We Are Spending Millions on SEN – But Are Children Actually Learning?
Following a Westminster debate on children’s services, one question is missing: are children actually learning? If the environment doesn’t engage the brain, no amount of SEN funding will make learning happen.
It’s Not Bad Behaviour — It’s an Undeveloped Skill
Schools are still punishing autistic and ADHD children for behaviours caused by undeveloped skills. This blog explains why that approach is harmful — and how misunderstanding neurodivergence is damaging children’s self-esteem, safety, and education.
When Everything Feels Personal: Understanding Criticism Sensitivity from Childhood Onwards
Many children and adults grow up feeling that everything is personal. This piece explores criticism sensitivity, how it develops in neurodivergent people, and why it often begins in childhood.
Why Emotional Regulation Is Harder When You’re Autistic or You’re ADHD – and Why Waiting Matters
If you’re autistic or you’re ADHD, emotional regulation can feel overwhelming. This blog explains how inhibitory control develops through waiting, why modern life removes that practice, and why this impacts autistic and ADHD brains more.
Why ‘No Evidence for Neurodevelopmental or ADHD Screening’ Isn’t the Same as ‘What’s Best for Children’
The Government has confirmed it will not support neurodevelopmental or ADHD screening for children, citing a lack of evidence. While early intervention is repeatedly acknowledged as essential, current pathways continue to rely on children reaching crisis before support begins. This blog explores the risks of delayed identification, the difference between screening and diagnosis, and what this decision means in real life for children and families.
The Four-Tier System: When Support Comes Too Late
The four-tier system is being discussed as a form of early intervention in SEND support. But many children don’t struggle early. Some cope through primary school and only begin to struggle later, often in secondary school when demands increase sharply. A system that requires children to move slowly through tiers risks delaying help until real damage has already been done. This blog explores why waiting for repeated failure is not early intervention — and why parents need to understand what may be coming.
When Motivation Is Missing: Understanding Low Motivation in Children and Adults with ADHD or Autism
“Low motivation isn’t laziness — it’s brain wiring.”
When dopamine doesn’t fire in the usual way, starting tasks can feel impossible for ADHD and autistic people. This blog explains why — and what genuinely helps.
Stop Moving the Goalposts: Why PDA Isn’t an Excuse for Poor Behaviour
Pathological Demand Avoidance is increasingly used to explain any challenging behaviour. But when PDA becomes a catch-all label, it stops helping those who genuinely experience it. This blog explains what PDA really is, why language matters, and why understanding behaviour means looking at the ‘why’, not excusing the ‘what’.
When Offence Replaces Recognition: The Cost to Neurodivergent Children
When professional discomfort with language delays early recognition of autism and ADHD, families pay the price. This blog explores how clarity, not comfort, is essential for timely support and better outcomes.
When Alexithymia and Interoception Differences Look Like Narcissism
Emotional distance is often labelled as narcissism, but for many people it reflects alexithymia and interoception differences. Understanding this distinction can change relationships.
The Importance of Psychoeducation in ADHD
ADHD is not caused by sugar, screens, or poor parenting. Psychoeducation helps families and professionals understand the science behind ADHD, reduce stigma, and improve long-term outcomes.
Why So Many Women Are Now Being Diagnosed With Autism and ADHD
Women are not suddenly becoming autistic or developing ADHD.
A generation of women was overlooked, misread, and forced to survive quietly until modern life removed the structures that helped them cope. This blog explains why diagnoses are rising now – and why this is overdue recognition, not overdiagnosis.
Awakening the Brain to Interact with Our Environment
Understanding how the brain processes sensory information is key to learning, behaviour, and daily life. This blog explores how our senses keep the brain alert and engaged with the world around us.
The Overlooked Link Between ADHD and Prison:
ADHD is widely misunderstood within the prison system. This blog explores the link between ADHD, behaviour, and imprisonment, and why early identification and support matter
Understanding Language Disorders: More Than Just a Speech Issue
Language disorders affect how people understand and use language, not intelligence. This blog explains the types, signs across ages, and how support can help.
When Social Fatigue Makes Work Feel Impossible
Social fatigue can make full-time work feel impossible, especially for autistic and ADHD people. This blog explains why social interaction drains energy and how workplaces can reduce burnout.
Explaining Social Fatigue to Friends or a Partner
Social fatigue isn’t rudeness or lack of interest. For autistic and ADHD people, it’s mental exhaustion after socialising. This blog explains how to communicate limits without guilt.
Executive Function in Autism & ADHD – Same Skills, Different Weak Spots
Executive functioning skills are the same in autism and ADHD, but the weak spots are often different. This blog explains flexible thinking, working memory, and inhibitory control in a clear, real-life way.
Autism Is Not a Brand: The Hidden Dangers of Turning Difference into a Product
Autism is increasingly being packaged and sold under the banner of representation. This blog explores the dangers of profiting from autism, particularly when narrow portrayals of autistic girls risk shaping identity, increasing masking, and causing real harm to children.