http://www.spectrumsenservices.co.uk/

Spectrum SEN Services, Tiptree (2026)

31/01/2026

I was feeling creative so wrote this poem about ADHD. Inspiration was taken from conversations with my clients and also personal expererience. Whilst its about ADHD, we know many traists overlap with Autism and other diagnoses so hopefully even those without ADHD can still relate.

Here it is!

I want to tell you about ADHD,
That it’s more than hyperactivity or getting angry.

Reactions and intentions are often questioned,
Every moment replayed, each word over-mentioned.

People seem angry, but I don’t know why,
It doesn’t seem to matter how hard I try.

I hide away, worried, frustrated and tense
Why can’t I just do things that make sense?

Shame and guilt fuel my thoughts and actions,
I’m constantly alert for people’s reactions.

I put in so much effort just to be accepted,
It’s a constant battle to behave as expected.

Life can feel loud, busy, overwhelming,
Too much to process, so much incoming.

Filtering, prioritising, knowing what stays,
What needs attention, what safely waits.

Every sound, demand, thought, and request,
All arriving at once, my brain doesn’t rest.

Rejection hits hard, even when it’s perceived,
So I try my best to be well received.

I’ve been told I’m too much, too loud, too messy,
That I should control it, keep quiet, suppress me.

I rehearse every step and hide what I need,
My brain works overtime just to help me succeed.

‘It’s a superpower,’ they say, I guess that’s subjective,
Yes, sometimes my traits help me meet an objective.

I help others with ease and work well under pressure,
I hyperfocus, execute, hit every measure.

I can plan every step, every route, every mission,
But ADHD blurs time, order, memory, and transition.

ADHD controls how my brain functions,
My intentions are good, though my delivery malfunctions.

I try so hard to be the best I can be,
While navigating barriers no one else can see.

What helps is patience, not judgement or haste,
Clear words, clear timelines, a little more space.

Time to process what’s needed, co-regulation applied,
Gentle reminders, and to be the calm by my side.

26/01/2026

Shameless plug

I'm in full mum support mode and would like to use my fb page to promote my daughters new business to any of my local clients. She had to leave her job due to a health condition, and has been working hard to create a business that works for her and her needs and that makes use of her many years of experience with animals.

21/01/2026

Questions can be hard – whether they are about likes, dislikes, problems, or helping to unpick a situation.

Having something to do while answering can help with processing, anxiety reduction, and sensory regulation.

Today, categorising items really helped my client, along with me being mindful of how I asked the questions and mixing in some fun ones with trickier ones.

There is no one way that works, I am always client led and together we can achieve great things.

06/01/2026

TIME TO HAVE YOUR SAY

You may have have had details shared via your school but Ofsted and the CQC are undertaking a SEND inspection of the Essex Local area from 5th January to 23rd January 2026. If you are from this area, parent or practitioner here is a link here for the survey to complete and also a survey for young people / children to complete in case of interest:

02/01/2026

When you walk into your office and its bathed in rainbows, you can't help but smile. 🙂

02/01/2026

I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions, they often leave us feeling like we have failed. I believe in daily restarts.
Remember, each new day is a chance to do one small thing a little differently than yesterday.

✅ If you didn’t get fresh air, walk around the block
✅ If you drank one glass of water, try two
✅ If you spoke negatively to yourself, counter it with a positive
✅ If you spent too long scrolling, reduce it by 10 minutes
✅️If you felt unfocused today, try one small activity to give yourself a small win, tidy one drawer, do a puzzle, bake, or reply to messages.

Then, do one thing today that will benefit you tomorrow - small acts of kindness for your future self:

✅ Pre-pack your bag
✅ Make your lunch
✅ Change any daily visual timetables your child uses
✅ Write down important notes for an upcoming school meeting.
✅️Get your workout gear ready
✅️Arrange a meet up with a friend

Finally, do one thing that promotes positivity, grounds you and helps calm your nervous system:

✅ Think of one thing you are grateful for
✅ Look around you and notice something in nature you find beautiful
✅ Note one thing you have done well
✅ Put on your favorite song, sing, and dance.
✅ Sit or lie down, and for 1 minute focus only on your breathing and how your body feels
✅ Do 5 minutes of a regulating practice such as yoga, stretching, or Qigong

These are just ideas - think about what will work for you.
Speak to and support yourself like you would your best friend.

You won't often feel like doing these as self care and motivation are hard to come by in times of stress and overwhelm, BUT you deserve to look out for you. Small steps can add up to big things.
So, who is joining the 1% better than yesterday club x

20/12/2025

As the year comes to an end, I just want to say a huge thank you to all my amazing clients. Thank you for supporting my business, for every referral, and for trusting me to support your children ( and you) . It truly is a privilege to do what I do.

Remember, Christmas is still Christmas which ever way you celebrate it, so do what works for you and your family, not what tradition or society says you should. Here are a couple of quotes from one of my favourite books to help you through x

I wish you all a very Happy Christmas 🎄

05/12/2025

EOTAS secured for one family, a personal budget agreed for another, and a lovely review. Getting good news is always so encouraging to hear; a welcome bright light of hope in the often dark journey of fighting for support.
Its reminds me and hopefully those I support to keep fighting, and as the review says, sometimes you do need humour to get through situations , if you dont laugh at the bureaucratic, not fit for purpose system, you will cry!

28/11/2025

Hi everyone,

No real purpose to this post, but I wanted to check in as I’ve not posted for some time. My FB absence is mainly due to being extremely busy supporting others (including my own family) and trying to balance this with self-care and my own ADHD. After all, as the saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup.

I hope you are all managing to do the same in your busy and often stressful lives. I know however, that this is easier said than done. x

More posts to come soon but if you have suggestions for posts you would like to see , let me know

03/09/2025

Anger. Disappointment. Anxiety. Fear. Frustration. Overwhelm. Panic.

These are just some of the emotions that have been shared with me over the past few days, as the new school term begins.

I’ve been inundated with messages from parents and carers who are devastated, anxious, and rightfully furious. Promises made before the summer have been broken. Support that was in place has suddenly vanished without communication. Children are without education, without appropriate provision, or are being forced into unsuitable settings. Families are being pushed to the brink.

As a professional I too feel all these emotions and am frustrated when I want to do more but am blocked by an inept and bureaucratic system. As a parent of children with SEN I have also been on the receiving end in a personal capacity.

The local authority has let many of you down, and in some cases, schools have too. And while I don’t have quick fixes or easy answers, I want to say this clearly:

You are not alone. Your anger is valid. Your fight is justified.

Please, keep pushing. Keep asking questions. Don’t accept silence or vague reassurances. Don’t let them get away with this, your child deserves more! . Keep a record of everything and email back to them what you have been told suggesting if they dont respond you can presume what you have written is correct. Do a parental request for an ehcp if you feel you needs it and become familier with and follow the complaints procendures of your school and local authority. Finally, surround yourself with people who understand as support is out there.

One other important factor, and I know this is easier said than done, but where possible, try to shield your child from seeing your stress and anger, and overhearing your opinions. They pick up more than we think and it can make them panic more. Hold space for your own emotions, seek help when you need it, and remember you’re doing your absolute best in an impossible system.

This isn’t okay. You deserve better. Your children deserve better. And we will keep fighting for it. 💪❤️

25/08/2025

Lets talk about 🟢🟡🔵🔴 Zones of Regulation. It is a common tool used in schools, recommended by professionals, and often seen in support plans. It can be a helpful way to support emotional understanding and regulation. However, from what I’ve seen, it’s appears to be used in an oversimplified way and as a tick-box exercise.

Research tells us Zones can be effective, particularly when used thoughtfully, with proper support and teaching. But often the intervention does not work because deeper understanding of the child's needs have not been investigated. Before starting with zones it's important to ask.....

●Has the user actually been taught the purpose and how to use it, not just shown a poster and asked to pick a colour? This includes things like understanding why silly and anxious are in the same zone, even though they may feel completely different.

●Have they been taught that there are no ‘bad’ zones. Each zone is just information about how they’re feeling, to help choose the right support strategy if needed?

●Do they understand what the different emotions look and feel like for them? We know that being neurodivergent can come with challenges in recognising and describing feelings?.

●Does this approach suit the users age, development, or emotional needs?

For many people, emotions aren’t neat, simple, or able to be colour-coded. Reducing lived experience to a chart can feel invalidating. It may encourage masking ( I will pick green because it is the only good one!) or leave deeper emotional needs unaddressed ( trauma for example can't be simply labled)

Once the user does learn to identify their feelings and use zones to communicate this, the next step matters just as much: How are they being supported to reduce triggers, understand themselves, and build meaningful coping strategies?

Zones can be a good starting point, but should never be the whole intervention. If you see this on your child's plan, its important to ask more questions as detailed above.

22/08/2025

Working for yourself has many benefits, but the worse thing is having to let people down because you are ill. Apologies to everyone I am having to reschedule.

Spectrum SEN Services

31/01/2026

26/01/2026

21/01/2026

06/01/2026

02/01/2026

02/01/2026

20/12/2025

05/12/2025

28/11/2025

03/09/2025

25/08/2025

22/08/2025

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