Blog

Many autistic women notice their traits shift across the cycle. What's known about menstruation, pregnancy, postpartum and menopause in autism, and how to prepare.

Adolescence is when many autistic girls start really struggling. What changes at that stage, which signs to watch for at school, and how to support her without overwhelming her.

Many women get an ADHD diagnosis first and an autism diagnosis years later, or the reverse. How the two conditions interact, which signs distinguish them, and what support actually works.

Masking explains why so many autistic women go unnoticed and end up exhausted. What it is exactly, what it costs, and how to reduce it without dismantling your social life.

Autism presents differently in women, which is why it's diagnosed late or never. Concrete signs, why classic criteria fail, and what to do if you recognise yourself.

Autistic burnout isn't depression or laziness, and adult anger is rarely a character flaw. How to recognise the phases, what triggers outbursts, and a realistic recovery plan.

Level 1 doesn't mean mild autism or low needs. Here's what the DSM-5 support levels mean, why "high functioning" is misleading, and which supports these adults actually need.

Adult autism tests are almost everyone's first step. Here's what each one measures, how to read your score honestly, and what to do with the result.

How an adult autism assessment actually works: qualified professionals, instruments like ADOS-2 and ADI-R, duration, cost, and what changes once you have the report.

Many autistic adults reach 30, 40 or 50 without a diagnosis. Here are the signs that actually show up in adult life, how they differ from shyness or anxiety, and what to do if you recognise yourself.

Diagnosis, disability assessment, school support assessment, and benefits are four separate processes that are constantly confused. A guide to what each one is and how to prepare properly.

Exercise reduces anxiety, improves sleep, and supports regulation — but conventional sport is often a sensory and social barrier. A guide to choosing an activity and adapting the environment.

Silence doesn't protect — it raises risk. How to teach privacy, consent, body changes, and relationships to autistic teens using visual supports and clear rules.

Real price ranges for dedicated speech-generating devices, tablet-based AAC apps and low-tech boards, plus the funding routes families actually use.

Many physical symptoms are wrongly attributed to autism and left untreated. A review of the most common co-occurring conditions, their warning signs, and how to prepare for appointments.

Autism attracts more miracle treatments than almost any other field. A guide to telling evidence-based support from products that only sell hope, and the questions to always ask.

Free AAC apps vary enormously in quality. Here is the checklist speech therapists actually use, the red flags to avoid, and how to test an app in one week.

Every behaviour serves a function. Learn to log antecedent, behaviour, and consequence to discover what it communicates, then replace it with an alternative that works just as well.

Lining up cars isn't a problem: it's a stage. A level-by-level guide to widening a child's play repertoire while respecting their interests, from sensory play to cooperative play.

What an AAC device is, the difference between dedicated devices and AAC apps, how much they cost, who funds them, and how to choose the right augmentative and alternative communication device for an autistic child.

Up to half of autistic people experience alexithymia: difficulty identifying and describing what they feel. What it is, why it gets mistaken for a lack of empathy, and how to work on it with visual supports.

Repeating movie lines or whole phrases isn't an error to correct: it's a valid route to language. What the gestalt language processing stages are and how to support them at home.

Interoception is the sense that reports what is happening inside the body. When it works atypically, toileting, eating, sleep, and emotional regulation all suffer. A practical guide to training it at home.

Bolting without warning is more common than people think and is the number one safety risk. A practical prevention plan for home, street and water.

Camouflaging autistic traits works in the short term and destroys in the long term. How to teach useful social skills without demanding a permanent mask.

The barrier is rarely technical ability: it is a hiring process designed to reward sociability. A guide for candidates and for employers.

School support ends abruptly and many families arrive with no plan. A realistic timeline of what to prepare before 21.

Puberty arrives anyway, but with added sensory and executive difficulties. A concrete guide to teaching hygiene without fights and with dignity.

Coming out of nappies usually happens later in autism, and the cause is almost never willpower. A sensory, visual, punishment-free guide.

Broken routines, noise, queues and new beds. A trip can be possible and enjoyable if you build the structure before leaving home.

Noisy waiting room, gowns, lights, unexpected touch. Here is how to prepare a medical appointment so it doesn't end in restraint or trauma.

They carry more responsibility, get less attention and rarely complain. How to care for a sibling without guilt and without turning them into a second caregiver.

Being in the mainstream classroom is not the same as being included. These are concrete, cheap adaptations you can apply tomorrow that most change an autistic student's day.

Between 30% and 60% of autistic people also have ADHD. When both are present, the classic strategies for each one clash. Here is how to adapt support.

Up to half of autistic people live with clinical anxiety, but rarely name it. Learn to recognise it in the body and in behaviour, and which supports actually work.

It isn't depression or laziness. Autistic burnout appears after months or years of over-demand and masking, and it has its own signs and its own recovery.

Hand-flapping, rocking, repeating sounds or spinning objects isn't a bad habit: it's a regulation system. When to allow it, when to redirect it, and why banning it is costly.

Many autistic women are diagnosed in adolescence or adulthood, after years of misexplained anxiety. Here are the signs that usually go unnoticed and what to do if you suspect autism.

A practical guide for families who have just received a speech therapist's recommendation: what Augmentative and Alternative Communication is, how to choose a dynamic communication device, and how to take the first steps at home without feeling overwhelmed.

How to introduce PECS into daily life without filling your home with cards: how many symbols to use, where to place them, how to print boards in a minute, and when to switch to digital format.

Why many children with ASD decode but don't comprehend, and what adaptations (visual supports, segmented text, levels of assistance) make reading an accessible and enjoyable activity.

How to distinguish a tantrum from a meltdown or a shutdown, what to do in each case, and how to record triggers so that crises no longer seem unpredictable.

What a self-regulation space at home truly needs, what materials to avoid, how to teach its use before a crisis, and how to support it with ambient music and low-stimulation modes.

What happens in the brain during sensory overload, how to detect early signs, and what adjustments at home, outside, and with technology reduce daily sensory burden.

Why children with ASD sleep worse, how to build an effective visual bedtime routine, and what light, sound, and anticipation adjustments improve rest for the whole family.

A practical guide to building a visual schedule that your child understands and uses: how many activities to include, what format to choose based on their level, how to mark completed tasks, and how to announce changes.

How to write an effective social story for a doctor's visit, a haircut, or a school change: structure, sentence types, common mistakes, and how to generate them in minutes.

Task analysis explained in plain language: how to break down brushing teeth, showering, or getting dressed into visual steps, what aids to use, and how to fade them for true autonomy.

Why many children with ASD eat only five foods, what's behind it (texture, color, smell, interoception), and how to expand their diet with gradual exposure and visual sequencing, without battles.

When each professional works independently, the child pays the price. How to set up a realistic coordination system between family, school, and therapists, and what information to share.

A one-page document that explains in seconds how your child communicates, what calms them, and what to avoid. What it should include, how to write it, and how to keep it updated and handy.

What to do (and what not to do) in the first months after diagnosis: emotional management, real priorities, paperwork, choosing interventions, and avoiding information overload.

Not all screens are created equal: the difference between hyper-stimulating content and structured support tools, how to set effective limits, and how to avoid meltdowns when turning off devices.