Kier Starmer says the Greens are "nuts". A better NHS, fair wages, school dinners for all children, clean energy, publicly controlled utilities, affordable housing, and protecting the environment. Yep, sounds nuts! Let's make hope normal again. Come and join us... join.greenparty.org.uk

An survey has been launched to hear views from across the early years sector to guide the review of Birth to 5 Matters. The Early Years Coalition (EYC) is calling for people to get involved to help shape priorities for a new edition. Survey closes 24 November. Find the survey at buff.ly/HfHrgsr

The Labour Government reeling off the same far-right talking points on immigration. And look who is celebrating. The far-right. There is a political alternative that won’t ever scapegoat those fleeing war, persecution and torture join.greenparty.org.uk

"Valuing children's experiences instead of focusing on prescribed milestones helps them connect with world as well as develop academically." Forcing schools to become #ExamFactories is terrible for education, as well as #MentalHealth phys.org/news/2025-10...

📄 Author Maria Figueiredo is presenting during Poster Session B on Wednesday, 27-August from 9:55 - 10:35 and Symposium Set B12 | Tuesday 26th August 2025, 15:40 – 17:0 Read her associated open access article here: buff.ly/sToYfIh #EECERA2025 #EECERA

This looks great from Makes Sense To Me: This neurodivergent bookshop exclusively sells books with ND & /or disabled participation. They actively challenge ableist attitudes & practices. Nothing about us without us. makessensetome.co.uk

Carrie Grant in The Guardian: Supporting kids with Send is expensive. But the cost of not doing so is far greater. We agree. www.theguardian.com/commenti...

Important research - I would love to be at the EECERA conference to hear more about this.

More information and booking: www.froebel.org.uk/events/being...

Excellent summary of the debate on my regret motion on #UniversalCredit cuts: highlighting the people who deserve to have their disgraceful contributions highlighted #UniversalCredit #DisabilityCuts www.disabilitynewsservice.com/only-17-peer...

"I wish that every time we talked about inclusion, we talked about exclusion. Because for some reason people think including all disabled children in school is controversial. But when you talk about exclusion, suddenly everyone is against it.” TY North Star & Compass: substack.com/@northstaran...

One reason the revolt on disability benefits is looking so substantial is the line being used to defend it lacks any integrity. To claim that the purpose of cutting PIP - a non-means tested benefit - is to help people back into work requires saying something untrue.

Join us this Thursday 19th June for a webinar with @helwasmuth.bsky.social, exploring the Froebelian concept of ‘freedom with guidance’ and what it means for modern day practice. Info and booking ↩️ www.froebel.org.uk/events/webin... #Froebel #EarlyYears #EarlyLearning #EarlyEducation

My map of independent children's bookshops is updated regularly. Most provide an online service and they're all run by people who can make well-informed book recommendations. If we want to keep them, we need to support them. Any missing, please let me know. padlet.com/Jon_Biddle/r...

Neurodivergent people are treated as noise to be filtered out in most studies supporting the “science of learning”. We are discounted as outliers. Our needs and ways of being are deemed too inconvenient to consider. So, the vast majority of studies just ignore us. stimpunks.org/2025/06/06/t...

Tory legacy. Fire stations in England “falling apart”, Funding down by £1bn, call outs up by a fifth. Firefighter numbers down by a quarter in seven years, 11,000 full-time staff. Population increased but lack of investment in infrastructure, tax cuts for the rich. Readying for privatisation?

Really looking forward to hearing from Annamaria Pinter, guest speaker at @baalrichsig.bsky.social launch event on Thursday. She will be talking about the challenges and opportunities for applied linguistics research that involves children. It's not too late to book! 👉 tinyurl.com/richsigevent

A free webinar from the fantastic charity IPSEA - Monday 9th June, 12.30pm - 1.30pm - recording also available. www.ipsea.org.uk/free-webinar...

Last shout for this webinar that I'm running next Wednesday on how to 'become a writer'. Free to attend with the option to make a donation. Please repost. Thank you! ☺️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/become-a-w...

I'm running this free webinar next week on how to 'Become a Writer'. Hope you can join me. Tickets are free with the option to make a donation. Please share. Thank you! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/become-a-w...

Are you on Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Employment Support Allowance? UK govt will compel banks to hand information to it about your money. You can't prevent it even if you never committed fraud. Same won't apply to PPE, tax, subsidy fraudsters, corporate crooks, disqualified directors.

#Academics in England! Please sign & share! A group of us across academic disciplines have drafted a letter in support of the #PlayCommission's call for an English national #PlayStrategy. It will be submitted alongside others from people in built environment, health, education etc. bit.ly/4dalQed

"I want parents to learn what disability advocates taught me, what I wish I had known before my son’s diagnosis: that autistic people have always been part of our societies, & are valuable human beings who deserve unqualified love, acceptance, & access to supports." www.buzzfeed.com/shannonrosa/...

❕Extended Deadline❕ Please send your abstract for the BAAL RICH SIG launch event by Wednesday 7th May: tinyurl.com/richsigabstr... Three abstracts will be selected for presentations at our launch event on 5th June, and others will be invited to present at a future webinar. Thank you! 😊

2025 marks 10 years of the BERA Blog! 🎈🔟 #BERABLOG10 Our lead editor, Gerry Czerniawski, shares insights on the editorial process and how we support new authors in writing a blog post. 📝 @gerryczerniawski.bsky.social Find out more about the BERA blog: www.bera.ac.uk/blog

Baby food pouches sold by Ella's Kitchen, Heinz, Piccolo, Little Freddie, Aldi, Lidl found to be low in nutrients. Companies must know this but still sell them as profits come before people. Lives blighted Regulators collude with corporations. Who protects the people?

Research study 24: Kornilaki & Kypriotaki (2024) found that grandparents in Greece are involved in the upbringing of grandchildren, with and without SEND. Professionals and community services could recognize this contribution by providing skills/support. doi.org/10.1080/0360... #autismacceptance

Research study 23: Chaki and Faran (2025) found that intergenerational female solidarity can improve the functioning of the nuclear family, a mother’s satisfaction with life, and the adaptive behaviour of an autistic child - doi.org/10.1007/s108... #WorldAutismAcceptanceMonth #grandparents

Research study 22: Baena et al (2024) explored the impact of having an autistic grandchild and the resources that grandparents have and use. Grandparents perceived four areas of need: their own; the family; the autistic person; and society. doi.org/10.1007/s108... #autismacceptance #grandparents

Research study 21: Grandparents attending an intervention gained: increased knowledge about autism; skills and strategies to support their family; and opportunities to share experiences with other grandparents (Zakirova Engstrand et al et, 2021) doi.org/10.1007/s108... #WorldAutismAcceptanceMonth

Research study 20: Wang et al (2023) interviewed parents of autistic children, in Beijing. They identified intergenerational tensions (including denial of diagnosis) but also involvement and support from grandparents doi.org/10.3390/bs13... #WorldAutismAcceptanceMonth #autismacceptance #grandparents

Research study 19: In Thailand, grandparents taking on caring responsibilities for autistic grandchildren, to support their family, found meaningful engagement in grandparenting occupations (Panchasilawut & Sriphetcharawut, 2023) he01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/bu... #autismacceptance #grandparents

Research study 18: Ashby et al (2023) identify sociocultural factors contributing to delay in identification of autism in Black children. At an interpersonal level, grandparents’ role was important for observing child development. journals.lww.com/jrnldbp/full... #autismacceptance #grandparents

Bank holiday reading 😊

Research study 17: In Spain, caregivers of autistic children rely on formal support from early intervention providers but also the informal support network, including trusted grandparents (Martinez-Rico et al, 2022). doi.org/10.3390/ijer... #WorldAutismAcceptanceMonth #autismacceptance #grandparents

Research study 16: doi.org/10.3390/ijer... In a quality of life study, in Malaysia, Asahar et al (2021) found main caregiver perceptions of their child’s autistic-specific difficulties were associated with not receiving help with childcare from grandparents #WorldAutismAcceptanceMonth #grandparents

Research study 15: Zakirova Engstrand et al (2019) considered the perceived needs of 120 grandparents of autistic grandchildren in Sweden. Grandparents expressed a need for more information. doi.org/10.1007/s108... #autismacceptance #grandparents #WorldAutismAcceptanceMonth

Research study 15: From a review of literature, Trinidade et al (2020) describe support provided by grandparents of disabled grandchildren and the intergenerational family solidarity established between mothers and grandparents doi.org/10.4322/2526... #WorldAutismAcceptanceMonth #grandparents

Delighted to announce the launch event of @baalrichsig.bsky.social on 5th June! ✨Guest speaker ✨Panel discussion ✨3 member papers Submit your abstract by 30th April! 👉 tinyurl.com/richsigabstr...) Register here: tinyurl.com/richsigevent

Research study 14: In a study in Ireland, taking a family systems approach, Prendeville and Kinsella (2019) found grandparents of autistic children provided support to the grandchildren themselves and to their own son or daughter, as parents - doi.org/10.1007/s108... #autismacceptance #grandparents

“#AutismAcceptance is about loving autistic people for who they are, helping them find and embrace their strengths, & helping them learn the skills to thrive in a world that wasn’t meant for them. It isn’t about changing them or doing research to cure them.” www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-...

Research study 12: Grandparents were found by Yang et al (2018) to be highly invested in their disabled grandchildren, motivated by love, and saw their primary roles as supporting the family unit (both the child and parents) in various ways. doi.org/10.1352/1934... #autismacceptance #grandparents

Research study 11: Sicherman et al (2018) - in a US survey based study - found that frequent interactions with grandparents, especially grandmothers, lowered the age of diagnosis of autism by as much as 5 months doi.org/10.1177/1362... #WorldAutismAcceptanceMonth #autismacceptance #grandparents

Out of 55.2m UK adults 17.8m have annual income of less than £12,570. 1% have more wealth than 70% of the population combined. FOUR Britons have more than 20m people combined. Failure of economic/political policy. Govts still squeeze the poor. Good society can't be built on economic injustice.

Research study 9: Despite challenges, Hillman et al (2017) found that grandparents experienced positivity in their role, and engaged in radical acceptance of their autistic grandchild, as well as transformative insight and advocacy doi.org/10.1007/s108... #WorldAutismAcceptanceMonth #grandparents

Research study 8: In an online survey, in the US, Hillman, Marvin and Anderson (2016) found 43% of grandparents reported making personal financial sacrifices; and 25% of grandparents moved home to support an autistic grandchild doi.org/10.1080/1535... #WorldAutismAcceptanceMonth #grandparents

Research study 7: Kahana et al (2015) showed the value of grandparental involvement as a potential source of intergenerational support in families facing social, financial and health-related stressors when raising an autistic child doi.org/10.1080/1535... #WorldAutismAcceptanceMonth #grandparents

Hi #EduSky, we’ve had 9000 free downloads on #PlayMatters. It’s got lots of useful tips on children’s play based learning & a foreword by @michaelrosenyes.bsky.social - can you help us get to 10,000? @ruthswailes.bsky.social @ruthswailes.bsky.social www.early-years-reviews.com/_files/ugd/c...