In this episode I’m joined by Kelly Hughes to chat about her daughter, 8 year old Gracie who has Down syndrome, autism, ADHD and PDA. We talk about the battle to find the right school for Gracie and the importance of having the right professionals involved in her care. We also discuss school refusal and Kelly opens up about a traumatic conversation she had with a doctor soon after Gracie’s birth.

 Kelly has set up the Merseyside SEND Support Network to help other parents with all of the challenges involved in raising a chid with additional needs and you can find out more about it here:
https://www.merseyside-send-support-network.co.uk/
You can find them on Instagram here:
@merseysidesendsupportnetwork

I’m chatting to a SEND Dad this week, my friend and radio colleague Adam Weighell. Adam talks about the life changing impact of his son Toby being born at 26 weeks. We discuss life in the NICU, the moment he and his wife Gemma finally got to take Toby home after 142 days in hospital, and the fact they were aware Toby’s chance of being neurodiverse would be slightly higher due to how early he was born and some medical complications that followed. Adam talks about the differences in parenting a neurodiverse child alongside a neurotypical one and the need for connection with other parents who are in a similar situation.

 Adam has written a book about Toby’s start to life called Dear Toby – which he describes as a love letter to his son – designed to help other parents navigate the NICU and life with a premature baby. You can order the book here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dear-Toby-Diary-Preemie-Parent/dp/1036916359

 
Tags: world prematurity day, autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorder

This is the first of a slightly different type of episode (which will be occasionally dropped in amongst the usual ones) where I speak to experts in different fields that you may find helpful. This episode is all about therapy. I’m joined by Naomi Bateren who is a psychotherapist to talk though the different types of therapy and how to access them – both through the NHS and privately - how to pick which type of therapy will work best for you, and how to get the most out of your sessions. There is also a listener Q&A made up of questions sent in through Instagram, and Naomi gives her advice for anyone struggling with any aspect of SEND parenting.

Naomi asked to clarify some of the differences between different professions here in the show notes…

Clinical psychologists are trained to doctoral level and use more therapy models. They tend to work with more complexity (multiple goals, drawing more links, slower pace). 
Counselling is a space to be heard and validated and is less directive.
CBT therapy is a specific training and is used for a faster paced single direction/focus.
Psychotherapy is similar to clinical psychology. There can be different levels of training, many to masters level.

The websites Naomi mentions to find a therapist are here:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/counselling

https://www.bacp.co.uk/

 You can find Naomi on Instagram @naomibaterentherapy

This week Carys Anderson is my guest, talking about her nearly 6 year old daughter Seleh who has an extremely rare genetic condition called Tessadori Bicknell Van Haaften syndrome. We discuss the difficulty of finding holidays that can cater for both physical disabilities and complex sensory needs, the difficulties of waiting so long for a diagnosis and how isolating that was, the benefits of therapy as a parent and Carys has some brilliant advice about allowing time for yourself time as well as for your child.

 The charities Carys found helpful are:
SWAN https://geneticalliance.org.uk/support-and-information/swan-uk-syndromes-without-a-name/
Rare Disease UK https://geneticalliance.org.uk/campaigns-and-research/rare-disease-uk/

 Tags: SEN parenting, SEND, additional needs

In this episode I’m joined by Zynab Al Bahrani to chat about her 2 boys Yaseen and Saleem who both have autism. We talk about how it feels getting a diagnosis with your second child, the many things that can trigger you as a parent, how to cope with regression, and the importance of understanding sensory processing.

 You can find Zynab on Instagram @chapter.thirty.five and @happychattersdeveloplanguage and online at www.chapterthirtyfive.com

Charlie Pettit joins me for this episode to talk about her daughter Easter who has Down syndrome and well as a brain condition. We discuss comparison with typical children, letting go of control and how hard that can be, and the importance of being able to connect with people in similar situations. We also talk about the abortion laws concerning Down syndrome (and other conditions) meaning you can legally terminate your pregnancy right up until the end and why it’s so important for that to change.

 You can find Charlie on Instagram @a_little_extra_with_easter

This week I’m joined by certified parent coach Kirsty Bailey to discuss her journey of parenting her son Tommy who has autism. Kirsty specialises in neurodiversity and we take a deep dive into communication, in particular Gestalt language processing. Kirsty also gives her take on the controversial comments made by Donald Trump regarding autism and paracetamol. 

You can find Kirsty on TikTok & Instagram @mammaandtommy

Tags: speech and language, sensory integration, global development delay

Laura Wallace joins me for this episode to chat about her son Ted who has cerebral palsy. We discuss the various ways that affects Ted and the day to day changes she has to make to accommodate his needs. We talk about the worry of him starting school and how he’ll cope, the guilt she felt when receiving Ted’s diagnosis and her struggles to get health professionals to listen to her in the beginning.

The charities Laura talks about in this episode are:
https://leosneonatal.org/
https://contact.org.uk/

Tags: SEN parenting, parenting podcast

We’re back after our summer break and in this episode sisters Nikki & Louise talk about their experiences as mums of children with ADHD & Autism as well as their professional roles as rebound therapists. We discuss how working in SEND can help when parenting a child with additional needs but also how that parenting journey helps them in their job supporting other families.

 We also speak about the difficulty in getting a diagnosis for an older child who is approaching adulthood and exactly what rebound therapy is and the multiple benefits it can have for children with a wide range of additional needs.

 You can find Nikki & Louise on socials @rebounderstherapycentre and @louisereboundtherapy and Nikki’s contact email is [email protected]

 Tags: SEN parenting, parenting podcast, EHCP, DLA, SEN school

It’s the summer holidays so the podcast (and me) will be going on a break. I’m going to have more fabulous guests for you from the beginning of September but in the meantime I’m going to leave you with a montage of the advice from all of my amazing guests so far!

Tags: parenting podcast, additional needs, SEN parenting, SEND