The conference, which was hosted at the University’s Bedford campus, heard from academics from the School of Education & English and the School of Psychology who discussed research projects which aim to help young people via methods including audiobooks and rhythmic training.

Janice Wearmouth, Professor of Education at the University of Bedfordshire, detailed her research project on the use of audiobooks to support poor readers in schools. This is a project run by the University and colleagues at St Edmunds School in Essex, supported by national charity Calibre Audio.

Around 40 attendees joined the session, which included guest presentations on a range of topics that are of interest within SEND. These included Martha Smith, who gave a moving account of the experiences of her autistic son progressing through the education system.

Dr Anastasia Giannakopoulou, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Bedfordshire, also gave a presentation to attendees on an ongoing rhythmic training intervention that aims to help children improve their reading ability. The programme will run as 30 minute sessions, three times a week for six weeks, after which the research team are able to measure the outcomes.

Speaking about the successful event, Janice Wearmouth said: “I was delighted to see colleagues with such a range of interests in the area of special educational needs and disability, and really pleased with the quality and depth of the presentations and with the engagement of delegates in the question and answer sessions. My sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone involved.”