Speech Freedom

09/03/2026

I’m going to delete fb for a few weeks. I’ll probably be back at the end of the month

09/03/2026

07/03/2026

An interesting read

05/03/2026

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐏𝐃𝐀… 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐕𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭 🍞

Here’s a simple way to understand why tiny changes can cause what looks like huge reactions for PDAers.

Our brains are constantly predicting what will happen next.
That’s how we stay safe.

A 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 happens when what the brain expects doesn’t match what actually occurs.
Now imagine this:

You’re expecting Vegemite toast.
You can already taste it.
Your brain is prepared for Vegemite toast.

But you bite into it…
and it’s honey instead.

Even if you like honey, there’s a moment of 𝐣𝐨𝐥𝐭.
Something’s off.
Your body reacts before your thinking brain catches up.

That jolt?
That’s a prediction error.

For PDAers, the nervous system is already on high alert.
So when expectations aren’t met,
a plan changes,
a tone shifts,
an instruction sounds different,
an adult does something unexpected

The nervous system reads it as threat, not inconvenience.

This is why:
• “It’s not a big deal” doesn’t help
• “I was just trying to help” can backfire
• Sudden changes can feel unbearable
• Demands can feel explosive, even small ones

It’s not defiance.
It’s not manipulation.
It’s a brain reacting to unexpected input.

What helps reduce prediction errors?
🌻 Gentle previewing
🌻 Declarative language
🌻 Choice and collaboration
🌻 Flexibility over rigidity
🌻 Letting go of “surprises” being fun

When we work with the nervous system instead of against it,
things can soften.

And sometimes…
we just need to check what kind of toast someone was expecting in the first place 💛

🌻

05/03/2026

Science. You’re welcome.

04/03/2026

Autistic burnout isn’t a sudden collapse.
It’s the predictable result of long-term overextension.

Most autistic adults don’t burn out because they “did too much.”
They burn out because they did too much for too long, without support, and accommodations for recovery.

What often gets missed is:
Many people were already functioning at capacity, or way beyond it, years before burnout became visible.

Burnout tends to show up after:
• increased responsibility
• prolonged emotional labour
• sustained masking in work or relationships
• cumulative invalidation of needs
• years of being “the flexible one.”

From the outside, others may say:
• “You were fine before.”
• “You used to handle this.”
• “What changed?”

What changed is that there is no longer any spare capacity to absorb stress.

Autistic burnout occurs when adaptation is treated as endless and cost-free.

Support during burnout isn’t about motivation, positivity, or pushing through.
It’s about:
• reducing expectations before skills return
• restoring predictability and nervous-system safety
• being believed when capacity changes
• allowing different ways of functioning to be valid

Burnout is a signal that the previous way of living was unsustainable.

Listening to that signal is how long-term functioning becomes possible again.

04/03/2026

Throwback to the time I left teaching (for the first time) and looked around for filing jobs to keep me going while I wondered what to do next... and despite having a mathematics degree, a teaching degree, and a career as a primary school teacher, it still took me FOUR interviews to get a bottom-rung filing job.

This is the problem that so many autistic (or otherwise neurodivergent) applicants face. We're not incapable, but we're not great at matching person specifications written to fit a recruitment system built without us in mind.
Chris Bonnello - Autistic Author

04/03/2026

Toren Wolf is the best!

03/03/2026

This evening in one of our Being Me groups (our programme for autism understanding and Autistic well-being) we looked at energy and burnout.

We considered how energy can be conceptualised and personalised - something that can be so, so helpful if ‘emotional literacy’ just doesn’t vibe whether or not we are alexithymic.

We explored energy givers, takers and maintainers.

We offererd a variety of tools and approaches for tracking.

It’s so important that young people are given the chance to explore concepts, make meaning for themselves but also have space where their unique experiences are validated.

For some of them, it’s a slow burn - it plants seeds of self-understanding and self-compassion that grow later, for others there can be more immediate realisations.

When we understand ourselves, what we need, how the world impacts us, then we can work with our support networks to try and make small and big changes that impact our wellbeing for the better - not easy, no - but when we don’t know or value ourselves things are infinitely harder.

But we are also conscious to communicate with our young people that we recognise the lack of agency they have often have at their age - that’s one of the reasons we ask parents / carers to engage in Being Me too. That might look like watching sessions alongside their young person, or watching the recording, or reading the Parent/Carer Guide, coming to the Q&A sessions and so on. Being Me isn’t officially a ‘parenting’ course, but in many ways it certainly can be.

Our April groups are open for booking. Please reach out if you’d like support applying for funding from your EHCP (if applicable), school, LA, short breaks or other sources as we can provide you with a personalised letter of recommendation.

Jess 🌳

03/03/2026

Genius

I wanted to share just. The loveliest idea.

It isn't my idea. One of the lovely Speechies I mentor, Marissa, mentioned it during one of our chats.

Basically, it's a Social Group they're going to run at their clinic (note: not teaching inauthentic social skills, not teaching masking or neuronormativity).

The theme of the group is Parties.
Birthday parties, Christmas parties, Halloween, whatever.

The kids get to come along each week and participate in party games, activities, routines. They get to try out the different things, watch, decide how they want to participate, get to know the patterns. They get to do it with a familiar small group, in a sensory-safe space, with familiar neuro-affirming professionals there supporting them.

And I just. Absolutely love the concept.

Because parties can be SO overwhelming for our kids. They are often inaccessible for a lot of reasons. And also, many of our kids just don't get invited.

How beautiful to have this as a low-pressure option for some of our kids who really want that experience. I would have such fun running a group like that.

Anyway. I needed to pass the idea along. I'd love to see some other clinics offering groups like this.

What do you think?
Have you seen similar things?
I'd love to hear what else people are doing.

Em 🌈

03/03/2026

Occupational Therapy work on Interoception supports Alexithymia