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How can I help you?
The purpose of this website is to provide SEND assistance to families, aiming to reduce their sense of isolation and provide them with support outside the realms of professional discrimination, misconceptions, and parental judgment or criticism. So how can I help you? Lots of ways! I can help with all things related to child behaviours and parental well-being. EBSA; ADHD; ASD; Home Education; CHILD ANXIETY; PANIC; OCD; ARFID; SPD; BURNOUT; PDA (and much more). You can s
Katie Walker
Nov 3, 20243 min read
Navigating the Holidays: Parenting Children with Autism, ADHD, and PDA During Christmas
The holiday season brings joy and excitement for many families, but for parents of children with Autism, ADHD, and Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), Christmas can present unique challenges. The sensory overload, changes in routine, and social expectations often make this time of year overwhelming for both children and parents. Understanding these difficulties and preparing creatively with low demand environments can help create a more enjoyable Christmas experience. Creati
Katie Walker
Dec 10, 20256 min read
Emotional Based School Avoidance
Firstly, let us not name it school avoidance. This term makes it sound as if children are choosing to avoid school. As if its a choice. Children are actually in overwhelm, burnout, or shut down and have possible anxiety disorders due to the mainstream environment. That is not within their control or what they would choose. These are not choices they are disabilities. Did you know that I was an attendance officer in a primary school many years ago! Please don't judge me mo
Katie Walker
Nov 21, 20255 min read
Christmas Time & PDA
Both Christmas and PDA seem to collide, sometimes with real chaos attached. I have had to drastically change what Christmas looks like in my house and throw out all old traditions and expectations. This was especially difficult because I personally enjoy the Christmas traditions we previously shared and the associated excitement. Making changes wasn't always an easy choice for me. Christmas brings extra excitement, and even if you limit this excitement at home, it can stil
Katie Walker
Oct 31, 20258 min read
Summer Holiday Support
Do you have summer holiday anxiety looming? Are you worried that you will miss the respite that school offers for six very long weeks? Perhaps like me you are half and half, the above is true however, also pleased that the after school meltdowns will decrease, the masking can stop and the pre school anxiety will vanish. Feeling both is valid. How can you empower yourself these summer holidays? Stock up on essentials for those days when cabin fever hits and the kids prefer a
Katie Walker
Jul 19, 20252 min read
Online Art Therapy
For Children and Adults! Is your child experiencing Emotional Based School Avoidance, Anxiety, or Autism Burnout? Incorporating therapeutic structure into their daily routine can offer a low-demand activity, providing an outlet for positive mental health support. A safe space to create, draw, paint and communicate visually (rather than verbally) about feelings and emotions. Benefits of art therapy for children; Improved emotional regulation. Increased sense of self belief and
Katie Walker
Jun 24, 20251 min read
Stop waiting for a broken system to change and empower yourselves today!
The mainstream system is well known to cause trauma within families caring for neuro diverse children. Perhaps in the form of; Long waiting lists. No early intervention recognition. Parental stigma. Parental blame. Failure for child interventions to be placed within mainstream schools. Disbelief. Misunderstandings. Misrepresentations within important reports. Trauma from the mainstream system can include decreased self belief, decreased self worth, burnout, decreased self c
Katie Walker
Jun 24, 20254 min read
Reasonable Adjustments
Within mainstream environments, SEND placements and EHCP's it is important to include reasonable adjustments suitable to our children's individual needs to ensure that adequate adaptations can be made for our children with Autism/ADHD/PDA so that they access an education. But are they all helpful? Reasonable adjustments can be as creative as you need but can include some of the following examples: Movement breaks Sensory Circuits Visual Aids Choice of tasks Sitting somewhere
Katie Walker
May 6, 20257 min read
Autism/ADHA/PDA and SLEEP.
Does neuro-spicy and sleep go together well? In many households, including my own, the answer is no! If you have been living with a child who has autism/ADHD/PDA while attempting to get any sleep yourself - are you okay ? That is tough! I remember in tricky times with my daughter, actually getting to a place of hallucinating due to tiredness and becoming very unwell. Although she managed to catch up on sleep throughout the day, I had to continue (or attempt to) to work and ra
Katie Walker
Mar 26, 20253 min read
Parental blame (Mainstream education edition).
How often do you hear the phrases? 'Mum/dad struggles with X behaviour' 'Mum/dad have difficulties getting X into school' 'Mum/dad report X has a sleep disorder but we have no evidence of this in school' 'Parent presents with anxiety' I have countless examples, but you understand the gist. When combined with how society overall treats parents and carers of children with additional needs, this stigma and blame are, quite frankly, the icing on the cake. I have attended many m
Katie Walker
Mar 9, 20254 min read
Connect before Correct.
Love this phrase! I have it in my mind every single day on repeat and it really does help me in those 'tricky meltdown' moments. Children behave better when they feel better. Children can't behave better if they don't feel good about themselves or they are made to feel bad about themselves . I am a great believer that too many consequences or too much discipline can make a child scared to make mistakes (in fear they may get told off, or worse still lose their phone). Parti
Katie Walker
Mar 3, 20252 min read
Autism Burnout is REAL
Please do not allow society to gaslight you into thinking that you are over diagnosing or unnecessarily labelling your child too much when you know that your child is suffering burnt-out. Autism Burnout is a real thing and can be hugely mistaken for laziness and defiance! Burnout can happen for lots of reasons; Perhaps your child is masking at school and this can cause burnout. Perhaps your child is going through routine change or change of environment, this can cause bur
Katie Walker
Nov 15, 20242 min read
How did I increase my child's feelings of self worth?
Children with AUTISM/ADHD/PDA can sense energy within the room. They can be experts and hyper sensitive to body language, tone of voice and body behaviours in general. This is part of having a sensory processing disorder, This in turn can mean a child is always walking on egg shells in new environments (particularly a school environment) when with lots of people. In every new social setting whether it be a classroom (if this is secondary school this means a new class ever
Katie Walker
Nov 3, 20248 min read
Living with Sensory Impairments.
SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder) can effect children (and adults) who have Autism and ADHD. It can be found in 90% of all people who...
Katie Walker
Oct 18, 20243 min read
It is so much more than a messy room!
My 13-year-old daughter hasn’t got the skills yet to tidy her room...yet! We are working on it. I know some may roll their eyes and think...
Katie Walker
Oct 18, 20243 min read
Christmas 2024
Make Christmas 2024 work for you and your family. If you are a parent or caregiver of neuro-spicy children, the least thing you should...
Katie Walker
Oct 18, 20243 min read
It is not your fault! (ADHD/ASD/PDA)
Society has a great way of telling you it is...
Katie Walker
Sep 23, 20244 min read
Summer Holidays are TOUGH!
Weaving through the transition of routine changes, differing expectations, loss of previous year group teacher or school and spending...
Katie Walker
Aug 5, 20243 min read
"Piggyback"
We live in particularly strange times. Statistically 1 in 5 children in the UK suffer with mental health difficulties (2023, NHS England). 1 in 57 children in the UK are diagnosed with autism (2021, Newcastle University) and NHS, 2023 data has revealed that 140,000 children are on waiting lists for autism assessments. 708,000 children are diagnosed with ADHD (ADHD UK website, 2023) and one can only assume many thousands more on waiting lists. My children included. Lastly,
Katie Walker
Apr 7, 20243 min read
Welcome to my Blog!
I have been a single mum for 7 years now. A single mum to three neuro-spicy children. There is no part time dad collecting at weekends,...
Katie Walker
Jul 26, 20232 min read