Advertise on podcast: The SENDcast

Burnout isn't one big thing. It's lots of smaller things, building and building - until even the smallest demand tips you over the edge. Joe Fautley, project coordinator at the Council for Disabled Children and neurodiversity advocate, returns to the podcast to discuss burnout, communication, and what it takes to build inclusive environments for autistic learners. Joe speaks from lived experience. Non-verbal for much of his childhood, he lost hard-won communication skills when he moved to an unsupportive mainstream school, and spent years managing severe anxiety and extended absences. His story is also one of remarkable growth: from a child who couldn't speak verbally, to someone who now delivers public talks and co-facilitates training for education professionals. Together, Dale and Joe explore the direct relationship between belonging and burnout, why communication and mental health are inseparable, and why the single most important thing a school can do is ask the young person what they need - and actually listen to the answer.  About Joe Fautley Joe Fautley is an Autistic and neurodivergent advocate with over 10 years of experience in a variety of personal lived experience advocacy and professional training work for Autism, neurodiversity and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Joe is a relentless and determined advocate for positive change and engages regularly with professional networks across the SEND community with over 6,000 connections and followers on LinkedIn. Joe has delivered many presentations to various audiences. Outside of his full time day job at the National Children's Bureau (NCB), Joe regularly contributes to various media, providing practical advice for professionals who support Autistic children and young people and adults using insights from his own personal lived experience. Joe is the co-chair (a voluntary role) of the Staff Disability and Neurodiversity Network, launched in January 2023, for colleagues at NCB, ensuring they are supported and their feedback can influence positive changes in the workplace. In 2025, Joe was a guest on an episode of the podcast "SEND in the Experts", hosted by Georgina Durrant from Twinkl Educational Publishing, in which he provided advice and strategies to help support teachers and educators.  Joe featured on an episode of the SENDcast in 2024, the #1 podcast for SEND hosted by Dale Pickles, in which he talks openly about his personal experiences of Autism and provides advice for professionals supporting Autistic children and young people in education.  Joe has written articles in several publications in the SEND and children's sector including Teach Secondary, NASEN Connect, SEN Magazine, Autism Eye, SecEd, Headteacher Update and Children and Young People Now Magazine, and featured in a blog for SENsational Tutors.  Joe was invited by NASEN to be a speaker at their conference in Birmingham in July 2025. At this conference, Joe delivered a seminar titled "A Lived Experience: Practical Advice for Educators Supporting Autistic Children and Young People". Joe also joined a panel discussion at this conference with other inspiring advocates who all shared openly their personal lived experiences. B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – [email protected]  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

Today, Dale is joined by Terry Bolton - known as Telboy - a UK-based music producer, independent hip-hop artist, and parent of neurodivergent children, diagnosed with Tourette's and ADHD in his mid-30s to discuss Late Diagnosis, Loud Music and Parenting Neurodivergent Kids. Terry brings an honest, funny, and at times deeply personal perspective to a conversation that covers late diagnosis, sensory overload, resilience, and what it really means to define success on your own terms. They explore why Tourette's without coprolalia leaves so many people undiagnosed for decades and how Terry spent years masking his tics on stage without realising it. They also have a fascinating conversation about sensory overload - how context, certainty, and the people around you can completely change a sensory experience, and why the answer is rarely as simple as avoiding the thing that feels overwhelming. And they talk about parenting: modelling resilience without pretending life is perfect, being honest with your kids about the days you're struggling and running your own race rather than constantly measuring success against everyone else. About Terry Bolton Terry Bolton (Telboy) is a UK-based music producer and independent hip-hop artist. As an adult diagnosed with Tourette's and ADHD, and a parent within a neurodivergent household, Terry delivers fast, introspective, and socially aware bars that tackle emotional conflict, stigma, and raw identity. His work focuses on lived consequences, accountability, and authentic representation for the neurodivergent community. B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – [email protected]  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

The SEND reforms have generated a lot of conversation - but one perspective has been missing from the debate. What does it mean for trusts? In this episode, Dale is joined by Helen Bray, Director of Inclusion at St Francis CMAT, and Simon Tanner, Director of School Improvement for SEND at Authentic Education, for a wide-ranging and at times refreshingly candid conversation about what the proposed reforms mean at trust level. Together, they explore: - Why accountability and capacity must move together - and why simply shifting responsibility away from local authorities without the right funding and workforce risks relocating the pressure rather than solving the problem. - What the standardisation of EHCPs and ISPs could mean in practice, and why trusts working across multiple local authorities stand to benefit most. - How the Mainstream Inclusion Fund will work differently across schools of different sizes - and why trusts can't simply pool the money. - Why Helen's trust has moved away from a standalone SEND register and replaced it with a vulnerability dashboard - and why that distinction matters for the children who fall through the gaps. - Whether the 'Experts at Hand' proposal can actually deliver in practice, given the existing shortage of educational psychologists and speech and language therapists. - Why executive function training is urgently needed - not just for TAs, but for every teacher in every secondary school. "If we're going to formally shift greater responsibility away from the local authority model, we have to ask whether schools actually have the expertise, the funding, and the infrastructure to deliver on it — otherwise we're not solving a problem, we're just relocating where the pressure sits." Helen Bray An essential listen for trust leaders, MAT leads, and anyone navigating the SEND reform landscape. B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – [email protected]  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

In this episode, Dale is joined by Emma Muir, social media marketer, author, and education communication strategist, to discuss late diagnosis and whether being neurodivergent is a superpower. Emma received her ADHD diagnosis at 45, on a day when she was also told she had severely fractured her back and her mother was being rushed to hospital. Dale and Emma explore what it really means to receive a late diagnosis and why so many neurodivergent adults spend decades being offered depression medication or HRT before anyone suggests ADHD. They also have a fascinating conversation about whether ADHD is actually a superpower - and why the answer, as Dale argues, depends almost entirely on context. About Emma Muir Emma Muir is a social media marketer, author and Education and Communication Strategist at Clearcut Consultants. She was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 45, on the same day she received a diagnosis for a severely fractured sacrum and learned her mother had been rushed to hospital. Her mother passed away on Mother's Day weeks later.  Emma spent thirteen years as a childminder, during which time she also founded Nurture Socials, a marketing consultancy supporting businesses whose customers are parents. She is the author of Stop Being the Best Kept Secret, the first practical marketing guide written specifically for childminders.   Since her ADHD diagnosis Emma has come to understand and embrace her neurodiversity as a professional superpower. She reads rooms, spots what others miss, hyperfocuses with extraordinary intensity and brings the unfiltered perspective of a parent into every school and business she works with. She believes her ADHD explains every area of her career where she has been most successful.  Emma is passionate about late diagnosis, about the power of understanding your own brain and about what becomes possible when you finally stop apologising for being different. B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – [email protected]  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

Schools have sensory rooms, sensory audits, and sensory-informed environments – but what about home? For many neurodivergent children, the place they're supposed to feel safest is quietly making things worse. Today, Dale is joined by Natasha Grays, founder of The Sensory Haven, to discuss sensory support at home and how it supports regulation, learning, and sleep. Natasha explains why so many families are unknowingly living in homes that are working against their child's nervous system – through lighting, noise, materials, and clutter – and why the good news is that the most impactful changes are often the simplest and cheapest to make. Dale and Natasha explore: – Why swapping a harsh overhead light for a soft lamp can shift a child's entire nervous system. – How background noises that adults barely notice can feel genuinely painful to a sensory-sensitive child. – Why the hard floors and minimal soft furnishings that look so good on Pinterest can turn a home into an echo chamber of stress. "It's about making small, easy, practical changes to lower the sensory overload in the home." — Natasha Grays An episode full of ideas you can act on today – without spending a fortune.   About Natasha Grays Natasha Grays is the founder of The Sensory Haven; a sensory design consultant, speaker, and CPD-certified Sensory Integration Facilitator helping families create calmer, more supportive home environments for neurodivergent and sensory-sensitive children. With over 20 years of international interior design experience, alongside lived experience and extensive self-education around sensory processing, emotional regulation, nervous system wellbeing, sleep, and neuroinclusive environments, Natasha helps families better understand how lighting, noise levels, visual clutter, layout flow, and sensory stress can impact behaviour, anxiety, sleep, focus, and overall family wellbeing. Natasha is also the creator of the S.E.N.S.O.R.E.E. Wellbeing Solution, a framework which underpins her approach to sensory wellbeing and sensory-friendly home design. Through sensory home audits, consultations, educational talks, and practical online content, she supports families in creating homes that feel calmer, safer, and more regulating for everyday life. Her work has been featured in The Parent Teacher magazine, and through her YouTube channel, The Sensory Haven, she shares relatable skits, sensory design advice, and realistic wellbeing strategies to help reduce overwhelm and support emotional regulation, without the need for expensive renovations or perfectly curated homes. B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – [email protected]  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

Coping is not the same as wellbeing – and for too many neurodivergent children in our schools, the two are being confused. Charlotte MacDougall, a neurodivergent specialist, joins Dale to discuss how we need to rethink wellbeing for neurodivergent children in school. Charlotte argues that much of what schools offer as wellbeing support amounts to sticking plasters – well-meaning interventions that treat the symptom without addressing the cause. The cause, she suggests, is an education system that demands an enormous and largely invisible amount of energy from neurodivergent children, simply to get through the day. A child who attends school and a child who is truly well are not always the same thing. Dale and Charlotte explore the difference between a child who attends school and a child who is truly well, why the end-of-term explosion so many families recognise is a sign of a battery running on empty rather than a failure to cope with change, and why asking neurodivergent children to show more grit misses the point entirely – because many of them are already using every bit of it just to be in the room. About Charlotte MacDougall Charlotte MacDougall is a neurodivergence specialist, education consultant, former school leader and founder of Nurture & Thrive. Combining professional expertise with lived experience as a neurodivergent parent, she works with parents and schools to better understand and support neurodivergent children. Charlotte is the author of Reclaiming the Narrative and Thriving with SEND: Rethinking Success for Young Neurodivergent Minds, now in its second edition, and has written for the TES. She recently spoke at the East Sussex Wellbeing Show on neurodivergent wellbeing and the impact of chronic stress and misunderstanding on children and families, and continues to provide training and consultancy for schools alongside parent programmes through Nurture & Thrive. Free guide: building confidence in neurodivergent children Reclaiming the Narrative and Thriving with SEND (book)   B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – [email protected]  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

Play is often the first thing to disappear as children move through school – but for many neurodivergent children, it may be the most powerful learning tool we have. Ange Anderson, Therapeutic SEND Advisor, joins Dale to discuss how play schemas can help adults better understand behaviour, communication, and wellbeing. Together, Dale and Ange explore: – Why play-based learning is so often misunderstood or abandoned too early. – What schemas are, and how recognising them can completely reframe what looks like challenging behaviour. – Why following a child's lead – rather than directing them – can unlock engagement that more traditional approaches simply can't reach. "Play isn't just what children do – it's how they tell us who they are." — Ange Anderson   About Ange Anderson Ange Anderson is a former specialist school head, SEND advisor and author specialising in therapeutic, sensory and play-based approaches for neurodivergent children and young people. Her work focuses on helping professionals and families better understand behaviour, communication, wellbeing and learning through practical, relationship-based approaches. Ange is particularly passionate about purposeful play, sensory profiling, schemas, therapeutic interventions and the rights of children with complex needs and PMLD to lifelong learning. She is known for translating theory into realistic, meaningful strategies that busy staff teams and families can use in everyday practice. Alongside her writing – books, articles and research papers – and training, Ange delivers school training days, conference talks and online resources across the UK. Her work combines professional expertise with warmth, creativity and a strong belief that children learn best when they feel safe, understood and engaged. Ange Anderson Amazon Author Page DIR Floortime training   B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – [email protected]  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

AI is everywhere right now - but how useful is it really for families navigating the SEND system, and how do you know when to trust it? In this episode, Dale is joined by Ben Cosh, founder and CEO of Silva, to discuss AI in SEND: what it can do, what it can't, and why families shouldn't have to wait years for help. Ben built Silva after living through the reality of year-long NHS waiting lists, overwhelmed teachers, and private assessments that cost a fortune but came with no support afterwards. His own experience - three years to identify his daughter's unmet needs, and another three to get everything stable - is the reason Silva exists. Together, Dale and Ben explore: - Why AI should never be thought of as a single thing - there are now 628 different AIs, and they are not all equal. - Why none of them are doctors, and why their confidence can be deeply misleading. - How to find the right AI for the right job - and why where it gets its information from matters enormously. - Why behaviour is always communication, and how understanding that changes everything about how you respond to a struggling child. - What Silva is doing differently - and why families shouldn't have to wait years to get the right support. "Each AI is different - and what none of them are is a doctor that can diagnose." Ben Cosh   About Ben Cosh Ben Cosh is the founder and CEO of Sylva. He built Sylva after experiencing first-hand how broken the system is: years-long NHS waiting lists, overwhelmed teachers, and private assessments costing a fortune, with no support afterwards.  Before founding Spicy Minds, Ben built a renewable energy company that developed over £300m of wind and solar farms, became the fastest-growing in the South West and appeared in the Sunday Times Fast Track. He earlier worked in Downing Street (2001–2003) and is a former management consultant (PA Consulting), engineer (QinetiQ), and active angel investor in digital health and edtech. B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – [email protected]  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

Autistic burnout is talked about on social media, but how many of us truly understand what it looks like - and what it takes to recover from it? Sarah Griffiths, children's author, meditation teacher, and parent advocate, joins Dale to discuss autistic burnout and the story of her daughter Eva. Sarah shares, with honesty and warmth, how Eva - autistic and ADHD, and a skilled masker for years - collapsed into severe burnout at the start of Year 6. Her executive functioning all but disappeared. She couldn't leave the sofa. The family slept downstairs for three months. And at every turn, the systems that should have helped them either didn't respond, didn't understand, or made things worse. Dale and Sarah also explore what autistic burnout actually is - a nervous system shutdown, not a behaviour or a mental health condition - why removing demands is so much harder than it sounds, and why a diagnosis alone means very little without the understanding to go with it. This is also a story of hope. Nine months on, Eva is making positive steps forward in her recovery - and beginning to imagine a future on her own terms.   About Sarah Griffiths Sarah Griffiths is a children's author, meditation teacher, parent advocate and former primary teacher, raising awareness of autistic burnout and the growing crisis facing neurodivergent children and families. After supporting her own daughter through severe burnout and school trauma, she began sharing their journey publicly – leading to hundreds of parents connecting with similar experiences. Through her books, including Eva's Voice and Finding Stones for Grandma, Sarah uses storytelling, mindfulness and lived experience to help children and families feel seen, supported and understood. Her work focuses on emotional wellbeing, sensory overwhelm, recovery, and creating more compassionate conversations between families, schools and professionals. Her book Eva's Voice launched on 16 February 2026 and is available on Amazon. Sarah Griffiths Amazon Author Page Eva's Voice on Amazon Advocacy page on Facebook   B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – [email protected]  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

Trauma-informed practice is one of those phrases everyone nods along to – but how many of us truly understand what it means, or what it actually looks like in practice? Dr. Asha Patel, founder and CEO of Innovating Minds, joins Dale to discuss what we really mean by trauma-informed practice. "Trauma-informed practice is a way of being. It's not a switch that you can switch on and off." — Dr. Asha Patel It starts with the adult being regulated, aware of how they are feeling, and able to offer that calmness to the young person in front of them. You cannot support a dysregulated child if you are dysregulated yourself. Dale and Asha also explore why the word 'trauma' puts so many people off – and why it shouldn't. Trauma doesn't just mean the most extreme experiences. It is a normal human response to overwhelming situations, and it shows up everywhere, every day. Understanding that changes everything about how you respond to behaviour – because behaviour is always communication, and asking why someone is struggling will always lead somewhere more useful than asking what they have done wrong. They also discuss why giving someone your undivided attention is one of the most powerful things you can offer, why trauma-informed practice is not about lowering expectations or excusing behaviour, and why the biggest barrier to getting this right is often simply not knowing where to start. About Dr Asha Patel Dr Asha Patel is a qualified Clinical Psychologist and the founder and CEO of Innovating Minds, a multi-award-winning social enterprise dedicated to early intervention in mental health. Drawing on her expertise in forensic mental health, Dr Patel launched Innovating Minds in 2016 to bridge the gap between access to clinical expertise within education, health and social care. A passionate advocate for mental health equity, Dr Patel empowers frontline professionals to deliver trauma-informed psychological services to enable young people to access education, training and employment opportunities.   B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – [email protected]  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

The SEND reforms have generated a lot of discussion – but one significant gap has gone largely unnoticed. Where do specific learning difficulties fit in? Dale is joined by Louise Selby, a dyslexia specialist, and Janet Goring, an SpLD specialist, for a lively and at times eye-opening conversation about what the shift from four broad areas of need to five areas of development could mean for children with SpLD. Together, they explore: Why cognition and learning has disappeared from the new framework – and why this is a significant oversight. Why dyslexia, dyscalculia, and SpLD maths don't fit neatly into what remains. Whether a stronger universal offer can really compensate for the absence of a dedicated cognition and learning category. The important distinction between a diagnosis that unlocks funding and one that tells a child: this is not your fault. Why quiet children who are struggling but not disruptive have always been at risk of being overlooked – and why the new framework may make this worse. About Louise Selby Louise has worked in a number of SEND settings, more recently for 11 years in the advisory service for Specific Learning Difficulties at Hertfordshire Local Authority, before becoming freelance. Louise's first book, Morph Mastery, a Morphological Intervention for Reading, Spelling and Vocabulary, was published in 2021 by Speechmark (Routledge) in 2021. Her recent two books, "All About Dyslexia, a practical guide for primary/secondary teachers" were published in December 2024 with the same publisher, and her 4th book, Morph Mastery for Small Groups, is in the pipeline. Louise's passion is in enabling, equipping and empowering staff in schools at grass roots level to meet learners' needs.  About Janet Goring Janet Goring worked as a teacher for 25 years, firstly as a primary classroom teacher and Advanced skills teacher for Maths and assessment, before training as a specialist SpLD teacher/assessor and completing a Masters with a focus on supporting number sense through games. She chaired the SASC (SpLD Assessment Committee) Working Group on Dyscalculia and Maths Difficulties which produced the 2025 guidance on the assessment of Maths Difficulties and Dyscalculia.   Having retired as Manager of a local authority team of specialist Literacy and Numeracy teachers in 2023, she now focuses on training in maths difficulties for mainstream and specialist teachers. Where are dyslexia and dyscalculia in the 2026 SEND Reforms? B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – [email protected]  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

There are 1.3 million children in this country with developmental language disorder. Most of them are sitting quietly in classrooms going unnoticed. Today, Dale is joined by Jane Harris, Chief Executive of Speech and Language UK, to discuss DLD, the SEND reforms, and what it really means to ensure no child is left behind. They discuss: - Why children with DLD are six to ten times more likely to fall behind in core subjects, and twice as likely to be unemployed as adults. - The deeply problematic link between unidentified speech and language challenges and mental health - and why referring these children to talking therapies without addressing the root cause simply doesn't work. - Why children with DLD are often invisible in classrooms, quietly masking just as autistic children do - until suddenly they aren't. - How behaviour policies are failing these children, and why over three-quarters of teachers themselves say children with speech and language challenges are being unfairly punished in schools. - The government's new oracy framework and what it could mean for identification and support - if it goes far enough. - Why augmentative and alternative communication technology is life-changing for some children, and why the current commissioning guidance is working against them.   About Jane Harris Jane Harris is Chief Executive of Speech and Language UK, an experienced and energetic charity sector leader with 15 years' experience influencing public policy, building new audiences, and increasing income for third sector organisations including the National Autistic Society, Leonard Cheshire Disability and Rethink Mental Illness. Throughout her career, Jane has focused on raising the profile of issues that impact people's lives - through influencing public policy, building new audiences and increasing income generation. She has helped to measurably change public perceptions of mental health and autism. She recently launched Voices for DLD, has been central to the SEND reform consultation with the Department for Education and partners, and has helped guide two schools to Ofsted outstanding ratings. SEND reform and speech and language challenges Transforming SEND campaign DLD resources for educators   B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – [email protected]  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

We will never have true inclusion in our schools while neurodivergent teachers remain hidden. In this episode, Dale is joined by Chris Benson, founder of Headfirst Consulting and ND Chat, to discuss the neurodivergent teachers in our schools – and why it's a conversation that the profession shouldn't ignore. Chris was one of the first serving headteachers to publicly disclose his own ADHD diagnosis. The response – hundreds of private messages from educators across the country – spoke volumes about just how many teachers are quietly living with the same experience. Together, Dale and Chris explore: – Why around 25% of teachers are estimated to be neurodivergent, yet there is almost no data, no formal recognition, and no consistent support in place for them. – What it really means to receive a late diagnosis, and why a neurodivergent identity should never become a glass ceiling. – The gap between awareness and genuine belief – truly believing that a child's behaviour is not a choice – and why this remains one of the biggest challenges in education today. – Why ADHD doesn't even have its own data category on school management systems, unlike autism. – What it means for a school to claim inclusion whilst its own neurodivergent staff feel they must mask. – Why the teaching profession's increasing compliance culture is making it harder – not easier – for all professionals to thrive. "We will never have true inclusion in schools whilst those in the teaching profession who are neurodivergent themselves remain hidden" — Chris Benson   About Chris Benson Chris Benson is an education leader, writer and consultant specialising in ADHD, neurodiversity and inclusive systems. With over 25 years in education and more than 15 years in senior leadership—including headship in the UK and leadership roles in leading international schools—he brings deep insight into how schools, organisations and systems enable people to belong, contribute and thrive. Chris is the founder of Head First Consulting and NDChat. NDChat is a social initiative focused on improving communication between families, educators, and young people. It brings together academics, clinicians, educators and parents to build shared understanding and improve outcomes for neurodivergent individuals. His work sits at the intersection of behaviour, neurodiversity, mental health and identity, and is grounded in both professional expertise and lived experience as a leader with ADHD and a parent of neurodivergent children. A published TES author and emerging national voice in education, Chris is known for challenging deficit narratives and advocating for high expectations, agency and system change. His work focuses not on lowering standards, but on redesigning environments so that more people can meet them. Do neurodivergent teachers get support in schools Supporting neurodiverse staff ADHD UK   B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – [email protected]  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

If a school's inclusion strategy depends solely on its SENCO, it simply isn't sustainable – and it isn't working. In this episode, Dale is joined by Lisa Pinkerton, Head of Education at Widgit Software and former primary school deputy headteacher, to discuss why every school needs a SENCO on its senior leadership team. Together, Dale and Lisa explore why the SENCO's circle of influence is so often determined not by the SENCO themselves, but by the headteacher and the authority they choose to give. They discuss the very real tension between strategic leadership and the mountain of administrative demands that come with the role, and why inclusion by design – planning for every child's needs from the outset rather than bolting support on afterwards – leads to better outcomes for every single pupil in the school. "A SENCO with strategic influence can transform the experience of every single child in the school." — Lisa Pinkerton   About Lisa Pinkerton Lisa Pinkerton is head of education at Widgit Software.    Former primary school teacher and deputy head, Lisa's passion lies in developing personalised learning journeys to meet the specific needs of children with SEND. With a specialism in early years, Lisa spent many years supporting the youngest pupils in primary and could see the transformative effect of meeting children where they are at and giving them what they need to move forward in their learning.   This developed Lisa's lifelong passion for the use of Symbols. She saw, repeatedly and firsthand, the benefits of using Symbols to help with comprehension, receptive and expressive language, confidence, independence, vocabulary and, unsurprisingly, behaviour.    As a result, Lisa began to support inclusion on a wider level, becoming an inclusion lead and a specialist teacher in literacy difficulties. Lisa's firm belief is that, if we consider all potential barriers at the point of planning, we can give pupils a toolkit of supports that enable them to fully access the curriculum and feel truly included.    When not at work, Lisa is an avid theatre goer and keen reader. Her happy place, as a qualified scuba instructor, is under the water. https://www.widgit.com/ https://www.facebook.com/widgitsoftware26  https://www.instagram.com/widgitsoftware/  https://x.com/widgit_software?s=21&t=WYBwCcJznmsfjzH62LQfXQ  [email protected]  https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-pinkerton-42148a26a/    B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – [email protected]  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

When you see a child glued to a screen, it's easy to make assumptions. But for neurodivergent children, screen use is rarely what it looks like from the outside. In this episode, Dale is joined by Dr. Daniel Weisberg a consultant clinical psychologist to discuss neurodivergent children, young people, and screen use. Together, Dale and Daniel explore six key reasons why screens function very differently for neurodivergent children - from the haven of predictability that games provide in contrast to an overwhelming real world, to the role of screens in decompression and emotional regulation after a demanding day. They also dig into the neurobiology of dopamine, why the anticipation of screen time can be just as powerful as the screen use itself, and the important nuance between different types of screen time. They also tackle the thorny subject of sleep - what screens actually do to the brain at night, why it's not as simple as just switching off, and why the 70mph-to-standstill analogy might make you think twice about your own bedtime scrolling habits.   About Dr Daniel Weisberg Dr Daniel Weisberg is a consultant clinical psychologist and the managing director of CAYP Psychology, an award-winning independent clinical psychology service for Children, Adolescents, and Young People. Daniel worked for NHS services for over ten years. He has substantial experience of working with children, adolescents and young people experiencing health, social, emotional and psychological difficulties. After he qualified as a clinical psychologist, he worked within Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust for Children's Psychological Services. He then moved to Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and worked within the Paediatric Psychosocial Department. Daniel specialised in paediatric neuropsychology, a highly specialised area of clinical psychology that aims to understand how children's brains relate to their learning, behaviour and development. He worked closely with children and families who are living with neurological health conditions, genetic disorders, metabolic diseases and other health conditions.   www.cayp-psychology.com https://www.facebook.com/CAYPpsychology/ https://www.instagram.com/cayp.psychology/ https://www.tiktok.com/@cayp.psychology [email protected]     B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – [email protected]  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe   The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.