The Threads of Life

#1 Summary An episode using my knowledge and experience of Spelling to Communicate as both a practitioner and parent. Helping families to understand the term Praxis and why nonspeaking, minimally and unreliably speaking autistic individuals are Apraxic. #2 Guest n/a #3 Time Stamps 0:00 Intro - Get S2C mentioned on those EHCP's in the UK 2:36 Praxis and what we know from Spellers themselves 3:52 Ty...

#1 Summary A short and lighthearted New Year's episode on the popular decision so many parents of neurodivergent children come to at a certain stage on their journey to get a pet to help their autistic and/or neurodivergent child. Much like becoming aware of possible adhd traits we seem to get sucked into stories and advice about how good a pet can be, especially when our children are struggling w...

#1 Taking a look at and sharing my experiences as a parent of adhd and autism in a non-speaking child + adhd in a young adult in mainstream. Trying to figure which is the autism and which the adhd; deciding to medicate and what happens; understanding apraxia and hoping parents and families resonate, feel less alone and more informed of how it actually can go. #2 Guest: n/a #3 0:00 - 4:46 Intro - i...

#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...

#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 chiul...

#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 equ...

#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; train...

#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....

#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; medicatio...

#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...

#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 frustrat...

#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, a...

#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...

#1 Part A of my journey with my non speaking son Henry age 13 and S2C - Spelling to Communicate. Where it began and how I find out about it; understanding presuming competence and that it his body he cannot control well (including the eyes) in purposeful motor movement. Our first sessions and being introduced to a practitioner and the stencil alphabet boards. #2 N/A #3 Time Stamps: 0:00 Intro 1:50...

#1 A look into how often others/society makes assumptions about neurodivergent and/or disabled people's intelligence just by what they see. having heard about the children/adults and their parents struggles the assumption is that they are always miserable and struggling and a real challenge for their parents, as if there is no joy. What is presuming competence and the true meaning of inclusion, al...

#1 A good hour long episode chatting to Tracy; how we met; Tracy's background as an OT; her PDA (pathological demand avoidance) and autistic son Jack; their family; discovering NVR (Non Violent Resistance) and a new family venture called 'Aspects Together'! #2 Tracy Weiner #3 Time Stamps: 0:00 Intro to this episode and Tracy, how we met and Tracy's journey 6:35 Why is my child not coping? What is...

#1 This is not an episode on bad parenting or bad children, its an episode why we feel like bad parents and why our autistic and/or adhd and/or neurodiverse children are often made to feel this way. How us parents wish someone could come into our homes and simply observe and offer helpful advice on how to make getting through each 24 hr cycle easier + have someone who actually can witness and beli...

#1 Food wars vs food relationships and the battle with their sensory systems that are constantly changing. There is so much more going on than just the food. It's different to the neuro-typical journey of fussy or picky eaters. My own experiences and advice from having raising a now 20 yr old son who is adhd plus my youngest Henry who is on speaking, autistic and adhd, age 12. They do grow and dev...

#1 The message as per an original unisex 'Autism Threads' slogan T-shirt is "NO APOLOGY". Autism is part of who our children at any age, are. It is part of their make-up, it is responsible for the incredible minds they do have and we should make no apology for their actions, noises, lack, of eye contact, different ways of communication. An introduction to Elizabeth Vossellor, Founder of S2C that i...

#1 New Year vibes, already knackered, down with colds again and no resolutions made! Not an episode inviting a pity party but one encouraging awareness as I share what it's like for my non speaking son and I and how I describe just how fully competent he and all non speaking autistic people are and how we need to start to presume competence and treat them both with respect and age appropriately. t...

SHOW NOTES: #1 News on the new podcast name and website coming soon. Announcement about a new training course I am on and an informal, lighthearted look at sleep issues for both autistic children and adults plus their parents. The why and what helps in terms of sleep onset problems and paying attention to ourselves as parents and the physical and mental impacts of years of sleep deprivation. #2 NO...

#1 An informal, light hearted, parent speak, type of chat about the current parent generation and their unique struggles plus the parent child shift in terms of respect and what our children and especially autistic children are doing when they need to control and manipulate us parents. An example of setting boundaries and mentioning motor loops. #2 N/A #3 0:00 Intro and new podcast name, website,...

#1 My guests today are autistic, nonspeaking and adhd Henry's older siblings. An informal chat about their own experiences with their brother, understanding what autism is and coming to terms with how it impacts their brother and the whole family. As usual with the siblings they become mentors for the parents, just the most unconditionally accepting and loving humans who have none of the deep conc...

#1 Me, parent of autistic nonspeaking adhd Henry age 12 about the enormous amount of admin, energy and frustration it takes to ensure your childs' education, health and care are in order, their needs being met and all the form filling, waiting, appointments, research, therapy this takes, that all goes son in the background. It feels though no-one is there for ht parent to acknowledge, believe and...

#1 A relaxed and fairly brief chat to my first guests Kay and her son Isaac who is autistic. We talk about Home Education, what led to Kay's decision to home educate her son, how Isaac feels about it, busting the many myths and how to go about it, finding help and support. #2 Guest names: Kay and her 12 year old autistic son Isaac. #3 0:00 Intro 1:05 How I met my guests and what we are going to di...