Audhd, FND and me

11/09/2026

For years, I genuinely thought I’d failed.

I watched everyone else do the things society expects you to do. Go to school. Sit your GCSEs. Get your qualifications. Move on. Maybe even got to university after that. And I couldn’t even manage the first bit.

It’s only really as I’ve got older that I’ve started questioning why that was the version of success I was measuring myself against in the first place.

My education has been messy. I’ve needed a LOT of support, and there are still things that other people my age do that are really hard for me. But none of that cancels out everything else.

People spend so much time asking whether autistic people are meeting the milestones they’ve decided they should be meeting. Maybe we need to spend a bit more time asking whether those milestones actually mean anything to them?

I’m probably never going to have the neat education story I thought I was supposed to have. And that’s okay. I’m starting to realise I don’t really want one anyway! 😉

10/09/2026

Share awayyyy!

We’re looking for Educational Psychologists to work with Rise on a new 12-month opportunity.

Following a new contract and increased demand, we’re looking for around 3–6 Educational Psychologists to support with EHCP assessments.

The work can be completed remotely, so you don’t need to be based near us in the South West, and you don’t need to be available full-time. We’re happy to work around existing commitments and availability, whether you can offer a smaller amount of time or have more capacity.

We can work with people on a PAYE or self-employed basis, depending on the individual arrangement.

For self-employed EPs, fees would be discussed individually based on your usual fee structure and the work involved.

If you’re an Educational Psychologist and might be interested, or you’d just like an informal chat about the opportunity, get in touch.

10/09/2026

All things yesterday…

09/09/2026

Almost three months ago, I spent the day filming with the BBC, talking very openly about my life, my experiences and what it’s actually like growing up with hidden disabilities.

And tonight, it’s finally airing! ❤️

I’ll be on BBC1 Spotlight at 6:30pm, talking about autism, ADHD, SEND and some of the experiences that have shaped me into the person I am now. We spoke about education, growing up feeling different, the things people don’t necessarily see from the outside, and why understanding young people like me matters so much.

Sharing my story publicly is something I’ve become pretty used to over the last few years, but there’s still something very strange about knowing that tonight it’ll be on people’s TVs across the South West 🫣 Especially considering it was filmed so long ago that I can’t even remember half of what I said!!

But this is exactly why I started sharing my story in the first place. Not because I have all the answers, but because I know how much difference it can make when somebody feels seen, understood and a little less alone in their experiences.

BBC1 Spotlight, tonight at 6:30pm! It’s regional to the South West, but I’ll share the piece afterwards for those of you elsewhere who would like to watch ❤️

Almost three months ago, I spent a slightly surreal day being followed around by a BBC camera, talking very openly about my life, my experiences and what it’s actually like growing up with hidden disabilities.

And tonight, it’s finally airing! ❤️

I’ll be on BBC One Spotlight at 6:30pm, talking about autism, ADHD, SEND and some of the experiences that have shaped me into the person I am now. We spoke about education, growing up feeling different, the things people don’t necessarily see from the outside, and why understanding young people like me matters so much.

Sharing my story publicly is something I’ve become pretty used to over the last few years, but there’s still something very strange about knowing that tonight it’ll be on people’s TVs across the South West 😂 Especially considering it was filmed so long ago that I genuinely can’t remember half of what I said!

But this is exactly why I started sharing my story in the first place. Not because I have all the answers, but because I know how much difference it can make when somebody feels seen, understood and a little less alone in their experiences.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyjd999w0jo

08/09/2026

Exciting stuff!! 😆

Please tune in to the BBC at 6.30pm tomorrow where you will see the wonderful Audhd, FND and me talking all about SEND 💗

We're so proud of Charlotte and all she is doing for the SEND community 💜

06/09/2026

I’ve been a bit absent on here recently without even meaning to be. I’m only just realising how burnt out I actually am, and social media has naturally taken a bit of a back seat.

Maybe I just need a bloody break. I think we all do sometimes!

03/09/2026

September always reminds me of my own experience of education, and how different things could have been if there was more understanding of children like me.

I am a child who struggled with school. A child who needed things to look different, even when I couldn’t explain why. I needed adjustments, safe people, time away from the classroom and support that probably didn’t always look fair to the other children around me. I’ve also been the child who couldn’t get through the school gates at all.

So yes, teach your children their times tables. But teach them about inclusion too. Teach them that the child with a 1:1 isn’t getting special treatment. That the child wearing ear defenders isn’t being rude. That leaving the classroom, having extra breaks or doing things differently isn’t unfair. Teach them that some children communicate differently, eat differently, learn differently and experience school differently. And that’s okay.

I can’t go back and change my own experience of education, and I don’t think I’d want to. It’s a huge part of why I do what I do now. But I can use my experiences to help make things better for the children coming after me.

Because sometimes the difference between a child feeling like they’re the problem and a child feeling like they belong can be as simple as just being surrounded by people who understand that different doesn’t mean less ❤️

02/09/2026

6 years ago today, I started secondary school.

Which feels surreal to write, because I don’t think I realised at the time what the next six years were going to look like. Two secondary school placements that ultimately didn’t work out. Reduced timetables, an EHCP, suspensions, endless meetings and just under three years spent mostly out of education. And eventually leaving secondary school without even sitting my GCSEs.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know just how much of my life education has taken up. You’ve watched me go from barely being able to access it at all, to managing my first full day after 927 days, starting college, losing another placement, starting again and somehow continuing to find my way through it all.

And then today, exactly six years later, I spent my day supporting a new provision for secondary-aged young people experiencing emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) and associated anxiety. Which feels very special. Because six years ago, I was one of those young people. I was the child who couldn’t get through the doors and whose education looked completely different to everyone else’s.

But now I get to be one of those people for the children coming after me. To hopefully show them that where they are right now doesn’t have to determine where they’ll end up. That struggling with school doesn’t mean you’ve failed at education. That doing things differently doesn’t make your future any smaller. And apparently I get to spend part of my day with a dog too, which younger me would definitely approve of 🤣

Six years ago, I was them. And today, I got to be their role model. So much can change. Things that once felt impossible can become part of the reason you’re able to help somebody else.

I just wish I could go back and show that little girl this photo. Because I think she’d be really, really proud ❤️

01/09/2026

September is National Su***de Prevention Month ❤️‍🩹

And I think conversations like this need to go so much further than what happens when somebody reaches crisis.

Being autistic, I know what it feels like to not be believed because I don’t always look like I’m struggling. I know how easily masking can be mistaken for coping, how difficult it can be to explain what’s happening internally, and how exhausting it is when you have to repeatedly prove that something is genuinely difficult for you.

So much of the advocacy I do comes back to the same thing… listen to autistic people. Believe what we tell you about our own experiences. Make the adjustments before we’re completely overwhelmed. And don’t wait until someone reaches breaking point before deciding their struggles were real.

Autism acceptance isn’t just about celebrating differences.
It’s about creating a world where autistic people feel heard, understood, supported and safe enough to be themselves.

And that matters all year round 🫶🏼