Beyond The Therapy Box

15/04/2026

Does your child often get into trouble at school for “not listening” ?
Or do you find it hard to get them to do something you ask at home ?

There might be a reason - and it’s not always what you think …

Remember when we understand why a child is struggling WE can make changes to the environment to help them thrive .

When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower…

13/04/2026

There’s always a reason a child isn’t responding to us - and it’s rarely defiance.

When we understand what the underlying reasons are we can change the environment to help them - then communication and learning often become much easier.

Does your child often not respond when you ask them to do something (yet they can hear the rustle of a crisp packet at a distance 😉 ) ?

10/04/2026

Sometimes a child isn’t ignoring you.

Sometimes their brain is just busy processing everything else.

Noise. Movement. Sensory input. Language. Feeling anxious.

When we understand this, we can change the conditions … and change our communication… instead of blaming the child

Blaming neurodivergent children for moments when their brains are just busy coping is sadly far too common

Follow along if this sounds like your child …

08/04/2026

This was heartbreaking 💔

I was reading an article yesterday about speech therapy services are “failing families.”

One parent shared that they were told:

“Without words, we can’t support you anymore.”

And:

“Until he talks, we can’t help him .”
And the comments section on the post was even worse 🙈
As a Speech & Language Therapist, I find this honestly heartbreaking. (And a little shocking )

And sadly… it’s not the first time I’ve heard parents share experiences like this.

Speech and Language Therapy is for. supporting COMMUNICATION not just speech (as well as swallowing , eating and drinking and sometimes literacy )

Communication is about SO much more than words.

Children communicate through:
• movement
• gestures
• behaviour
• facial expression
• play
• body language
• sounds
• silence
to name just a few ways ..

When we begin to tune in to these forms of communication, something powerful happens.

Children learn that their voice matters.

And there is nothing more powerful than feeling heard.

Have you ever been told something like this when asking for help for your child?

🌱 Rooted in Connection

parentsupport nonspeakingautistic neuroaffirming autismparenting childcommunication

01/04/2026

This might not be popular but I have to say this …

With the new guidance around reducing screen time for young children, I’ve been thinking about something important in my work as a neuroaffirming SALT.

Before we ask straight to limiting screens…

maybe we should ask:

“What is the screen helping this child do?”

For some children, screens can support:

• communication
• regulation
• autonomy and control
• learning through interests
• early pathways into literacy

Even at a young age .

For some children, screens aren’t a barrier to development.
They can be a bridge .

The real question isn’t “how many minutes?”
but “what need is this screen meeting for this child?” And how can we support that .

💬 I’d love to hear 👉🏻 what have you noticed screens helping children do?

31/03/2026

I love the idea of having a mobile therapy space ❤️
I’ve been watching campervan conversions with envy for a while now and wondered if I could create a space that doubled up as a therapy space on wheels !

Imagine the fabulous outdoor spaces we could have therapy sessions in …

I just spotted this one on the US 😍

Has anyone converted a van like this ?

29/03/2026

🐰 Grab a FREE Easter Scavenger Hunt ! 🐣

When my son was younger he used to love turning a walk into a detective mission, racing to spot the next thing before I did.

So as a home-educating mum and speech & language therapist, I ended up making little activities like this for him all the time.

One of his favourite literacy activities were really simple scavenger hunts.
I thought other families might find them fun too - so I made an Easter scavenger hunt - one that children can join in even if they’re not yet able to read.

It works a bit like a “bingo card” 👉🏻children just look at the symbols and tick them off as they find them !

I love activities like this because they naturally help children connect symbols with words while they’re exploring, moving and having fun - great for kids who don’t enjoy sitting down with books or worksheet-style literacy. Children engage more easily with learning when it happens through play and exploration.

They’re also great for including children who rely on symbols to understand spoken words or to communicate .

If you’d like the FREE Easter scavenger hunt COMMENT **EGG** and I’ll send a link over 🌸

Oh and if your family enjoy treasure hunts, I’ve also made:

🥚 An Easter Egg Rhyming Hunt
(with playful rhyming clues)

Children often love playing with rhyme, and noticing rhymes is one of the early ways they begin to tune into how sounds work in words, a super important foundation for reading later on.
But for kids it simply feels like fun 😊

🌼 An Easter Holiday Visual Schedule

Many families find visual schedules helpful for reducing anxiety when routines are a bit different during the holidays.

I’ve got a 25% off code for both this week🤞🏻😊 if anyone would like those too.

Feel free to share this post with other families if you think they’d enjoy it.

Do your family enjoy scavenger hunts too?

24/03/2026

This looks like a useful event if you are concerned about the proposed changes for SEND support … 👇🏻

Grab your seat for our FREE SEND White Paper Webinar for Parents and Carers!

The UK Government published the Schools White Paper, "Every Child Achieving and Thriving," on 23 February. The Paper includes some major reform s to the Special Edcuational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system in England.



On 20 April, we invite you to join Heidi Mavir, Founder of EOTAS Matters and special guest, Rachel Filmer, Founder of SEND Rights Allowance and CoFounder of Save Our Children's Rights for a deep dive into the SEND White Paper in FREE online Webinar.



We will be focusing our conversation around the proposed changes to EHCPs nd Specialist Provision. We will discuss what those changes could mean for neurodivergent students, particularly those experiencing barriers to attendance.



What we'll cover:

What is the SEND White Paper and what does it mean for my child or young person?

What do I REALLY need to know - 10 legal rights that would be scrapped under the proposals.

How can I respond to the public consultation? And should I even bother?

What else can I do to help campaigners who are fighting for our childrens' rights to a specialist support in education?

Where to go for more help and support

A replay will be sent to everyone who registers.

When you register, we will also send you a link to Heidi's White Paper Appraisal, which covers the basic content of the White Paper proposals.

Registration link in the comments

03/03/2026

I’ve been away travelling the deserts of Namibia for a few weeks 🙌🏻

But that meant I’ve had literally NO internet in most places ( bliss 💚)

The downside 🤔 - my email inbox was chockablock on my return 🙈

I’m so sorry if you’ve been waiting for a reply from me ..

I’ll get back to you as soon as I can I promise ..

Thank you so much for being patient 😊

13/01/2026

I don’t think we consider this enough anymore. …

What do you think ?

Don’t people realize how it possibly affects young infants when what they CAN do is not appreciated but what they CANNOT do is expected? What a sad and confusing experience it must be to grow up never living up to your parents’ expectations. And how frustrating it must be for parents not to be able to enjoy what their child is actually doing. It seems to me everybody is losing.”
- Magda Ge**er

10/01/2026

Yes you want to build a snowman ! 🙌🏻

Building a snowman is such a WONDERFUL example of how Speech and Language development can be supported through SIMPLE, FUN and meaningful PLAY.

While it supports early language skills, it also helps older children develop higher-level skills such as storytelling,
collaborative communication
verbal reasoning,
planning,
negotiation,
perspective-taking,
reflective language…
the list goes on !

If this kind of play-based communication support is something you’d love to explore more , I share ND affirming, low pressure , play based speech, language & communication ideas via my email list. You’re welcome to join me there…

Just c.omment SNOW or m.sg me and I’ll send you over a l.ink !

08/01/2026

One of the hardest parts of stepping away from schooly models of learning & development is trusting what you can’t see.

We’ve been conditioned to think that “learning” and “education” needs to look a particular way …

But you’d be surprised how much children are learning when they’re “doing nothing”

👉🏻 Learning doesn’t always “announce” itself.

Or look anything like it does in a school.

Especially if your child is neurodivergent

Often it grows quietly,

It’s always rooted in the need to feel safe

and in play & curiosity.

It’s the same for child led speech and language therapy

It can look very different to what parents expect

But they’re “just playing” or they “don’t want to do anything I try”

To be child led we need to let go of what we think a child “should” be doing and learn to trust their innate drive to thrive .

All children have this - no matter their “ability”

Or their lack of interest in “educational” activities.

Worried that your child isn’t “doing enough” ?

Ask questions, share your fears 🙈
You’ll find you’re not the only one,

I’ll do my best to ease your doubts.

Follow along for more relationship led support 🌱