Thanks so much for sharing @autisticrealms.bsky.social 💛 Your work on burnout and monotropism has been incredibly influential in my own practice, so it really means a lot. Thank you also for amplifying it, I hope it reaches those who will most benefit 💛

We’re rolling out new training to improve neurodivergent children and young people’s wellbeing in schools and help them feel they belong.💜 We estimate over 10,500 neurodivergent students will benefit from the programme, Neurodiversity and Wellbeing in Schools, over 3 years.

Please share We have a few fully funded spaces available on our Neuro-Affirming Discovery Programme for 18-24 year olds starting 18th Feb. Register your interest here: thrivingautistic.org/discovery-pr...

So disappointing to see this divisive headline suggesting that ‘SEND’ is not only separate from but is in conflict with ‘core’ education provision. Integrative, inclusive provision, such as #neuro-affirming T&L, is needed. autisticrealms.com/neuro-affirm...

“it’s not processes, policies & services holding our very fragile SEND system together, but families up and down the country. And at a huge financial & emotional cost” Valuable insights from SNJ and @georginadurrant.bsky.social 🙏

So excited about the book & course for families/ parents/carers supporting Autistic people of all ages, I wrote with @neurohubcommunity.org Pre-order video course 20% discount neurohub.blog/invitation?c... Order the book (paperback & ondemand course out Feb 16th) www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GHGG8SS...

Just to say, a Teacher Tapp poll is not a representative sample of teachers in England. bsky.app/profile/scho...

Now I appreciate he's on the ropes, but Starmer seems to have been letting his dog-whistle speechwriter out again in Hastings. I'm not *keen* on the implication that wanting to spend more time with your family = terrorism but, possibly more painful, he's misrepresenting the legislative changes.

The University of Birmingham are finding out what Autistic and non-Autistic children aged 6 to 14 find comfortable and uncomfortable to look at. The findings will help make places and materials more comfortable. Find out more: Dr. Tyler: [email protected] Dr. Manning: [email protected]

NEW POST: The national media stories about EHCPs being cut have got us all worried. We asked IPSEA to set the current SEND law out clearly. Please share. www.specialneedsjungle.com/l... #Disability #SENDSky

#SchoolGovernors: “to assure [your]selves that the school is providing appropriate support for pupils with SEN & disabilities” (UK Gov 2025) you may find it helpful to benchmark sch policy & practice against SEND charity IPSEA’s super clear legal explainers here: www.ipsea.org.uk/the-best-end...

Parents/carers: what are your options if your YP’s school isn’t providing appropriate #SEN support or reasonable adjustments for #disability? Brilliant #SEND legal charity IPSEA have clear info on your local authority’s obligations. Their template letters allow you to deal directly with the LA ✨

Fab explainer from #SEND legal charity IPSEA on YP’s legal rights & #EHCPs. Rather than being a ‘drain’ on LAs’ resources, EHCPs keep YP in education - often mainstream. “Legal change, if the government wants there to be any, takes a long time, so your children’s rights HAVE NOT CHANGED”

I'm Helen Edgar (AuDHD), Educational Consultant & Founder of Autistic Realms. Interests: Neuro-Affirmative Practice, Monotropism, Burnout, Disability Rights & Neuroqueer Theory. Supporting Autistic & otherwise neurodivergent people to thrive. Lots of free resources! Explore: autisticrealms.com

Excellent webinar! Dr Brian Irvine’s approaches remind me of bell hooks’ #TeachingToTransgress ✨ #neuro-affirming #neuroqueering

It's @disabledstudentsuk.bsky.social Access Insights Report Publication Day! This is always a big one, as it gives us so much insight into the experiences of disabled students on the ground in #UKHE. And, for the same reasons, it's pretty depressing for a career disability practitioner like me 🧵

I'm so happy to see this from Autism Central & @petewharmby.com: A free neuroaffirming course for school staff & EMHPs on supporting Autistic & AuDHD students When I was an EMHP there was nothing like this, it's an amazing leap in the right direction www.autismcentral.org.uk/events/suppo...

I am looking forward to speaking at the National Autistic Society Annual Professionals’ Conference – which is live online on 12th March 2026 The theme of the conference is rethinking support through neuroinclusive practice Tickets and information available at www.autism.org.uk/conference

Isabelle points to a concise guide to a school's SEND responsibilities. It's very useful reading for school governors as well as school leaders. #EduSky #SEND

Explore how we can reframe stimming beyond “behaviour” as embodied sensory language and an act of neuroqueering. https://autisticrealms.com/stimming-as-embodied-sensory-language/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social

Our cognitive drive is to act with ideas, interact with others, interact with the world. Adapting; being part of something, shaping it. Our cognitive drive is to co-regulate, not be regulated. To converse. The brain isn't a thinker, it's an actor.

But are they #neuro-affirming? autisticrealms.com/neuro-affirm...

While UK is proposing to narrow diagnoses (!), our new study led by @isaacahuvia.bsky.social: adults w/ self-identified autism had more unmet needs & higher distress, & similar understanding of autism, than officially diagnosed peers. Most wanted formal diagnosis journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

We can improve KS3 provision by learning from #autistic & other ND-authored theory & #EdRes. #Neuro-affirming T&L approaches allow ALL learners to thrive. #monotropism #neurodiversity #doubleempathy autisticrealms.com/neuro-affirm...

Excited to share I have a chapter in @jo3grace.bsky.social's new book “The Scale of the Spectrum” alongside so many other wonderful Autistic contributors Order your copy here : pavpub.com/learning-dis...

It's good to hear that the English government is investing in SEND training for teachers, but it matters enormously *what* they're being taught, and *who by*... and have they considered ensuring that kids learn about this stuff, too? Here's one of my talks about this stuff: youtu.be/kDVBkGEmvFw?...

Far too often the barrier to supporting children with SEND is the system itself because of the pressure to do specific things for the DfE and Ofsted. If our approach was developmentally appropriate to the children, rather than externally enforced to meet targets, settings would be more able to flex.

With me!

A fabulous round up of autism research from the past few years collated by @annmemmott.bsky.social annsautism.blogspot.com/2019/01/auti...

I am excited to announce a new book and course will soon be available from myself and @emergentdivergence.com Re-Storying Autism. A Framework For Families, Parents and Carers: Reimagining Support For Autistic People More updates coming soon!

Important, powerful research & thread on rights & justice for #autistic people. Teachers, if you’re wondering why parents/carers of autistic YP might feel you ought to be making schools safer & more #neuro-affirming, you will find Gerald’s post super helpful. #burnout #attendance #masking

Understanding Autism: The Ecosystemic Model Of Distress Building on Luke Beardon's golden equation of 'autism + environment = outcome' this article proposes that distress and mental health problems are generated by the human ecosystem, highlighting that to improve the wellbeing of Autistic people…

I've always felt that the term SEND minimises the reality of disability and specifically obsfucates the social model idea that the barriers created in education are not an inevitable consequence of impairment, or the 'fault' of the individual, but are instead structural and our responsibility to fix

The first installment of "Understanding Autism", a blog series that will explore concepts from Autistic lived experience. First installment looks at the theory of monotropism. dghndconsultancy.co.uk/2025/12/19/u... #UnderstandingAutism #Monotropism #Monotropic #ActuallyAutistic #autism

It’s also misleading because a formal diagnosis is not needed in law for a child to have SEND - needing provision which is additional to/different from.

Resharing my starter pack of neuro-affirming Autistic advocates, orgs and charities if you are looking for a good list of people to follow go.bsky.app/9N5UEUC

Worth remembering: “SEND is a construct. It’s a convenient fiction. And it’s a neatly-boxed label designed to solve a problem the education system created, and refuses to take responsibility for.” TY @kieranrose.bsky.social theautisticadvocate.com/there-is-no-...

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham starts off strongly but then reveals he has no understanding of SEND or how EHCPs work…doh! www.politicshome.com/news/ar...

It's only a few weeks now until our interactive workshop, featuring talks by @thewoodbug.bsky.social, @petewharmby.com and more fantastic presenters. It's free to attend and will be in hybrid format. Sign up here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/focused-in...

Here we go! “Diagnosis has become the unofficial currency of support, not because the law demands it, but because the system has outsourced its moral & legal responsibility to a clinical gatekeeper.” theautisticadvocate.com/there-is-no-...

“SEND is not a framework for inclusion, but an administrative construct created to manage difference without requiring the education system itself to change. A way of locating the problem in the child, while protecting the structure that excludes them.” TY @kieranrose.bsky.social #SEND #inclusion

They definitely do 'push' schools but it's worth remembering that some schools refuse to play the game. If nobody played it, the game wouldn't work. The profession needs to reflect on that imo along with 'outstanding' Ofsted banners while complaining about Ofsted.

Really to happy to hear from the publisher today that our book on inclusive, neurodiversity-affirmative education is a "hot new release" in education, according to Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/new-relea... Flyer attached for a discount if you buy direct from the publisher - valid through January.

"If we truly want to support dysregulated students, especially neurodivergent ones, we need to stop putting the burden of managing big emotions solely on them & instead take a hard look at the environments we create." From @endseclusion.bsky.social: endseclusion.org/2025/07/10/n... #neurodiversity

Wonderful news and fantastic to see some of @thrivingautistic.bsky.social community members have contributed towards this book including @claruineill.bsky.social @autisticrealms.bsky.social & @fergus.oolong.co.uk ! An inspiring and accessible introduction to neurodiversity in educational settings

Something that always strikes me about these reports is that parents withdraw their children when inflexible systems are put in place and they can't cope. So in the end it becomes a way of removing learners with higher levels of needs, whatever the original intention. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

People asking why there is an increase in pupils declaring SEND: 1. There is less stigma associated with admitting you are struggling 2. The 'academic' curriculum introduced by Gove does not meet the needs of lots of pupils 3. Many 'behaviour policies' make schools inherently SEND non-inclusive.

“Rather than the myriad ‘social skills’ interventions that encourage autistic people to learn non-autistic social norms, it is time to consider how non-autistic people can meet autistic people halfway.” #doubleempathy

Lovely article from my friend and colleague @cjcrompton.bsky.social exploring the intersection of the double empathy problem and autism diagnostic criteria: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...