I will be teaching a small class of 3,4,5 year old SEN pupils next year in a 'special school' a mixture of needs really but including children with autism and communication problems.
I wondered if any teachers/ ta's who work in a special school could tell me about their day and its structure, songs they use, any tips really.

lots of visual things, makaton and tactile and sensory equipment

If you are working with children who are on the ASD spectrum then you'll need lots of structure, visual clues and sensory items plus signing (we now use Sign-a-long instead of Makaton) . I'll happily post up my timetable. I have a mixed class of Y1/2 who have a variety of needs including ASD, PMLD and SLD.

what is sign along please and what is the difference, thank you
regards killowengirl

Signalong emerged in the 1980s when a group of practitioners wanted a signing system that was more flexible than Makaton. Signalong is a sign-supporting system: it requires you to speak as you sign. Signalong uses unaltered BSL signs wherever possible and is loosely modelled on the structure of the Derbyshire Language Scheme. Phase 1 of Signalong was first published in April 1992. Since then the authors have added to the core vocabulary, now available in four manuals, and published additional resources covering educational and vocational topics. Signalong is now widely used in the UK and Europe.

Makaton
Makaton was first developed in 1972 in Surrey as a project to teach sign language to deaf adults with learning disabilities and is now especially popular in early years settings, where it is used with children with delayed speech. Today it is an internationally recognised communication system, used in more than 40 countries. Makaton uses signs and symbols to support spoken and written English. Based on BSL, it uses a carefully selected core vocabulary (approximately 450 words/signs) structured into graded stages of increasing complexity. This core vocabulary can be combined to form short phrases and sentences and can be used in combination with other alternative communication tools.

this is copied from teaching expertise.com

I think both Signalong and Makaton are used as tools to support learning language and not as an alternative language (like BSL). So with both it is important to speak as well as sign.

I think you would need to follow whatever the school and local Seepch & lang therapists are promoting and also to find out what the children have been using before they come to you.

Gruffalo2