Sensory Therapy

18/04/2026

Information on EOTAS ( education other than at school)

Abigail Fisher writes…Stepping away from the norm can feel scary. It can expose you to the judgement of others and can leave you feeling very uncertain and unsure if you are doing the right thing. If you are considering EOTAS it might feel like a leap into the unknown. Although you know school isn’t working, perhaps it hasn’t worked for a long time, it’s hard to draw a line under those experiences, and decide to stop trying to make it work. In this webinar you will hear from other parents whose young people have EOTAS packages. I talk about what to expect if you request an EOTAS package, the pros and cons, and how to make it work.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/eotas-what-to-expect-tickets-1986945650929?aff=fb1

18/04/2026

If you are better today than you were yesterday you are a winner 🏆

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EVzAG2qq3/?mibextid=wwXIfr

08/04/2026

06/04/2026

Girls are being missed sadly 😢

A study of 2.7 million people has found that autistic girls are being significantly underdiagnosed compared to autistic boys and the gap is far wider than previously understood.

Researchers found that girls were 50% less likely to receive an autism diagnosis than boys with the same traits. The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, points to longstanding diagnostic criteria built almost entirely around male presentations.

Girls often “mask” more effectively — mirroring social behaviour to fit in — which means their difficulties go unnoticed until much later in life, if at all.

The researchers are calling for an urgent overhaul of diagnostic tools to account for how autism presents differently across genders.

Half the picture has been missing all along.

06/04/2026

Yes please

Everyone agrees on the goal, but not on how to get there.

04/04/2026

The definition of inclusion is everyone getting the support they need to flourish.

I am seeing this statement shared:

‘Inclusion is no longer inclusion when one child’s needs outweigh the right of 29 others to learn.’

And I keep coming back to the same thought.

I really don’t think this is what we are aiming for when we talk about inclusion.

I don’t believe there is a teacher anywhere who has sat through any training to be told that one pupil’s needs should outweigh the rest of the class. That simply isn’t the goal.

But I have had many conversations with classes about how we meet each other’s needs. How we exist together in a space where everyone matters.

I have actually said to pupils, very openly, that *no one person’s needs outweigh the rest of the class*

And do you know what happens when you say that in a classroom where there is trust, safety and respect?

They get it.

They don’t push back. They don’t argue for fairness in the way adults often do. They collaborate. They problem solve. They look out for each other.

Because inclusion, when it is done properly, is not about one person taking from everyone else.

It is about building a space where we all adjust, all contribute, and all belong.

I have a class at the moment designing their own fidget aids at home. They are using CAD, printing them, bringing them in and trialling them together. They are motivated, curious and invested. Not just in their own regulation, but in each other’s.

One of my pupils even made me a fidget because I mentioned I liked theirs.

That is inclusion.
And they are including me.

It isn’t one child versus twenty nine.

But a group of young people learning how to live alongside difference, support each other and create something better together.

Inclusion only starts to feel like a problem when there isn’t enough time, training, resource or support.

When teachers are stretched.
When environments are not set up well.
When systems expect individuals to carry what should be shared.

That is not a failure of children but a failure of the system around them because when inclusion is embedded properly, when it is part of the culture, when leadership understands it and invests in it, it works.

Not perfectly.
Not easily.
But meaningfully.

And importantly, for everyone.

Emma
The Autistic SENCo
♾️

Photo: Number 4 helping Daddy to fix her baby’s pushchair when she was little.

03/04/2026

Being a parent of a child with mental health problems can put parents into a state of hyper vigilance for years 😔

https://www.facebook.com/share/1UhAE69LM4/?mibextid=wwXIfr

The route out of poor teenage mental health is long and zig-zaggy. As a parent, you never know what the day might hold. It might be good day or a bad day. Or a catastrophic one. Your senses are on high alert, your brain scans for threats, fear and worry are ever-present.

The little moments of positivity offer a breath of respite but the reversals that follow land like a gut punch. Harder each time.

You find yourself fighting repeatedly for your teen – with school, with medical professionals, with your partner. It’s exhausting. Not to mention the fights with your teen - and being used as a punchbag for their feelings - even though (as you keep telling them) you’re on their side.

The impact of parenting a teen through mental health challenges is brutal. It’s always there, under the surface. It grinds you down so when the sudden shocks come, they floor you.

Except you can’t stay down. You have to get up and face it all again.

Parents are struggling alone here. Child and adolescent mental health services are overwhelmed by demands they simply cannot meet. And even if you get support, that might just be an hour a fortnight for your child (and nothing at all for you) – leaving all the other thousands of hours for you to manage alone.

For some parents, work can become a respite and a place of predictability and steadiness. But, for many, the constant interruptions and disruptions of a teen’s mental health needs make performing at work almost impossible.

So, when your colleague mentions that their teen is struggling to go to school because of anxiety, or has an eating disorder, or clinical depression, those words are just the tip of an iceberg.

This is what’s going on beneath the surface ☝️

30/03/2026

Let’s be an example to our children and grow flowers 🌺

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18C6yLk12M/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Good morning BeYOUtiful❣️

16/03/2026

Showing affection can come in many forms.

Some kids aren’t big on hugs—and that’s totally normal! 💬💛

If traditional hugs feel like too much, try these kid-friendly alternatives to show you care:

👋 High fives
✋ Hand squeezes
🌟 Elbow bumps
🫶 Air hearts
👍🏼 Thumbs up or thumb wars

Respecting kids' boundaries helps build trust—and there are so many sweet ways to connect without a big bear hug. 💗

15/03/2026

A great introduction into how ADHD and motor challenges can present.

🧠✏️ When Attention Struggles Are Also About Movement ✏️🧠

In classrooms, ADHD is often discussed in terms of focus, impulsivity, or regulation.

But what if part of what you are seeing is actually motor-related?

Many students with ADHD are working much harder than it appears, not just to pay attention, but to:
🪑 Hold their posture
✍️ Control their hands during writing
⚖️ Stay balanced during movement
🧩 Coordinate multiple steps at once

📊 What research is showing:
A large body of research now points to a strong connection between motor development and ADHD. Motor challenges are common, even when there is no separate motor diagnosis. Fine motor skills like handwriting, manual dexterity, and visual-motor integration are especially impacted. Gross motor skills, particularly balance and postural control, are also frequently affected.

Some of these motor differences show up early in development and are later associated with attention and executive functioning. Brain research supports this too, showing that motor and attention systems develop together and influence one another over time.

🏫 Why this matters in everyday school tasks:
Think about how much of the school day depends on motor skills:
📓 Writing and drawing
✂️ Cutting and manipulating materials
🧠 Organizing work
🚶 Transitions and movement through the building
🪑 Sitting and listening during instruction

As motor demands increase, attention and endurance often decrease. This is not a lack of effort. It is a mismatch between task demands and developing systems.

🤍 A more helpful perspective:
When we consider motor demands alongside attention, it allows us to:
✨ Reduce frustration for students and staff
✨ Understand variability in performance across tasks
✨ Support access without changing learning expectations
✨ Focus on participation, not labels

Small shifts in how tasks are structured or how environments are set up can have a meaningful impact.

💬 Your turn:
Have you noticed students who attend better when motor demands are reduced or supported? What changes have helped students stay engaged?

👇 Share your experiences or tag a colleague who might find this perspective helpful.

15/03/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all those mums caring for children with additional needs. Sending you love and I see you. ❤️

Mother’s Day can look very different when raising a neurodivergent child. A supportive guide for parents navigating complex emotions and expectations.