Nice to see Empire of Normality recommended here. blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofb...

“It is a painful truth that many disabled children and their families are being traumatised - not by illness, not by accident, but by the very public services that are meant to be their lifeline” 😔 #SEND

The "answer" to the pressure on the SEND system does involve better funding, better training and better systems. It does not, and must not, involve making it harder for children to access support. www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Unauthorised Absence Film 🎥🚸 Parents & Schools in a SEND Crisis - children & families harmed by education policy Please make a pledge to support this film and please share this content with anyone else who might be able to support and/or donate www.kickstarter.com/projects/nat...

📢The 3rd Edition of the SPELL framework is now available for pre-order from Pavilion Publishing! The SPELL framework is an ethical and socially valid mechanism for understanding and responding to autism. It is hopeful, honest, respectful, ethical - and individual. pavpub.com?s=SPELL&post... 1/

Imo 'school readiness' is a ridiculous concept especially now that so many of the early learning goals (the measure they use) are not developmentally appropriate. Honestly you should see the self-regulation goals because quite a lot of *adults* wouldn't meet them.

Yes! Name the systems of power. The neuronormative paradigm is one of THE systems of power yet it has gone unnamed. The history of schooling is the history of the neuronormative paradigm and neuronormative domination.

The Neuronormative Paradigm, conceptualised by @dr-nicky.bsky.social names the systems that define & enforce what society considers normal and acceptable. This exploration piece contrasts the neuronormative paradigm with the neurodiversity paradigm. autisticrealms.com/the-neuronor...

Fantastic outside-of-the-box local school improvement approaches here! More scope for #neuro-affirming T&L and #coproduction. 🤗

“even where capitalism does bring ltd advances that allow increased mobility … we simply switch more trad forms of domination for neuronormative domination relative to the increasingly intense cognitive needs of capital … there seems to be only a v ltd possibility of liberation under capitalism,

Sharing an upcoming publication with the chapter I co-authored with @fergus.oolong.co.uk Embracing Monotropism and Flow It Takes All Kinds of Minds: Fostering Neurodivergent Thriving at School Ed. Rachael Davis @claruineill.bsky.social & @suereviews.bsky.social www.routledge.com/It-Takes-All...

Nice response to the curric & assess review. In case it’s paywalled for you, @missgoodyear.bsky.social & @samgibbs.bsky.social conspicuously don’t go down the ‘implementation’ of ‘what works’ (ie data-farming) path, but instead go with attuning to & meeting actual needs. Happy #neuroqueering! 🦋

This open-access book marks the first historical overview of the autism rights branch of the neurodiversity movement, describing the activities & rationales of key leaders in their own words. Edited by @drstevenkapp.bsky.social link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

New: “parents reported their [autistic] child’s school as a key issue, with their child’s MH difficulties often beginning or being exacerbated there, due to unmet needs and neurotypical models of provision, along with a lack of help & support from the school when difficulties arose”

Which aspects of #mainstream ed are unsafe for #neurodivergent YP, how does this impact them and what would help? Outstanding research from @grrand-team.bsky.social. @mrjlauder.bsky.social @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social @jillberry102.bsky.social @carlhendrick.substack.com @thesendcast.bsky.social

In autism &/or ADHD, the emotional burden hypothesis--"an explanation of depression risk... not in terms of regulatory deficits within the individual but rather to their experiences of extrinsic adverse events and encounters in their everyday lives" acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... free

“Autism & ADHD are not corporate inventions. They are lived realities situated in both biology & culture, they are shaped by systems that can harm or heal” ❤️

“Autism & ADHD are not corporate inventions. They are lived realities situated in both biology & culture, they are shaped by systems that can harm or heal” ❤️

How wonderful for @beckyfrancis.bsky.social that she has been supported to devote her time & focus purposefully to her area of interest. Let’s hope there’s room in the new curriculum for CYP to do the same 🤞 #neuro-affirming #monotropism #inclusion

1000+ episodes on history, philosophy, science, culture & religion Absolutely outstanding ✨

🧵Thread: Oh dear… now, I am picking up signs of what I feared would come- incoherence of policy and practice, with a scattergun approach to doing stuff… www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Updated page full of resources, research, blogs, books, videos and more related to monotropism: autisticrealms.com/monotropism/

New: “many aspects of the educational environment that could promote #Autistic students’ learning are modifiable, including access to safe spaces & sensory supports, explicit teaching practices, predictable classroom routines, & teachers’ openness to listening to & working with individual students”

"Fergus Murray’s Growing Up With Monotropism & Weird Pride is a crucial part of the brand-new autistic non-fiction anthology Someone Like Me. @fergus.oolong.co.uk's chapter is part technical primer, part auto-ethnography—& wholly moving." Eli Eggers, at TPGA: thinkingautismguide.com/2025/10/let-...

Can anyone who has the ear of government please tell them that you don't improve things by setting ever higher targets? Sigh.

"Many Autistic students mask their authentic selves to fit into neurotypical expectations. This leads to increased anxiety, exhaustion, and potential burnout; it can also impact attendance at school." From @autisticrealms.bsky.social: autisticrealms.com/neuro-affirm... #autism #neurodiversity

Joe Hanley at @yorkshirebylines.co.uk - you had me at “Leaning on PISA” ⭐️ yorkshirebylines.co.uk/news/educati...

Thanks so much for sharing this - absolutely and OFSTED have this in their new framework. SEND is not a bolt on it should be embedded in whole school practice

I'm not sure #inclusion sits well with sequenced curriculums delivered in a very specific way. I think there are questions about agency, voice and interests for young people in a totally adult led approach. We need to start from where the children are at, surely? Have the freedom to be flexible. ☺️

I'm not convinced that 'SEN units' in mainstream schools is what #inclusion means. Imo inclusion is not just about being in the same physical location. It's about an attitude and approach that includes learners with SEND as part of mainstream provision.

Let’s normalize bodymind breaks in schools. Take them when you need them. Take them in the bathroom. Take them in the library. Take them outside. Take them when you need to pee. Take them when you need to cry. Take them whenever you need to regulate. stimpunks.org/bodymind-bre...

Being “interest-led” isn’t enough. Monotropism means honouring deep attention, autonomy & sensory safety, not weaponising interests for compliance. https://autisticrealms.com/why-interest-led-isnt-enough-embracing-monotropism-neuro-affirming-practice/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social

Fantastic news! ✨

I think maybe the #SEND review needs to look at making education itself more suitable for meeting more children's needs? Start seeing #inclusion as a feature of the system rather than as an add on. If we did that alongside additional support for children with high level needs we might get somewhere?

When you come at inclusion via the early years idea of creating an 'enabling environment' then what happens is that you adapt the setting to suit the children rather than trying to adapt the children to suit the setting. 'The child is not for the school; the school is for the child." #EduSky

Another brilliant resource ✨

Today is the last chance to sign the petition to protect the rights of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Over 130,000 have signed. Will you help us with one final push before it closes at 23.59? #SEND #Disability petition.parliament.uk/petit...#SEND

Concerning not to see ref to reasonable adjustments. The @autisticgirlsnet.bsky.social has a good list: autisticgirlsnetwork.org/reasonable-a... Also concerning that the author advocates for the withdrawal of scaffolding ASAP. This might not be safe, eg due to risk of #burnout. #inclusion

The petition to protect the rights of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities closes TOMORROW. Please sign and share as widely as possible. Children with their own email address can sign. www.saveourchildrensrights.o... www.facebook.com/share/v/1Fe...

Does the toolkit include #neuro-affirming T&L approaches, based on #autistic & other #neurodivergent authored theory & #EdRes? #neurodiversity #doubleempathy #monotropism Fab explainer here from @autisticrealms.bsky.social & @tanyaadkin.bsky.social ✨ autisticrealms.com/neuro-affirm...

Dyslexia isn’t just about difficulties with reading or writing, it’s also about unique strengths in creativity, communication, and problem-solving. Understanding both sides helps us create environments where dyslexic learners can truly thrive. #DyslexiaAwareness

So much more than online learning, The Haven is a space where learning adapts, strengths shine, and every young person belongs. Read more about our approach on our blog - https://bit.ly/HavenApproach

Great to see Prof Maggie Snowling advocate for interest-based approaches to teaching reading ✨ #neuro-affirming #monotropism #neurodiversity

Discover Dinah Murray’s concept of co-tropicality. Explore how joining Autistic children in their flow & attention tunnel builds trust, co-regulation, & deep… https://autisticrealms.com/shared-flow-turning-attention-to-support-children-together/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social

But is it #neuro-affirming? @autisticrealms.bsky.social & @tanyaadkin.bsky.social have a fab explainer of what neurodiversity-affirming practice this is and why it matters ✨ #neurodiversity #doubleempathy #monotropism autisticrealms.com/neuro-affirm...

Alternatively, we can learn from ND adults re school: “We lament the loss of creative & intellectual potentialities offered by our divergences that we could have harnessed had we been encouraged to embrace them” (Betts et al. 2023) #neuro-affirming pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

While we’re waiting for RISE to help improve things, have you seen Barriers to Education’s new resources? barrierstoeducation.co.uk I’ve been really impressed by their evidence-based strategies and practical tools.

I'm glad that my kids are out of the school system because if I got a text from school about the number of days of absence I would have felt strongly inclined to block the number. I do think we need to reflect on whether at some point we're just being patronising. schoolsweek.co.uk/texting-pare...