The Power of Routine: Why Summer Holidays Can Be Disruptive for Neurodivergent People In the UK, we have the six-week summer holidays, where children have time to rest, relax and lots of fun. However, as many of us know, this can be an absolute nightmare for working parents, juggling everything Read more
Understanding Masking in SEND Children Many children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have to make their greatest effort daily, and nobody sees this. They hide their stims, practice jokes, copy friends expressions and anything to look like others and not to stand out. This strategy is called masking Read more
Counting the Hidden Costs of Raising a Child with Additional Needs When parenting a child with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), we all know the extra money for replacing things, extra time everything takes and the emotional toll this takes on the rest of the family, now referred to Read more
Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) For most people, daily sensory input (the hum of the fridge, the scratchiness of a jumper, the smell of someone’s perfume) fades into the background of our awareness. We can notice this but we can adapt and put it to the back of our minds Read more
ADHD :Two Paths, One Diagnosis As mentioned before, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is often stereotyped as a condition that primarily affects young boys, which is very outdated. While this may describe some with ADHD it does not cover all with ADHD, and can be harmful to have this view Read more
How Adult ADHD Affects Relationships Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is often spoken about relating to children and their performance in and out of the classroom. However, the effects of ADHD on relationships, for adults, is far less talked about. I am married to an ADHDer, (trust me, it’s not for the Read more
Adults living with ADHD When people think of ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), they link this to children, but as we know this doesn’t disappear with age. More and more people are being diagnosed later in life and in the UK an estimated 3-4% of adults have ADHD. Adult life Read more
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) PDA in a Nutshell In the 1980’s, Elizabeth Newson noticed patterns in children who didn’t fit the usual autism presentation, but when told they ‘must’ do something, they had a meltdown. Elizabeth named this pathological demand avoidance, and claimed it should sit on the autistic spectrum. Read more
Special time for our spicy ones Shopping is hard enough with your family. I know!! I honestly couldn’t think of anything worse but let’s be frank, it has to be done. Some shops have taken steps to help but do they go far enough? Why is this only an hour Read more
What is ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)? ADHD is defined by the world health organization as a pattern of inattention and/ or hyperactivity/ impulsivity. So no, it’s not just the kids that are bouncing off the walls. ADHD can impact all aspects of life, relationships, work/ school and many more. Read more