Access Communication Ltd

22/04/2026

Grid for iPad - on sale

Our 50% off Grid for iPad sale starts today!

We’re offering this discounted price in celebration of Autism Acceptance Month, as we strive to make communication more accessible for everyone.

Schools using Apple School Manager can save even more - eligible organisations can purchase 20+ copies at a volume discount and combine it with our sale from 20-30 April 2026 for a total 75% off.

Learn more about the sale in our blog: https://thinksmartbox.com/news/grid-for-ipad-50-off-app-sale-april-2026/. Offer ends 30 April.

19/04/2026

has its roots in cure and remediation.
And too often, the SLT still centres norms over people.

Communication is measured against narrow standards.
Difference is treated as deficit.
“Success” becomes performance.
This harms the people we support.

And it harms those trying to belong within the profession — autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, clinicians, clinicians who stammer.

There is a cost to constant correction.
To masking.
To never quite being allowed to be.
If we are serious about communication, we need to be serious about dismantling ableism in SLT.
Not just in theory - in practice.
Not just at a surface level.
It’s time to reimagine the profession.
And make space for a genuinely neurodivergent workforce.
We can do better. SLT profession must do better
Autistic SLT thank you for sharing.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1CZjiZ2ySp/

19/04/2026

Patrick Saunders is non-speaking and uses words everyday spelled out on a letterboard.
Thanks NeuroWild

19/04/2026

Thank you Kristy Forbes - Autism & ND Support

19/04/2026

Written with Autistic SLT we wanted to suppprt professionals and parents to look beyond social skills training. There are so many reasons why social skills training is mostly unhelpful, and at worst, harmful.
We've given some explanation of that in our blog and offer some helpful questions to pose when thinking about exploring communication, relationships and experiences of being a neurominority where neurtypical privilege dominates and is never questioned.

An exploration for speech and language therapists of what lies beneath requests for social skills training from autistic young people, and how we can respond in ways that centre belonging and care.

16/04/2026

Growing up . Research with Autistic children in the UK

What stands out is the complexity and nuance in how children understand themselves:

- Many children are aware of how others see autism — and this shapes how they see themselves
- Stigma, misunderstanding, and negative experiences (especially in school) can lead to children internalising harmful beliefs about who they are
- At the same time, some children recognise strengths and see autism as part of their identity — not something separate from them
- Feelings and experiences aren’t fixed — they shift depending on context (home, school, friendships)

The study also highlights something we really need to take seriously:
- When autistic voices are missing, research risks reinforcing neuronormative assumptions that don’t match real lived experience.

If children are learning about themselves through environments that misunderstand or stigmatise them, then what we often see as “low self-esteem” or “lack of insight” may actually be a relational and environmental story, not an individual deficit.

We need to build understanding from lived experience outward.

Journal Autism video abstract of the publication 'Growing-up Autistic: Sharing autistic children’s experiences and insights'.The full paper is available at: ...

16/04/2026

Finland delays formal schooling until age 7, yet its students consistently perform at high levels globally. Early years focus on play, social skills, and emotional development instead of academic pressure. This supports brain growth in areas linked to creativity, problem solving, and self regulation. By the time formal learning begins, children are more ready to focus and absorb information effectively.

Research shows reduced early stress improves long term learning outcomes. Shorter school days, less homework, and highly trained teachers also contribute to stronger engagement and better results. Kids are not rushed, they are prepared.

Focus on readiness, not speed. Giving children time to develop emotionally and socially can lead to stronger learning, confidence, and long term success.

15/04/2026

Ableism - the least acknowledged and most common form of prejudice embedded in our culture, society, heathcare and education systems that significantly contributes to disability discrimination and marginalisation of disabled and neurodivergent children and adults.
Pleased to be continuing our work to dismantle ableism with Autistic SLT and support neurodiversity affirming practices

14/04/2026

Self-advocacy doesn’t start in adulthood.
It begins in childhood in the small, everyday moments where a child’s voice is either honoured or overridden.

For many neurodivergent children, those moments are complicated.

They are often navigating environments that: ask them to comply
condition masking
and unintentionally teach them that keeping others comfortable matters more than staying connected to themselves

So when we talk about self-advocacy,
we’re not just talking about “teaching a skill.”
We’re talking about rebuilding trust:
– in their own body
– in their own communication
– in the idea that their needs matter
This book by Evaleen at AUsome Training
is an important support in that process.

14/04/2026

Allowing space and time to recover
Compassionate post from Kristy Forbes - Autism & ND Support

Dipping my toes back in.
When freeze takes hold, everything stops. My body says no more and I retreat. Completely.

PDA and cPTSD combined is a bit of a gnarly mix, and the threat responses aren't ever about choice - it's my nervous system doing what it knows to protect me.

Recovery from freeze isn't a switch I flip. It's slow, safe exposure back into the moment, back into the day, back into life depending on how things are and where I'm at.

Yesterday, I wanted to try painting. I sat at the table with a cup of tea, soft music, painted a few strokes, and went back to my safe space. That was enough. That was everything.

Sometimes dipping my toes in looks like:

- Opening a book, reading one paragraph, closing it again.
- Standing at the front door and just feeling the air on my skin.
- Sending one text to someone I trust.
- Making a cup of tea and sitting somewhere other than my usual spot.
- Putting on a playlist not to do anything, just to let sound back in.
- Writing a single sentence.
- Walking to the letterbox and coming straight back inside.

There will be seasons where I retreat completely, and seasons where I find the balance between retreat and re-engagement. Neither is failure. Both are my nervous system navigating the stressors that come with simply being alive.

The dip counts every single time.

Do you have your own version of dipping in your proverbial toes?

12/04/2026

A very helpful summary all about all types of by Just Keep Stimming

12/04/2026

On Dyslexia

This Nip in the Bud film combines lived experience and expert insight to deepen understanding of dyslexia in children. Ayana and Sophie share what it feels like to live and learn with dyslexia, while Professor Maggie Snowling explains what dyslexia is, how to recognise early signs, and why timely support from parents and schools is vital.

An interesting watch. https://bit.ly/3NtFlWY