Hampshire Neurodiversity Clinic

13/10/2025

We are delighted to introduce our new Adult ADHD assessment team at Hampshire Neurodiversity Clinic. If you’ve ever wondered as an adult whether you may have ADHD we’re here to help. Please have a look and get in contact if you’d like our support.

Neurodiversity (ND) describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one "right" way of

28/01/2025

Hello from Hampshire Neurodiversity Clinic! To change things up from talking about Emotion Coaching, I wanted to highlight the wonderful Speech and Language Therapists we have on our team.

Many parents with pre-school children who are not yet speaking can struggle to communicate with them, especially if their child shows other signs of neurodivergence, such as not being particularly interested in engaging with them. If this resonates with you and your lovely child, please consider what we can offer in terms of Speech and Language Therapy.

We have two extremely experienced therapists on our team who can provide a range of support to help your child engage and communicate, including the Curiosity Approach, Attention Autism, Paediatric Autism Communication Therapy, Alternative Augmentative Communication and other communication advice. Your child doesn’t need to have an autism diagnosis to benefit from these programs; they can help non-verbal children who may just need a bit of support.

We are keen to help improve your child’s communication, so please consider contacting us at enquiries@hampshire-nd-clinic.co.uk for more information.
Here’s the website for PACT if you would like to more about it:

Evidence-based therapy for neurodiverse and autistic children aged 2 - 11 years old. IMPACT trains professionals in PACT Level 1 and 2.

05/01/2025

I hope your Christmas was fun and not too challenging. As we enter the New Year, many of us set resolutions-aspirations that may or may not happen, if you're anything like me!

Following up on my last post, I want to share my video about oxytocin, one of the most crucial neurochemicals in our brains in my opinion. Often called the "love hormone," but it plays a far greater role. Caring for neurodivergent children can be demanding, as managing rigid behaviours, meltdowns, impulsivity, and aggression is exhausting. This challenge must be acknowledged and validated.

It's hard to stay calm, but trying to control our own lids helps produce oxytocin in their brains, lowering their cortisol levels and helping their brains build pathways to regulate their own emotions. It's a long path, it is thought to take about 25 years to grow a full brain! It's not about repressing emotions all emotion are okay but not all behaviours are. Dan Siegel speaks about the concept of 'Name it to Tame it', learning to name the emotion we are feeling instead of being overwhelmed by it. A book he has written along with Tina Payne Bryson 'The Whole Brain Child' describes how our children's brains work and develop. This, along with work by EHCAP founder Sarah Temple, and John Gottman Emotion Coaching is the grounding for the Emotion Coaching sessions offered at Hampshire Neurodiversity Clinic. If you are interested, please do contact us on enquiries@hampshire-nd-clinic.co.uk and I am very happy to talk to you. I wish you all well for 2025 and may it be a fantastic year😊

This video talks about the ‘name it to tame it’ approach to help children learn to understand the feeling they have

16/12/2024

Hi everyone! As we get closer to Christmas, I wanted to share some thoughts about cortisol and oxytocin. If, like me, you've been feeling a bit stressed and your lid is wobbling or occasionally flipping due to cortisol, know that this is completely normal. Recognising it is key to managing stress, and with the end of term approaching, your kids are likely feeling this way too. Cortisol acts like a jetwash hose, rapidly firing into your brain and causing quick responses, which can make your lid flip or rise.

Oxytocin, on the other hand, is more like a watering can with a rose nozzle, gently affecting you over time. It's known as the 'hug' hormone because it makes you feel protected and safe, thereby lowering cortisol levels. Remember, cortisol works quickly, but oxytocin needs more time to have its effect.

During the Christmas season, acknowledge where your lid is and aim to counteract cortisol with oxytocin. Get a hug from someone willing, or do something fun with loved ones. This will help lower your cortisol, increase your oxytoyin, and positively affect your children's brains. Now, go and hunt out a hug!💜🎄

https://youtu.be/YgYotI8SO-U?si=onT1rJR1WZUSlEI1

https://youtu.be/Bm4Kr4Ytm30?si=Pn4UouZvn3-xD7zT

In this video I explain how cortisol works and the effect it has in us

06/12/2024

I thought I would start sharing weekly nuggets of wisdom to help manage neurodivergent children. Think less Dalai Lama and more Paddington Bear. Those who know me understand my deep appreciation for emotion coaching, so I'll be posting to explain more about this concept.

Emotion coaching involves understanding our emotional responses and learning to alter them by understanding our brains. This is based on the brilliant work of clinicians Dan Siegel, John Gottman, Jack Shonkoff, and Sarah Temple. None of this is my original research; I'm simply passing on their wisdom.
Today, I want to introduce the hand model to explain your brain. I created a video during COVID—it is very DIY, but it's heartfelt.

Trauma affects everyone differently, and neurodivergent individuals are particularly sensitive due to sensory processing issues, impulsivity, and a need for routine. This can result in high cortisol levels in the "downstairs brain," causing frequent emotional "flipping the lid." Watching the video will clarify what I mean.

Understanding your brain can help manage emotions and behaviours. You're not "weak" or a "bad parent” or “bad kid." We all have a downstairs brain that can override the upstairs brain trying to protect us from what it believes is trauma. As Sarah Temple says "All emotions are okay, but not all behaviours are," Emotion coaching helps us recognise this distinction and teaches us how to manage our emotions effectively without dismissing them.

May you not just survive, but truly thrive in the lead-up to Christmas💜🎄

This is the first video of a number explaining why children behave like they do

29/11/2024

Welcome to Hampshire Neurodiversity Clinic! My name is Dr Jo Crane, I’m a Consultant Community Paediatrician and am the founding Director of Hampshire Neurodiversity Clinic. We are a new specialist independent clinic in Emsworth for assessment and ongoing support and management for children with Neurodivergence, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism, Developmental Disorders and related conditions. Unlike many other services offering autism and ADHD assessments, we are CQC regulated which gives assurance for the standard of care we deliver.

Neurodiversity (ND) describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one “right” way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits. Over time it has become associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and ADHD but it also encompasses learning difficulties, communication disorders, sensory processing difficulties, impulsivity, hyperactivity, difficulties with emotion regulation, understanding other people’s points of view and rigidity of thinking.

The aim of our service is to help families understand their children through assessment of their differences and to offer different avenues of support depending on their areas of need.

We are a multi-disciplinary team with decades of experience. The team consists of myself, a Consultant Community Paediatrician, a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Specialist Speech and Language Therapists, a Clinical Psychologist, a Specialist Neurodevelopmental Nurse and an Adult Counsellor and Psychotherapist. We have all worked in the NHS for many years and bring to the team a depth and breadth of knowledge and experience.

Please visit our website in our bio, www.hampshire-nd-clinic.co.uk or email us at enquiries@hampshire-nd-clinic.co.uk or call us on 07775467300, we’d love to hear from you💜