Neurodiversity.

The chapter to start with

Neurodiversity, and the Conversation with the School

For parents whose child has been working harder and longer than other children to do things that come more easily to them.

11 min read

Read the chapter →

• The Child Who Saves It All for HomeA chapter for parents whose child is fine at school and furious at home. 21 min read
  Under 18

Nothing on this shelf is written for that age yet. Show every age

More quick tips on neurodiversity

• Neurodiversity

  The Friend Who Says It’s a Phase

  When a friend says it’s just a phase, one short, warm sentence can close the conversation.

  2 min read

• Neurodiversity

  The Night Before the Assessment

  Keep the evening before an assessment as much like any other evening as you can.

  2 min read · Ages 5 to 13

• Neurodiversity

  The Report That Keeps Repeating Itself

  When the same comment turns up in three years of school reports, take it seriously.

  1 min read · Ages 7 to 13

• Neurodiversity

  When the Diagnosis Is Also a Relief

  Many parents feel relief, then grief, when the diagnosis they half-expected finally comes.

  2 min read

• Neurodiversity

  When the Spelling Test Becomes a Battlefield

  A spelling list that takes two hours, however hard your child works, can be a sign of dyslexia.

  1 min read · Ages 5 to 11

• Neurodiversity

  Asking for the SENCo Meeting

  Ask for the meeting in a short email, and bring three to five specific examples in writing.

  1 min read · Ages 5 to 11

• Neurodiversity

  Building the Structure Your Child’s Brain Needs

  Your child’s brain needs structure from outside, and you’re the one who has to provide it.

  2 min read

• Neurodiversity

  Executive-Function Meltdown vs Emotional Meltdown

  An emotional meltdown and an executive-function meltdown look the same, but they need different responses.

  2 min read · Ages 5 to 13

• Neurodiversity

  Routines That Work for an ADHD Child

  An ADHD child needs a routine that’s more visual and more forgiving, with the prompts outside their head.

  2 min read · Ages 5 to 11

• Neurodiversity

  Telling the Siblings About the Diagnosis

  Brothers and sisters have usually noticed already, so tell them briefly, like any other family news.

  1 min read · Ages 5 to 11

• Neurodiversity

  The ADHD Medication Conversation

  The decision about medication is yours, made with the prescribing team.

  2 min read · Ages 7 to 16

• Neurodiversity

  The Eldest Child You Are Wondering About

  When a younger child is assessed, parents often start to see the same patterns in the eldest.

  2 min read · Ages 7 to 13

• Neurodiversity

  The Homework Battle Beyond Effort

  If an hour of maths ends with two questions done, an ADHD child has usually been working very hard.

  2 min read · Ages 7 to 13

• Neurodiversity

  The Supermarket That Is Too Much

  Plan supermarket trips so you leave before the noise and lights become too much for your child.

  2 min read · Ages 5 to 11

• Neurodiversity

  When the Diagnosis Comes at Sixteen

  A diagnosis at sixteen often brings a teenager more relief than their parents expected.

  2 min read · Ages 13 to 18

• Neurodiversity

  The First Conversation About an EHCP

  Be specific when you first raise an EHCP with the school, and treat it as a partnership.

  2 min read · Ages 5 to 11

• Neurodiversity

  Plan B, Agreed in Advance

  For an autistic child, a change they have heard about in advance is easier to manage, so build a plan B into every plan.

  2 min read · Ages 5 to 11

• School & pressure

  When Your Child Falls Apart After School

  Your child held it together all day; give them food and no questions for a while, and tell the school what you see.

  2 min read · Ages 5 to 13

• Neurodiversity

  Homework in Short Blocks

  For a child with ADHD, homework goes better in short timed blocks, one instruction at a time, with you nearby.

  2 min read · Ages 7 to 13

• Neurodiversity

  Telling Your Child They Are Autistic

  Start soon after the diagnosis, say a little at a time in words that fit your child’s age, and treat it as the first of many conversations.

  2 min read · Ages 5 to 13

• Home And Belonging

  What a SENCo Actually Does

  Most schools have a SENCo, though most newly arrived parents haven’t met theirs.

  2 min read · Ages 5 to 16

• Family dynamics

  When the School Says Your Child Is No Trouble at All

  You and your child’s teacher are both seeing the real child, so the meeting goes best when you compare notes.

  2 min read · Ages 5 to 16

The rest of each tip, with more to try and why it works, is in the library.

Nothing on this shelf is written for that age yet. Show every age

More to do together

• To do together

  First this, then that

  A card with two pictures, the thing to do first and the thing that comes next, for a young child who finds it hard to stop one thing and start another.

  About 15 min · Under 9 · With a sheet to print

• To do together

  A page about me, for a new teacher

  Before a new class or a new school, your child tells their teacher, in their own words, what they enjoy, what they find hard and what helps. You write it down together and hand it in.

  About 30 min · Ages 5 to 13 · With a sheet to print

• To do together

  Getting out of the door

  A short list by the door, made with your child, of the things that go with them each morning. Your child ticks each one off as it goes in the bag, and you point at the list instead of reminding them.

  About 20 min · Ages 5 to 16 · With a sheet to print

• To do together

  When a friend comes round

  For a visit your child has asked for: one friend, one thing to do together, you within earshot, and a warm, clear ending.

  An afternoon · Ages 5 to 13 · With a sheet to print

• To do together

  A story about what will happen

  Before something new, such as the dentist or a new classroom, write a short story with your child about what usually happens there, and read it together in the days before.

  About 20 min · Under 11 · With a sheet to print

• To do together

  An energy account

  With an autistic teenager, list what uses up their energy and what gives it back, and plan time to recover before they run out.

  About 20 min · Ages 11 to 18 · With a sheet to print

• To do together

  The school day, drawn as a line

  Your child draws their day from gate to gate and marks where it feels heavy. You take the one moment they mark, not a conclusion, to the school.

  About 20 min · Ages 5 to 13 · With a sheet to print

Nothing on this shelf is written for that age yet. Show every age

• Before the SENCo meeting For a meeting · A4 · Free
• Three reports, side by side For a meeting · A4 landscape · Free
• First this, then that Cards to cut out · A4, four cards to cut, two sides · With a subscription
• A page about me To fill in together · A4, two pages · With a subscription
• The door list For the door · A4 · With a subscription
• When a friend comes round To fill in together · A4 · With a subscription
• The first hour home For the fridge · A4 · With a subscription
• The day, in pictures For the fridge · A4 · With a subscription
• Enough for today For the fridge · A4, four cards to cut · With a subscription
• My energy account To fill in together · A4, two sides · With a subscription
• A story about what will happen To make together · A4, two pages · With a subscription
• What to say: school and friends Cards to cut out · A4, eight cards to cut · Free
• What to say: when feelings run high Cards to cut out · A4, eight cards to cut · With a subscription
• Before you ring the school For a call or a meeting · A4 · Free
• The school day, drawn as a line To make together · A4 landscape, two pages · With a subscription

Every sheet to print →

Nothing on this shelf is written for that age yet. Show every age

Nothing on this shelf is written for that age yet. Show every age