Specific Learning Difficulties, What Teachers Need to Know (Second Edition)

The updated, straight-talking and accessible guide is ideal for teachers, teaching assistants, SENCOs, senior leadership and even home schooling parents who want to know more about supporting students with Learning Differences.

Highlighting some of the more commonly encountered Specific Learning Differences (SpLD’s), expert Diana Hudson concisely describes the signs of those that are most commonly encountered in the classroom. Covering: dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, autism spectrum condition, ADHD, OCD and featuring brand new chapters on Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and tics and Tourette Syndrome, this book covers all the information you need, whilst reminding us that all neurodivergent children are individuals and have different qualities.

Diana provides an overview of each identity and evaluates how you may need to adapt your levels of support in the classroom - as well as practical suggestions for modifying teaching materials and methods to make learning enjoyable, effective and accessible for all students. There are also dedicated chapters on helping students with SpLD’s to improve their organisation and develop effective revision skills and exam techniques.

Diana Hudson has taught science in secondary schools for over 35 years. Combining her enthusiasm for teaching science to children who think differently and her training in teaching students with Specific Learning Differences, she has become both a Head of Biology and a SENCO at different times in her career. She has written articles for journals including the SEN magazine and Education in Chemistry and is the author of Specific Learning Difficulties, What Teachers Need to Know, published in 2015 and Exploring Science with Dyslexic Children and Teens published in 2021 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.