parents/carers the most is being able to understand the WHY behind the behaviour. If you understand

the reason for the behaviour, you have a much better chance at diffusing the situation quickly and

positively.

With any child it’s not always clear as to why they are behaving in a way you wouldn’t hope for. With

a neurodivergent (ND) child, it can be even less clear. Throw in different ways of processing and

difficulties with communication and you have a loud and possibly violent situation on your hands

which is most likely drawing the attention from anyone within a 3-mile radius. It’s a situation most

parent carers are familiar with and would love to avoid at all costs. So, how do you actually do that?

When it comes to parenting autistic and ADHD children, strategies and behaviour management

methods used for neurotypical (NT) children simply will not work. But don’t panic, this download is

aimed to give you a heads up on how to prevent these situations from arising in the first place and

understand what your child is telling you through their behaviour.

People with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) are, like everyone else, unique individuals.

But, sometimes it's helpful to talk about groups of people who have common concerns and distinctive needs, face barriers to be included and need help to fight for their equal rights.

PMLD

For some years now, person first language has been taught as the ‘correct’ and respectful way to refer to people who are disabled. Thus, ‘people with disabilities’ rather than ‘disabled people’. This is often the way professionals are trained. However, some disabled communities now reject this terminology and prefer identity first language, including the autistic community.

Here's an outstanding, free resource from Emma Sharman (Neurodivergent Emabler) Although this guide is aimed at anyone who has struggled with executive dysfunction in the workplace, it contains valuable insights, definitions and strategies that could also benefit people at home and students in the classroom.

If you would like to tell us about your experience, give thanks or comment, please get in touch.

The aim of this Padlet is to have access to useful links, information and strategies to help understand and support disabled and neurodivergent children and young people and their families.

You will find section headings at the top, scroll left and right to see all sections.

Once you have found the section you wish to look at, scroll down to see each post in this section.

Because there is such an overlap between some neurodivergence’s and disabilities and the issues involved, there are useful posts in multiple sections. We have tried to explain which other sections may be useful for you to have a look at.

This Padlet is a “working document “ and we aim to add new relevant sections and information.

We acknowledge that whilst we have added lots of resources and information already, there is more fantastic information out there and we welcome other suggestions to sections and posts.

Anyone can add a post to this Padlet by clicking the + in the relevant section. Once you have done this we will be informed and will view the post and then decide whether this post is suitable and relevant to be added.

Please note that some posts may not be authorised if they are either not relevant, not neuroaffirming and are duplicated in information already added.

Are you a parent, educator, or advocate in the SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) community? We know the journey can be challenging, but you don’t have to go it alone!

🤝 Joining SEND groups can be a game-changer, offering you:

- Support: Connect with others who understand your journey.

- Resources: Share and receive insights, tips, and tools.

- Advocacy: Amplify your voice to drive positive change.

- Empowerment: Gain confidence and knowledge to navigate SEND complexities.

Let’s come together, share experiences, and build a stronger, more inclusive community. 💪❤️

Here are a list of some organisations that you can attended

Tune in to find solace in knowing parents don’t suddenly transform into Mother Teresa, everyone finds life hard and we still love our children. Whether a well seasoned parent, newbie, one of many practitioners supporting families or someone wanting to peak over the fence – you’re welcome to listen in.

We are better together, whatever Skies We’re Under.

You can listen to all published episodes below or wherever you normally access your podcasts.

Four episode Limited Series

In this powerful four-part podcast, Eliza Fricker shares her experience, and that of others, to reveal the difficult process of getting an autism diagnosis, what this means in our current education system, and asks, can we find a better way?

What this document covers: 

• What multi-sensory impairment means.

• What MSI children need.

• Causes of MSI.

• How it affects the everyday lives of children and families.

• Practical tips and ideas to help make the hospital stay less stressful.

• Resources for staff who would like to know more.

What this document covers: 

• What multi-sensory impairment means.

• What MSI children need.

• Causes of MSI.

• How it affects the everyday lives of children and families.

• Practical tips and ideas to help make the hospital stay less stressful.

• Resources for staff who would like to know more.

A guide to intervenor service standards for education, health and social care

• Overview of the new system of Special Educational Needs

• Roadmap for meeting the needs of deafblind children and young people in the new SEND system

• Identify: Improving identification of deafblind children and young people

• Assess: Providing appropriate assessments for Education, Health and Care Plans

• Involve: Involving and supporting deafblind children, young people and their families

• Support: Providing appropriate services for deafblind children and young people

• Managing transition: Supporting deafblind children at key points of transition

• What is deafblindness/multi-sensory impairment?

• What does deafblindness mean for children and young people?

• Useful contacts/resources

• References

The Living Paintings postal library is provided free of charge to blind and partially sighted people in the UK. Our special Touch to See books are designed to bring the visual world to life through tactile images and audio descriptions. There is something for all ages from pre-school to adults.

“In a study using a bespoke online questionnaire involving 947 parents across the UK, the researchers found that a staggering 92.1% of children with school attendance problems were neurodivergent, with 83.4% autistic. ADHD, sensory processing difficulties, and anxiety were also common companions, creating complex profiles that amplified school distress. The parents’ accounts of that distress were harrowing, often referring to their children’s chronic physical displays of intense anxiety, including vomiting and bed-wetting, and attempts at self-harm at the prospect of going to school”

SEND is everyone’s business, we need more training and understanding of identifying and supporting neurodivergence within our education system.

We also need a real shift in culture within our society, moving away from the medical models based on deficits and recognise and celebrate different neurotypes in a neuroaffirming way.

I’m writing this blog as the father of a twelve year old girl who has been consumed by an anxiety disorder this year. This is our lived experience and it’s a journey we’re still navigating.

This simulation is designed to exaggerate the frustrations one with Auditory Processing Disorder would go through on a daily basis. This video was made intentionally for people who do NOT have APD in hopes to help them understand on a much deeper level by experiencing the similar frustrations one with APD would go through. Including not being able to answer all the questions in the end.

Note: People with APD hear and see fine, but due to a distracting environment can cause disruption on info/language processing/ memory/ comprehension. People with APD may not get everything, and miss parts here and there. Although, not everyone with APD is the same - they all deal with it differently in certain areas more than others.

Explaining to others what APD is or does proves to be a challenge on its own because of how complex the disorder is. I believed that demonstrating the challenges (reading, listening, memory) that one with APD would go through in a short simulation session, would bring a better understanding to the disorder.

Please feel free to share this and spread the awareness of Auditory Processing Disorder. The more you know, the more you understand.

Senior Studio Project

Auditory Processing Disorder Simulation’

(Ensure captions ‘CC’ are clicked OFF - top right in YouTube - as don’t want them to start appearing, half way through, when the sound starts).

Too numerous to name individually, PANS PANDAS UK has an unbelievable team of volunteers who work tirelessly to support the work we do. The enthusiasm and skill they bring to our team is amazing and we thank each and every one of them from the bottom of our hearts.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Adaptive Technology

Community and Social Support

Printing

Low Vision Shop

This website has been designed as a practical, flexible resource to support everyone working to reduce barriers to education. You don’t need to read it all at once; the site is structured so you can access the sections most relevant to your needs and the young people you work with. Sections within the website can be read individually and used as discrete documents.

At the heart of the site is the WARMTH Framework. Although the underlying reasons for young people not being in school may differ (such as absence or exclusion) the WARMTH framework is designed to be inclusive for all young people. The  Barriers to Education approach recognises the importance of positive and proactive interventions for all young people as these approaches will address the needs of the majority of young people. As Barriers to Education was formed in response to the unmet needs of the many young people struggling to attend school this focus has informed much of the guidance. 

Alongside the WARMTH Framework, you’ll find a range of practical tools. Some of the resources included here have a specific focus such as the neuroprofiling tool and burnout guidance, while others provide more general frameworks, such as NEST for understanding and responding to any young person in crisis. 

We see this site as a dynamic resource, shaped by the people who use it, which will continue to develop as new tools, resources and case studies illustrating good practice are added. You can contribute case studies, share strategies that have worked for you, or add ideas to the Ideas Bank so that the community can learn and grow together.

However you choose to use it, whether you’re exploring the framework, picking up a tool, or sharing your own insight, we hope this website will support you in helping young people feel safe, supported and able to thrive.

We are hoping this is a resource that can be used as a key foundation for support of young people, so if you are interested in using it in your own work, here are our views on this:

How to use It

Using the content as it is currently written

We are very happy for any of the content to be used directly and added to your own existing documents or guidance. Please just make sure to credit Barriers to Education when you do this. 

Amending the content

We are very happy for you to copy, paste but also amend any wording so that it fits your Local Area or setting, the people within it and your current work and priorities. If you do this please just make sure to credit us by saying it is “adapted from Barriers to Education”.

Using it as a foundation

You are welcome to use any of the content we have shared as a foundation for your own local ideas, strategies, provision and interventions in your area or setting. If you do this you can credit us to say “underpinned by the Barriers to Education WARMTH principles”

Share with us

If you are using any part of Barriers to Education, we would love to hear from you! Our vision for this website is for it to be a community owned, shared space where best practice, ideas and successes can be disseminated. Taking the time to share your resources, input or learning in our ‘WARMTH in Practice’ section could offer others (across the country) the chance to make a life changing difference to the young people that they are supporting.

The following sections in this case for change outline why young people experience Barriers to Education, the story of Barriers to Education, the underlying principles informing of our approach and an overview of the WARMTH framework.