Diana Seach is an English specialist in

special education Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

. She is a Principal Lecturer in Special Educational Needs and Early Years and Programme Co-ordinator for the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination.

Career

Seach established the smile: Interactive Play for Children with Autism programme in 2000. She taught in special education for twenty years. She has worked at the

University of Chichester , mottoeng = By teaching, we learn , type = public university, Public , established = 2005 , administrative_staff = 600 , vice_chancellor = Jane Longmore , city = Chichester, West Sussex , country ...

as a part-time senior lecturer for 12 years. She was the founder of the Southdowns Support Group for families of children with

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

. In 1994 they set up the Southdowns Family Centre in

Rustington Rustington is a small town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex. Rustington is approximately at the midpoint of the West Sussex coast and midway between the county town of Chichester and Brighton. The A259 runs along the north ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...

, which offers a range of activities including, play, music, art, sports, and sensory integration for children with autism and their families. Seach is the author of three books on educating children with autism, most recently ''Interactive Play for Children with Autism: A Practical Guide for Teachers'' (2012) and regularly writes and presents her work at conferences. She has developed a range of training programmes for parents and professionals, and has an established international consultancy. Seach is a part-time Senior Lecturer in Early Years and Special Educational Needs at the

Experience

Diana taught in special

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

for 20 years where she specialized in working with children who have profound learning difficulties and autism.

Books

*Supporting Children with Autism in Mainstream Schools, co-authored with Miranda Preston and Michele Lloyd. *Interactive Play for Children with Autism, 2007 *Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Positive Approaches for Teaching Children with ASD, 1998

References

External links

smile
Living people British educational theorists Academics of the University of Chichester Year of birth missing (living people) {{autism-stub