I have been in the teaching profession for more than seventeen years, working with special educational needs (SEN) and non-SEN children aged between 1-10. After noticing my child’s special needs, I started exploring autism. For a better understanding of autism and to support my child and students, I have started to do an MA in Inclusion and Special Educational Needs and Disability (ISEND) at the University of Derby, UK. Besides, continuously, I am doing different types of courses and training to support my child and my students. Although I worked a long time in primary school as well as pre-school, I changed my mind to fully concentrate on working with SEN children after receiving my MA ISEND degree. I am interested in working with SEN children because I have seen how special needs children badly require special care and detailed attention. From my experiences working with children of different age groups, I have realised that SEN children are not getting the proper attention and care that they deserve. Some institutions are playing a significant role in supporting these children, but this is at a very minimum level compared to what is actually needed. However, it is challenging to deal with these children due to not having the right skill set. Therefore, as a primary caregiver and a mum of a special child, I have a genuine passion to support SEN children and their families as I understand the feelings of those parents. However, as the first five years are the foundation of humans, and these periods of development are crucial to lifetime learning; therefore, understanding and monitoring typical development and developmental milestones are essential for the parent and other professionals who work with children. The most significant reason for monitoring a child's development is to determine whether a child's development is on the right course or not. It is essential to begin early if there is any indication of a possible delay in development, as early intervention is crucial in promoting a child's capabilities and skills. Even as a primary caregiver and a mum of a special child, I believe if I could be aware and knowledgeable, and recognise the delay in my son’s development, I could take the necessary steps early and seek further support/intervention for him. Therefore, I started to do another MA in Early Years to learn more about early years, child development, developmental milestones, early identification and early intervention. Finally, the knowledge that I had a positive impact on a child’s development and watching them meet their key milestones ahead of making that big step to their future learning are the best parts of being an educator. As well as, I love being able to share my interests and help the children and their families to explore their creativity and to develop children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural experiences.
