MAS

My Ace Space is a visual framework designed to support children to understand and regulate their sensory and emotional needs. It uses five colours to represent our changing states/moods. This helps children explain how they are feeling by simply stating which colour they are in.

The framework allows them to think about the colour they are in, and whether this is the right colour for them, or whether they need an environmental adaptation or a self regulation tool to help them move to one of the other colours. It can be used with children both at home and at school.

The goal of the training is for you to understand what each colour represents and how we use the colours to communicate with children. We will then look at how we recognise triggers and discover calming and alerting techniques you can use with your children - and yourselves!

We will support you to make sense of how to put the system into practice as a family. You’ll fill in a personalised grid for your child. It’s a tool that will help you to communicate as a family and with the other important people in your child’s life.

My Ace Space aims to help children aged between 7 and 13 who present with difficulties in one or more of the following: sensory regulation, emotional regulation (e.g. anxiety), social communication difficulties. However, it can also be used by children with no additional needs and can be adapted for use by all ages - even adults too!

My Ace Space gives children a simple, visual framework which will help them make sense of how they are feeling and communicate this easily. It supports them to think about what makes them feel good, and helps them to recognise when they are starting to feel dysregulated. By providing them with a simple toolbox of activities, it enables children to choose an activity that will bring them back to their 'ACE' space when needed.

My Ace Space won't stop your child from finding the demands of everyday life difficult - whether this is for sensory, emotional or communication based reasons. It will provide them with the understanding that we all got through a range of emotions, (that this is healthy and ok) but it will enable them to let you know when they aren't okay, and give them personalised ways to manage these tricky situations, and start to feel better again.

My Ace Space uses evidence-based approaches to ensure that it is a successful system. The use of a structured, visual approach is well researched as being the best way to support children with sensory, social, or emotional regulation needs.

We have also worked with the University of Sussex around some more formal research, giving us clear evidence of why My Ace Space works so well:

1. It helps children to better tune into how they are feeling
2. It recognises that situations with high sensory loads are particularly challenging
3. It helps adults better make sense of a child's needs

In the city of Brighton and Hove, where My Ace Space was created, all of the schools in the city (primary, secondary, special) now use an older version of this programme to support some or all of their pupils. Additionally, parent workshops on using this framework have been highly successful, meaning that the many families in the city now also use this with their children at home too.

My Ace Space will give you:

• An insight into how your child makes sense of and responds to the world

• Practical ideas to help your child self-regulate

• Information about how your child's day has been, even if they are not with you (e.g. at school)

• Access to support from experienced professionals

• Opportunities to connect with other parents.

We will give you a practical technique to try in every session. Once you have signed up, you can immediately access the programme and the app. You will also have access to a range of strategies to try and useful links.

Sadie Gillett is a specialist teacher in autism, working with schools and families to help them support autistic children in the best possible way. Sadie’s recent projects include: using technology to support autistic children to communicate independently; finding innovative ways to enable autistic children to express their opinion and understanding the different profile of autistic girls.

Karen Milton is a Children’s Occupational Therapist with a specialist interest in developmental trauma and advanced training in Sensory Attachment Integration (SAI).  Karen has worked for over twenty years as an OT with a range of children and their families (specialising with those with social communication and sensory processing needs). This has often been part of a multidisciplinary team involved with assessments, interventions and training with a wide range of families, children and teaching staff within many settings including homes, clinics, mainstream and special schools.

Together we have developed My Ace Space. Through spending time and learning from the children, families and schools we have worked with we have continued to evolve the ethos and approach. Its success is a multi-professional approach and in listening and responding to those using the system within their lives.

The course will cover:

• Understanding more about emotional and sensory processing difficulties

• Understanding the My Ace Space framework and how to use it

• Exercises to help you put the framework into practice

• An animation for children to help you explain to them

• How to handover and explain your child’s needs to other carers and family members.