As we enter into a dark time full of danger and uncertainty, it seems almost perverse to write an article about Neurodiversity Celebration Week. As I sit down to write, …
Having had a couple of SNJ articles out now, I recognised I was running into a theme of throwing up frequent bad news and depressing stories without counterbalancing it with …
A few months ago, we ran a story about the development of a new toolkit called for #RightFromTheStart to assist schools to recognise and help children with autism. I was …
A lesson I recently learned is that sometimes admitting defeat is the best decision you can make. This time last year, I was elated about starting at a state sixth-form …
With Jane Harris, Director of External Affairs at National Autistic Society Last year we covered a landmark legal ruling that was supposed to mean thousands of children with disabilities would …
I go by the name of Philip Milburn but you are welcome to call me Phil, I’ve spent some of my time interacting with the adult mental health service and …
This is just a quick reminder for you. The Special Needs Jungle team is at The Autism Show this Friday and Saturday and we’d LOVE to meet as many of …
Anxiety appears to be increasing in children in recent years, or is it perhaps that we just appreciate its existence more these days than when I was a child? Whatever …
You may have noticed we’ve been featuring more young people recently. It’s a deliberate move to broaden the the conversation from what it’s like for parents or practitioners, to hear …
I’m sharing this post with my 19-year-old autistic son, Philip, who is looking for the experiences of other autistics who’ve been told they need to spend time with peers because …
We’re hearing much more in the last few years about Pathological Demand Avoidance, a condition on the autism spectrum, although many parents are still finding it difficult to get PDA …
by Georgia Harper The complex social hierarchy within the school gates – a hierarchy which often punishes anyone who stands out as different – is daunting even for some neurotypical …
Tania’s note: My ASD youngest often complains to me about hearing only the parent voice and not the young person (I’m still waiting for their own contribution 😉 ). However, …
Last week, I attended the first meeting for a new Reference Group “Right from the Start” established by the charity, Ambitious About Autism, the national charity for children and young people …
University researchers have discovered that most of the children of parents who’ve been fined or threatened with a fine over school “truancy”, have SEND or mental health issues. In England …
Earlier this week the NHS’s Long Term Plan was published. It’s a pretty big document and, as I’ve been away, I’ve not had much chance to investigate in depth about …
Tania’s note: We recently featured a post from autistic teenager, Siena Castellon, about her fabulous anti-bullying work. Siena is now pulling in schools and organisations across the country to support …
If you’ve been following the horrific stories of young people with autism who are locked away or who have died while “resident” in Assessment and Treatment Units or ATUs, you …
Tania’s note: I really value being able to feature the voice of young people with SEND on SNJ, as we recently did with Lucy, from Ambitious About Autism. Today we’re …
Recently, I took part in an Ambitious About Autism panel debate about the difficulties faced by young autistic people to get the right educational support to reach their potential. It …
