Keep Calm
IT’S JUST A DIFFERENT WAY
OF THINKING!
Our mission is to share our knowledge, understanding and experience.
By highlighting the autistic/neurodivergent voice and current best, evidence-based practice we gather and disseminate information and resources to individuals, schools and other organisations.
(See Resources Bank below for more info)
What we do
Sessions for Schools & Nurseries
We currently deliver the following sessions to schools and nurseries. With an emphasis on the autistic voice and in line with current best autism practice, both of our sessions are individualised to meet the needs of your school or nursery.
SESSION 1
I Work With Neurodivergent/Autistic
How Can I Make My Classroom/Nursery More Inclusive?
During this session we look at the key messages (from Education Scotland, GTC and the National Autism Implementation Team etc.) for staff working in and with primary schools/nurseries and we introduce staff to easy to implement and manageable approaches and strategies in line with those key messages.
SESSION 2
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)
Once more placing the emphasis on the voice of those with lived experience, during this session we look at the history of PDA, what it is and what it isn’t. You’ll leave the session with a better understanding of what underpins this relatively new and controversial difference as well as ideas on how to better support those PDAers in your care.
Resources Bank
Would you like to have access to ALL the resources we have collected over the years?
We sorted them into categories and called it …
The 10 Questions
(you’ll ask yourself when working with autistic learners)
- 24/7 access to practical examples, information, guidance, downloadable resources, videos
- Current best autism practice
- Evidence based
- Regularly updated
- The autistic ‘voice’ represented throughout
(Click on the link at the top of the page for more info)
Support for Families
We support families via our parent/carer sessions which can be delivered in schools or for your organisation
Aim of sessions is to upskill, empower and encourage parents/carers to network and support each other
Sessions delivered locally
Diagnosis is not required to attend the sessions – pre and post diagnostic support
Some of the sessions we deliver:
What Actually Is Autism/Neurodiversity?
Pathological Demand Avoidance – What It Is and Isn’t
Understanding & Supporting ‘Challenging’ Behaviour at Home
Understanding & Supporting Friendships And Relationships
Sensory Differences
My Autistic Child Is So Anxious. Help!
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME…
Since graduating as a primary teacher (with an additional nursery qualification) in 1982, my experience has been wide and varied. I have 40 plus years experience teaching, leading and working alongside parents and professionals. This, in combination with my experience beyond education, demonstrates my commitment to motivating, inspiring and leading others.
During my teaching career I worked in mainstream schools, general additional support needs schools and autism specific establishments as a class teacher, early years specialist support teacher, autism outreach teacher, inclusion teacher and principal teacher in an autism base.
For 6 years I was a volunteer telephone Counsellor with ChildLine Scotland. After completing my initial training I counselled weekly (often more). I became part of a team designing training for and delivering training to newly appointed counsellors. Subsequently, I was invited to become a joint facilitator delivering ongoing training to existing counsellors. I worked as part of the ‘outreach’ team presenting information about ChildLine to the community.
At the same time, for around 4 years, I was a volunteer tutor with Dyslexia Scotwest. I supported dyslexic children and young people and their families at home. I was part of a project working alongside other members of Dyslexia Scotwest to interview and select potential tutors and, thereafter, jointly facilitated training for those tutors.
In September 2017 I took early retirement from teaching and Love Autism was established.
Alongside running Love Autism, I worked for HOPE for Autism (an autism charity in North Lanarkshire) where I spent 2 years as a family support worker providing emotional support, advice and guidance to parents and carers.
I’m a third party approved provider of training by The PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) Society.
More recently, I have become a freelance trainer for Mindroom, an Edinburgh based charity that works closely with Edinburgh University to champion all forms of neurodiversity.
What people say about our sessions …
‘Informative and insightful. As an autistic adult helped me better understand myself.’
‘Very interesting and informative. This training would be good for all early years workers, in fact, all who work with children. Thank you.’
‘Loved the session. So interesting. Could listen to you all day!’
Over the last few years I have also worked successfully with
