There are a seemingly endless supply of books, magazines and apps dedicated to the practice of mindfulness and relaxation. They often come packaged in serene covers featuring flowers, sunsets or people looking wistfully out to sea. For parents of autistic children, this sort of imagery can make such self-care feel out of reach; the idea of devoting...

All children become frustrated and have temper tantrums, but as a parent of an autistic child, you’ll know that meltdowns are something quite different. While a meltdown might look a bit like a tantrum, it’s not about your child trying to get what they want. Instead it’s a reaction to being overwhelmed - a reaction they have littl...

  Sleep difficulties might not, at first glance, seem like a mental health problem, but poor sleep can have a significant impact on your mood, memory and mental agility. Sleep disturbances are also very common for people with mental health conditions - complaints such as insomnia or nightmares have even been incorporated in some anxiety disord...

The number of people with eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder has risen since the start of the pandemic. In April 2021, eating disorders charity Beat confirmed to HuffPost UK a 302% rise in demand for helpline services since the first lockdown in March 2020.    Eating disorder r...

Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Sabina Dosani explains frustrations around listening and how, as a parent, you can help your child learn this important life skill – regardless of any diagnosis they may or may not have. ‘My child just won’t listen to me,’ is a phrase I hear often in clinic, and one I’ve said myself a ...

Any parent will be used to a small amount of frustration, improvisation - and a significant dose of getting things wrong! But for parents of autistic children, the increased sense of responsibility can feel overwhelming at times. The good news is that by adjusting our thinking we can begin to view our children’s behaviour - and our own respon...

On the surface, a meltdown might look like a tantrum in younger children while for older children, a meltdown might be confused with what's considered to be "normal” adolescent behaviour. But behind the scenes, something very different is happening. To help us untangle this tricky topic, our expert Lucy Sanctuary hosted a panel discussion wit...

Going through life without an autism diagnosis is more common than many people think. Lots of autistic people reach adulthood accepting they don't fit in as well as others, teaching themselves different methods to cope with life's challenges. But for many, this can be extremely exhausting. The path to self-discovery can begin at any time. You may h...

Up to two in ten women suffer some type of mental health difficulty in the perinatal period. And with reports showing a decline in maternal mental health since the start of the pandemic, the topic is coming into sharper focus than ever. Postnatal depression, the type of depression many parents experience after having a baby, is more commonly discus...

The NHS recently announced it would be opening a new service for new, expectant or bereaved mothers around England. The 26 new hubs will bring maternity services, reproductive health and psychological therapy together as one service to provide maternal mental health support for 6,000 mothers a year. Up to two in ten women are thought to experience ...

Having spent an extended period in a familiar environment away from the hustle and bustle of everyday school life, the sudden upcoming change in circumstances can spark many questions, anxieties and fears for children with autism. They might be unsure about what to expect at school, who they're going to sit next to in class, or awhat the new versio...

Bipolar is a relatively common yet debilitating mental health condition that affects over one-million people in the UK alone. While it affects everyone differently, it’s characterised by high, euphoric, or irritable periods called mania and low periods of depression that can lead to suicidal thoughts. While there isn't currently a cure for bi...

When children sleep well, you can see the benefits in all aspects of their lives. But when sleep becomes a challenge, you can feel that pressure everywhere. An estimated 40 - 80% of autistic children struggle with sleep issues. That’s almost twice as many as neurotypical children. When parents are battling with meltdowns caused by sensor...

You've probably heard of the 'fight-or-flight' response. When we sense danger, our bodies respond with temporary changes that were originally designed to enhance our ability to either run away or stand and defend ourselves. This is fight-or-flight - your body's natural reaction to danger. Suddenly your heart races, your breath quickens, and your mu...

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health conditions experienced by children and young people and can be devastating for the whole family. While it’s normal for everyone to worry at times, anxiety disorders are much more serious and can significantly affect your child’s life. In 2020, research from the NHS discovered that the prop...

For autistic children, attending school can be an intimidating and overwhelming experience. However, in most cases, there should be a range of people who may be able to help, including the school’s Special Educational Needs & Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo), inclusion managers, speech and language therapists, educational psychologists, ...

Since autism was first diagnosed in the 1940s, males have and continue to be, more frequently diagnosed as autistic than females. Lots of theories attempt to explain the difference, including biological reasons, problematic diagnostic measures, and environmental factors. However, no single factor has been proven to account for the gender difference...

Understanding spoken language, making sense of, sometimes, complex sentence structure, reading body language, and translating tone of voice can all cause problems for autistic children and young people . However, there are many straightforward, practical things parents and teachers can do right away to better support their children and those they w...

Children flourish when they feel safe and connected to those around them. When an autistic child’s needs are met, they are engaged, confident and more capable of adjusting to change. There are many social barriers that can prevent this outcome. But most can be dealt with by increasing our own understanding, challenging our assumptions and hel...

Having an autistic child brings with it many challenges. In a world geared for the most part towards neurotypical people, your child’s perspective can be hard to understand and some of their behaviours aren’t always easy to handle. But if you’re going through the diagnosis process at the moment, it’s important to know that i...