#1 Summary:

Introducing Harriet Carter and telling the story of how we met. Harriet is opening her own new SEN primary school near Maidstone in Kent, UK in September 2025 and will be introducing Spelling to Communicate (S2C). Harriet has been in education for over 20 years, has a non speaking nephew Lenny and has spent the best of five years acquiring a site, finding investors and planning her new school called Earley Springs. We talk about her journey, some of the hardships and triumphs, why the name, S2C and looking ahead.

#2 Guest:

Harriet Carter - Owner, Founder and Head Teacher of Earley Springs.

#3 Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro - Starting Conversations, how Harriet and |I met and introducing her.

4:26 Harriet tells us her personal and professional story about why she is opening this new school.

7:05 Every day is a school day!

8:27 Inspired by her Auntie and nephew hence the school name.

10:15 SEN Schools where set up by parents, families, relatives with a connection who actually know what to provide.

11:08 School name and logo + vision for the school.

12:10 Top Tips. 3 Highs. 3 Challenges.

14:13 The London Marathon!

17:45 Harriet's absolute dream and the curriculum.

23:36 A blueprint for other parents/individuals do the same.

25:00 Spelling to Communicate / S2C.

34:43 Why I'm excited - the whole communication approach.

36:17 True inclusion starts with presuming competence and knowing that children and adults want to and can learn.

37:11 Open Day 9 August 1-3pm. All welcome.

#4 Bullet Points:

• How Harriet and I met and who she is + what she is doing.
• Setting up her own school from scratch - SEN Primary.
• Why; behind the name; Highs and lows.
• The broken system and how great the need is.
• School Blueprints
• S2C - Harriet's experience coming to observe a session of mine.
• Whole communication approach.
• OPEN DAY 9 AUGUST 2025 1-3PM.

#5 External References and Links: see below

#6 Calls to Action: N/A

#7 Social Media:

fb - Earley Springs

#8 Next Episode: tbc

#1 Summary

Trying to tactfully (and probably not successfully) put it out there that non speaking, minimally and unreliably speaking autism is not quite the same journey as other autism or neurodivergent journeys and the therapies, schools and health care do therefore not always work as well, at all, or in the same way. There are so many commoin themes of wha tparents do to try and get their chiuldren and adults the help they need so this episode is dedicated ot sharing those, having alaugh over things tried and trying help others get honest, real advice on what pwrks, what doesn't, how and why. When all th ewhile each individual is unique and different.

#2 Guest n/a

#3 Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro - see summary above and starting with diagnosis

4:10 Do what works for you, your child and your family

6:27 Speech and Language + Occupational Therapy

11:42 There is nothing you should be doing, don't panic.

12:09 Diet and nutrition

16:37 What our children are

17:24 Why do S2C - the importance of and basic right to communication

19:35 Sleep onset issues

23:45 adhd meds

25:20 anti anxiety meds

25:56 Back to S2C. It works. New School coming soon and using S2C!

28:15 Finding the right school

#4 Bullet Points: Common Themes

• Diagnosis
• SlT and OT intervention and therapy
• Diet
• S2C
• Sleep
• Meds
• Schools

#5 Calls to Action:

Early/mid roll - newsletter

Mid+ roll - Guest episode coming soon re new S2C using school!

End roll - thank you re podcast

#6 Links and References: n/a

7# Social media: n/a

#8 Next Episode:

Harriet Carter of Earley Springs - new SEN primary opening in Kent Sept 2025

#1 Summary

My non-speaking son Henry, now 14 and I are up on the 26 letter-board now that is hugely exciting and also challenging - a bit like starting all over again. And episode sharing our tirals and tribulations with being a parent CRP (co-regulation partner) and some tips and wisdom that have been passed on to me as a Practitioner now from the one and only Elizabeth Vosseller (EV) and her equally amazing counterpart Anna Lechleiter of Palz Ireland.

#2 Guest: N/A

#3 Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro to Episode.

1:43 How practice is going at home and being up on the 26.

4:57 Toggling.

8:00 Mispokes and 3 board foundations.

9:22 The excitement and experience of semi-opens, prior knowledge and even open questions.

10:45 Encouragement, emotions and expectations.

13:30 The Motor vs Cognitive balance i.e. seesaw.

16:36 Reassurances and being cool!

20:29 Windows into their personalities.

22:07 Not assuming we know what they are thinking and feeling by looking at their bodies.

24:15 Working through dysregulation and being the mailmen/women.

#4 Main Points

• Practice - resonating with parents.
• Toggling up/down on the 26 stencil.
• Mispokes/Typos.
• 3 board foundations
• Semi-opens and opens!
• Motor v Cognitive balance.
• Reassurance and encouragement.
• Not reading into what their bodies are doing.
• Being mailmen/women.

#5 References: see below for details on I=ASC (International Association for Spelling as Communication or S2C) and Anna at Palz Ireland.

#6 Calls to Action:

pre-roll: welcome and thank you

mid-roll: i-asc

end-roll: inviting guests and how to become a practitioner

#7 Social media n/a

#8 Next Episode tbc

#1 Summary

An episode for those of you who live the same life as we do i.e. with neurodivergent and SEN children, to resonate with, feel validated by, laugh at and know you are not alone when it comes to travelling. And for others listening to know our struggles, become aware and help us change attitudes. Encompassing all things travel related from walking to the local shops, to cars; buses; trains, and planes. Even pushchairs! No boats though.

#2 Guest: N/A

#3 Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro to Episode.

2:14 The baby and the pushchair.

5:45 These are some of the hardest moments.

6:52 The post toddler and the pushchair!

8:59 Public transport and hyper vigilance - walking, buses, trains.

15:14 Disabled Parking Badges.

19:08 Public toilets.

23:26 Flying.

34:24 If you never want to brave flying, that's fine.

37:50 The balance.

#4 Main Points

• Moments and times when it's the most difficult for parents/carers.
• Walks, Pushchairs, cars, buses, trains.
• Road safety.
• Flying.
• Balance and being ok with your choices.

#5 References: see below for details on I=ASC (International Association for Spelling as Communication or S2C)

#6 Calls to Action:

pre-roll: free 30 min episodes to please share

mid-roll: my webpage + newsletter + blogs

#7 Social media n/a

#8 Next Episode tbc

#1 Summary

An hour long episode with guest Helen Adderley who is so charming and intelligent and joy to chat with. Helen talks us through her own personal journey with her son Phil, becoming a Spell2Communicate Practitioner and most importantly about her book of lessons for non speaking, minimally and unreliably speaking individuals learning to spell to communicate plus how to write a good lesson. it is relevant to all Practitioners, Practitioners in Training (PITs) and parents and CRP's (co-regulation partners).

#2 Guest: Helen Adderley

#3 Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro to Episode.

2:30 Introducing Helen Adderley and how her and I met.

4:28 Helen and her son Phil's journey/story- PECS, Signing.

9:43 Finding S2C and training to become a Practitioner.

18:53 Why the lesson is so important: boredom. flow. momentum.

24:23 Categorisation = Age Appropriate. Follow the flow with your questions (multicoloured).

25:23 Spellers want to learn. keep it interesting, conversational. Take note of day to day things that interest or fascinate you + any of your own experiences, memories, passions.

27:04 There must be a mutual respect. A lesson as Elizabeth Vosseller says is.."an invitation to have a conversation".

28:15 Helen's 7 Top Tips for Lesson Writing.

46:12 Helen's Book: "British -Themed S2C Lessons" is available on Amazon and is for older/adult spellers. All proceeds are being donated to the non-profit organisation I-ASC (International Association for Spelling as Communication).

#4 Main Points

• Helen and her son's Phil's backstories
• Why a good lesson is important
• Top Tips for parents, PITs, CRP's, Practitioners
• Helen's book and where to buy it
• What's next...new book for younger spellers in collaboration wiht me/Trish O'Dwyer.

#5 References

If you live in the North Wales area and are looking for a certified S2C Practitioner for your non-speaking, minimally or unreliably speaking child/adult please contact either Helen Adderley [email protected] or Iwona Koza [email protected]

#6 Calls to Action n/a

#7 Social media n/a

#8 Next Episode tbc

#1 Summary

As much as we love and embrace our neurodivergent children, raising them is challenging and often leaves us feeling as though we are going round in circles. An honest look at parenting my own two sons and their adhd, one being 13 and non-speaking autistic, the other 21 and at home having dropped out of uni. Sharing the woes experienced with diagnosis; impulsivity in the brain; medication; executive function; disassociation, demand avoidance.

#2 Guest n/a

#3 Time Stamps

0:00 Intro

1:25 personal family history on 3 x adhd diagnoses in my two sons and daughter.

2:16 Diagnosis and meds for a non-speaking autistic 8yr old

7:20 Separating the autism from the adhd

8:39 The 21 year old's story of adhd

10:54 The day to day woes

13:56 Executive function

17:06 Disassociation

18:31 Demand avoidance

21:04 we are both learning, I am learning to not expect a neurotypical journey and to work with who my child is and what he can actually do.

22:44 Extra time in exams whine!

#4 Main Points

• family history on adhd and diagnosing
• meds
• day to day woes as a parent
• executive function; disassociation; demand avoidance
• learning to do better as a parent
• wrap up with some positivity

#5 References n/a

#6 Calls to Action

pre-roll: thanks and share

#7 Social media n/a

#8 Next Episode tbc

#1 Even thinking about your child potentially needing a residential placement is traumatic and gut wrenching so actually sending them is the hardest decision families can make. A personal episode to raise awareness, to help the decision making process for parents/carers and to rid the stigma of what people assume it is.

#2 Guest N/A

#3 Time Stamps

00:00 Intro and 3 reasons why I am recording this episode.

2:00 Learning form our own neurodivergent children and adults.

4:30 Being done with the guilt and shame of having my child in a part residential school.

5:05 What others assume.

6:25 What the truth is and how incredible these schools and their staff are.

8:33 Our experience and the benefit to our son and family.

9:32 The impact (on me) and where our son is at now 2.5 yrs on.

18:21 Support for parents/carers making a decision on a residential school.

#4 Summary

• awareness, help in decision making, shutting the naysayers up
• do not judge
• what others assume
• the truth - residential schools (good ones)
• our sons progress and the benefits to him and the family
• support, encouragement and validation for parents/carers

#5 Calls to Action

Pre-roll: thanks to listeners and recent stats

Mid-roll: n/a

End-roll: n/a

#6 References/Links

N/A

#7 Social media

N/A

#8 Next Episode - tbc

#1 Continuing the S2C journey with my son Henry who is 13, non-speaking autistic and adhd. He is learning to point to letters of the alphabet on stencils to answer questions from age appropriate lessons and I am learning to become his co-regulation partner (CRP) on the stencils/boards. It is a long journey that takes an enormous amount of commitment. It is fraught with inconsistencies and frustrations, takes many people to be invested in it, heaps of belief and the determination to never give up. But what could be more important right? It will eventually lead to Henry being able to spell out his own thoughts and ideas giving him not only access to communication at last but agency and autonomy too. How incredible and how exciting.

#2 Guest N/A

#3 Time Stamps

0:00 Intro to episode and Part A recap.

1:00 What S2C sessions look like and involve.

3:13 Becoming a co-regulation partner (CRP).

9:30 What your practitioner will teach you the parent about: speech vs language; types of motor; presuming competence; the boards/stencils and how to use.

14:35 Paradigm shifts to make as a parent.

19:35 What is least dangerous assumption you could make?

20:57 Where I am at with Henry so far and how it has gone during the past 9 months or so.

#4 Summary

• Part A recap
• Becoming a CRP
• Learning about elements of S2C: speech v language; motor; competence; boards
• Paradigm shifts to make
• Where Henry and I are at in our journey now after 9 months or so

#5 References/Links/Books:

see links below

#6 Calls to Action

mid-roll: my monthly newsletter on www.thethreadsoflife.co.uk

#7 Social Media

see @_thethreadsoflife_

#8 Next Episode

November and tbc

#1 Taking a look at what progress actually looks like for parents of neurodivergent children and adults. How their progress is typically measured. They are growing and developing all the time regardless. A brief look into Apraxia for nonspeaking individuals. Recognising that it's can't not won't; believing it gets better by just being there for them and learning every day. Learning to recognise, acknowledge and celebrate the wins, even what to others may seem tiny or insignificant.

#2 Guest: N/A

#3 Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro

0:13 Neurodivergent children are measured against what neurotypical children their same age can do. Not fair or appropriate.

1:14 No-one in education is harnessing the potential of the ND mind or even being curious.

3:25 The environment you place them and their amazing brains in is key.

5:00 Nonspeaking, minimally or unreliably speaking individuals and Apraxia

6:35 There is no look to listening or to intelligence

10:07 Using my son as reference for and naming examples of - me reaching out to parents and their children/adults who are really struggling right now.

16:12 There is model or previous generation experience or anything even from most of our parents on how to support and raise an ND child.

18:30 It gets better! It does. Example - sleep.

21:38 The water trick and recognise, acknowledge and celebrate the tiny wins. They are actually BIG wins.

#4 Summary

• neurodivergent minds are simply brains that work in a range of different ways.
• How ND children's progress is typically measured in education.
• Apraxia, the brain v body disconnect
• There is no look to intelligence or to listening.
• Reference to and examples of what progress looks like in my own son Henry who is nonspeaking, autistic and adhd.
• There is no guide or support for parents.
• It does get better, there IS progress, they do grow up.
• Recognise, acknowledge and celebrate the tiny wins, they are what progress looks like and they are huge!

#5 Calls to Action

Pre-roll: My Journey with S2C episode mention.

Mid-roll: Uniquely Human Podcast.

End-roll: none

#6 References/Links

None

#7 Social media

N/A

#8 Next Episode

tbc

#1 These days we are all largely aware of neurodiversity and roughly what it entails but, how would you describe or define it to someone? What exactly is it in average person speak and what's important about it? Who does it include? Going on to talk about abelism and inclusion and what an inclusive classroom should look like starting with presuming competence in all students.

#2 Guest N/A

#3 Time Stamps

0:00 Intro

2:05 Advocacy; Identity First Language and Disability.

5:20 The Neurodiversity model of Disability.

6:42 What neurodiversity is not.

8:18 Abelism, what is it?

10:53 We are ALL as human beings co-dependent.

13:49 Myths about non speaking autistic individuals.

17:35 Inclusion.

#4

• Intro and where I have learned about neurodiversity, abelism and inclusion from.
• Advocacy, Identity first language; Disability models.
• What is neurodiversity, abelism and inclusion + what they are not.
• Analogies to help us understand and relate to.
• Myths about non speaking autistic individuals
• Spelling 2 Communicate
• Quotes and references

#5 Calls to Action

pre-roll: webpage

mid-roll: thank you re podcast listens and please share

end-roll: newsletter sign-up

#6 References.

Quotes:

Neurodiversity - Judi Singer; Steve Silberman (author of Neurotribes book); Thomas Armstrong.

Inclusion - Miller & Katz 2002; Newton 2017; Cheryl Jorgensen.

#7 Social media

N/A

#8 Next Episode

What does Progress Look Like?