This week’s resources cover eating difficulties in neurodivergent learners, getting ready for the move to secondary school, why subtitles help so many neurodivergent brains and why praise can backfire for some children.
Eating Difficulties in Neurodivergent Learners [SLIDES AND NOTES] The slides and companion notes from a session helping non-specialist staff understand what they’re actually seeing when a neurodivergent child’s eating looks difficult: when food refusal is sensory rather than psychological, when “fussy eating” is really ARFID, and when eating is communication rather than defiance. It covers when to worry, when not to and what actually helps, which is often calming down and taking the pressure off rather than intervening more.
Equipping Neurodivergent Students for Secondary School Life [DOWNLOAD] Three resources for the move from Year 6 to Year 7, which is often a steeper leap than it looks for neurodivergent children. A full guide for staff covering the six areas where they most need support, a practical skills checklist of around thirty teachable skills and a friendly guide written directly to parents and carers.
Why Subtitles Help Neurodivergent Brains [VIDEO] Subtitles aren’t just for hearing impairment. For ADHD brains filtering speech from background noise, autistic minds tracking rapid dialogue and visual information at once, or anyone with executive function differences, visual text gives a second, more reliable route to the same information, so less energy goes on decoding words and more is left for following the meaning.
When Praise Hurts [EXPLAINER] For some children, praise feels like pressure: a sticker becomes something they could lose, a name on the board becomes another spotlight to manage. This carousel is about noticing children differently, quietly and beside them rather than in front, describing what you saw rather than how good it was, so the child who can’t bear public praise still knows they were seen.
Behaviour as Communication [RECORDED SESSION] When a child’s behaviour is difficult, the instinct is to stop it. But behaviour is communication, not defiance: a sign a need is going unmet or a nervous system is overwhelmed. This 49-minute recorded session helps you stay regulated when a child can’t, read what’s driving the moment and use a simple framework to bring the temperature down in the first sixty seconds, with as much weight given to repair afterwards as to getting every moment right. Individual licence £20 + VAT, school licence £100 + VAT.
If you’d like to get in touch, you can email me at pooky@pookyknightsmith.com. I’m delivering INSET on September 1st, 2nd and 3rd but could run a session on the 4th if that’s your allotted day…
Look after yourselves and go gently this week. Nearly there!
Pooky x
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Pooky Knightsmith, PhD, CPsychol, MA (Oxon)
Autistic Speaker | Author | Advisor | Assessor
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