
Masking is not manipulation. It is not “choosing good behaviour”. It is a survival strategy. This guide helps parents recognise masking, respond safely, and evidence it clearly so that school support becomes unavoidable.

Masking is not manipulation. It is not “choosing good behaviour”. It is a survival strategy. This guide helps parents recognise masking, respond safely, and evidence it clearly so that school support becomes unavoidable.
What do we do, how do we do it and how can it benefit you? 5 min Read with hyperlinks.
Friendships are often described as a “normal” part of childhood - something that just happens, something every child should have, something schools assume will fall into place. But for many neurodivergent (ND) children and young people, this simply isn’t the reality. Parents know it and children absolutely do feel it. Professionals suspect it but sadly nobody...
For many families in our community, the journey toward understanding their child’s needs is anything but straightforward. CYP rarely present in neat diagnostic boxes, and when traits from OCD, ADHD, and Autism overlap, the picture becomes even more complex. This overlap can lead to misinterpretation, delayed identification, and support plans that don’t quite fit what the...
The expectation within Law is built on the fact that the framework works from a schools point of view, to support the child. However, the onus is always on the families to PROVE SEN, due to the cash strapped schools not wanting to admit 'SEND' due to the funding they will then have to find!
For me, it starts with hypervigilance, where I will be defending and justifying everything, this phase passes and then the numbness creeps in filling me with emptiness, progresses to a paralysis one which is similar to burnout. I can’t engage, I struggle to think clearly and I am unable to perform the simplest of self-care tasks....
It was the day when, smack in the middle of year 5, his primary school days ended. He had a period of escalation leading up to that fateful day – refusing to do work at school, struggling to sleep, hiding under desks, pacing corridors, EBSA – but nothing could have prepared us for the abrupt end...
One approach that has helped us survive is low demand parenting. This means strategically reducing the number of direct demands placed on a child so they feel more in control and less anxious. Sounds simple, right? Ha. Think again.
A new day, a new beginning - a chance to start again! That’s what parents say to bring about a positive start to the day, why, because we have foresight and hope! A child’s perspective is very different, you see when they open their eyes each morning, none of that happens quite frankly, because quite often they don’t...
Believe it or not, I have a life and things I would much rather be doing that being a pain in your arse and sending you emails like I’m Fiona from Baby Reindeer (on crack).
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