Playhouse Therapy

08/07/2025

Is neurotypical really the norm?

We’ve been led to believe that neurotypical is the “correct” type of brain to have. We’ve been told that neurotypical is the norm; that the majority of the population have a certain type of brain and associated traits and behaviours, and the minority have a neurodivergent brain (anything but this so-called typical brain).

However, I believe (so this isn’t evidence-based, it’s my opinion) that there are just as many neurodivergent brains as there are neurotypical brains.

Could this be because I’m neurodivergent myself, and as a result, have been attracted to and surrounded myself with other neurodivergent people, skewing my view of the numbers? Perhaps 🤷🏽‍♀️

Some people wonder how there could possibly be so many more neurodivergent brains in the world all of a sudden. I saw a good meme about this. It likened this scenario to the discovery of new planets…we don’t think that they just appeared out of nowhere; we accept the fact that they’ve always been there, it’s just taken a long time to discover them (or they formed over billions of years, the analogy isn’t perfect 😅)

And why has it taken so long to discover all of the neurodiversity in this world? Maybe because a bunch of people back in the day decided what was typical or “normal”, spread that message like wildfire till it became social convention, and stigmatised all of the other beautiful neurotypes that we know exist today.

We haven’t just appeared out of nowhere. We’ve always been here. We now just have greater knowledge and awareness about who we are and feel comfortable enough to unmask and come out of hiding.

There’s still a stigma - we have a long way to go. But I’m pretty happy about the progress we’ve made so far. Maybe one day we won’t need all the labels and we’ll just accept that everyone’s different, with their own unique strengths, challenges, preferences and needs; with no right or wrong.

01/07/2025

When your client is the teacher! Lino cutting.

22/05/2025

How I'm feeling scale.... proficiently designed by my 11 year old today! ❤️

28/04/2025

Fantastic people! Fantastic program. 💞

22/04/2025

Even tiny steps are progress!

19/04/2025

⭐💯

03/04/2025

You rock! 👏👊

02/04/2025

Yes! More understanding of this is needed, especially in our schools.

25/03/2025

Great summary in my inbox this morning from The Childhood Collective. 💕

19/03/2025

✨ Call out for school can’t consultation ✨

Amaze is seeking parents or carers of Autistic children or young people in mainstream state high schools or primary schools who are experiencing school can’t.

We want your feedback on an interactive resource we are creating to help facilitate communication with Autistic children and young people to better understand the individual stressors that are causing their school can’t.

To participate, you will need to be available for a 2-hour online workshop with other parents. Participants will receive a $90 pressie voucher for their time.

Consultations begin late March 2025.

For more information and any questions about this project, please contact research@amaze.org.au

Please submit your expression of interest and indicate your availability via the online form


https://amaze.tfaforms.net/f/eoi_school_cant_consultation?utm_content=sked_67d7c14febdae30bf1b9b02c&utm_medium=social&utm_name=sked&utm_source=facebook

03/03/2025

❤️💯

We have to change the way we think about school. When we prioritise academics, it's like building the walls - because that's what we see - before fortifying the foundations.

So many teachers know this, but with the increased focus on reporting and academics, they aren't being given the time and opportunity to build the relationships that will ensure those foundations are strong and steady.

This is why too many kids are falling down at school - not because they aren't capable, but because the necessary foundations for them to do well haven't been laid.

Schools are spending the resources anyway, but reactively on behaviour management, disengagement, reduced capacity to learn.

If we can steer those resources towards building relational safety, so kids feel more seen, valued, cared for, rather than less capable or clever, we'll see a decrease increased academic success, greater engagement, less social struggles, and less behaviour issues. It's just how it is.

First though, we need to value relationships and the way kids feel at school, even more than how they do at school. All kids are capable of their own versions of greatness, but unless they feel safe and cared for at school, we just won't see what they are capable of, and neither will they.❤️

07/02/2025

👏

My kid basically said this exact thing to me this evening.

Because I get so overwhelmed showering kids. The super loud fan, loud water, echoing kid voices, smells, splashes. My brain goes nope and my voice gets LOUD.

And my eldest said to me 'there's no need to yell. Yelling won't make this better. It will only make it worse.'

Yep, yep, yep.

I know it when I'm regulated.
And I need reminding when I'm not.

I apologised to him.
Because that's what you do when you mess up. And that model is useful, too.

Em 🌈