Great end to our six week ND Awareness Programme in @CarmsCouncil for @ChildreninWales empowering communities by improving the knowledge and skills base of neurodivergent families so they can support their learners and advocate effectively #needsled #strengths #coregulation

Looking forward to parent coproduction with @PowysCC and @PTHBhealth this evening. Presentations by services on the ND Pathway and Tyfu. Conversations starting this evening to determine what families want from the Single Point of Access. #EarlyHelp #WaitingWell #NeedsLed

Parent telling us today that a learner who has #EBSA was told in a meeting about the importance of education and how the parents may be fined for low attendance. Learner has crippling anxiety related to neurodivergence. Scare tactics will increase anxiety for the learner and family. We must be curious, identify the barriers and put in a needs led plan. PV will be supporting the family in identifying the needs of the child and be solution focused sending our recommendations to the practitioner. We must meet needs led and avoid punitive approaches. We are stronger together. @DenbighshireCC @childcomwales @SeneddChildren #ALNReform #NeedsLed

Yes….and only in neuroaffirming supportive environments with strength focused approaches. No one blooms if they are struggling. #ALNWales #NeedsLed #Neurodivergence #MentalHealth

It’s World Autism Awareness Day And it’s good to raise awareness but …….people don’t always get a diagnosis, people tend to have more than one condition whether they have a diagnosis or not, people are a mixed bag of differences and many of the challenges in autism are experienced in ADHD, Dyspraxia etc. Some people may have another primary condition with Autism being a secondary or tertiary condition. Did you know 80% of Autistic people also have Dyspraxia? Did you know 50% of Autistic people have ADHD? Did you know that until recently it was thought that Autistic people didn’t have Dev Language Disorder? We know now this to be untrue. It commonly cooccurs. Did you know that 4 boys to every one girl Is diagnosed with Autism because the diagnostic criteria’s were based on males? Cis females present differently and can have a more internalized profile. The average age of diagnosis for an Autistic woman is 35. So please raise awareness of Autism but be mindful that people don’t come in boxes and we need to support the whole person. #needsled #personcentred #earlyhelp #AutismAwarenessDay ‘When we focus on labels we miss seeing the whole person’ Prof Amanda Kirby

Great question, Claire! Those 6 pilot sites include Sheffield’s Gleadless & Heeley 24/7 MH Neighbourhood Centre. ♥️ @_J_Sutherland @timkendall1 #collaboration #coproduction #NeedsLed #Holistic #ExpertsByExperience #Resilient #Sustainable #Pioneeering #Neighbourhood #Localised

Great to be at the WISERD event for the Growing Up in Wales - a cohort study that will provide insight into the educational experiences of children and young people - WISERD can share data on their new digital platform. Delighted to see this happening and have requested parent involvement in possibly framing questions for #ALN #Neurodivergence to hear about the experiences from these learners to support #ALNReform #needsled support. It good to see Minister for Education’s support at the event. @WISERDNews @lynne_neagle @AddysgEducation @childcomwales #LoveWales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Great to meet Prof Push Mangat yesterday Deputy CMO for Wales and discuss how we can promote the need for Neurodiversity education in the medical student curriculum to highlight the cooccurrence of conditions, trauma and mental health to support our future GPs, Psychiatrists and Paediatricians. PV wishes to see medics/GPs more involved in the needs led approach to neurodivergence and embed a culture of whole system working and signposting to support for neurodivergent families. Community support is essential for meeting needs and a shared language and understanding includes all professionals. #needsled #wholechild #biopsychosocial #neurodivergence #mentalhealth #trauma

School Transitions Parents shld aim to start preparing their children a few days before to reduce the anxiety. Language is important and try to model calm. This is difficult for neurodivergent families often. Schools can help by linking families to a trusted adult at the school who can reassure and advocate for the child when needed. Relationships are key. #ebsa #ALN #Neurodivergent #needsled

Delighted to be invited to share the parent experience of #neurodivergence to support a secondary school’s professional learning for staff on #ADHD #EBSA #Transitions and to share what works for the family in meeting needs. This is exactly the culture shift we need across Wales. #wholeschoolapproach #ALN #needsled #relationships @lynne_neagle @WG_Education @NHSWalesCollab @WGHealthandCare @NDTeamWales

Absolutely love this girls only alternative education programme. #NeedsLed #TransformingYoungLivesThroughSport Looks like they are having a blast 💥

Really important research for Wales - well done @CASCADEresearch - when we consider the needs led approaches for #LAC who are frequently #neurodivergent learners, the #wholeschoolapproach and #ALNReform early intervention can work cohesively with the #NEST Framework. @WG_Education @lynne_neagle @sarah4bridgend @Dawn_Bowden For #ADHD learners (much higher prevelance in looked after children #LAC) experts like Dr Russell A Barkley tell us that we should support the ‘triad’ of challenges ie the #anxiety and #depression that frequently cooccur with ADHD. We look forward to the findings of this research to ensure that appropriate emotional and wellbeing support is available for those most in need #LAC #ADHD #ASD #DLD #ALN #Neurodivergent cascadewales.org/research/th… #traumainformed #inclusion #needsled

Good to hear from Rob Jones of @Dash_MHWB talking about family centred support and how systems can impact the child and family. Are we really listening to families? Are the needs led approaches bespoke? Are we meeting the needs of parents as well as the child? It’s important to support the whole family and find the right people at the right time to provide expert advice. #WholeSchoolApproach #NEST #NYTH #ALNReform #NeedsLed

Great to be at the @WelshGovernment @WGHealthandCare in person Neurodivergence Ministerial Advisory Group. So pleased to see representatives from cross Government! We have been discussing the importance of meeting needs early, understanding the role of diagnosis when needed and what/when support is required for those on pathways. Emma Reardon is now discussing neuroaffirming language and practice. #inclusion #integration #strengthfocusedapproach #needsled #NDIP #wholesystem

It’s been 6 years since we first met with @childcomwales and @lynne_neagle to share our concerns about the late identification and support for #Neurodivergent learners and how this impacted emotional wellbeing. It was then the 2 most important reports for families were published #nowrongdoor #mindovermatter @SeneddChildren Since then, PV has worked tirelessly to raise the importance of a Whole Government and Whole System approach in meeting the needs early for the 1 in 5 learners with social, emotional and/or educational differences. As a result, we have and continue to support schools, stat services and @WelshGovernment @WGHealthandCare @WG_Education @NDTeamWales @PublicHealthW training and coproduction #NEST #NDIP #NDMAG #WholeSchoolApproach #ALNReform and have contributed to Consultations acting as conduit for Neurodivergent families. @JemmaBridgeman @Em_Gooding We have this week written and thanked @lynne_neagle @Dawn_Bowden @sarah4bridgend for their continued commitment in reducing poor mental health outcomes for #neurodivergent and #ALN Learners and how we look forward to working with their teams after the cross Government event in November. @NHSWalesCollab It is a great time to be in Wales #uncrc #hope #needsled #inclusion #earlyhelp #enhancedsupport #neurodevelopment #parentingweek #communityled

Delighted to be training with Calon Cymru Fostering today on #Neurodivergence #Neurodiversity and #ADHD Awareness and how we can meet needs of children and young people in foster care. So much compassion in the group for their children and young people but reporting barriers with support. We hope the #NDIP #NEST brings hope for these families today and what they can do as advocates. #needsled #wholechild #strengthsfocused #trauma #cooccurrence #mentalhealth #coregulation #reward #relationships #lifestyle #wholesystem #wholeschoolapproach

parentsvoicesinwales.wordpre… We have some exciting projects under way to support the Neurodevelopment Improvement Plan in Wales. Delighted to be supporting @WGHealthandCare in the cultural shift to a person centred approach across the age spectrum. #Neurodiversity #Neurodivergence #NeedsLed #WaitingWell #PeerMentoring #EarlyHelp

Privileged to have had a tour of the wonderful @YsgolHenFelin today and see the culture of this school in #Treorchy that supports #ALN learners from age 3 to 19 years. Why was this school so wonderful? Because it is the blueprint for the ALN Code of Practice, the Whole School Approach/NEST and NDIP in Wales. #uncrc #needsled #inclusion #earlyhelp #wellbeing #relationships o the warm welcome and sense of community is tangible as you walk through the doors o children smiling, parents relaxed - on a Monday morning no less! o the value base that all staff are empowered, equal and respected through robust Professional Learning & Quality Assurance structures o the strengths of staff are utilised with innovation and development whilst their wellbeing is factored into the weekly timetable o the importance of connection in building relationships with families and learners at the centre of the school o the bespoke social and emotional needs of every child are met through whole system working #schoolnursing #paediatrics #alliedprofessionals #thirdsector o that educational needs are met and this is reflected in their own CfW portfolio that caters for all abilities - coproduced as a school ⭐️ o the lack of focus on IDPs because of the quality universal support and ALP! ❤️ o the continual evaluation and improvement/long term investment with learners and community needs always in mind o the importance of transitions 0-3 years and 19 years are thoughtfully supported creating aspirations and jobs for leavers #skills #strengthsfocused If we could replicate this culture in every school! @AddysgEducation 🙏🏻❤️

Dear Schools If there is one thing you can do today, tomorrow and for the rest of the year, across all key stages, is …. Be a trusted adult. This is one of the core principles of the #NEST #NYTH Framework in Wales which aligns to the Whole School Approach. Trusted adults build safe and trusted relationships with children and young people so they have a sense of belonging, become emotionally regulated and are able to learn. #needsled Be strategic. #trustedadults #educhat gov.wales/nest-framework-men…

Dear Schools Please be mindful that when the right support is provided a learner may flourish and does not mean that they no longer have needs, it means the support you are providing is working. Try not to disrupt their improving confidence and self esteem by removing support. The support should be ongoing and updated as appropriate. To obtain that support they should not need a diagnosis. They do not need to be 2 years behind in education. They do not need to be self harming or experiencing school anxiety/absence or on the CAMHS waiting list. They need adjustments BEFORE they hit crisis. Early help needs led approach is simply this. #needsled #childled #uncrc #alnwales #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #differentnotless