Dr Stephie - Child Psychology

15/06/2025

Amazing and insightful read!

Instant access to inspirational lesson plans, schemes of work, assessment, interactive activities, resource packs, PowerPoints, teaching ideas at Twinkl!

25/04/2025

Everydays a schoolday 💯 💜

25/04/2025

Two public figures who have no experience in the field can do so much damage, even when we have such compelling evidence that autism doesn’t need to be cured; isn’t a disease

We are just different from norm

“Researchers examined about 40,000 twin pairs, as well as 2.5 million sibling pairs and about a million half-sibling pairs. The data suggested that 83% of autism diagnoses could be attributed to genetics, based on a high degree of concordance between identical twins vs fraternal twins”

The role of environmental factors in autism spectrum disorder might be minimal, but we should try to figure out what they are.

14/12/2024

It’s a very sad reality - but it is a reality

https://www.facebook.com/share/14G1KMZ61q/?mibextid=WC7FNe

SEND Tribunal appeals rose by 55% in 2023/24, with parents winning 95% of cases. Disability discrimination claims also increased. Understanding these trends is vital for navigating EHC plans or appeals.

Find out more: https://loom.ly/Aolkaqc

07/12/2024

Munira is fantastic! And no doubt that everyone will leave with new information and practical strategies

Highly recommend!

Really looking forward to doing this live webinar with PDA Space on the Friday, 8th November at 1pm GMT (UK time).

I will be working together with families to navigate and enjoy the holiday season by supporting their child's unique sensory needs.

They will leave with practical strategies, sensory tips, and accommodations for a more peaceful holiday.

You can join this live webinar by being a member of the The PDA Space Portal which is £15 a month where you'll get access to a total of 6 webinars.

You can cancel at any time.Here’s the link to learn more: https://www.thepdaspace.com/workshops-and-webinar
Hope to see you there.

12/10/2024

These are the true superheroes! Thank you for sharing your experience and helping to increase understanding and acceptance of neurodivergence

10/10/2024

On mental health awareness day, this is an important reminder to help our children play, interact and move!

23/09/2024

Who else can so relate to this?? And love these tips

Kids often fall apart after school. Here's why and what to do.

10/09/2024

❤️ this!

How about we grade how well they support our families and children?

08/09/2024

There is no worse feeling than being forced to walk away from your crying child.

Don’t forget to listen to your parent instincts! No one should ask you to ignore those!

Simply being at school is not enough.

Our kids need to feel safe there too.

Em

05/08/2024

It’s so hard when our children want to quit things they start. But it’s most likely just not the right ‘thing’ or not the right teacher/coach.

Don’t be afraid to listen to your children!

“I wish my parents had made me stick at things – so I won’t let my children quit.”

I hear this a lot. Whether it’s about reading a book which bores them, doing swimming lessons they detest, or taking exams in subjects they have no interest in, our belief that children must be made to stick at things they dislike runs deep. We look at our own lives and wish that we were more accomplished musicians, better at completing boring tasks, or more motivated to clean our houses – and we make our children stick at the things which we feel we lack.

It's all based on an error. That error is the idea that by forcing someone to do something, we will ultimately make them want to do (and even enjoy) that thing. That if we make our children stick at piano lessons, the day will come when they play for pleasure. That if we insist that they finish their book, they’ll acquire a love of reading.

This may happen sometimes, but mostly I hear about it going the other way. The moment they grow too big to be forced, they stop. Years of encouragement and lessons go for nothing, because they don’t want to do it anymore.

Why? Well, when we insist, we change our children’s relationship with what they are doing. For there is a profound difference between choosing to do something (and being able to quit) and being made to do something (and therefore being stuck). Even something which was enjoyable when they could choose becomes tedious when it’s imposed upon them. Doing the most difficult and challenging work is fun when you do it because it has value to you, whilst even doing easy tasks takes forever when you feel that you have no choice.

What are we really saying, when we say we wish our parents had made us stick at things? Mostly, I think, we’re saying we wish we could do that thing, without having to put in the effort now. We wish we could play the piano, or swim triathlons, or finish every book we start – and we imagine another us, who spent their childhood diligently perfecting those skills for the benefit of our present-day selves.

That’s an idealised fantasy. Forcing kids to stick at things has unpredictable consequences and nothing is guaranteed. Making people do things changes their relationship with what they do.

Our children need the right to quit and make decisions about their lives, just as we do ourselves.

(Before you start talking about swimming lessons, I do understand how important learning to swim is but it is possible to learn to swim without lessons, and it’s also possible to switch swimming teacher and find that it’s an entirely different experience).

04/08/2024

Yes!! Anyone else can relate?