With the added bonus of improving your child’s emotional, social and cognitive development. I have 20+ years of working experience in the autism field.
I am an autism consultant specialising in parent education, Relationship Development Intervention, and PACT, to help improve the quality of life of families as a whole. 👨👦 Are you struggling with how to reach and interact with your child on a daily basis?
🤷♀️Do you feel that the autism specific provision you have in place for your child is insufficient for your child’s needs?
👨Do you feel that the autism provision does not support you as a parent or your family as a whole?
👩👧Have you been given multiple strategies to use at home that simply do not work for your child? Are you left feeling that you have somehow failed?
👨👩👦👦Would you like to embark on a journey that enables you to feel empowered as a parent and that improves the overall quality of life for your whole family? I am a Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) Consultant and a Paediatric Autism Communication Therapy (PACT) Practitioner. In addition, I have more than 28 years of personal experience of autism due to my eldest child being on the spectrum, so I completely understand how desperate and isolated a parent can feel when trying to help their own child. Whether you choose to embark on an RDI or PACT Programme your experience will be unique and tailored to your family and your child’s needs. Parent Goals are then set, and I will be on-hand to support you throughout your journey until you are able to feel confident and empowered to continue with ever-decreasing input from me. Message or email me to book a free consultation call to discuss your child and family needs. Sharon@autismthinkinginshadesof grey.co.uk
25/11/2025
I’ve seen so many posts recently from parents of non-verbal or pre-verbal autistic children saying they’ve had little or no SLT support and are unsure how to help their child communicate.
I completely understand how that feels. When my daughter was diagnosed at 3.5, support was limited too… and sadly, many families are still facing the same challenges today.
What made the biggest difference for us was discovering a developmental approach that focused on the foundations of communication, particularly shared attention.
Shared attention is where connection begins.
It’s the basis for interaction, communication and those moments of shared experience that help everything else grow.
I’m running a free live masterclass, ‘Establishing and Maintaining Shared Attention Through Play', starting Monday, 8th December.
I’ll share simple, practical, play-based strategies you can start using straight away to support your child’s social communication.
If you’d like to join, send me a message, and I’ll send you further information.
07/11/2025
Join me for my 5 Day Co-regulation Masterclass. Live on Facebook. Starting Monday, 10th, through Friday, 15th November, at 8pm GMT each day. Please send me a message or an email for the link😊
01/11/2025
💞 The Missing Piece of Connection
For years, I tried everything to help my autistic daughter build friendships, social stories, skills groups, playdates… even running small holiday clubs from home.
But despite all the effort, her interactions stayed at the same surface level, predictable, scripted, and disconnected.
Then, when she was 12½, I discovered RDI and co-regulation, and everything changed.
That’s when I realised what had been missing all along: the foundation for true connection.
Co-regulation is the social dance of “me and you” — where we move, think, and respond together. It’s how motivation to connect naturally grows.
This discovery transformed how I understood my daughter’s world, and how I now support other parents to rebuild that foundation with their own children.
✨ I’m inviting you to join me for a free 5-Day Coregulation Masterclass (Live on Facebook from Monday 10th November).
Over five days, I’ll guide you through how co-regulation develops, why it matters, and how you can begin to nurture it with your autistic child — in everyday moments.
If you’d love to understand how to help your child move from scripted to authentic connection, send me a quick message and I’ll share the sign-up details with you. 💬
Let’s rediscover the joy of connection — together. 💞
28/10/2025
💙The Missing Piece: Co-Regulation
Many parents tell me their autistic child struggles with self-regulation, emotions, or finding it hard to make friends.
What often gets missed is that self-regulation doesn’t start with the child. It grows from co-regulation, those moments when we, as adults, share calm, connection, and safety with them.
When a child can feel our steady presence and rhythm, their body begins to learn what calm feels like. That’s what helps emotions settle and social connection to grow.
So, before we focus on “managing behaviour” or “teaching emotional control,” we start with connection, with co-regulation.
Because connection is what makes everything else possible. 💙
25/10/2025
PACT strengthens a child’s sense of agency. 💫
Children learn to initiate interactions, communicate needs, and engage in meaningful exchanges. Every subtle signal matters, and adults are trained to notice, reflect, and celebrate these moments.
Over time, this builds confidence, stronger relationships, and reduced distress-related behaviors—key foundations for lifelong learning and wellbeing.
🌿 When connection leads the way… change can last. 🌿
I often speak with parents who tell me, “I just want to feel more connected with my child.”
That longing to understand them more deeply, to share more moments together, is something I hear time and time again.
That’s why I love Paediatric Autism Communication Therapy (PACT).
✨ In research led by the University of Manchester, families who took part in the original PACT trial saw real, lasting improvements in their child’s communication and interaction. And here’s the part that really matters:
👉 those changes were still there six years later.
🧠 Just to be clear, this doesn’t mean a child stops being autistic.
It means:
💬 They’re able to express themselves more clearly.
🌱 Interaction and flexibility become a little easier.
🤝 And shared moments of connection happen more often.
PACT doesn’t try to change who a child is. It helps parents tune in and validate their child’s interests and exploration… so communication can grow in a way that feels safe, natural, and respectful.
If this speaks to you… if you’ve been longing for more connection and want something evidence-based yet deeply nurturing… I’d love to invite you to a gentle, parent-friendly workshop where I’ll share more about PACT and how it can help your family. 💚
📅 Friday 17 October at 10am GMT
📍 on Zoom
🔗 message or email me for the Zoom link
“You already hold the key to connection. PACT helps you unlock it in new ways.”
13/10/2025
✨ A moment that changes everything ✨
“Talia has been absolutely incredible since Monday this week. She’s been instigating play throughout the day, and even in more solitary tasks, she wants us there, showing our support and guidance. We feel we’ve all of a sudden made a breakthrough! Thank you for everything. We believe that without you and PACT, we wouldn’t be making this kind of progress.”
Emily, parent
These are the moments that stay with me. 💛
When a child who once found it hard to reach out begins to invite connection.
When play becomes shared.
When parents start to feel that warm, quiet shift… that “we’re in this together” moment.
This is what relationship-based support looks like in real life: gentle steps that lead to powerful changes.
I'm offering a complimentary Parent Introduction to PACT (Paediatric Autism Communication Therapy). During this warm and supportive Zoom session, I share how this approach can help you strengthen your connection with your child and support their communication development in meaningful ways.
🗓️ Friday 17th October, at 10am
📍 Online via Zoom
💬 For parents of autistic children or those awaiting assessment
If this resonates with you, you can:
🌿 Comment INFO below
🌿 Send me a message
🌿 Or send me an email (link in comments)
11/10/2025
🌿When every day feels like walking on eggshells… connection can feel out of reach. But small shifts can change everything. 💛
When M’s parents first got in touch with me, they were running on empty.
They adored their 14-year-old son, but home had become a place of tiptoeing and tension. M spoke in scripts and familiar phrases, repeating the same lines over and over. Any small change in routine felt huge for him, and their days revolved around keeping everything steady to avoid him becoming upset and dysregulated.
He wasn’t physically aggressive, but when overwhelmed, his distress came out in scripted, threatening phrases, phrases he didn’t fully understand, but that others might. Mum’s fear was clear and raw: “What if someone doesn’t understand him? What if he gets labelled, or worse?”
When they began their PACT journey with me, our focus wasn’t on changing M.
It was about building trust.
🌿 Trust that his parents wouldn’t unknowingly place demands on him.
🌿 Trust in themselves to slow down, follow his lead, and meet him where he was.
🌿 Trust in connection as the foundation.
And slowly, something shifted.
His scripting softened. His body relaxed. Moments of connection, brief at first, began to grow. Play became shared. Eye contact lingered just that little bit longer. And that tightrope feeling the family had been living with began to ease.
His parents talk now about how much calmer their home feels. They trust themselves again. And M is opening up, in his own way, at his own pace.
If you see your own child in M’s story… if you’ve been holding your breath, waiting for the next moment to go wrong… please know, there is another way.
💛 Join my upcoming talk to discover how PACT can support your family to reconnect, build trust and bring more ease into daily life.
🗓 17th October
⏰ 10:00 am GMT
📍 Online via Zoom
This is where hope begins. 💛
👉 Message or email me for the Zoom link
10/10/2025
Silent Tears, Endless Worry… Then a Breakthrough in Connection
Learn how to nurture social and emotional growth in your child now.
When I was first told my daughter might be autistic (over 30 years ago), they used a phrase that cut straight through me: “the triad of impairment.”
They said she would struggle with social communication, social imagination and social interaction.
For weeks, I lay awake at night with silent tears on my pillow…
imagining her growing up alone.
No close family bonds.
No friendships.
No one to confide in or lean on.
The thought of her living a life without emotional connection broke my heart.
And I didn’t know how to help her.
Neither did the professionals.
“Just include her in everything you do,” they said.
But how could I, when my daughter didn’t want to be with me?
She was 12½ before I found an approach that changed everything, that showed me how to build real connection and support her emotional development.
✨ You don’t have to wait that long.
✨ You don’t have to lie awake feeling helpless.
✨ You can support your child, and I can help show you how.
Join me for my free Parent Introduction to PACT session:
🗓 17th October
⏰ 10:00 am GMT
📍 Online via Zoom
This could be the beginning of your new story — one where connection is truly possible. 💛
👉 Please message or email me for the Zoom link.
09/10/2025
✨ A breakthrough moment
As a PACT Practitioner (Paediatric Autism Communication Therapy), I get to witness many changes that, to the outside world, might seem minor. Still, to families of autistic children, they’re huge steps forward.
Today was one of those moments.
B’s teaching assistant has been working with me on the early stages of PACT, ‘building shared attention’ by gently following B’s lead. In the footage she shared with me, there were two moments where B initiated shared attention with her.
The first was simple and beautiful: as he placed characters into toy vehicles, he looked up at his TA, pointed across the room, and checked back to see if she was sharing his focus. She responded, followed his lead, labelled the object, and brought it to him. He smiled and carried on. A beautiful instigation of shared attention and emotional connection.
A minute later, it happened again. Only this time, he persisted even when his TA didn’t immediately understand what he wanted. Instead of becoming upset as he would have done in the past, B patiently pointed, shifted his gaze from the object to her, and worked with her until they figured it out together.
No meltdown. Just shared attention, communication, and connection.
These moments might not make headlines, but they’re the kind of quiet breakthroughs that change everything for a child and their caregivers. 💛
If you're interested in learning how PACT can support your family, please message or email me to join my Parent Introduction to PACT Zoom session.
08/10/2025
Are you waiting for an autism assessment and wondering how to support your child now?
30 years ago, when my daughter was little, I was in the same place… worried, confused, and desperate to help her. She had lost words she’d gained, stopped looking at me, and withdrew from interaction.
Our wait for an autism assessment took over a year, and even once diagnosed, there was no clear support.
I know so many parents still feel this same frustration today.
That’s why I now work as a PACT Practitioner (Paediatric Autism Communication Therapy), helping parents rediscover connection and communication with their children, using approaches rooted in developmental science and emotional connection.
✨ In PACT, we look together at real moments between you and your child, so you can see:
• How communication begins through shared attention and joy
• How to build on moments of connection in everyday life
• How your relationship is the foundation for all learning and growth
💬 You can make a difference while waiting for assessments or services.
It starts with understanding the power of your relationship.
Join me for a Free Introduction to PACT Workshop on Zoom
🗓 Friday 17 October at 10 am
You’ll come away with hope, understanding, and simple next steps for supporting your child’s development through connection.
📩Email via the link below, or message me, to reserve your free place.
06/10/2025
Empowering Families, Transforming Communication
Did you know that children thrive when the adults around them truly understand their unique ways of communicating? 🌟
PACT (Parent-mediated Autism Communication Therapy) works with the adults, not directly with the child. Using video feedback, parents, teachers, and caregivers learn to notice subtle signals, reflect on interactions, and adapt in ways that amplify the child’s strengths.
It’s not about teaching, testing, or directing—it’s about observation, reflection, and guided discovery. Adults gain confidence, and children gain agency, communication skills, and connection.
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Would you like to feel empowered to help your child on the autism spectrum to develop and grow?
Hi, I’m Sharon! Would you liked to feel empowered to help your child on the autism spectrum to develop and grow? However, feel at a loss of how to do this and have been made to feel that only ‘professionals’ working with your child will make a difference to their life?
It might be that in your heart you know that nobody knows your child like you do but have been made to feel inadequate in parenting your special needs child?
Or perhaps you feel that you are literally just surviving on a day-to-day basis with a lack of sleep, your child’s meltdowns, or what seems like irrational behaviour. Leaving you fearful of looking past the struggles of the present day to tomorrow and beyond as it’s just too overwhelming and painful?
Would you like to see beyond the crisis that autism can bring to your family as a whole? If so, I can help you to do just that.
If you embark on a Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) Programme with me we will look at the obstacles you currently face and work together to help you become the guiding parent to your child that you had envisioned you would be. With this empowerment you will start to see changes in both yourself and your child as you both develop within the parent-child guiding relationship that typically developing children around the world grow socially, emotionally and cognitively from infanthood well into to their adult years.
I’m an RDI Consultant but also an RDI parent and as such understand what you are going through and the ups and downs autism can bring to your family. I tried many different interventions and treatments before finding RDI and the changes that I saw both within my daughter and my family as a whole motivated me to want to bring RDI to the UK back in 2004.
I started RDI with my daughter when she was 12.5yrs-old. Her teacher stated that she would need to be cared for 24/7 and that the time, energy and money that we were spending on trying to help her should instead be used to have nice family holidays, as her autism, speech and language and learning disorder were too big for us as parents to make a difference. However, fast-track to today, my daughter is now 27yrs-old, she has held down the same job for 4+ years and her roles and responsibilities continue to change. She has been in a relationship for 4 years and moved in with her fiance a year ago, they have set a wedding date for next May. She loves to travel on planes, trains, buses and tubes and go to many new and different places. Above all she has loves her life and is very happy!
I would love to have a chat with you to see how the RDI service that I offer could help change your lives and lifestyle as well as help your child to reach their full potential. Please do message me so that we can arrange a free consultation.
