SmallTalk Speech & Language Therapy

14/11/2025

Look out for this one, it will be great!

How exciting!!

My and my co-author No Pressure PDA's book is now available for pre-order in Amazon 😁😁😁

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Insider-Guide-PDA-Sally-Cat-ebook/dp/B0F98YLYR8

13/11/2025

This week seems like an especially good time for a re-post to clarify the difference between presuming competence and presuming knowledge.

There's this mistaken idea out there that people who talk about presuming competence believe that all nonspeaking kids are "locked in geniuses."

That's presuming KNOWLEDGE and it's not the same as presuming COMPETENCE.

We don't know what we don't know. A lot of times our students know so much more than we would suspect - because they've been listening to everyone talk about and around them for years - but there's a lot they don't know, particularly if they've been in a segregated classroom learning the same repetitive skills day after day for years on end.

So instead of assuming that they KNOW everything, we're assuming that they CAN LEARN anything.

That's not harmful. It's actually supportive and provides our students opportunities to shine, thrive, and access the world.

This presumption of competence is the foundation of our Accessible Academics course. This is a self-paced, ten module course that starts with the ideas of presuming competence and understanding motor/movement differences and builds to explain and model how to adapt age-appropriate academic tasks for students who communicate by making choices.

Struggling on how to teach phonics to a nonspeaking student? We cover that.

Not sure how to have nonspeaking students with motor difficulties use visual representations to model math equations? (We see you GenX and Millennials who have NO IDEA about this new Common Core math...) We'll show you how to do that.

Stuck on how to give nonspeaking students a meaningful voice in the creative writing process? Yup. We do that, too.

Additionally, we have an entire module devoted to language you can use to ask for specific accommodations, supplementary services, and meaningful IEP goals that align to real objectives but are accessible to complex communicators.

The best part? Your course access never expires!

If you believe in presuming competence and want to learn more about how to offer real educational opportunities to nonspeaking learners, we invite you to join us.
learn more or sign up at the link in our comments.

13/11/2025

💜 Why autistic young people say “sorry” when they don’t need to, and how we can help 💙

Does your young person say “sorry”?

For things that aren’t their fault.
For taking up space.
For having a need.
For simply existing in the room.

It’s rarely about making a mistake.
It’s about fear.😰

Fear of upsetting someone.
Fear of being told off.
Fear of being “too much.”
Fear of getting it wrong… again.
Fear of being misunderstood because their brain works differently.

Many autistic girls and teens have learnt, over years of masking, that being apologetic keeps them “safe.”

It softens the world.
It stops conflict.
It avoids embarrassment.
It keeps people happy, even when they aren’t.

But constantly apologising chips away at confidence. It makes their needs feel less important. It teaches them that their comfort comes second.

Here’s how we can help:

💙 Gently pause: “You don’t need to say sorry- you haven’t done anything wrong.”

💜 Offer the language they’re missing: “You can say ‘thank you for waiting’, or ‘I need help with this’ instead.”

💙 Reassure their safety: “You’re not in trouble. I’m here with you.”

💜 Model boundaries: Show them what healthy communication looks like.

💙 Notice the moments they don’t apologise: Celebrate them quietly,
“I liked how you asked clearly just then.”

These tiny shifts build something huge:

A young person who realises they don’t have to shrink themselves to be liked… 🫶🏻
Who understands that their needs matter…🫶🏻
And who feels safe enough to take up space in their own life.🫶🏻

If this is your young person, you’re not alone- it’s something that can change.

Patsy x💜💙

13/11/2025

Demanding Respect from PDAers in the School Setting: Why Hierarchy Backfires & What Builds True Connection Instead

I'm guiding a group of parents, carers and professionals through an introduction of PDA* tonight and will be referencing this article of mine on substack.

For a full read and the free download, please follow the link

https://open.substack.com/pub/laurahellfeld/p/demanding-respect-from-pdaers-in?r=4idypv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

"It’s a phrase many of us have heard, or even said in the school setting:

“They need to learn to respect adults.”
“They have to follow instructions, it’s about respect.”

But when it comes to supporting a PDAer, these traditional ideas around respect and authority often backfire.

Not because the student doesn’t care, and not because they lack boundaries or discipline, but because what we’re asking for isn’t respect…it’s compliance.

And often because our traditional approach to ‘respect’ may be rooted in power and control, not connection."

*PDA stands for Pathological Demand Avoidance or Pervasive Drive for Autonomy

13/11/2025

Ive seen several posts on various SLT sites over the past few days, UK and US, where the therapist has a new client with SM and they dont have a clue where to start! This is so dangerous. I would never take on a dysphagia client because I have no training or knowledge. Its not life or death in the same way but could have a profoundly negative influence. Seek out training and get a supervisor who is a specialist in SM PLEASE before you practise on the unfortunate cyp!

13/11/2025

Are you a tutor, teacher, therapist, coach or intervention specialist curious about taking your support sessions online or looking to enhance the way you already work virtually?

We’re inviting you to explore Koala Go, a fresh, interactive online teaching platform that’s changing the way educators connect with learners. Whether you’re delivering phonics or numeracy, speech and language therapy, emotional regulation, or subject-specific support, Koala gives you the tools to keep sessions structured, creative, and meaningful.

There’s a common belief that online sessions can feel disconnected, less personal, or harder to manage. Koala Go flips that script. Designed for engagement, visibility, and learner control, it lets you:

Upload your own resources, PDFs, worksheets, or use any website live with your student

Annotate together on shared documents and activities

Support different learning styles with audio, visuals, movement, and interactive tools

Build confidence with customisable avatars, reducing pressure to stay on camera

Use the Koala Playground to add structure, reward effort, and support focus in a Minecraft-style world

Koala Go was built with neurodivergent learners in mind, but it benefits all students by making learning visually rich, responsive, and fun, while keeping you, the educator, fully in control.

FREE Live Demo-Join us for a relaxed, informative walkthrough of Koala Go

Tuesday 25th November at 7pm (UK time)
register: hello@nd360hub.co.uk ref: KOALA

13/11/2025

Voca Quest is packed with interactive speech activities to keep therapy fun and motivating. Perfect for building confidence, communication, and progress!

13/11/2025

This affects many people but especially ND people

Imposter Syndrome. I don't think I'm good 😕

So often I've felt like I'm not good enough. Even when so many people told me how good my photography or writing is, I felt like a fraud.

This week on on The Neurodivergent Experience podcast, Simon and I discuss how our childhood experiences made us feel like we aren't ever good enough and if we ever feel like we are, there are people who will crush us back down.

It has taken me a long time to say I'm a good photographer and writer, and I've won photography awards and have 2 published books. Even now I sometimes think I'm not good enough, which has so much to do with social media and how the algorithm doesn't favour my content.

To listen to this heart warming and hopefully helpful episode for FREE and feel less alone in the world, click the link in the comments section below

13/11/2025

Just now, I was using the toilet in Sainsbury’s, when I heard a young girl begging her mum not to use the hand dryer- as you can imagine, my ears pricked up! 👂👀

I got talking to mum. She said, “ Everything worries her. Some days she can cope with it and others she can’t. I’m getting her used to it.”

I didn’t know anything about this young person, so resisted giving advice, but did say about my GD who has sensory difficulties and that it depends on how much sensory input she’s had already, whether she’s anxious, tired, hungry and how busy her week’s been.

Our sensory systems aren’t fixed. They shift depending on how much our brain and body have already had to process that day.

If a young person’s tired, anxious, or overwhelmed, their tolerance for loud sounds drops. What was “fine yesterday” suddenly feels unbearable.

It’s the same reason we can all cope with background noise on a good day, but on a stressful one, even a dripping tap makes us want to scream! 😅

So next time your child covers their ears or avoids the hand dryer, know it’s their nervous system saying, “I’ve had enough input for today.”

Patsy x 💜💙

13/11/2025

🚨 IN-PERSON IN PA: Just a Few Days Away!
Join us NEXT Wednesday, Nov. 20th at Fusion Academy Malvern () for an eye-opening evening on Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) 🧠✨

🎤 Hear from PDA expert Diane Gould
👨👩👧👦 Real talk with parents of PDAers
🤝 Connect with PDA-affirming professionals
🍷 Refreshments & hors d'oeuvres provided!

If you're a Pennsylvania parent or professional supporting complex neurodivergent kids — you don't want to miss this!

📍 700 Steel Lane, Suite 200, Malvern, PA
🕠 5:30–8:30PM
🎟️ Get your tickets NOW → [Link below]
https://buff.ly/qMqymIv

📧 Questions? info@pdanorthamerica.org

13/11/2025