Beyond The Therapy Box

01/04/2026

This might not be popular but I have to say this …

With the new guidance around reducing screen time for young children, I’ve been thinking about something important in my work as a neuroaffirming SALT.

Before we ask jump straight to limiting screens…

maybe we should ask:

“What is the screen helping this child do?”

For some children, screens can support:

• communication
• regulation
• autonomy and control
• learning through interests
• early pathways into literacy

Even at a young age .

For some children, screens aren’t a barrier to development.
They can be a bridge .

The real question isn’t “how many minutes?”
but “what need is this screen meeting for this child?” And how can we support that .

💬 I’d love to hear 👉🏻 what have you noticed screens helping children do?

31/03/2026

I love the idea of having a mobile therapy space ❤️
I’ve been watching campervan conversions with envy for a while now and wondered if I could create a space that doubled up as a therapy space on wheels !

Imagine the fabulous outdoor spaces we could have therapy sessions in …

I just spotted this one on the US 😍

Has anyone converted a van like this ?

29/03/2026

🐰 Grab a FREE Easter Scavenger Hunt ! 🐣

When my son was younger he used to love turning a walk into a detective mission, racing to spot the next thing before I did.

So as a home-educating mum and speech & language therapist, I ended up making little activities like this for him all the time.

One of his favourite literacy activities were really simple scavenger hunts.
I thought other families might find them fun too - so I made an Easter scavenger hunt - one that children can join in even if they’re not yet able to read.

It works a bit like a “bingo card” 👉🏻children just look at the symbols and tick them off as they find them !

I love activities like this because they naturally help children connect symbols with words while they’re exploring, moving and having fun - great for kids who don’t enjoy sitting down with books or worksheet-style literacy. Children engage more easily with learning when it happens through play and exploration.

They’re also great for including children who rely on symbols to understand spoken words or to communicate .

If you’d like the FREE Easter scavenger hunt COMMENT **EGG** and I’ll send a link over 🌸

Oh and if your family enjoy treasure hunts, I’ve also made:

🥚 An Easter Egg Rhyming Hunt
(with playful rhyming clues)

Children often love playing with rhyme, and noticing rhymes is one of the early ways they begin to tune into how sounds work in words, a super important foundation for reading later on.
But for kids it simply feels like fun 😊

🌼 An Easter Holiday Visual Schedule

Many families find visual schedules helpful for reducing anxiety when routines are a bit different during the holidays.

I’ve got a 25% off code for both this week🤞🏻😊 if anyone would like those too.

Feel free to share this post with other families if you think they’d enjoy it.

Do your family enjoy scavenger hunts too?

24/03/2026

This looks like a useful event if you are concerned about the proposed changes for SEND support … 👇🏻

Grab your seat for our FREE SEND White Paper Webinar for Parents and Carers!

The UK Government published the Schools White Paper, "Every Child Achieving and Thriving," on 23 February. The Paper includes some major reform s to the Special Edcuational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system in England.



On 20 April, we invite you to join Heidi Mavir, Founder of EOTAS Matters and special guest, Rachel Filmer, Founder of SEND Rights Allowance and CoFounder of Save Our Children's Rights for a deep dive into the SEND White Paper in FREE online Webinar.



We will be focusing our conversation around the proposed changes to EHCPs nd Specialist Provision. We will discuss what those changes could mean for neurodivergent students, particularly those experiencing barriers to attendance.



What we'll cover:

What is the SEND White Paper and what does it mean for my child or young person?

What do I REALLY need to know - 10 legal rights that would be scrapped under the proposals.

How can I respond to the public consultation? And should I even bother?

What else can I do to help campaigners who are fighting for our childrens' rights to a specialist support in education?

Where to go for more help and support

A replay will be sent to everyone who registers.

When you register, we will also send you a link to Heidi's White Paper Appraisal, which covers the basic content of the White Paper proposals.

Registration link in the comments

03/03/2026

I’ve been away travelling the deserts of Namibia for a few weeks 🙌🏻

But that meant I’ve had literally NO internet in most places ( bliss 💚)

The downside 🤔 - my email inbox was chockablock on my return 🙈

I’m so sorry if you’ve been waiting for a reply from me ..

I’ll get back to you as soon as I can I promise ..

Thank you so much for being patient 😊

13/01/2026

I don’t think we consider this enough anymore. …

What do you think ?

Don’t people realize how it possibly affects young infants when what they CAN do is not appreciated but what they CANNOT do is expected? What a sad and confusing experience it must be to grow up never living up to your parents’ expectations. And how frustrating it must be for parents not to be able to enjoy what their child is actually doing. It seems to me everybody is losing.”
- Magda Ge**er

10/01/2026

Yes you want to build a snowman ! 🙌🏻

Building a snowman is such a WONDERFUL example of how Speech and Language development can be supported through SIMPLE, FUN and meaningful PLAY.

While it supports early language skills, it also helps older children develop higher-level skills such as storytelling,
collaborative communication
verbal reasoning,
planning,
negotiation,
perspective-taking,
reflective language…
the list goes on !

If this kind of play-based communication support is something you’d love to explore more , I share ND affirming, low pressure , play based speech, language & communication ideas via my email list. You’re welcome to join me there…

Just c.omment SNOW or m.sg me and I’ll send you over a l.ink !

08/01/2026

One of the hardest parts of stepping away from schooly models of learning & development is trusting what you can’t see.

We’ve been conditioned to think that “learning” and “education” needs to look a particular way …

But you’d be surprised how much children are learning when they’re “doing nothing”

👉🏻 Learning doesn’t always “announce” itself.

Or look anything like it does in a school.

Especially if your child is neurodivergent

Often it grows quietly,

It’s always rooted in the need to feel safe

and in play & curiosity.

It’s the same for child led speech and language therapy

It can look very different to what parents expect

But they’re “just playing” or they “don’t want to do anything I try”

To be child led we need to let go of what we think a child “should” be doing and learn to trust their innate drive to thrive .

All children have this - no matter their “ability”

Or their lack of interest in “educational” activities.

Worried that your child isn’t “doing enough” ?

Ask questions, share your fears 🙈
You’ll find you’re not the only one,

I’ll do my best to ease your doubts.

Follow along for more relationship led support 🌱

06/01/2026

This is literacy.

Literacy development doesn’t have to look anything like school.

How many literacy skills can you spot?
👇 Comment with what you notice
or
💬 ask for the detail behind any slide

04/01/2026

I’ve spent a lot of time recently supporting parents of children who struggle in traditional learning environments.

A common worry I hear is:
“What if the local authority doesn’t recognise what my child is doing as literacy?”

Here’s what I want parents (and LAs) to know:
📚 Literacy does not only develop through books, worksheets or formal teaching.
Especially for neurodivergent children, and autonomous learners .
Literacy instead grows through play, connection, meaningful activities and lived experience.

Children may be developing their literacy skills when they are:
• Negotiating roles & telling stories in play
• Watching subtitles on YouTube
• Dictating stories, messages or game plans
• Engaging deeply with interests (Minecraft, maps, animals, recipes, scripts)
• Using voice notes, symbols, memes, lists, signs
Reading menus, instructions & playing games ,
• Telling, retelling, questioning, persuading
And so many more ways ….

It doesn’t have to look like an essay , a lesson or a traditional piece of writing to be valuable. It doesn’t have to be measured against school standards to be progress. In fact you can’t truly compare a home educated child’s progress to any other child , especially those in schools. There is no “standardisation” in home education. That is it’s very beautiful essence 💕

As an unschooling Speech & Language Therapist, my work is guided by my ROOT values :
That is 👇🏻
🌱 Relationship-led
👀 Observing & tuning in
🏡 Offering opportunities in daily life
🧰 Tools & resources that serve the child’s not the adults agenda .

Research consistently shows that language and literacy develop best when children feel safe, connected and intrinsically motivated , not pressured to perform or meet someone eises goals.

More on how this looks in real life (and how to evidence it clearly) coming soon !
Including practical guides & research for parents navigating LA conversations.

You’re not doing it wrong.

You’re doing it differently.

If you’re home educating what ways has your child developed their literacy skills that looks nothing like school ?

26/12/2025

Seeing the person, listening to the person , wanting them to feel safe and meeting their needs 👌🏼
This is a powerful example of the importance of being relationship led with people of all ages … 👇🏻

I was visiting a short-term assessment unit for people with intellectual disabilities, one of those places where “short term” often quietly becomes permanent.

It was late afternoon, dinner was coming, and he was pacing the room, hands moving fast. I overheard a staff member say he was “escalating.” I saw two others standing close to him, discussing his restraint procedure. I feared the worst.

But one member of staff stood to one side, close enough to be present, far enough not to crowd him. She told the other two staff to go to another part of the home.

Moments later, he stopped pacing and looked at that staff member. “Too loud,” he said. Just two words. Not aggressive. Just honest. She asked him what would help. He pointed to the back door. They went outside, and I followed. The air was cooler. His shoulders dropped. His hands slowed. The crisis everyone was preparing for quietly dissolved.

After he wandered back in, she told me she had learned something important from him over time. When his hands moved like that, he was trying to tell you something. She had learned this by paying attention, by being with him, by letting him lead through his own warning signs.

I said how relieved I was and said, “You handled that well.”
“I didn’t handle anything,” she said. “He did. He told me what he needed.”

She said she believed him, which made me think not everyone did.

It’s too easy to forget that the person in front of us has been living in their body far longer than we have been supporting it.

The real experts on a person’s life are the people themselves.
..

ID: Image shows two staff restraining someone on the floor. Text reads: He wasn't escalating. He was communicating.

25/12/2025

Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄⭐️
Make the most of it! Sharing magical joyfilled moments together = how children bloom ❤️