The SEND Mum Club

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 @happychattersdeveloplan...

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...

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 &...

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...

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 a...

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

This week I’m chatting to Becky Blount about her son Bobby's health journey, including his diagnosis of pectus excavatum and ADHD. Becky shares her experiences with Bobby's surgery, recovery, and the significant changes in his quality of life post-operation. We talk about funding cuts for the pectus excavatum surgery and how Becky has campaigned to change the decision to not offer the operation to...

Lauren James joins me to talk about her gorgeous 3 year old daughter Dottie. This is an emotional one for me because my Leo is only slightly younger than Dottie and a lot of Lauren’s initial feelings about a diagnosis of Down Syndrome mirror my own. We discuss acceptance, how to talk to siblings about a diagnosis – Dottie is one of 6, and how Lauren is dealing with developmental regression, likely...

This week I’m joined by Jessie Townz to talk about her son Max who has Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and high functioning autism. We discuss the challenges of navigating the school system and how hard it was to find Max a suitable setting where they understood his needs. We discuss the importance of advocacy, the impact of PDA on their family life, and why there is a need for greater awarene...

My guest this week is Charlotte House, talking about her son Barnaby who has a rare form of epilepsy. Barnaby can have up to 70 seizures a day and we discuss how Charlotte manages that and what measures have had to be put in place to keep him safe. We talk about the on-going wait to find out what’s causing Barnaby’s seizures, how Charlotte finds researching everything helpful and she gives some gr...

In this episode I speak to my first international guest, all the way from Australia! Steph Papas joins me to chat about her 2 year old son Archie who has the extremely rare genetic condition TARP syndrome. We discuss the emotional resilience needed to deal with a potentially life limiting diagnosis, the decision to delay telling more than a handful of people, and how difficult it is to find peer s...

In this week’s episode I’m joined by Kelly Sadler to talk about her 10 year old son Kobi who was born with an upper limb difference – picked up at her 20 week scan. We discuss the need for medical professionals to be trained properly to deliver unexpected news and how she felt horribly anxious for the remainder of her pregnancy after receiving the diagnosis Kelly talks about how Kobi feels about h...

In this (slightly chaotic) episode, I speak to my husband Ben to get his version of our story with our son Leo who has Down syndrome. Ben shares his initial feelings when we got Leo's diagnosis and the ongoing journey of acceptance since. We talk about letting family and friends in and accepting support, and the important role therapy has played in his journey. We also speak about our differing op...

In this episode I'm joined by Megan Gillett to chat about her daughter Nellie, who has the terminal genetic condition Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD). Although this is obviously an emotional chat I was blown away by Megan's positive attitude to life despite Nellie's diagnosis. We speak about the grief of finding out Nellie's condition is terminal, the decision to have another baby, and the logi...

In this episode I'm joined by Abbie Bates talking about her daughter Harriet, who is nearly four years old and diagnosed with autism, global development delay, sensory processing disorder, and PICA. We talk about Harriet's journey to diagnosis, the differences between global development delay and learning disabilities, and the challenges of communication for non-verbal children. Abbie shares her e...

In this episode I’m joined by Shona Larrigan, talking about her 8 month old baby Harry, who has Prader-Willi syndrome. We discuss the emotional impact of receiving a diagnosis, the importance of therapy and support, and the need to live in the present. Shona shares her experiences with public perception and the conversations surrounding Harry's condition, and her hope for the future with potential...

This week’s guest is Charlotte Hunt who you might know from Instagram/TikTok as @twins_tides_and_autism_vibes. We talk about life with her sons Jude & Tommy who both have severe autism and how things have changed since Jude was born 17 years ago. Charlotte’s really honest about the breakdown of her marriage and how it felt navigating dating again as a SEND mum. We discuss introducing the boys...

In this episode, I’m joined by Ebony Gilbert talking about her journey as mum to George, who is blind, has autism and also brain damage from a stroke at birth. We talk about the struggle of true acceptance and what you have to let go of to get there, the joy of finding your own path that works for you and your family, and the challenges of communication without being able to use visual aids. Ebony...

Kim Lucock is my guest this week, sharing the journey of her daughter Jessica, who has faced chronic bowel problems since birth. We talk about Jessica having stoma surgery and the impact it’s had on her life, and the complexities of navigating the education system with a child who has additional health needs. Kim talks about Jessica’s medical anxiety, the realities of living with a chronic conditi...

In this episode Claire shares her emotional journey navigating the complexities of her son Jake's cardiac issues, including a heart transplant, and the effects that had on her, and her daughter Daisy. She talks about how she coped with nearly losing Jake multiple times, and how a diagnosis of autism brought a whole new set of challenges. Claire also discusses her charitable work with Team 1C, whic...

Amy Blackburn is my first guest talking about Down syndrome so this is a special one for me. In this episode Amy shares her journey of parenting her 6 year old son Remy. She discusses the emotional impact of receiving the diagnosis, the challenges of navigating day to day life, and what happened when her older children were told about Remy’s diagnosis by someone else without her consent. Our conve...

This week I’m joined by Jemma and Lisa, aka the SEND Mummies, sharing their experiences as parents of children with additional needs while running a business helping other families. They talk about their personal journeys, the challenges they face, and the importance of community support. We discuss the difficulties of navigating the SEND landscape, including the difficulties with DLA and EHCP pro...

In this episode I’m joined by Jodie Morgan, who shares her journey as a mother of two boys, Layton and Brooklyn, both with very different diagnoses. Layton has cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition that affects his lungs and pancreas, while Brooklyn has autism. Jodie discusses the emotional impact of their diagnoses, the routines they manage, and clever ways they’ve found to keep Layton motivated w...

In this episode Sam Young shares her journey as a mother to 5 year old Nina who has autism. Sam discusses the challenges and joys of parenting a child on the spectrum, the importance of community support, and the role of social media in connecting with other parents. She reflects on the diagnosis process, the need for better resources, and the emotional complexities of planning for the future. Sam...

In this episode, Polly shares her journey parenting 5 year old twins Fox & Lili Rose who have a genetic condition so rare that no one else in the world has it. We talk about their long stay in the NICU, finding support from others on a similar journey and how important that is, and the resilience her situation has given her. We discuss learning to stay in the present and the beauty of finding...