroom or even school. Transition can be tough – not just for the student, but for their family too. And that’s why I always like to be organized and prepared in advance for transitioning, to make it a smooth and less stressful process for everyone involved. What Am I Talking About? In this episode today, I am t...

Welcome to my ‘Making Reading Fun’ mini podcast series. Today on the podcast I’m talking all about the ‘Book Creator’ app for the third and final episode in this mini series. So many of you have been reaching out to me on Instagram asking how do I get my students to love reading and story time so much. And that’s when I decided to put together a mini series with ideas of how you can make reading f...

Welcome to my ‘Making Reading Fun’ mini podcast series. Today on the podcast I’m talking all about sensory stories for the second episode in this mini series. So many of you have been reaching out to me on Instagram asking how do I get my students to love reading and story time so much. And that’s when I decided to put together a mini series with ideas of how you can make reading fun.. Which will...

Welcome to my ‘Making Reading Fun’ mini podcast series. Today on the podcast I’m talking all about story sacks for the first episode in this mini series. So many of you have been reaching out to me on Instagram asking how do I get my students to love reading and story time so much. And that’s when I decided to put together a mini series with ideas of how you can make reading fun.. Which will hopef...

In this podcast episode today I’m talking about why you need to stop being a yes person! (Teacher edition, of course!) I don’t know about you, but I spent many years being a yes person. I feel like within the education world, it’s just in our blood. We always want do whatever we can help to our students and those around us. And sometimes that ends up backfiring, because we don’t know when to say n...

Today on the podcast I am sharing 5 secrets to a happy classroom with you. Now it’s not all sunshine and rainbows in the classroom all day, everyday. But there are some great ways that you can ensure your classroom is a positive and welcoming place for students and staff too. I’m always asked what my ‘secrets’ are for making that type of environment.. So, I’ve been busy trying to put together my t...

On the podcast today I am answering a question that gets sent to me a lot.. ‘Why is early intervention important?’ Early intervention is becoming a more well known subject to talk about in the education world. But it might still be overwhelming if you are unsure about what the term is, who it’s for and whether it is something that will be suitable for your child or students in your care. What Am I...

In this podcast episode I am talking all about using crime scenes in the classroom. Since sharing about the crime scenes that I use on my Instagram stories, and on my blog, I have had so many questions from you all about them. So I thought I would answer some of those questions in a podcast episode.   What Am I Talking About? Why I use crime scenes in the classroom. How I have them set up. Wh...

Today on the podcast I am talking all about delegating jobs to classroom staff. This is a really important subject to cover. Because I think it's very easy for us to feel like we have to do all of the things. But, we have some amazing staff in our teams - and we should be using them! What Am I Talking About? In this podcast episode today I am talking about; Why you should be delegating to your cla...

Another 'new' thing that has been thrown at us this year are online meetings. And today I am so excited to share my 10 virtual IEP meeting tips with you in this podcast episode. My tips will hopefully help you to have positive, professional and stress-free virtual IEP Meetings. Whether you are doing IEP meetings on Zoom, FaceTime, Teams.. Or any programme you are using. This podcast episode is hel...

Today on the podcast I am talking all about why it's ok to be angry. And that goes for our students, as well as us staff. Originally, I was going to do an episode that discussed all about feelings in general. But then recently I've been seeing a lot more discussions going on about anger and ways to stop it. And the secret is.. Don't stop it! It's ok to be angry! It's ok for us to be angry.. for ou...

Today on the podcast I'm talking all about celebrating Chinese New Year in Special Ed. We love to celebrate Chinese New Year. And over the years, we've picked up lots of great ways to do it that really benefit the students. In this podcast, I'm sharing 5 ways that we celebrate with our students and the learning opportunities that they bring. I have always found it so important to teach my students...

I'm always asked about teaching world holidays in special ed. And so in this episode today, I'm sharing my top 7 reasons why I teach about holidays around the world with my students. I'm also including some links down below for you to check out some of the different activities we do, and ways that we learn about different holidays and events. What Am I Talking About? 7 reasons I teach about holida...

I am so excited on the podcast today to be sharing 5 self-care ideas for teachers to try. Last week I was talking all about setting personal goals . And how we need to remember that we are people too - and our professions do not define us. So, I thought it was fitting this week to talk about self-care ideas. Especially after a lot of you reached out to me and spoke about how you really wanted to m...

I am so shocked by the amount of education professionals who are no longer setting personal goals for the year ahead. We get so caught up doing all the things in our professional lives, that sometimes we forget that we have personal lives too! So, although this podcast episode is a little late for the new year - 2021. I don't think it really matters. I'm not someone who waits for the whole new yea...

I think we all share the same pain of classroom rules after break. Any break. Whether it's winter break or summer. It seriously has an effect on our classroom rules and the expectations that we have set for our students. I'm always getting questions about why students have changed so much after a school break. Or why aren't listening like they used to? And honestly, a break from school is really t...