SEND Advocacy Blog

Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is a profile on the autism spectrum where a child experiences extreme anxiety when faced with everyday demands and expectations. Unlike typical demand avoidance, PDA-driven behaviour is rooted in anxiety rather than defiance. Understanding PDA can make a significant difference to how parents and schools support a child effectively.

Flow is the state of being completely absorbed in an activity, where time seems to disappear and effort feels effortless. For neurodivergent children, accessing flow can be both more intense and more difficult than for their neurotypical peers. Understanding what triggers flow, and what blocks it, can help parents and educators create the right conditions for learning and wellbeing.

Stimming, short for self-stimulatory behaviour, refers to repetitive movements or sounds that many children with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions use to regulate their sensory experience or emotions. Rather than something to be stopped, stimming often serves an important purpose. This post explains what it is and how parents can respond in a supportive, informed way.

Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, or RSD, describes an intense and often overwhelming emotional response to perceived criticism, failure or rejection. It is strongly associated with ADHD and can have a significant impact on a child's self-esteem, relationships and school experience. Understanding RSD helps parents and educators respond with empathy rather than frustration.

Masking refers to the conscious or unconscious process by which neurodivergent individuals hide or suppress their natural traits in order to appear more neurotypical. While it can help a child manage social situations in the short term, long-term masking is exhausting and can be harmful to mental health. This post helps parents recognise masking and understand its real impact.

An invisible disability is a condition that has a substantial effect on a person's daily life but is not outwardly visible to others. For children with SEND, this often means their needs are misunderstood, minimised or overlooked entirely. This post helps parents understand the term, why recognition matters and how to advocate for a child whose needs are not always easy for others to see.

Misophonia is a condition where specific sounds trigger intense emotional or physical reactions, often including anger, anxiety or disgust. For children with SEND, it can make everyday environments like classrooms or dining halls extremely difficult to manage. This post helps parents understand what misophonia is, how it presents and what reasonable adjustments can help.

Special Educational Needs is the term used in England to describe a learning difficulty or disability that requires additional or different educational support compared to children of the same age. Knowing exactly what SEN means, and what it does not mean, helps parents understand their child's rights and navigate the system with more confidence.

Autistic burnout is a state of physical and mental exhaustion that occurs when an autistic person has been masking, coping or trying to meet neurotypical expectations for an extended period. It is different from ordinary tiredness and can have a serious impact on a child's ability to function at school and at home. This post helps parents recognise the signs and understand what their child might need to recover.

Exam season can be a particularly stressful time for students with SEND, and the support available to them is not always as visible or straightforward as it should be. Whether it is extra time, rest breaks or a separate room, knowing what to ask for and how to ask for it can make a real difference to how a young person performs.

Access arrangements are formal adjustments made to exams and assessments for students who have a learning difficulty, disability or medical condition that puts them at a disadvantage in standard exam conditions. They are not an unfair advantage but a way of ensuring a level playing field. This post explains what is available, who qualifies and how to make sure your child gets the support they are entitled to.

Sensory Processing Disorder describes a condition where the brain has difficulty receiving and responding to information that comes in through the senses. For children with SEND, this can mean everyday sensory experiences such as noise, light, texture or movement become overwhelming or, in some cases, barely noticeable at all. Understanding SPD helps parents and schools create environments where a child can actually learn.

Epilepsy is a neurological condition characterised by recurring seizures, caused by sudden bursts of electrical activity in the brain. It affects people in very different ways, and for children with SEND it can add a significant layer of complexity to their educational and daily lives. This post helps parents understand the condition, its impact and what support schools should have in place.

Autism, or Autism Spectrum Condition, is a lifelong neurodevelopmental difference that affects how a person experiences and interacts with the world around them. It is not an illness and it is not something to be fixed. Understanding autism properly helps parents advocate more effectively for their child and work with schools to put the right support in place from an early stage.

A blog on Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder ("ARFID") for parents/carers of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilies

A blog post on Auditory Processing Disorder ("APD") for parents/carers of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities ("SEND").

A blog post on situational mutism for parents and carers.

A blog post on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services ("CAMHS") for parents/carers of children and young people with SEND.

A blog post on reasonable adjustments for parents/carers of children & young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities ("SEND")

A blog post on disability discrimination law for parents/carers of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities ("SEND")