Navigating Neurodiverse Education Podcast

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SOCIAL SKILLS – FRIENDSHIP: How Do I Teach Social Skills Without Teaching Them to Mask?

We all want our children to develop friendships, feel included and experience meaningful connections. But how do we teach social skills without inadvertently teaching neurodivergent children to hide who they really are?

In this episode of The Neurodiverse Education Hub, we explore the difference between teaching social understanding and teaching children to mask.

We look at why some neurodivergent children feel they need to copy their peers, suppress their interests, force eye contact or pretend to enjoy activities just to fit in.

We'll explore what genuine friendship looks like, why shared interests matter, and how we can teach communication, boundaries, consent, negotiation and perspective-taking without expecting children to change their identity.

Most importantly, we'll consider how parents and educators can create environments where children feel accepted, understood and valued for who they are.

Because friendship shouldn't come at the cost of identity.

Connection over conformity. Understanding over judgement. Acceptance over expectation.

Join us for this important conversation about helping neurodivergent children develop genuine friendships where they can truly be themselves.

The Neurodiverse Education Hub — Support. Empower. Belong.

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Visit's The Neurodiverse Education Hub's Website  for information on the following:

Work With Me - Individual Education Plans (IEP's), Play Skills, 

Online Tutoring

Webinars 

Social Media

Books

Free Podcast PDF's

For more advice, support, to book a consultation or to find out more information please visit:

The Neurodiverse Education Hub Website

You can also purchase our e-book from the website:
e-book - Navigating Education: A Parent's Guide to Choosing the Right Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

and our

Free Brochure - Transitioning from Kindergarten to Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

Visit's The Neurodiverse Education Hub's Website  for information on the following:

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When We Can't Handle Change, We Project It onto Our Kids

Have you ever wondered why your child's difficulty with change triggers such a strong reaction in you?

In this episode of The Neurodiverse Education Hub, we explore how our own anxiety, expectations and discomfort with uncertainty can influence the way we respond to our children. We look particularly at neurodivergent parents raising neurodivergent children, the research on parental stress and emotional regulation, and practical ways to respond with greater compassion.

Discover how recognising our own triggers, supporting co-regulation and repairing relationships can help us break unhelpful patterns.

Because sometimes, helping our children manage change begins with understanding ourselves.

The key message: It's not about blaming parents. It's about learning to respond differently, for ourselves and our children.

The Neurodiverse Education Hub — Support. Empower. Belong.

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Visit's The Neurodiverse Education Hub's Website  for information on the following:

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Research Article References from this podcast

Parental stress and psychological flexibility

REsearch Article - Acceptance and Commitment Training for Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Psychological interventions and the parent–child relationship

Psychological Interventions Targeting Mental Health and the Mother–Child Relationship in Autism: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Emotional regulation and co-regulation

Review and Developmental Model: Early Childhood Emotion Regulation and Co-Regulation in Autism

Parenting when the parent has ADHD

Parental ADHD as a Mechanistic Barrier to Behavioral Parent Training Implementation: An Intergenerational Framework for Addressing Childhood ADHD

Parent-mediated support for children's emotional regulation

Evaluating Parent-Mediated Interventions to Support Child Emotion Regulation: A Review of Preventative Approaches Across Childhood

For more advice, support, to book a consultation or to find out more information please visit:

The Neurodiverse Education Hub Website

You can also purchase our e-book from the website:
e-book - Navigating Education: A Parent's Guide to Choosing the Right Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

and our

Free Brochure - Transitioning from Kindergarten to Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

Visit's The Neurodiverse Education Hub's Website  for information on the following:

Work With Me - Individual Education Plans (IEP's), Play Skills, 

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What Can I Do Tomorrow? My Child Melts Down Every Time They Go Into the Classroom — How Can I Make School Work for Them?

Does your child happily play in the playground but become distressed the moment they enter the classroom? Do they run out of the room when asked to sit down for morning group time, leaving you wondering what is going wrong?

In this episode of The Neurodiverse Education Hub Podcast, Ruth Smoker-Cornell explores what might be happening beneath the behaviour and why a child may struggle with the transition from playground to classroom.

We explore morning transitions, separation anxiety, sensory overload and communication difficulties, along with practical ways parents and teachers can work together to make school more accessible and supportive.

Discover simple strategies you can start using tomorrow, from visual routines and purposeful classroom jobs to quieter entry points and alternative ways to participate in group time.

Because when the same difficulties happen across different schools, it's time to look beyond the behaviour and ask: What is this child telling us, and what can we change to help them succeed?

Join Ruth for a practical, compassionate conversation about understanding the child, building trust and making school work for them.

The Neurodiverse Education Hub — Support. Empower. Belong.

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Visit's The Neurodiverse Education Hub's Website  for information on the following:

Work With Me - Individual Education Plans (IEP's), Play Skills, 

Online Tutoring

Webinars 

Social Media

Books

Free Podcast PDF's

For more advice, support, to book a consultation or to find out more information please visit:

The Neurodiverse Education Hub Website

You can also purchase our e-book from the website:
e-book - Navigating Education: A Parent's Guide to Choosing the Right Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

and our

Free Brochure - Transitioning from Kindergarten to Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

Visit's The Neurodiverse Education Hub's Website  for information on the following:

Work With Me - Individual Education Plans (IEP's), Play Skills, 

Online Tutoring

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How Do I Introduce Something New Without Triggering Distress?

Introducing something new can be exciting for some children — but for some neurodivergent children, new can mean unpredictable, uncertain and unsafe.

In this episode of Navigating Neurodiverse Education, Ruth Smoker-Cornell explores how we can introduce change while respecting a child's need for predictability and safety.

Using the PREPARE framework, Ruth shares practical strategies for helping children approach new experiences with greater confidence:

P — Preview the change
R — Reduce uncertainty
E — Explain what stays the same
P — Provide choices
A — Allow small steps
R — Regulate
E — Evaluate

Through a practical pancake-making example, Ruth explores why preparation, visuals, choice, small steps and regulation can make the difference between a child feeling overwhelmed and a child feeling ready to try.

Because the goal isn't to avoid change or force flexibility.

The goal is to help children learn: “Something can be different, and I can still cope.”

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Visit's The Neurodiverse Education Hub's Website  for information on the following:

Work With Me - Individual Education Plans (IEP's), Play Skills, 

Online Tutoring

Webinars 

Social Media

Books

Free Podcast PDF's

For more advice, support, to book a consultation or to find out more information please visit:

The Neurodiverse Education Hub Website

You can also purchase our e-book from the website:
e-book - Navigating Education: A Parent's Guide to Choosing the Right Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

and our

Free Brochure - Transitioning from Kindergarten to Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

Visit's The Neurodiverse Education Hub's Website  for information on the following:

Work With Me - Individual Education Plans (IEP's), Play Skills, 

Online Tutoring

Webinars 

Social Media

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Your child can count to 10, 20 or even 100 — so why do they struggle when you ask them to solve 2 + 3?

In this episode of Navigating Neurodiverse Education, Ruth Smoker-Cornell explores why being able to count doesn't automatically mean a child understands addition. We look at the foundations of number sense, quantity and cardinality, why counting on can be difficult, and how working memory, language, processing and attention can affect mathematical learning.

Ruth shares practical strategies for supporting children to move from counting → understanding quantity → combining quantities → solving addition problems, including the Concrete–Representational–Abstract (CRA) approach, visual supports, number lines, ten frames and real-life maths.

If your child can count but seems to "fall apart" when numbers become addition, this episode will help you understand what might be happening and what you can do next.

For more advice, support, to book a consultation or to find out more information please visit:

The Neurodiverse Education Hub Website

You can also purchase our e-book from the website:
e-book - Navigating Education: A Parent's Guide to Choosing the Right Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

and our

Free Brochure - Transitioning from Kindergarten to Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

Visit's The Neurodiverse Education Hub's Website  for information on the following:

Work With Me - Individual Education Plans (IEP's), Play Skills, 

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Working With the School: What If Everyone Agrees There Is a Problem But Nothing Changes?

Have you ever left a school meeting feeling relieved because everyone finally agrees that your child is struggling—only to find that weeks or even months later, nothing has really changed?

The teacher sees it.
 You see it.
 The wellbeing team sees it.
 Everyone agrees there is a problem… but where is the action?

In this episode of Navigating Neurodiverse Education, we explore what happens when identifying a concern doesn't lead to meaningful change. We look at how parents and schools can move from “We agree there is a problem” to a clear, practical plan that identifies what will happen, who is responsible, when it will happen and how we will know if it is working.

We explore why good intentions can sometimes get lost, why “we'll keep an eye on it” isn't always enough, and how parents can follow up in a way that remains calm, collaborative and solution-focused.

Most importantly, this episode is about moving from conversation to action—because recognising that a child needs support is only the beginning.

click here to access - 'The Parents and Teachers Meeting Checklist'

For more advice, support, to book a consultation or to find out more information please visit:

The Neurodiverse Education Hub Website

You can also purchase our e-book from the website:
e-book - Navigating Education: A Parent's Guide to Choosing the Right Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

and our

Free Brochure - Transitioning from Kindergarten to Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

Visit's The Neurodiverse Education Hub's Website  for information on the following:

Work With Me - Individual Education Plans (IEP's), Play Skills, 

Online Tutoring

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Communication & Language: Why Do They Understand More Than They Can Express?

Have you ever thought, “But I know they understand me—why can’t they tell me what they know?”

In this episode of Navigating Neurodiverse Education, we explore the important difference between receptive language—the language a child understands—and expressive language—the language they can communicate to others.

We look at why a child may understand instructions, concepts, stories and conversations but struggle to answer questions, explain their thinking, find the right words or tell you what they need.

We’ll explore how processing time, word retrieval, working memory, anxiety, communication differences and language demands can affect a child's ability to express themselves. We’ll also look at why speech isn't the only measure of communication and how tools such as visuals, AAC, gestures, writing, drawing and technology can give children meaningful ways to share what they know.

Most importantly, this episode challenges us to look beyond “They can't do it” and ask:

A practical episode for parents, teachers and anyone supporting neurodivergent children.

Click here to get the Communication and Language Poster Pack

For more advice, support, to book a consultation or to find out more information please visit:

The Neurodiverse Education Hub Website

You can also purchase our e-book from the website:
e-book - Navigating Education: A Parent's Guide to Choosing the Right Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

and our

Free Brochure - Transitioning from Kindergarten to Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

Visit's The Neurodiverse Education Hub's Website  for information on the following:

Work With Me - Individual Education Plans (IEP's), Play Skills, 

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Behaviour & Regulation: How Do I Distinguish Dysregulation from Deliberate Behaviour?

Is it dysregulation—or is the child deliberately choosing the behaviour?

This is one of the most common and challenging questions parents and educators face when supporting neurodivergent children. In this episode, we unpack the difference between dysregulation, skill deficits, communication and deliberate behaviour, and explore why behaviour isn't always as straightforward as it appears.

We look at what may be happening beneath behaviours such as refusal, aggression, shutting down, leaving the classroom or avoiding tasks, and discuss how to recognise when a child may be too overwhelmed to access skills they normally have.

Most importantly, understanding the reason behind behaviour doesn't mean removing boundaries or excusing unsafe or inappropriate behaviour. It means responding in a way that addresses the underlying need while still teaching appropriate skills and maintaining clear expectations.

You'll learn practical questions to ask, strategies for responding during dysregulation, and how to move from “How do I stop this behaviour?” to “What is this behaviour telling me, and what skill do we need to teach?”

A practical episode for parents, teachers and anyone supporting neurodivergent children.

For more advice, support, to book a consultation or to find out more information please visit:

The Neurodiverse Education Hub Website

You can also purchase our e-book from the website:
e-book - Navigating Education: A Parent's Guide to Choosing the Right Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

and our

Free Brochure - Transitioning from Kindergarten to Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

Visit's The Neurodiverse Education Hub's Website  for information on the following:

Work With Me - Individual Education Plans (IEP's), Play Skills, 

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Why Can They Recognise Letter Sounds But Can’t Blend?

Your child knows their letter sounds… so why can’t they put those sounds together to read a word?

In this episode of Navigating Neurodiverse Education, we unpack why knowing letter sounds and blending sounds are two different skills—and why some children need explicit teaching and additional support to make that connection.

We explore what happens when a child is trying to blend, the role of phonological processing and working memory, why some sounds are easier to blend than others, and why children who sound out words very slowly may actually be developing an important skill.

We also look at practical strategies parents and teachers can use, including oral blending, continuous sounds, visual and physical supports, repetition, and chunking using onset and rime.

Most importantly, we explore what to do when traditional blending strategies aren't working and how chunking can reduce the cognitive and memory demands of decoding for some struggling readers.

Because instead of asking:

“Why can't they read?”

we need to ask:

“What part of the reading process is difficult—and what skill do they need next?”

🎙️ Navigating Neurodiverse Education
Practical strategies. Real support.

📱 Social Media Blurb

🧩 They KNOW their letter sounds… so why can’t they BLEND?

You show them:

m → /m/
a → /a/
t → /t/

Then put them together:

m-a-t

…and they can't tell you mat.

Sound familiar?

This can be incredibly frustrating for parents and teachers—but there may be an important piece we're missing.

👉 Knowing letter sounds is NOT the same skill as blending them.

In this episode of Navigating Neurodiverse Education, we look at:

🧠 Why blending can be difficult
 👂 The role of phonological processing
 💭 How working memory can affect blending
 🔤 Why some sounds are easier to blend than others
 👆 Using visual and physical blending strategies
 🔄 Why repetition matters
 🚫 Why we don't want children guessing from pictures
 🧩 And how chunking and onset-rime can provide another pathway for children who struggle to blend individual sounds

I've found chunking particularly useful with struggling readers who know their sounds but have difficulty putting those sounds back together—and I'm sharing why this approach can be so helpful.

The goal isn't simply to say:

“They need more reading practice.”

It's to work out:

“Where is the reading process breaking down?”

Because once we know that, we can teach the right skill.

🎙️ Listen to the latest episode of Navigating Neurodiverse Education.

Read3

For more advice, support, to book a consultation or to find out more information please visit:

The Neurodiverse Education Hub Website

You can also purchase our e-book from the website:
e-book - Navigating Education: A Parent's Guide to Choosing the Right Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

and our

Free Brochure - Transitioning from Kindergarten to Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

Visit's The Neurodiverse Education Hub's Website  for information on the following:

Work With Me - Individual Education Plans (IEP's), Play Skills, 

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What Do I Do When They Refuse?

“NO!” — We’ve all heard it.

But what if refusal isn’t simply defiance or “bad behaviour”? What if it’s telling us something?

In this episode of Navigating Neurodiverse Education, Ruth explores why neurodivergent children may refuse tasks, transitions, instructions or everyday activities—and what parents and teachers can do differently.

We look beyond the behaviour to ask:

• Can they actually do what we are asking?
• Is the demand too difficult or overwhelming?
• Do they need more processing time?
• Are they struggling to get started?
• Is the environment or routine contributing to the refusal?
• How can we provide support without creating a power struggle?

You'll learn practical strategies for reducing demands without removing expectations, breaking tasks into manageable steps, offering meaningful choices, supporting regulation and responding when a child is already escalating.

Most importantly, we'll rethink the question from:

“How do I make them comply?”

to:

“What do they need so they can?”

Because sometimes “no” isn't defiance—it’s information.

🎙️ Navigating Neurodiverse Education
Supporting parents and educators to understand behaviour, learning and the individual needs of neurodivergent children and children with complex needs.

For more advice, support, to book a consultation or to find out more information please visit:

The Neurodiverse Education Hub Website

You can also purchase our e-book from the website:
e-book - Navigating Education: A Parent's Guide to Choosing the Right Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

and our

Free Brochure - Transitioning from Kindergarten to Primary School for your Neurodivergent Child

Visit's The Neurodiverse Education Hub's Website  for information on the following:

Work With Me - Individual Education Plans (IEP's), Play Skills, 

Online Tutoring

Webinars 

Social Media

Books

Free Podcast PDF's

Etzy Store