EPT Clinic, Ireland

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EPT Clinic, Ireland

Clinical Director Lorraine Madden is a Chartered Educational Psychologist with the Psychological Society of Ireland.

Best-practice neurodevelopmental assessments & documentation to explain your child's unique profile, along with a clear support plan PLUS access to multidisciplinary care to better equip your child to successfully navigate the world. She is also a published research author, lecturer in University College Dublin, and mother of two young children. Lorraine specialises in the areas of child development, paediatrics, infant mental health and early intervention. Lorraine and the clinic’s highly qualified team of healthcare professionals believe in helping all children reach their full potential in life. Lorraine begun her career working as a home tutor with children who presented with Autism. She then worked as a primary school teacher, before returning to university to complete her studies in Educational Psychology. As a psychologist, she initially worked with the HSE in both Early Intervention and School Aged Services. After some time working with the HSE, Lorraine set up her own clinical practice, The EPT Clinic in January 2019. The practice now comprises of over 12 team members, specialiseing in excellence in peadiatric healthcare. Infant Mental Health:
In recent years, Lorraine has developed a special interest in supporting families with young babies and toddlers. This began during her time working in Early Intervention Psychology Services in the HSE Cork. She underwent extensive training, including Masterclass in Infant Mental Health training, training with the The Squiggle Foundation and the NSPCC. She also engaged in CPD in developmental trauma and interpersonal, neurobiological approaches to development and resiliency.

04/09/2025

Back to school can bring lots of worries.

Starting from a place of listening and hearing young people's worries before we jump to problem solving can be so helpful, so that they feel heard and so that we understand where they are and can meet them where they are at before we begin to rationalise and challenge these worries.

It can be so tempting, and so normal to try to solve problems straight away, but often, the most important first step is young people feeling that it's safe to bring these worries to us, and that they are not alone in having them.

After you have listened, accepted their experience and validated their feelings, then gentle re-framing may be helpful for some young people, examples above.

Be careful though, sometimes, if the tone or content doesn't sit well with the young person, it can be experienced as minimising their worry, which isn't helpful. Observe, and ask your young person for feedback. We will spend time explaining this in DETAIL in the Neurodiversity Parenting Membership.

Comment MEMBERSHIP below to get the link.

Your Child and Adolescent Educational Psychologist,

Lorraine Xx

03/09/2025

The school day brings a wealth of new sensory experiences for children to adapt to - which can be a challenge...

Building in regulation breaks or resets during the day that are predictable and that your child enjoys can help their sensory system to decompress and to have a little more energy to manage the many transitions and sensory demands the school day brings.

What works for each young person will differ, here are some ideas that might be useful to try.

The idea is to build in little pockets of the day where their sensory system can relax, and regulate.

Try to think about things that help their muscles to relax a little, as we are aiming to give them a chance to do this a few times during their busy day.

Your Child and Adolescent Educational Psychologist,

Lorraine Xx

02/09/2025

I see this soooo often. Many children, and especially neurodivergent young people, find the unknown to be stressful.

The start of school can feel abstract, leaving lots of space for worry.

One way to support your child is to make the newness more concrete and predictable. This can ease anxiety and anchor their nervous system.

Try showing them:

📸 Pictures of the school or their new classroom (if possible)

🚌 Where the bus will pick them up and drop them off

🥪 The type of lunch they’ll have at school

🚪 Even the small details like where their coat and bag will go when they arrive

When young people can see what’s coming, it feels less like a leap into the unknown and more like a path they already recognise.

Predictability creates safety. 💛

We’ll keep sharing more Back to School Hacks to help ease this transition, step by step.

Kindest regards,

Lorraine

01/09/2025

OMG - it is the 1st of September! How the summer has flown. I have really enjoyed it, but I have to say... I am also looking forward to the return of the school routine.

The thing is... many neurodivergent young people can find the shift back into school routine a little overwhelming.

One way to make it easier is to begin re-introducing small pieces of the school-day rhythm now, rather than all at once.

This could look like:

🥣 Having breakfast around the time you’ll eat on school mornings

⏰ Starting wind-down for bed a little earlier each night

🚶 Adding in a short “morning movement” before the day begins

These small adjustments help anchor your child’s nervous system, so the first week back doesn’t feel like such a big jump.

Think of it as gently stretching into the new routine, one step at a time. 💛

We’ll be sharing more Back to School Hacks in the coming days — simple, regulation-friendly ideas to ease the transition and support calmer mornings.

Your Child and Adolescent Educational Psychologist,

Lorraine Xx

01/09/2025

Music and song can help many young people feel safe and calm.

I use it with my own children and I've see it work wonders in the clinic with young people of all ages.

We've even brought in guitars to support therapeutic engagement with some children.

Go ahead! Give it a try.

SHARE please!

And let me know your thoughts in Comments below 👇

Your Child and Adolescent Educational Psychologist,

Lorraine ♾️ 🧠 ###

30/08/2025

Thank you for organising this fantastic festival.

More videos and photos to come!

Your Child and Adolescent Educational Psychologist,

Lorraine Xx

29/08/2025

www.eptclinic.ie for bookings.

Any questions, drop them into the comments and I'll respond.

Your Child and Adolescent Educational Psychologist,

Lorraine Xx

28/08/2025

For me, back-to-school doesn’t just mean uniforms and sharpened pencils, it means a whole new sensory load. And I see this every year in the clinic, as well as in my own home. 🎒🖍️

For many neurodivergent children, September can feel like too much, too soon. Their nervous system is working overtime to process noise, light, movement, and social demands. When regulation is shaky, learning and connection become harder.

That’s why sensory strategies aren’t “extras”....they’re essential anchors. Here are some you can try at home and around the school day:

🌿 Before school – A movement break (trampoline, walk, stretches), deep pressure input (big hugs, weighted blanket), or a few minutes of heavy work (carrying their bag, helping with laundry).

🎶 On the way to school – A calming playlist or predictable morning sounds to set the tone.

👕 During school – Comfort clothing (soft fabrics, no itchy labels), a chewable or fidget that’s classroom-friendly.

👐 After school – A sensory “snack” to reset (swinging, clay play, jumping) plus a calming transition ritual (favourite snack, dimmed lights, quiet time).

These small adjustments reduce hidden stress and give your child’s body the message: you are safe, you are steady. When their nervous system feels anchored, they have more capacity for learning, play, and connection.

Your Child and Adolescent Psychologist,

Lorraine Xx

P.S. If you have any other tips for parents, please drop them in comments below.

26/08/2025

WHAT do parents (and teachers) need to know about sensory processing and sensory regulation this September?

AND does this always mean shutting out sensory information for autistic and neurodivergent young people?

We know autistic and neurodivergent young people take in different, often MORE sensory information and this means they may need to reduce some experiences as part of their sensory regulation.

This also means that positive sensory experiences may be felt more by autistic and neurodivergent people.

Autistic and neurodivergent people may find more joy, excitement, and wonder in experiences that allistic people may not.

In this way autistic and neurodivergent people can regulate their senses not just be avoiding some senses but by seeking out others that are particularly comforting to them.

This post explains some of what this looks like for autistic and neurodivergent people.💛

Your Child and Adolescent Educational Psychologist,

Lorraine Xx ♾️ 🧠

25/08/2025

Our team is a combination of neurodivergent and neurotypical clinicians working together, supporting one another.

We talked about what the neurodivergent members of our team wished their teachers knew back when they were in school....

This is what they said...

✨ “I wish my teachers had understood I wasn’t being lazy — I was overwhelmed.”

✨ “I wasn’t being rude — I was anxious or dysregulated.”

✨ “I needed flexibility, not punishment.”

Their reflections give us powerful lessons today.

Here’s what parents and teachers can take forward:

➡️ Sensory discomfort is real. The noise, lights, smells, and crowds can be unbearable. Adjustments like quiet corners or noise-reducing headphones make a difference.

➡️ Processing takes time. Silence after a question doesn’t mean a child doesn’t know — they may need extra moments to think.

➡️ Routines bring regulation. Sudden changes can feel overwhelming; giving advance notice builds safety.

➡️ Masking is exhausting. The child who seems “fine” may be working hardest to hide their struggles. They need downtime and understanding.

➡️ Strengths matter. When children feel seen for what they can do — not only corrected for what they can’t — their confidence grows.

For parents, this is a reminder to advocate for these needs with confidence.

For teachers, it’s an invitation to adapt the environment with compassion.

Together, we can build the classrooms and family-school partnerships that neurodivergent adults wish they’d had — spaces where every child feels understood, respected, and safe.

Your Child and Adolescent Psychologist,

Lorraine Xx

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https://www.eptclinic.ie/online-neurodiversity-support-for-parents

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