The ADHD Speech and Language Therapist

04/04/2025

I’ve been reflecting a lot this week on how my own neurodivergence isn’t just part of who I am, it’s a huge part of how I work, how I connect, and how I support others. As a neurodivergent speech and language therapist, I don’t just understand the children and adults I work with because I’ve read the research, I understand because I’ve…...

I’ve been reflecting a lot this week on how my own neurodivergence isn’t just part of who I am, it’s a huge part of how I work, how I connect, and how I support others. As a neurodivergent speech and language therapist, I don’t just understand the children and adults I work with because I’...

28/03/2025

You might have noticed things look a little different here… and that’s because I’ve been rebuilding my website and blog from scratch. I'm still learning as I go (web design is a whole new world!), and like many neurodivergent journeys, it’s been full of trial, error, and figuring it out in real time. I’ve made a few mistakes and had to restart in places, which is why the blog’s been quiet for a while....

A fresh start, neurodivergent affirmations + why they’ve been grounding for me lately. Plus links to more supportive neurodivergent resources.

14/03/2025

💡 Making language fun with Colourful Semantics! 🎨✏️

This week, we used Barbie GIFs to build sentences together! 🌟 Using a child’s favourite characters keeps them engaged and motivated. Here’s how we do it:

1️⃣ Look at a fun moving image 🎞️
2️⃣ Build a sentence together (Who, What Doing, What, Where)
3️⃣ Underline/circle the parts in Colourful Semantics colours 🎨
4️⃣ Best part? The child gets to clean the board at the end! 😆

This approach makes sentence-building structured yet fun, helping children develop their grammar and expressive language without it feeling like “work”!

💬 What theme would your child love? Let me know below! 👇👇👇

14/03/2025

Colourful Semantics – Making Sentence Building Fun! What is colourful semantics? Colourful Semantics is a structured approach that helps children develop sentence-building skills by breaking sentences into key parts such as who, what doing, what, and where. As children progress, this can expand to include when, why, and how, supporting more complex sentence structures. One of the best ways to keep children engaged is to use topics and characters they love, whether that’s Barbie, Bluey, Pokémon, or Minecraft!...

https://adhdslt.co.uk/2025/03/14/colourful-semantics-making-sentence-building-fun/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=jetpack_social

14/03/2025

Colourful Semantics – Making Sentence Building Fun! What is colourful semantics? Colourful Semantics is a structured approach that helps children develop sentence-building skills by breaking sentences into key parts such as who, what doing, what, and where. As children progress, this can expand to include when, why, and how, supporting more complex sentence structures. One of the best ways to keep children engaged is to use topics and characters they love, whether that’s Barbie, Bluey, Pokémon, or Minecraft!...

Colourful Semantics – Making Sentence Building Fun! What is colourful semantics? Colourful Semantics is a structured approach that helps children develop sentence-building skills by breaking sentences into key parts such as who, what doing, what, and where. As children progress, this can expand to...

13/03/2025

💡 Did you know that eye contact isn’t necessary for listening?

For many neurodivergent people, making eye contact can be uncomfortable, distracting, or even painful. This is especially true for many autistic and ADHD individuals. Looking away does not mean they aren’t listening, it often means they’re processing better!

👀 Autistic people have described eye contact as physically painful.
🔄 ADHD individuals may look away to focus on processing what’s being said.
💭 There are many reasons why someone may not prefer eye contact!

Yet, traditional approaches, like “active listening” strategies and compliance-based training, still force eye contact as a “listening skill.” This isn’t neurodiversity-affirming. Respect different listening styles.

✅ Listening isn’t about where someone’s eyes are—it’s about understanding.

💙 Tag someone who needs to hear this & let’s bust the myth together!

13/03/2025

Why Eye Contact Isn’t a Measure of Listening about eye contact... For many neurodivergent individuals, making eye contact isn’t natural—it’s uncomfortable, distracting, or even painful. Yet, in schools, workplaces, and social settings, we still hear phrases like: "Look at me when I’m talking to you!""You need to make eye contact to show you're listening." "Good listeners always maintain eye contact."...

Why Eye Contact Isn’t a Measure of Listening about eye contact… For many neurodivergent individuals, making eye contact isn’t natural—it’s uncomfortable, distracting, or even painful. Yet, in schools, workplaces, and social settings, we still hear phrases like: “Look at me when I’m tal...

12/03/2025

🎉 – Chat Mats are one of my favourite ways to start sessions!

💬 Whether a child is speaking, non-speaking, or minimally speaking, these interactive sorting mats support communication in a way that feels comfortable for them.

🟢 Some children sort words or pictures independently with no pressure to speak.
🟡 Others point, use AAC, or respond with short phrases.
🔴 For speaking children, Chat Mats encourage expanded language, discussions, and natural conversation-building (“I don’t like that because it’s too sour!”).

✨ Why I love them:
✔ Adaptable – Works for all communication styles.
✔ Fun & engaging – No pressure, just sorting!
✔ Builds a profile – I add each child’s preferences to their All About Me document to share with parents, teachers, and support staff.

💡 Want to see how they work? Swipe through to see an example!

12/03/2025

Wednesday Wins – Celebrating Small Steps That Make a Big Difference! Small tools can make a BIG difference, and Chat Mats are proof of that! Whether a child is verbal, non-verbal, or somewhere in between, these simple but effective sorting mats create a relaxed, interactive way to start a session. What Are Chat Mats? At the start of every session, I use something I created called Chat Mats – a fun, interactive tool that can be used online or face-to-face....

Wednesday Wins – Celebrating Small Steps That Make a Big Difference! Small tools can make a BIG difference, and Chat Mats are proof of that! Whether a child is verbal, non-verbal, or somewhere in between, these simple but effective sorting mats create a relaxed, interactive way to start a session....

10/03/2025

Why Do Weekends Fly By, But Mondays Drag? Ever felt like the weekend is over in a blink, but Monday stretches on forever? You’re not alone. For many of us, the transition from weekend freedom to structured weekdays feels exhausting—especially for neurodivergent individuals. But why does this happen, and how can we make Mondays feel a little easier? Why Do Weekends Feel So Short?...

Why Do Weekends Fly By, But Mondays Drag? Ever felt like the weekend is over in a blink, but Monday stretches on forever? You’re not alone. For many of us, the transition from weekend freedom to structured weekdays feels exhausting—especially for neurodivergent individuals. But why does this hap...

10/03/2025

💭 Monday Mood: The weekend was 10 seconds long, but Monday lasts a lifetime. ⏳😩

Why does it always feel like this?! Science says time feels faster when we’re doing fun, new things (weekend!) and slower when we’re in structured routines (Monday 😅).

✨ Want to make Mondays feel better? Try:
✅ Starting with a small, easy task to ease in.
✅ Planning a Monday treat (coffee, music, comfy outfit).
✅ Adding something fun midweek so the week doesn’t drag.

Drop a “☕” if you’re surviving Monday with caffeine!

09/03/2025

✨ You are not too much. You are enough. ✨

As neurodivergent people, many of us have spent years hearing that we are too sensitive, too intense, too emotional, too much. Over time, we shrink ourselves, making ourselves small so we don’t burden others. This is masking, hiding our true selves to fit into a world that often doesn’t understand us. 💜

But the truth is: your emotions are not a burden, your sensitivity is a strength, and you deserve to take up space. 🦋

In my supervision, my neurodivergent supervisor encouraged me to embrace affirmations, to find words that validate, uplift, and empower. So, I created a collection of neurodivergent-affirming affirmations to remind us that we are valid just as we are. 🌈♾️

💬 Swipe through & save the ones that resonate with you!
📌 You can also download these affirmations for free on my website.

Because you deserve words that affirm your experiences, your emotions, and your identity. 💜

🔗 Link in bio!