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Summer holidays, a time for sunshine (fingers crossed) and memory-making. But for families with children who have Special Educational Needs (SEN), the break from routine can bring a unique mix of joy and challenge. Please read on to find out more about our SEN Summer survival guide for families… If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by […]

Have you been told that you should be using visuals for your child or a child you’re working with? Sorry, that may have been me recommending that, so I thought I better explain myself… I’ve been working as a Speech & Language Therapist for over (ahem) 25 years now, and over this time looking to […]

With the current round of GCSE’s coming to a close this academic year, I spoke to Caireen Sutherland, a valued member of our Multi-Disciplinary Team about her recent publication on students who have additional needs  (Special Educational Needs, Autism, Visual Impairment and Multi Sensory Impairments) and exams. You can read more about Caireen here. I […]

In this blog we consider how we can move beyond labels when we consider the whole of the Neurodiversity Spectrum. Are you thinking “What a strange title for a blog from a diagnostic service?” My professional (and personal) experiences have led me to think a LOT about the ideas in this blog and I believe […]

The Easter holidays 2025 are just around the corner, so we have pulled together a list of Autism and SEN friendly family activities taking place across the West Midlands for Neurospicy families to check out. These range from 5th – 19th April and we’ve also listed activities happening across the Easter Holidays. For more information […]

In a recent training session I attended, the term ‘camouflaging’ was used repeatedly. This raised some questions for me, specifically what is camouflaging in autism and how (if at all) does it differ from masking. “Masking is not only about hiding my weaknesses; it’s also about hiding my strengths because they are not always well […]

When trying to use Neuroaffirming Autistic Identity language, are we at risk of denying Autistic people’s identity? Words matter! They can shape the way that people view and think about autism. When delivering Autism training I can feel slightly nervous when discussing terminology. I desperately want to model how to use neuroaffirming language to others, […]

We were speaking at a PGSend Conference this week, and to prepare for this, Michelle wrote about some of her recommended resources for parents and professionals. This blog post contains a sample of information and links… Here are some links to our favourite resources for information about Autism: 1, Autism Education Trust (AET). This is […]

Planning ahead / routine: So much changes during the Christmas season it’s helpful to plan ahead, prepare and set clear expectations for everyone. “We try to pace it to avoid overwhelming him”  “We plan ahead and give him a visual planner” “Social stories for new experiences, with lots of photos of what to expect”  “Advent […]

Autism and Selective Mutism: Tips to help navigate the Christmas Holidays It is known as the most wonderful time of the year, but for autistic individuals the Christmas holidays can also bring feelings of anxiety and discomfort. The social aspect of the festivities can be particularly challenging for those with a co-occurring diagnosis of autism […]