Grow and Thrive

24/03/2026

A great visual of the double empathy problem :). Communication is a two way street.

24/03/2026

Autistic people are often told they need to learn social skills - as though connection only counts if it follows neurotypical rules.

But many Autistic people already have strong social skills. They may communicate honestly, value fairness, form deep and meaningful relationships, and connect in ways that prioritise clarity and authenticity. These skills just don’t always show up as small talk, eye contact, or unspoken social scripts - the things society has decided are “normal”.

When we only recognise one narrow style of social interaction, we miss the richness of others.

Different doesn’t mean deficient. It means different - and equally valid.💫



[ID: On a blue background, the Reframing Autism logo appears at the top, followed by the heading “Autistic social skills.” Below are six text boxes highlighting key strengths: 1. Clear, honest communication - saying what’s meant, without hidden rules; 2. Valuing people over status - connection without hierarchy or stereotypes, 3. Motivated to act when something isn't fair, 4. Deep, authentic relationships - built on shared interests, not small talk, 5. Respect for different body language - all forms of expression are valid, 6. Flexible communication - using words, visuals, writing, or AAC to connect.]

20/03/2026

Looks like an excellent opportunity. Jude

Do you want to better understand the autistic people in your life or stay up to date with the latest autism research?

Join our Autism Central team for a free webinar with AuDHD researcher Dr Holly Sutherland on “Understanding autistic social communication from autistic people’s perspectives”.

Learn more about how autistic people experience social communication:

💜 what their expectations are
💜 what they find difficult
💜 how they wish non-autistic people would react.

Book your place: https://orlo.uk/USfhm

Dr Sutherland is an AuDHD academic and autism researcher. She’s currently a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge.

NHS England Workforce, Training and Education

17/03/2026

💡 When we stop asking “Why are they behaving like that?”
and start asking “What’s happening around them?” - everything changes.

So much behaviour is a reaction to environment, not a deliberate choice or a personal failing. Sensory overload, pressure to perform, lack of safety, unmet needs - they shape our nervous systems long before conscious choice comes into play.

👐 Reframing behaviour in this way builds understanding - and understanding creates space for compassion, support, and real change.

When we change the environment, behaviour often follows.



[ID: Against a blue background, with the Reframing Autism logo at the top and the colourful knotwork in the lower right corner, white text reads, 'Understanding our behaviour as a reaction to our environment, rather than a choice that we consciously make, helps us to reframe our perception of that behaviour'. Beneath the text is an image of a young boy in a classroom who appears distressed, holding his pencil case aloft as the contents fall out in front of his teacher.]

17/03/2026

17/03/2026

Think recess is a luxury? Think again. Students (and educators) need it to thrive. 🍎

Learn why breaks matter—and how honoring them can transform learning and wellbeing. Read the full blog here: https://self-reg.ca/before-you-cut-recess-what-every-child-and-most-educators-needs-you-to-know/

17/03/2026

This comes up so much - here is an unpacking that makes lots of sense https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18TXiQS34E/

For many of our autistic young people, other people’s behaviour can feel incredibly stressful…especially at school.

Firstly, many autistic young people rely on clear rules and predictable environments to feel safe.
Rules create order 👍🏼

So when a teacher says “No talking” but others are chatting, or when a rule is broken and nothing happens…

It feels confusing, unfair and unsettling 😕😖

Secondly, misbehaviour brings sensory chaos…👂💨😣

Sudden shouting 🗣️
Chairs scraping 🪑
Laughter 🤣🤣
Teachers raising their voices🗣️

For a nervous system that is already working hard to filter noise and activity, this can quickly push things into overwhelm🤯

And then there’s justice…⚖️

Our autistic young people have a very strong sense of fairness.
They notice inconsistencies others might ignore, or let go.

So when someone breaks the rules and gets away with it, it can feel deeply wrong ❌

Not just mildly irritating, but genuinely distressing 😰

The difficult part?

Sometimes when our young people speak up about this, they’re labelled as:

“Bossy.”
“A snitch.”
“Too serious.”

When in reality they’re simply trying to make sense of a world that suddenly feels unpredictable 🤷🏻

Understanding this changes how we respond.

Instead of saying
“Just ignore it,” which they can not do, we can recognise what’s really happening and why.

If you’re in a position of authority, enforce those rules, otherwise, what’s the point of having them? 🙏🏼

If they do need to be flexed for any reason, explain why 🙏🏼

Their brain is trying to restore order, fairness and safety in an environment that suddenly feels chaotic- no mean feat in classes of 30+ 😣

Patsy x💜💙

01/03/2026

With the events of the last two days in global news, we wanted to share some support from psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg.

“The emotional alarm system (of the adolescent brain) is highly active, while the part of the brain responsible for perspective and long-range reasoning is still under construction.

When young people see footage of bombings or hear talk of escalation, they are not calmly analysing foreign policy. They are asking a far more personal question: is the world becoming unsafe?”

When parents say nothing, teenagers often fill the silence themselves — and adolescents are remarkably good at imagining worst-case scenarios. Silence, in this context, is not neutral.
It can be frightening.

The instinct for many adults is either to lecture or to reassure too quickly. Neither works. A long explanation about who is right or wrong politically will lose them within seconds, while dismissing the situation with "this has nothing to do with us" feels unconvincing in a world where conflict arrives live on their screens.

Teenagers are highly sensitive to emotional authenticity; they know when adults are pretending certainty they do not actually feel.

A better starting point is simple: "You’re probably seeing/hearing about this online — how is it making you feel”?

That question shifts the conversation away from ideology and towards wellbeing, which is where parents actually have influence. It signals safety, invites reflection and reduces anxiety far more effectively than delivering answers.

Young people also need perspective.
Social media often compresses the world into an emergency, showing dramatic moments without context or resolution. Parents can gently remind them that news platforms highlight crisis because crisis captures attention, while billions of people - diplomats, communities and ordinary citizens — are constantly working to prevent conflicts from spreading. Adolescents need scale to counter the distorted intensity of the online environment.”

We hope this is helpful today. If you feel as though you are pouring out of an empty cup this weekend that’s totally understandable - we hope you get a moment to rest and check in with friends and can also recommend https://www.breathingspace.scot/

23/02/2026

Once we start reframing, we see everything differently.

What looked like misbehaviour becomes a sign of overload. What felt like defiance becomes a stress response. What seemed willful becomes a child struggling to cope. ⚠️🧠

When we understand stress behaviour, the question shifts from “Why are they doing this?” to “What’s driving the stress load?” 🔍

And that shift changes everything.

Less judgment. More curiosity. More compassion. More effective support. 💛

Because when we reframe the behaviour, we don’t just see the child differently — we change the outcome. 🌱

✏️ Graphic created by .wiens!

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23/02/2026

'Validate first - even before diagnosis'

https://www.facebook.com/share/1C7bdGhTQT/

11/12/2025

07/12/2025

I've just discovered this page by Dr Wolkin and this is a very pertinent post.