September 2021 - Steph's Two Girls

Monday 27 September 2021

Not Fine In School. Week 2

September 27, 2021 Special Educational Needs and Disability

Time for Week 2 of my new 'Not Fine In School' series. The idea of this series is to share real experiences of school and education ...

Monday 20 September 2021

Not Fine In School. Experiences of a broken system: Week 1

September 20, 2021 Special Educational Needs and Disability

'Not Fine In School' are four little words that have become a big part of my life over the last ten years. Not just for me though; f...

Tuesday 14 September 2021

BAPS Awards Finalist 2021

September 14, 2021 SEND

This year I am thrilled to have been named as a finalist in two categories of the BAPS Awards . BAPS stands for Bloody Awesome Parents and S...

Thursday 2 September 2021

Back to School, or not, 2021

September 02, 2021 Special Educational Needs and Disability

And so it begins again. Back to School. Three little words which can cause so much stress. This week my two girls are back to school of so...

What is Autism?

'Autism is a spectrum condition and affects people in different ways. Like all people, autistic people have their own strengths and weaknesses. Social interaction and communication can be difficult for some autistic people but others may enjoy it. Intense interests and repetitive behaviour are often seen along with differing sensory experiences'.

What is PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance)?

Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is a profile of Autism. The central difficulty for people with PDA is their avoidance of the everyday demands made by other people, due to their high anxiety levels when they feel that they are not in control.

Children may sometimes be described as having 'challenging' or 'oppositional' behaviour. Parents describe life as 'walking on eggshells'.