School meeting
How to prepare for a meeting with the school
The Portuguese legal framework explained, what to bring, what to ask and email templates.
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For parents and teachers in Portugal
Learning to see the child behind the behaviour.
Guides, records and a reflection questionnaire to help you understand child development, neurodiversity, high ability and twice-exceptionality, from birth to 18. Based on paediatrics, developmental psychology and Portuguese law, explained in English for families living in Portugal.
- 8 yearsworking with families, from birth to school
- 0–18resources for every age
- DCUGifted Education, in progress
Training and background
- Dublin City UniversityGraduate Diploma in Gifted Education
- Instituto CRIAPSpecialisation in Psychopedagogical Intervention, in progress
- University of CoimbraDegree
- Certified coachTrainer since 2015
- BEBEGUI®Founder
What stage is your child at?
Each age brings different questions. Start with your child's stage.
0 to 3 years
The first years
Developmental milestones, the Portuguese child health check-ups and what normal variation looks like. A record to track what you observe.
See resources Nursery and pre-schoolFirst steps away from home
Settling in, toilet training, mealtimes and independence. And what to do when your child's pace is not the class's pace.
See resources 1.º ciclo, ages 6 to 10Starting school
What to expect each year, reading, writing and maths, and the first signs worth noticing, in difficulty and in ability.
See resources 2.º and 3.º ciclos, ages 10 to 15More subjects, more demands
Moving to several teachers and the pre-teen years. This is often when difficulties that ability had been hiding come to the surface.
See resources Secondary, ages 15 to 18Towards higher education
National exams, future choices, independence and emotional health. And the adjustments that can still make a difference.
See resources My specialisation, at any ageHigh ability and 2E
Giftedness and twice-exceptionality: from the first suspicion to a real partnership with the school, until the end of schooling.
See resourcesIt is never too late to understand
Many cases of high ability and many learning difficulties go unnoticed in the early school years. A capable child can compensate for dyslexia for years, and a child who struggles can hide their abilities. Some people only realise in their teens, at university or as adults. Looking back with the right information helps make sense of the present.
At every age: sensory sensitivities, selective eating, behaviour at home and at school, and when to see a speech therapist, an occupational therapist or a psychologist.
Some children…
If you recognise your child in any of these sentences, you are not alone: many families go through the same. And there is nothing wrong with your child.
Some children cannot stop halfway through an idea.
It is not stubbornness. It is the need to finish a thought.
Some children ask grown-up questions
and, five minutes later, cry like a three-year-old.
Some children only eat five foods
and it is not fussiness or a tantrum.
Some children feel everything
sounds, clothing labels, injustice.
Some children read at four
and at eight cannot write a full page.
Very often the problem is not the child. It is an environment that has not yet been adjusted to them.
How I can helpFour steps, at any age
Everything I create follows this order, from the free guide to individual guidance.
- 1
Understand
Know what is expected for the age, what normal variation is and what lies behind the behaviour, before trying to correct it.
- 2
Adjust
Change what is within your reach at home: routines, conversations, expectations and how you respond to difficulties and intensity.
- 3
Advocate
Bring a clear, well-founded request to the nursery or school, based on Portuguese inclusive education law, and follow up on what was agreed.
- 4
Grow
Record, review and adjust at each new stage, so that decisions are based on what you have observed over time.
A mother, first of all
Hello, I am Heloísa Oliveira
I am the mother of a child with high ability. But before getting there, I went through all the stages so many families go through.
Questions about developmental milestones, starting nursery, a pace different from other children, sensitivities no one could explain, school. Often without knowing what was normal, what deserved attention or who to ask. Had I recorded everything from the start, many answers would have come sooner.
When I understood what my son needed, I studied the legislation and took concrete adjustment proposals to the school. I was received politely, but also with some reserve, as if a well-founded request from a mother were a way of wanting to decide for the school. It was not. What I was looking for was a partnership.
Parents and schools are not on opposite sides. They are partners in educating the same child.
I have continued training in child development, neuroeducation, inclusive education, giftedness and twice-exceptionality, and I am currently studying for the Graduate Diploma in Gifted Education at Dublin City University and the Advanced Specialisation in Psychopedagogical Intervention in Education at Instituto CRIAP. Before that I worked as a coach and trainer and, for eight years running BEBEGUI®, I worked closely with hundreds of families from the birth of their children. Today I bring all of this together so that other parents do not have to start from scratch.
What I do and what I do not do. I help you understand, organise information and prepare conversations with the school and with health professionals. I am not a doctor or a psychologist and I do not assess or diagnose. When needed, I point you to the right professional.
Start with the free resources. Move up when you need to.
Each step solves a concrete problem, and none requires the next.
- Start hereStep 1
Free resources
The school meeting guide and the mini-questionnaire.
FreeGet the guide - Step 2
Records, guides and questionnaires
The Development Record, guides for each stage and questionnaires with a personal report.
Coming soon in EnglishJoin the list - Step 3
Topic courses
The first years, starting school, sensory differences, learning difficulties.
Coming soonJoin the list - Step 4
Understanding my child
The full programme, with all the records and courses and a monthly Q&A session.
Full programmeJoin the list - Limited placesStep 5
Individual guidance
Sessions in English or Portuguese for your situation: organising information, preparing appointments or school meetings, finding the right professional.
By appointmentAsk for information
Resources, records and courses
Some resources are already available in English. The rest are being translated: join the waiting list to hear first.
Mini-questionnaire
Do you recognise these traits in your child?
Ten statements about traits often found in children with high ability. Not clinical, 2 minutes.
Take the mini-questionnaireDevelopment Record
Development Record, 0 to 6 years
Milestones by area and age, with space for the dates you observed and a summary to take to check-ups.
Join the waiting listNursery and pre-school
Nursery and pre-school in Portugal
Settling in, children's rights and what to do when your child's pace differs from the group: toilet training, meals, independence.
Join the waiting listReading, writing, maths
Starting school in Portugal
What to expect from year 1 to year 4, and what is normal and what deserves attention in reading, writing and maths.
Join the waiting listFull questionnaire
Full high ability questionnaire
28 traits in 5 areas, wellbeing signs and a report to take to the school or a psychologist.
Learn moreMeeting the school soon?
Go in calm, informed and with a clear request. The guide is free and arrives in your inbox in seconds.
- What Portuguese law says, including the 2026 review
- The questions that lead to concrete measures
- Email templates ready to send to the school
Who it is for
For parents
- You want to know what is expected for your child's age, and what deserves attention
- You feel your child is different and want to understand them, without labels
- You need to prepare a conversation with the nursery, the school or a professional in Portugal
For educators, teachers and schools
- You have children with very different paces in the same class
- You want to differentiate without doubling your workload
- You are looking for practical training for your team, including international schools
Frequently asked questions
Are the resources available in English?
The free guide, the mini-questionnaire and this website are in English. The other resources are being translated. Individual guidance sessions are available in English or Portuguese.
What ages are the resources for?
From birth to 18: the first years, nursery and pre-school, the 1.º, 2.º and 3.º ciclos and secondary school. In my specialisation in high ability and twice-exceptionality, I support families until the end of schooling.
My child is not yet doing something other children their age do. Should I worry?
Developmental milestones have wide windows, and each child has their own pace. Still, some signs justify talking to your family doctor or paediatrician, and it is not worth waiting to see when you notice them. The Portuguese child health check-ups (Programa Nacional de Saúde Infantil e Juvenil) are the right moment to raise your questions.
Do you assess or diagnose?
No. I am not a doctor or a psychologist. Assessment and diagnosis are carried out by doctors, psychologists and therapists. My work is to help families understand, organise what they observe and prepare conversations with the school and with professionals.
What is twice-exceptionality (2E)?
It is when a child has high ability and, at the same time, another condition such as ADHD, dyslexia, autism or anxiety. The two can mask each other: ability hides the difficulty, and the difficulty hides the ability.
Does the school have to adapt to my child?
In Portugal, the inclusive education framework (Decree-Law no. 54/2018) provides learning support measures for all students who need them, from pre-school to secondary, including those who need more challenge. Many universal measures do not depend on a clinical report. If your child attends an international school, ask which inclusion policy applies: the same partnership approach works there too.
Your child does not need to be corrected. They need to be understood.
Start today with the free guide, or choose your child's stage and find the right resource.
Download the free guide