Today I find learning is a joy. I have a thirst for knowledge, I thrive on having a mission, I like to achieve to the best of my ability.

There were times at school when learning seemed a very long and hard slog.  Reflecting back I can see these periods were when I was being pushed as a square peg to fit a round hole. Whole class approaches don’t always suit individuals, particularly when like me you have speech and hearing challenges that make learning harder, and you are an AAC user in a verbal world.  I’ve broken this section into 3 separate pages.

Lifelong learning

Here you can read about how different approaches and the use of various technologies helped me to leapfrog forward, and continue to grow during university.

Transitions in education

This section tries to do justice to the immense task of getting the right school placement. I’ve included tips on things to consider and what went well for me, and where we fell down. My journey will not have been the same as anyone else’s, but I hope it gives you food for thought on what you might need to consider to make the right decisions for you.

Learning styles

I didn’t really understand how I learned until my late teens and then even more so at university. Now knowing I have synaesthesia, and that I’m a visual learner is fascinating to me.  My learning style affects everything I do, every day, especially around my communication.  It explains why some of the ways of teaching the curriculum in school didn’t work well for me.  Whilst I can’t turn the clock back this knowledge makes me realize why I struggled in earlier years without a ‘voice’ in my head to read or to sound out new words.  How this inability made it hard to store them for easy recall. Knowing now how my brain likes to be fuelled makes learning so much easier.

Good luck in your own journey to reaching your educational potential.