Supporting sensory needs of non-speaking children

Content note: This episode includes discussions of self-harm, suicide and mental health crises. Some listeners may find these topics distressing. Please take care of yourself while listening and consider whether this is the right time for you to engage with the conversation. In the first episode of season six, Catherine talks to Dr Rachel Moseley-Braund, Principal Academic in Psychology at Bournemouth University, whose research focuses on mental health and wellbeing in autistic people, with a particular interest in self-harm, suicide prevention and understanding the factors that contribute to autistic distress. Together, Catherine and Dr Moseley-Braund discuss why autistic people may be more vulnerable to self-harm and suicidal thoughts, including the impact of anxiety, depression, trauma, social isolation, inequality and difficulties accessing appropriate support. They explore why self-harm is often misunderstood, and how it may serve different functions for different people, including managing overwhelming emotions, meeting sensory needs or finding temporary relief from distress. They explore the different ways self-harm and self-injurious behaviours can present in autistic people, including behaviours that may be visible to others and those that happen privately or remain hidden. Catherine and Dr Moseley-Braund also discuss the language used to describe self-harm, why terminology can sometimes be confusing, and the importance of understanding the individual rather than making assumptions about their behaviour. They discuss how environmental factors, traumatic experiences and a lack of understanding or acceptance can contribute to mental health difficulties, and why improving wellbeing requires looking beyond the individual to the environments and systems around them. Catherine and Dr Moseley-Braund also talk about protective factors that may support autistic mental health and they explore how parents, carers and professionals can recognise potential warning signs of escalating distress. They also discuss what autism-affirming support can look like when someone is struggling with self-harm or experiencing a mental health crisis, and encourage listeners to approach autistic mental health with compassion, curiosity, hope and understanding.

In this episode, Catherine talks to Dr Aimee Grant, Associate Professor and Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellow at Swansea University, who leads the "Autism from Menstruation to Menopause" study. Together, Catherine and Dr Grant discuss why periods can be especially challenging for some autistic people, including sensory experiences, pain, emotional changes, interoception, unpredictability, and the practical difficulties of managing periods at school, work or in healthcare settings. They explore why autistic young people may need clear, detailed and timely information before their first period, and why support should not stop once periods begin. Catherine and Dr Grant also discuss how parents and carers can support period tracking and preparation, including helping young people understand what to expect, plan ahead, and feel more in control. The conversation also covers managing periods at school, including bathroom access, changing products, and the importance of reasonable adjustments. They discuss how missing activities, taking breaks or resting more during a period can be a valid form of self-care, rather than something to feel guilty about. Catherine and Dr Grant also talk about regulation strategies during menstruation, including stimming, using screens, comfort objects, quiet time and other approaches that may help reduce distress or overwhelm. They consider the importance of finding period products that work for the individual, including pads, tampons and period pants, while recognising that sensory preferences and practical needs will vary from person to person. They also discuss how period pain, heavy bleeding, fatigue or changes in mood and sensory sensitivity can sometimes be misunderstood, dismissed or treated as something autistic people simply have to ‘put up with’. Instead, Dr Grant encourages listeners to take symptoms seriously, seek medical advice when something does not feel right, and approach periods with self-compassion and autism-affirming support. What’s on at Autism Central? Explore the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Autism Central website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for FREE NHS-funded 1:1coaching sessions, events and resources for families of autistic people in England and their support networks. Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FREE newsletter⁠⁠ Connect with Dr Aimee Grant Website: https://www.draimeegrant.com/ Autism and puberty blog for Autism Central: https://www.autismcentral.nhs.uk/news/blog-talking-about-puberty-your-child Autism from Menstruation to Menopause study website: https://www.autismmenstruationtomenopause.com/ Connect with Catherine Email: [email protected] Website I Instagram I Art Books: Rediscovered and Still Living

In this episode, Catherine talks to Dr Jessica Eccles, a consultant neurodevelopmental psychiatrist, researcher and public communicator whose work explores the connections between the brain and body. Dr Eccles co-leads the world’s first neurodivergent brain–body clinic and is a leading voice in understanding the overlap between autism, hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, dysautonomia, pain and fatigue. Together, Catherine and Dr Eccles discuss why many autistic people may also experience physical health differences such as flexible joints, chronic pain, dizziness, fainting, gut problems, allergies, fatigue and difficulties with temperature or standing for long periods. Dr Eccles explains hypermobility using the image of connective tissue as the body’s ‘cling film’ - something found everywhere in the body, not just in the joints. When connective tissue is different, it can affect the joints, blood vessels, gut, skin and nervous system, which may help explain why some autistic and neurodivergent people experience a cluster of physical and emotional symptoms. They also talk about the importance of not dismissing pain, fatigue or dizziness as ‘just anxiety’ or ‘just sensory sensitivity’. Instead, Dr Eccles encourages listeners to think about how the brain and body work together - and how better understanding can lead to better support, better self-advocacy and better care. Key themes Catherine and Dr Eccles discuss: - What hypermobility is and how it can show up - What Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, or EDS, are - Why all people with EDS are hypermobile, but not all hypermobile people have EDS - The emerging research linking autism, ADHD, hypermobility and brain-body health - Why autistic people may be more likely to experience chronic pain and fatigue - How dizziness, fainting and feeling strange when standing may relate to autonomic dysfunction - What POTS and orthostatic intolerance are - Why symptoms can be mistaken for anxiety - The role of interoception, alexithymia, sensory processing and masking - Why some autistic people may mask physical pain and illness - How schools and health professionals can better understand children who struggle with standing, walking, pain or fatigue - Practical supports such as hydration, electrolytes, cooling strategies, compression garments and pacing - How autistic and hypermobile people can begin to advocate for themselves in healthcare settings - Why systemic change is needed in how services understand the overlap between neurodivergence and physical health What’s on at Autism Central? Explore the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Autism Central website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for FREE NHS-funded 1:1 coaching sessions, events and resources for families of autistic people in England and their support networks. Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FREE newsletter⁠⁠

In this episode Catherine Asta is joined by autistic psychotherapist and registered dietitian Camilla Ferraro to explore autism, ARFID and our relationship with food. Drawing on her professional expertise, alongside her own lived experience, Camilla explores why autistic eating differences are so often misunderstood and why what can look like "picky eating" from the outside can be something much more complex. Together they explore ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) and the differences between food preferences, sensory-based eating differences and eating difficulties that can have a significant impact on someone’s health, wellbeing and everyday life. They discuss the role of sensory processing, distress, executive functioning and the eating environment, as well as the shame and judgement many autistic people experience around what, when and how they eat. The conversation also looks at how parents, carers and professionals can better support autistic people around food by moving away from pressure, forcing and rigid expectations and towards curiosity, choice and agency. And they explore why feeling safe is so important when it comes to eating, the value of understanding individual sensory preferences and why sometimes seemingly small adjustments to mealtimes can make a meaningful difference. Camilla reminds us that when we remove judgement and become curious about what someone’s eating differences are communicating, we can begin to build a safer and more positive relationship with food. What’s on at Autism Central? Explore the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Autism Central website⁠⁠⁠⁠ for FREE NHS-funded 1:1 coaching sessions, events and resources for families of autistic people in England and their support networks. Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FREE newsletter⁠⁠ Connect with Camilla ⁠Website⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠

Autism, Culture and Breaking the Silence In this episode Catherine Asta is joined by AuDHD advocate, mother, researcher and founder of Chinese Autism, Hazel Lim, to explore autism, culture and the experiences of families navigating neurodivergence within the Chinese community. Drawing on her own lived experience as an AuDHD mother of three neurodivergent children, Hazel reflects on how her journey led her to create spaces where families can talk openly, find understanding and feel less alone. Together they explore the cultural stigma and silence that can surround autism within Chinese communities and the additional barriers faced by families from minority and migrant communities. Along with the importance of why language support needs to be combined with cultural understanding and neuroaffirming practice to build genuine trust between families and services. This is a powerful conversation about intersectionality, advocacy and the courage it takes to break silence. Hazel reminds us how with greater understanding, culturally informed support and communities willing to listen, families can move away from shame and towards acceptance, confidence and the freedom to embrace difference.