Spectrum SEN Services

Spectrum SEN Services Providing personalised NOT generic support

When you walk into your office and its bathed in rainbows, you can't help but smile. 🙂
02/01/2026

When you walk into your office and its bathed in rainbows, you can't help but smile. 🙂

02/01/2026

I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions, they often leave us feeling like we have failed. I believe in daily restarts.
Remember, each new day is a chance to do one small thing a little differently than yesterday.

✅ If you didn’t get fresh air, walk around the block
✅ If you drank one glass of water, try two
✅ If you spoke negatively to yourself, counter it with a positive
✅ If you spent too long scrolling, reduce it by 10 minutes
✅️If you felt unfocused today, try one small activity to give yourself a small win, tidy one drawer, do a puzzle, bake, or reply to messages.

Then, do one thing today that will benefit you tomorrow - small acts of kindness for your future self:

✅ Pre-pack your bag
✅ Make your lunch
✅ Change any daily visual timetables your child uses
✅ Write down important notes for an upcoming school meeting.
✅️Get your workout gear ready
✅️Arrange a meet up with a friend

Finally, do one thing that promotes positivity, grounds you and helps calm your nervous system:

✅ Think of one thing you are grateful for
✅ Look around you and notice something in nature you find beautiful
✅ Note one thing you have done well
✅ Put on your favorite song, sing, and dance.
✅ Sit or lie down, and for 1 minute focus only on your breathing and how your body feels
✅ Do 5 minutes of a regulating practice such as yoga, stretching, or Qigong

These are just ideas - think about what will work for you.
Speak to and support yourself like you would your best friend.

You won't often feel like doing these as self care and motivation are hard to come by in times of stress and overwhelm, BUT you deserve to look out for you. Small steps can add up to big things.
So, who is joining the 1% better than yesterday club x

As the year comes to an end, I just want to say a huge thank you to all my amazing clients. Thank you for supporting my ...
20/12/2025

As the year comes to an end, I just want to say a huge thank you to all my amazing clients. Thank you for supporting my business, for every referral, and for trusting me to support your children ( and you) . It truly is a privilege to do what I do.

Remember, Christmas is still Christmas which ever way you celebrate it, so do what works for you and your family, not what tradition or society says you should. Here are a couple of quotes from one of my favourite books to help you through x

I wish you all a very Happy Christmas 🎄

EOTAS secured for one family, a personal budget agreed for another, and a lovely review. Getting good news is always so ...
05/12/2025

EOTAS secured for one family, a personal budget agreed for another, and a lovely review. Getting good news is always so encouraging to hear; a welcome bright light of hope in the often dark journey of fighting for support.
Its reminds me and hopefully those I support to keep fighting, and as the review says, sometimes you do need humour to get through situations , if you dont laugh at the bureaucratic, not fit for purpose system, you will cry!

28/11/2025

Hi everyone,

No real purpose to this post, but I wanted to check in as I’ve not posted for some time. My FB absence is mainly due to being extremely busy supporting others (including my own family) and trying to balance this with self-care and my own ADHD. After all, as the saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup.

I hope you are all managing to do the same in your busy and often stressful lives. I know however, that this is easier said than done. x

More posts to come soon but if you have suggestions for posts you would like to see , let me know

03/09/2025

Anger. Disappointment. Anxiety. Fear. Frustration. Overwhelm. Panic.

These are just some of the emotions that have been shared with me over the past few days, as the new school term begins.

I’ve been inundated with messages from parents and carers who are devastated, anxious, and rightfully furious. Promises made before the summer have been broken. Support that was in place has suddenly vanished without communication. Children are without education, without appropriate provision, or are being forced into unsuitable settings. Families are being pushed to the brink.

As a professional I too feel all these emotions and am frustrated when I want to do more but am blocked by an inept and bureaucratic system. As a parent of children with SEN I have also been on the receiving end in a personal capacity.

The local authority has let many of you down, and in some cases, schools have too. And while I don’t have quick fixes or easy answers, I want to say this clearly:

You are not alone. Your anger is valid. Your fight is justified.

Please, keep pushing. Keep asking questions. Don’t accept silence or vague reassurances. Don’t let them get away with this, your child deserves more! . Keep a record of everything and email back to them what you have been told suggesting if they dont respond you can presume what you have written is correct. Do a parental request for an ehcp if you feel you needs it and become familier with and follow the complaints procendures of your school and local authority. Finally, surround yourself with people who understand as support is out there.

One other important factor, and I know this is easier said than done, but where possible, try to shield your child from seeing your stress and anger, and overhearing your opinions. They pick up more than we think and it can make them panic more. Hold space for your own emotions, seek help when you need it, and remember you’re doing your absolute best in an impossible system.

This isn’t okay. You deserve better. Your children deserve better. And we will keep fighting for it. 💪❤️

Lets talk about 🟢🟡🔵🔴 Zones of Regulation. It is a common tool used in schools, recommended by professionals, and often s...
25/08/2025

Lets talk about 🟢🟡🔵🔴 Zones of Regulation. It is a common tool used in schools, recommended by professionals, and often seen in support plans. It can be a helpful way to support emotional understanding and regulation. However, from what I’ve seen, it’s appears to be used in an oversimplified way and as a tick-box exercise.

Research tells us Zones can be effective, particularly when used thoughtfully, with proper support and teaching. But often the intervention does not work because deeper understanding of the child's needs have not been investigated. Before starting with zones it's important to ask.....

●Has the user actually been taught the purpose and how to use it, not just shown a poster and asked to pick a colour? This includes things like understanding why silly and anxious are in the same zone, even though they may feel completely different.

●Have they been taught that there are no ‘bad’ zones. Each zone is just information about how they’re feeling, to help choose the right support strategy if needed?

●Do they understand what the different emotions look and feel like for them? We know that being neurodivergent can come with challenges in recognising and describing feelings?.

●Does this approach suit the users age, development, or emotional needs?

For many people, emotions aren’t neat, simple, or able to be colour-coded. Reducing lived experience to a chart can feel invalidating. It may encourage masking ( I will pick green because it is the only good one!) or leave deeper emotional needs unaddressed ( trauma for example can't be simply labled)

Once the user does learn to identify their feelings and use zones to communicate this, the next step matters just as much: How are they being supported to reduce triggers, understand themselves, and build meaningful coping strategies?

Zones can be a good starting point, but should never be the whole intervention. If you see this on your child's plan, its important to ask more questions as detailed above.

22/08/2025

Working for yourself has many benefits, but the worse thing is having to let people down because you are ill. Apologies to everyone I am having to reschedule.

21/08/2025

So today is results day for many. It brings with it varied emotions for the families I support. Some children have not managed to sit exams due to unmet need and others have had amazing news that they have passed and got into their chosen college or uni.
I have been overwhelmed by the messages of thanks and good news from clients who have achieved what they needed to, and I know how hard they and their families have had to fight to achieve these successes.

Those who are still fighting for support, be assured we won't give and your time will come. X

15/07/2025

I’ve not posted for a while but things have been incredibly busy behind the scenes.

The past six weeks alone have brought some really positive outcomes, largely due to the persistence and resilience of the families I support:

▪️EOTIS package agreed ahead of Tribunal

▪️Enhanced rate PIP application approved

▪️2 x DLA applications approved

▪️Limitied capability for work agreement secured

▪️EHCP refusal to assess successfully overturned before Tribunal

▪️One Plans agreed for two children who were previously not receiving any support in school

In addition to the above I have been busy with 10 parent consults, 4 EHCP reviews, 2 Education Access meetings, and many, many 1:1 sessions with children and young people.

In my role, I often feel the same frustration as the families I work alongside but these successes make it worthwhile and are a reminder that, even when the system feels painfully slow and unnecessarily bureaucratic, progress is possible.

Each win of the system makes a genuine difference to children and their families, and I’m proud to be part of that journey. We have to keep pushing forward and challenging a system that too often feels archaic and out of touch. Keep up the fight!

I’ve just completed further training with the world-renowned Dan Hughes PhD, founder of two highly regarded therapeutic ...
14/06/2025

I’ve just completed further training with the world-renowned Dan Hughes PhD, founder of two highly regarded therapeutic approaches that support families navigating complex needs.

Using a combination of Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) and PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, and Empathy) is particularly effective in helping children and young people (CYP) with neurodevelopmental diagnoses such as autism, ADHD, or those impacted by trauma and loss.

These approaches help us to navigate and understand the shame and rage that can arise from experiencing trauma and relational breakdowns.

In my practice, I promote the importance of working and supporting holistically and not just with the CYP. I’ve found that these approaches not only reduce dysregulation, but also help families reconnect and better understand each other. Using these techniques helps shift us away from reacting with fight, flight, or freeze responses, and more towards responses driven by curiosity and empathy.

Depending on interest, I’m considering running an in-person session on this in Tiptree, with an online session to follow at a later date. Message me if you are interested.

26/05/2025

EVENT CANCELLATION

Support in education webinar 30th May

Unfortunately this event which I was running in conjunction with Futures Alternative Provsion, has had to be cancelled. If you booked a refund will be issued.

For those who are local, I am still hosting the free SEN and wellbeing advice session at Tiptree community hub on station rd this Sunday 2.30 to 4.30, so hope to see you there.

Address

Tiptree
CO50

Telephone

+447810526763

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