Category: Education

  • Behaviourism/PBS/ABA/PECs: There are alternative ways

    Behaviourism/PBS/ABA/PECs: There are alternative ways

    ‘The path isn’t a straight line; it’s a spiral. You continually come back to things you thought you understood and see deeper truths’ – Barry H. Gillespie I love this quote by Barry Gillespie ”The path isn’t a straight line; it’s a spiral. You continually come back to things you thought you understood and see…

  • Radical Resilience

    Radical Resilience

    Image of pink flower growing between gaps in pavement. Text:Wild flowers offer hope. Be radically resilient. Find possibilities in-between hard spaces. Be authentic and flourish in adversity. Transform the landscape. Be a wild flower.

  • Gestalt Language Processing, Monotropism & Young People

    Gestalt Language Processing, Monotropism & Young People

    Monotropic (Autistic/ ADHD) people have fewer tunnels of interest to process and use their energy than polytropic people (non-Autistic/ADHD). Polytropic people can more easily split their processing and energy resources across multiple channels than monotropic people, this may explain some key differences in communication people experience. It may initially sound a bit conflicting to discuss…

  • Autistic Burnout – Supporting Young People At Home & School

    Autistic Burnout – Supporting Young People At Home & School

    This is a revised and updated version of the article I previously published with Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism  ‘Supporting Your Young Person Through Autistic Burnout’ (Sep 2023). Click here to download  ‘Autistic Burnout: A Family Guide‘ (137-page PDF resource) Being autistic is not an illness or a disorder in itself, but being autistic can…

  • Map of Monotropic Experiences

    Map of Monotropic Experiences

    Monotropism seeks to explain Autism in terms of attention distribution and interests.  OSF Preprints | Development and Validation of a Novel Self-Report Measure of Monotropism in Autistic and Non-Autistic People: The Monotropism Questionnaire This map highlights 20 common aspects of my personal monotropic experiences. How many do you experience? Where are you on the map…

  • Autistic Burnout – Supporting Young People At Home & School

    Autistic Burnout – Supporting Young People At Home & School

    Being autistic is not an illness or a disorder in itself, but being autistic can have an impact on a person’s mental and physical health. This is due to the often unmet needs of living in a world that is generally designed for the well-being of people who are not autistic. In addition, three-quarters of…

  • Spaces For Multi-Sensory Learners and those with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities

    Spaces For Multi-Sensory Learners and those with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities

    Helen Edgar (Autistic Realms) and Ryan Boren (Stimpunks) have been exploring radically inclusive learning environments. Cavendish learning spaces are based on flexibility, interaction, movement and the role of embodied responsive experiences. We reject the boundaries of traditional classroom settings and look at how they not only restrict embodied experiences but lead to disembodied experiences and…

  • Neurodiversity Affirming Glossary of Key Words – for families and professionals

    Neurodiversity Affirming Glossary of Key Words – for families and professionals

      (Glossary written & and originally published for THE PDA SPACE SUMMIT 2023 ) A full version of The Neurdodiversity Affirming Glossary is now available on Amazon. This blog is an abbreviated version created for The PDA Space. Language Matters It can be really hard as a parent/carer when you discover that your children are…

  • Embracing Autistic Children’s Monotropic Flow States

    Embracing Autistic Children’s Monotropic Flow States

      Article originally written and published for Neurodiverse Connection (Sept 2023) Autistic and ADHD people are more likely to be monotropic than the rest of the population (Garau, V. et al., June 2023). This means they focus more energy and resources on fewer interests/tasks/ sensory input at any one time compared to non-autistic polytropic people. Developing a…

  • Monotropism = Happy Flow State

    Monotropism = Happy Flow State

    A guest blog for PDA Space – the original more concise version of this article is here: Monotropism = Happy Flow State (thepdaspace.com) As a parent entering into the realms of Autism, ADHD, PDA or any other neurodivergence it can feel overwhelming. Not just because of the weight those labels hold and possible difficulties with…

  • Autism is fluid

    Autism is fluid

    Autism is not a disorder and does not need fixing or any ‘interventions’. Autism comes under the umbrella of neurodivergence, it is a different way of thinking, interacting and responding to people and the world. Nick Walker (2021) in her book Neuroqueer Heresies, states; ‘Autism is a genetically-based human neurological variant…..autistic individual’s subjective experience can…

  • Neurodivergent Friendly Classrooms

    Neurodivergent Friendly Classrooms

      (Article published as Guest Blog for Twinkl Feb 2023)n Embrace Difference The numbers of pupils needing EHCPs and support plans are increasing in schools, and the numbers of children and young people struggling to attend school due to unmet needs are also escalating. This correlates to the rise in the number of neurodivergent children…

  • Supporting neurodivergent students who are struggling to attend school

    Supporting neurodivergent students who are struggling to attend school

    Data shows that the number of pupils with identified SEND needs are rising. There is an increase in the number of pupils diagnosed as being neurodivergent e.g. Autistic, ADHD, Dyslexic, PDA or with sensory processing difficulties. We are also in the midst of a huge education attendance crisis demonstrated by the rising numbers of students…

  • Supporting pupils through Autistic Burnout (Teacher Guide)

    Supporting pupils through Autistic Burnout (Teacher Guide)

      This is written from my lived experience as a parent and teacher, supported by the amazing research of professionals and advocates in this field. I’m not a therapist or medical professional. Autistic Burnout: A Family Guide is available here: Shop | Autisticrealms nn My updated version of ‘Supporting your Young Person through Autistic Burnout‘…

  • Supporting autistic students experiencing OCD in a school setting

    Supporting autistic students experiencing OCD in a school setting

      The National Autistic Society School report 2021 confirmed, ‘There are over 160,000 autistic pupils in schools across England. Over 70% are in mainstream school, with the rest in specialist education, home educated or out of education altogether’. This figure is likely to be much higher as there are many more who are either on…

  • Autism, OCD, Alexithymia & Interoception

    Autism, OCD, Alexithymia & Interoception

    Autism is a difference of neurotype and many autistic people refer to themselves as being neurodivergent. Neurodivergent people process, interpret and respond to the world in a way that is different to the neuromajority /neurotypical person. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Some individuals can experience both…

  • Total Communication

    Total Communication

      Total communication is not a new concept it evolved from the field of education for the deaf in the 1960s (Schow and Nerbonne 2007). Mueller (2021) defines total communication as including, ‘not only speech, signing, gestures, and written language, but also picture communication and voice output communication devices’. For those with profound and multiple…

  • Education Crisis – Neurodiversity Affirming Teacher Training Needed

    Education Crisis – Neurodiversity Affirming Teacher Training Needed

      Language Identity First Language: In line with preferences from the Autistic community I will be using Identity First Language (ie. Autistic person, NOT person with Autism) Neurodiversity – This relates to the biological fact that human brains and minds differ from each other. Neurodiversity aligns with the idea that all children are unique and…

  • Supporting Children through Autistic Burnout (Parent/Carer Guide)

    Supporting Children through Autistic Burnout (Parent/Carer Guide)

      (This is written from lived experience as a parent and teacher, supported by the amazing research of professionals and advocates in this field. I’m not a therapist or medical professional). Autistic Burnout: A Family Guide 137 page resource is available in my shop. An updated 2024 version of this article is available here published…

  • Language matters, relationships are essential

    Language matters, relationships are essential

      It can be difficult and confusing to understand the language surrounding neurodiversity. It can be seen to be creating further divisions and potentially isolating some people by getting hung up on the specifics. I know I have my own anxiety about not using the ‘right’ language (despite writing this!). In response to my previous…

  • Parent ideas for autistic children struggling with school attendance

    Parent ideas for autistic children struggling with school attendance

      If your child is autistic, then they are more likely to have additional anxiety, social, communication and sensory processing difficulties. Consequently, school can be a difficult and overwhelming place for them to be if they are not in the right environment with teachers that fully understand them or have the right provision to meet…

  • ‘Profound’ in relation to those with PMLD / PIMD

    ‘Profound’ in relation to those with PMLD / PIMD

      PIMD / PMLD The International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities – IASSIDD) supports individuals and their families who have profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD). They define this group of people by saying that ‘they are characterized by very severe cognitive, neuromotor and/or sensory…

  • Ideas for Autistic Children who are Struggling at School

    Ideas for Autistic Children who are Struggling at School

          It can be difficult for autistic children to access an appropriate education and challenging for their parents to navigate the various paths to get their child an education that meets their needs. No one wants their child to just survive in school, all our children should be able to thrive in the…