SEED Early Childhood Educational Blog

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This post features a Q&A with Early Years Educator, Sakinah Muhammad.

Keywords: Non verbal Communication and Language Parents Professional Sensory Routines

Author Samantha Donnelly and Sakinah Muhammad

8 May 2026

Traditionally trained Sakinah Muhammad has a natural gift when it comes to working with children with Special Educational Needs (SEN). Sakinah is a qualified Level 3 Early Years Educator with over 10 years of experience working in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), specialising in ages 18 months to 5 years.

The Observer

What role does the Level 3 Early years Educator play in the identification and referral process of autism?

First there will be observation. If I think a child has some additional needs or demonstrates autistic traits I have a discussion with the SENCO, she takes the lead on referrals. Then my role is to follow on with the child’s targets set out on the IEP [Individual Education Plan] and to review and monitor progress.

The Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCO) coordinate settings for children with special educational needs and disabilities. In the UK all early years’ providers are required to have arrangements to both identify and support children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and disabilities. In early years settings, the educator's role involves observation. For example the educator will go through the process of continual formative assessment, which is an assessment for children’s learning which involves observation, assessment and planning (OAP). Through ongoing observation the educator is able to identify causes for concern. [7][8][9]

Parental Denial: Autism

Sometimes, early years educators recognise the early indicators of autism in children, but the child’s parents may not have realised. Why do you think that is?

I believe it may be due to the amount of experience we have. I’ve personally worked with so many children over the years. Parents may have their first child or their second, and they don’t necessarily know what is expected at the different stages of development. I have a breadth of experience to draw from when it comes to recognising delays and understanding the stages of development and early learning goals.

Research shows there are various reasons why a parent may reject the observations made by the early years setting and also reject a full diagnosis from a Multidisciplinary Team (MDT).

• The child’s character and the severity of autism

• Culture

• Knowledge of autism

• Feeling of guilt and shame

• Feeling blamed. [1][2][3]

The Importance of Parent Partnership

How should practitioners work collaboratively with parents?

For parents, everything begins with a foundation of trust. They are entrusting a stranger with their most precious gift, so cultivating a bond is essential. Once that connection is established with a key person, a meaningful partnership flourishes. While this level of confidence isn't easy to foster, once it exists, it makes the child’s journey from nursery to school much better.

Parents play a fundamental role in the learning and development of young children. Parents' interactions and behaviour with their children have a deep impact on the child’s well-being, social-emotional development and desire to learn. Researchers found that when educators had knowledge of the child’s home and external environment, they could provide maximum learning opportunities for the child. [17][18]

Thinking Outside of the Box in Routines

In an early years environment, children are viewed as unique and some children may require adjustments. Reasonable adjustments, changes or modifications can remove barriers to accessibility for children with autism and disabilities. These changes can be through procedures and policies. When implementing change, the educator and setting need to make serious considerations such as the culture or the setting. Ultimately, many changes arises from the needs of the children. [9][11][10]

What adjustments have been most effective in supporting Autism in children during transitions, routines, and group activities

One of the children struggled with meltdowns when tidy-up time began, so we supported the child by giving them a basket with seven objects, which they had to tidy away before transitioning to a different space.

Approaching Sensory Difference

If a child cannot effectively modulate, they are likely to become overloaded. Children with sensory processing difficulties like autism are prone to this experience. Busy environments, large groups, lights, particular noises, smells and routines can be overwhelming for a child with autism. Their behaviour may change, they may become fidgety or distressed, and this can also manifest as headaches. [11][12]

What environmental modifications have you used to support sensory processing differences?

Our setting is open plan, so at times that can be quite difficult, so we aim to allocate a small section for the child struggling with sensory processing, which will have their specific toys or items of interest in a bag, whenever they are distressed, although in an open plan nursery, it can be difficult to control the sound.

Communication and Language

According to the statutory framework of the EYFS, there are three Prime areas of development, one of which is communication and language. This area of development is so significant because it is interconnected with later skills such as literacy and maths. A child’s ability to communicate can affect their well-being and their academic performance. Social interaction depends heavily on a child’s ability to understand and be understood.

Children’s communication development is very complex. Speech, language and communication difficulties include:

• Forming sentences

• Understanding others

• Understanding how to use language socially

• Forming sounds and words

• Fluency.

Terms such as non-verbal, non-speaking, or minimally verbal describe children who use methods other than speech as their primary form of communication. It is vital to remember that a lack of spoken language is not a lack of communication. [15][16]

Echolalia (echophrasia) is the repetition of words or phrases spoken by someone else. It’s common with autism. The repetition could be words or phrases. This behaviour is automatic and non-voluntary [20][21]

Yes, I worked with a child displaying autistic traits, but without a diagnosis who was nonverbal. Through engagement, we discovered they really enjoyed music, and this became a tool for communication. Another child was verbal, but with a slight delay; so in this situation, Makaton was a great tool. I also worked with a child who was deaf and non-verbal. All the educators learnt some British Sign Language (BSL) and then taught the child BSL, which became a great way to communicate.

Have you ever used strategies to support communication in children who were non verbal or delayed in their speech?

How can practitioners recognise and respond to different communication styles, including echolalia

I found that conversations with other practitioners helped. I’ve worked with two children diagnosed with autism who had echolalia, and honestly, it was one of my most difficult experiences. Mostly they would repeat what was asked or said, at other times, they would answer back, but communication was quite difficult.

The Importance of Visual Aids

I think visual tools should be used everywhere! I feel adults often expect children just to know what is going to happen at a particular time of day, Phrases like ‘mum is coming in 5 minutes’ can mean nothing to a child. But seeing a picture of a house and mum can have more of an impact. It can help children when transitioning from one activity to the next. To identify garden time for example, we would use a picture of a garden. I think visuals are great. They can support food selection and language development, they are great for literacy, as children recognise a lot more than they might let on, and they are actual sponges absorbing everything that they see and hear, so dive in and fill your house with all sorts of visuals.

As adults we are accustom to visual aids to help us navigate such as calendars, traffic lights and timetables. Educators use visual aids to support regular routines, behaviour and new skills. Using visuals supports children, helping them to know what is expected of them, what is coming next and engage with their daily routine. Visuals aids also create opportunities for children to:

• Make choices

• make requests

• comment

• be active communicators.

For children with speech and language difficulties having communication that is clear and predictable is important. Knowing what’s coming next can:

• Reduce stress

• enable calmer responses

• support co-operation

• support deeper understanding [22][19]

Approaching Challenging Behaviour

What strategies do used to deal with challenging behaviour?

Remind yourself they are only children. They may not know how to manage their feelings and the fact that sometimes adults expect the child to do so is mad. Taking a step back to understand the situation, to find the cause, identify with their feelings. I find offering a hug is a good step and I deal with the situation afterwards.

Every child is different. Understanding a child’s behaviour can support the adult to develop a strategy. Some strategies include:

• Consistency

• Healthy boundaries

• Rewards for positive behaviour

Supporting a child through challenging behaviour can enable them to feel included and thrive. [23][24]

Authors: Samantha Donnelly BA(Hons)MA and Sakinah Muhammad.

Samantha Donnelly is an Early Childhood Practitioner with more than 15 years of experience working with children, specialising in Early Childhood Education. Samantha is the founder of SEED Early Childhood Educational Blog.

Sakinah Mohammed is a qualified Level 3 Early Years Educator with over 10 years of experience working in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), specialising in ages 18 months to 5 years.

SEED Early Childhood is the Educational blog founded by Samantha Donnelly to bring professional knowledge to you.

Reference

1 Naicker, V. V., Bury, S. M., & Hedley, D. (2023). Factors associated with parental resolution of a child's autism diagnosis: A systematic review. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1079371

2 Lucia Alvarez, MSc (2025)How Do Differing Parental Views Affect Response to Early Autism Indicators? https://mypatientadvice.co.uk/knowledge-base/autism/diagnosis-and-identification/early-signs-symptoms/how-do-differing-parental-views-affect-response-to-early-autism-indicators/

3 Hollingsworth D. Ferguson, L. Schaub, J. Kempson-Byrne, S. (2023) autism-and-parental-blame-literature-review-final-version-feb-2024.pdf

4 Yang S. (2025) https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1936&context=masters_theses

5 Sepadi, M. (2025) Inclusive education in resource-constrained settings: exploring mainstream teachers’ curriculum knowledge and practices for autistic learners in South Africa. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1641336

6 Al Jaffal M (2022) Barriers general education teachers face regarding the inclusion of students with autism. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.873248

7 GOV.UK (2024) Mandatory qualification for SENCOs https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mandatory-qualification-for-sencos

8 Birth to 5 Matters Observation, assessment and planning – Birth To 5 Mattershttps://birthto5matters.org.uk/observation-assessment-and-planning/

9 The Department for Education (2022)The role of the Early Years Special Educational Needs Coordinator https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1059695/The_Role_of_the_Early_Years_SENCO.pdf

10 https://nurseryconsultancyuk.co.uk/ (2026) Early Years Consultant London https://nurseryconsultancyuk.co.uk/implementing-change-based-on-staff-suggestions-in-nurseries/

11Brodie, K. (2026) Change Management: A Guide for Education and Early Years Settings https://www.earlyyears.tv/change-management-education-and-early-years/

12 Cornerstone Nurseries (2024) Policy regarding provision of reasonable adjustments where required

13 Essex County Council Supporting sensory development in a child’s early years https://eput.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/10564-Early-Years-Sensory-Awareness-Toolkit-v3-ACCESSIBLE.pdf

14 Sensory Direct 8 Ways To Reduce Sensory Overload https://www.sensorydirect.com/blog/8_ways_to_reduce_sensory_overload/

15 NHS Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy Service, Bedfordshire and Luton (2022) Early Years Communication and Language Toolkithttps://childspeechbedfordshire.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Pre-School-Screen-leaflet-SLT-Beds-March-2022.pdf

16 Speech and Language UK Children communicating in different ways https://speechandlanguage.org.uk/help-for-families/resource-library-for-families/children-communicating-in-different-ways/

17 OECD (2024), “Engaging parents and guardians in early childhood education and care centres”, OECD Education Policy Perspectives, No. 110, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/d05dd1cf-en.

18 Demissie, F., & Pearse, S. (2025). Parental engagement and transformation as a marker of quality in Early Childhood Education and Care. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X241293899

19 Children & Young People’s Health Services Norfolk (2021)Guide to Visual Support for Early Years Practitioners https://www.justonenorfolk.nhs.uk/media/mbpfqds4/visual-support-guide-to-visual-support-for-early-years-practitioners.pdf

20 Cleveland Clinc (2023)Echolalia: What It Is, Causes, Types & Treatment https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/echolalia

21 Verywell Health (2025) What Causes Echolalia, and How Serious Is It? https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-echolalia-5207994

22 Special Teaching and Research (STaR) Ltd.3.1 Tips for visualshttps://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/early-childhood-education/whats-happening-in-the-early-childhood-education-sector/media/ece-resources/inclusive-educational-programs-for-children-with-disability/Tips_for_visuals.pdf

23 Scope Managing your child's behaviour | https://www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support/managing-challenging-behaviour

24 Jiang,H. &. Jones,S. (2016)Practical Strategies for Minimizing Challenging Behaviors in the Preschool Classroom https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1150736.pdf

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