Autistic SLT

31/03/2026

Had our first visit to Allthrive multi-sensory room today 🥰

30/03/2026

Important post by Autisticality 👏

When I first started doing this work, I did a lot for free. I genuinely wanted to help drive change and improve services for people. And honestly, I was honoured to be asked.

“Help us shape the future of services”
“We thought you’d want to be involved”
“Be part of meaningful change”
“It’s a great opportunity”
"We value co-production"

I’ve been told many variations of “it’s good exposure”. The underlying message is that people with lived experience are expected to give their time for free, while others are being paid for the same work - all while the service/organisation benefits. That isn’t true co-production, that's . True co-production values people and their insight. without that is just exploitation dressed up as opportunity.

There’s nuance here - I still do free or low-cost work, but I'm mindful about what I say "yes" to. If it’s for a big organisation with a big budget that will profit from my labour, the answer is usually no.

Advice for anyone starting out: be proud to share your expertise and experiences, but learn to recognise your worth. Your time and insight are valuable, and asking for fair compensation is not selfish, it’s essential.

Something that people seem to forget, is just how valuable lived experience perspectives are. And just like any other consultant, they should be paid for their time and effort.

I’ve done numerous free focus groups, NHS advisory boards, and research project groups. Mostly because they needed accurate representation and neuroaffirming input so that good change can be made. But I’ve realised over the years that there is a massive lack of any compensation or even thinking about paying Autistic people (or other people for appropriate lived experience work).

You wouldn’t ask someone to design your website for free. You wouldn’t ask someone to do your taxes for free. You wouldn’t ask someone to give their professional opinion for free. So why do so many people and organisations reach out to Autistic/neurodivergent/disabled people asking them to take part in their focus groups or help them with their work on a voluntary basis?

Pay them like you would anyone else. In fact, to avoid the need to bring in outside help why don’t you just hire people with lived experience? Instead we are seen as tools to make them look more inclusive, or to appeal to a wider audience (usually not even credited for doing their work for them).

If you can’t afford it, then don’t ask for someone’s help. If you can afford to pay other people but don’t pay lived experience people then you are treating them as less. Be better than that.

30/03/2026

Hot take: if an child has to pretend to be someone else to be deemed socially desirable, that’s not a skill. That’s survival.

Most Speech and Language assessments for autistic children are based on the social skills of neuronormative children, and the people creating these checklists are not Autistic - that means there's an inherent bias in how these assessments are designed, reflecting privilege and power.

Consider the double standards we often see socially; neurotypical adults often interrupt, talk over others, miss social cues, and dominate conversations. Yet it’s brushed off.

👉 https://www.autisticslt.com/ableism-socialskills

Learn why social skills training harms autistic people. Most SLT assessments are full of ableist, stigmatising language that assigns assumptions and judgments onto children. Autistic pragmatic language development are not accounted for.

29/03/2026

Appointments available this coming week:

Tues 31st: 3.30, 4.30, 5.30
Wed 1st: 12.00, 3.00
Thur 2nd: 1pm

28/03/2026

Had a lovely Easter forest school session today 🥰 Forest Frontiers C.I.C

27/03/2026

Did you know I offer adult communication assessments for people?

Many clients come to me having been told their communication is “disordered". Years of can leave them exhausted. Together, we'll explore how societal expectations may have shaped your beliefs about your communication. We'll also consider factors like attention, executive functioning, and sensory regulation.

These sessions help you to identify specific challenges where communication may feel difficult. I use guided questions to explore areas such as:

🟣 social anxiety, fear of rejection, or people-pleasing
🟣 the emotional and physical cost of masking
🟣 advocating for yourself and expressing your needs in relationships
🟣 adjustments to support you in work and healthcare
🟣 strategies for authentic expression
🟣 how to navigate situations that feel confusing, overwhelming, or draining
🟣 putting words to internal experiences that are hard to describe

You’ll receive a detailed report with personalised recommendations, and ongoing therapy sessions are available to continue this journey.

If you’re curious whether this might be helpful, you’re very welcome to reach out 🤍

🌐 www.autisticslt.com
✉️ autisticslt@gmail.com

I'm Emily, AutisticSLT. I am an Autistic Speech and Language Therapist in the UK . My goal is to empower Autistic children and adults through - accessible information, lived experience of being autistic, expertise of Speech, Language and Communication, promoting neurodivergent-affirming practice

26/03/2026

Did you know we offer a variety of peer support groups covering different topics?

Here’s a taste of what’s happening in April!

Some of our groups cover:
▪️ Autistic Identity
▪️ EHCPs and working with professionals
▪️ Home Education
▪️ Perimenopause and Menopause

Our groups and 1:1 peer support are fully funded, thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund.

If you’re an autistic parent and feel you could benefit from our peer support groups, you can visit our website to fill out the Peer Support Referral Form, or email groups@autisticparentsuk.org to be added to an upcoming group.

26/03/2026

Little Town Play House is so much more than just a play centre. It’s a place … Emma Hilton needs your support for Help Fix the Slide at Little Town Play House

26/03/2026

Connection before correction 💖

There’s a quiet shift that happens
when we stop trying to “get it right”
and start paying attention to how we’re showing up.

Because children don’t experience our intentions—
they experience us.

Our presence.
Our reactions.
Our ability to come back
when we’ve missed it.

And that’s where the work really is.

Not in perfection,
but in the willingness to keep showing up,
with awareness,
with honesty,
and with enough grace
to keep going. ❤️

25/03/2026

As a Speech and Language Therapist supporting children and adults, I often recommend therapy. Creative approaches like art can offer a more accessible way to express, explore, and process experiences without the pressure to verbalise feelings.

This is particularly relevant for Autistic people who have experienced trauma, and are , where identifying or describing emotions in words can be difficult.

Standard talk therapy isn’t the right fit for everyone, especially for those who are situationally mute or find verbal communication overwhelming.

We need to see more of these kinds of accessible, neurodivergent-affirming approaches — particularly within the . Grateful for the art therapists out there doing this vital work!

25/03/2026

Amazing news!

🌿 Exciting News – We’re Opening Our Doors 🌿

As part of the next phase of our partnership-funded offer, we are so pleased to now be able to offer 1:1 Therapeutic Play Sessions 💚

These sessions are thoughtfully designed for children who may need a little extra emotional support—especially those who have not yet been able to access mental health services or are currently on a waiting list.

✨ A safe, nurturing space
✨ Child-led, play-based support
✨ Supporting wellbeing, confidence & emotional expression

💡 Funded Places Available
We are able to support 4 children per cycle, with each child receiving 12 x 1-hour sessions as part of this funded offer.

📍 Sessions will take place at Eagley House Nursery

If you feel this could benefit your child, or you’d like to find out more, please don’t hesitate to drop us a message—we’re here to help.

Together, we can make a difference 💫

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