Communicate with Me

About the Author

Martin Goodwin is an experienced practitioner who has more than 18 years experience in working with children and young people in a range of capacities including management and direct delivery. Martin's professional experience is primarily working with children, young people and adults with learning disabilities including autism, profound and multiple disability and severe learning disability in a range of settings and functions including play and leisure, education, youth work, residential, participation and advocacy. Martin has specialised in approaches to improve interaction, communication and participation of people with learning disabilities. Martin is a qualified teacher/ trainer in post compulsory education and children's rights advocate with a BA Hons in Professional Studies: Learning Difficulties, PG Cert in Social Studies and MA in Youth and Community studies. Jennie Miller specialises in working with adults with a learning disability in the residential setting where she has over ten years' experience, holding a management role since 2004. She is experienced in working with people with a learning disability with a wide range of support needs and managing staff teams in a way that enables them to work more effectively with the people they support. Jennie also has experience in advocacy, research and day service provision. Her professional interests include approaches which maximise people's involvement in aspects of everyday living, total communication approaches, positively supporting people whose behaviours are challenging and involving people in consultation around service delivery. Jennie has a BA (hons) in Professional Studies: Learning Difficulties Cath Edwards has over thirty years' experience of working with children and young people with learning disabilities including autism and severe and profound multiple learning disability. She has held teaching and management posts in special schools and early years settings. She has special interests in how a knowledge of child development and early learning can inform an effective approach to working with young people with disabilities, and in the influence of physical issues on learning, perception and cognition. Cath has a BEd in education, a degree-level qualification in special educational needs, and is a Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Cath is also a qualified yoga teacher and a professional storyteller.