Dyslexia Blog
29 Sep 2026
Hi everyone, I announced 2 years ago at Test Bash in the 99 second talk that I was severely Dyslexic but embracing that had helped me excel. Since then I have become the companies Dyslexic Lead and Neurodiversity STEM Ambassador, I'd like to share with you my September Dyslexic Blog, I post one each month for my company to enlighten, educate and help:
Neuro Diversity Assistance details for the coming school year:
Neuro Diversity Assistance details for the coming school year:
These are the best online resources and communities for parents raising neurodivergent children provide neuro-affirming guidance, practical tools, and peer support, that I have found so far, also some of the info can be used by adults as well.
Online Communities and Support Groups
- The Neurodivergent Parent Space: Offers evidence-informed support and community led by clinical psychologists for parents navigating neurodiversity.
- The Mighty's Neurodivergent Parenting Hub: Features real stories, advice, and connection from an online community of parents.
Practical Tools and Resources
- Explaining Brains Parent Handouts & Resources: Provides step-by-step conversation scripts and visual tools to help explain diagnoses positively to children.
- Coram Family Lives Useful Links: Lists helpful UK charities and organizations supporting families with special educational needs and neurodiversity. [1]
Further Exploration
- You can also, browse online communities in a list from Achieve Psychology.
- There's some great child-friendly diagnostic language at Explaining Brains.
- You can also read good peer-focused support details via The Neurodiversity Practice.
The best parent links for primary-age neurodivergent children (covering ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, and Dyspraxia) focus heavily on neurodiversity-affirming strategies, school advocacy, and practical home routines.
The top curated hubs and resource links are structured below by what you need most.
🏫 School Advocacy & Primary Education
Primary school brings distinct challenges like transitions, sensory overstimulation, and securing proper classroom accommodations.
- IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice): The definitive legal resource for UK parents. It provides free, independent, legally based advice to help you secure the right educational support (such as EHCPs or school-based accommodations).
- Neurodiversity Global Primary School Pack: Offers a fantastic, child-friendly resource bundle designed for Key Stage 1 and 2 (ages 5–11). It includes conversation scripts and activities to help explain neurodivergence to your child or their classmates in an empowering way.
- LEANS (Learning About Neurodiversity at School): Developed by the University of Edinburgh, this platform provides free resources specifically targeted at primary pupils aged 8–11 to introduce neurodiversity concepts to mainstream classrooms.
💡 Daily Home Strategies & Sensory Support
Managing daily transitions, emotional regulation, and sensory differences at home requires targeted, practical toolkits.
- The Brain Charity Neurodivergent Parent Support Hub: An excellent library of evidence-informed guidance covering common primary-age concerns. It features downloadable tools for sleep, sensory processing, and digital safety.
- Neurodiversity Sheffield Leaflets: Provided by Family Action, this contains free, scannable information sheets addressing emotional regulation, ADHD behavior strategies, and neurodiversity-affirming language. Look out for their specific 'Help me grow' resource tailored for primary-aged children.
- Explaining Brains Parent Handouts: A highly visual site that provides step-by-step conversation scripts, child-friendly evaluation summaries, and printable brain visuals to help you explain a new diagnosis to your child without shame.
🤝 Condition-Specific & National Hubs
- ADHD Foundation (The Neurodiversity Charity): The UK’s leading neurodiversity charity. Their website is packed with webinars and toolkits for parents looking to understand early-years and primary-age executive dysfunction.
- Ambitious about Autism: Offers highly practical toolkits detailing how to support an autistic child through primary school, manage sensory differences, and connect with local parent groups.
- Cerebra: A charity dedicated to children with brain-based conditions. They offer an invaluable, specialized Sleep Support Service alongside legal and social care advice.
💻 Community & Parent Training
- Coram Family Lives Online Course: A free, self-guided, 3-hour parenting course filled with actionable tools for navigating family life with neurodivergent children.
- The Neurodivergent Parent Space: An online community hosted by clinical psychologists. It is uniquely tailored to provide evidence-backed support for families avoiding typical, non-affirming parenting advice.
Help with Council tax:
Neurodivergent children (including those with Autism, ADHD, or learning difficulties) absolutely qualify their households for Council Tax relief, though councils routinely miss this or falsely claim it only applies to adults.
To secure a reduction for a primary-age child, you will primarily use the Disabled Band Reduction Scheme (which drops your home by one council tax band) or Carer Disregards.
The most authoritative parent links and expert resources to guide you through the process, provide legal evidence, and help you appeal include:
1. Key Charity Guides & Explainers
- Contact (For Families with Disabled Children): Read the highly detailed Contact Council Tax & Rates Advice Guide. This explains exactly how children qualify under the "invisible person" rules and outlines how to push back if a local authority states a child is ineligible.
- WellChild: Use the WellChild Disabled Band Reduction Hub. It features real parent-carer case studies and offers a downloadable supporting letter template you can use to frame your case to your council tax office.
- Scope: Review the Scope Council Tax Reduction Guide. It breaks down how the non-means-tested band reduction operates independently of your household income or savings.
2. Statutory Rules & Application Tools
- GOV.UK: Bookmark the official GOV.UK Discounts for Disabled People Page. Keep this open to quote directly to your council. It states explicitly: "The property must be the main home of at least 1 disabled person. This can be an adult or a child."
- Local Council Finder: Use the GOV.UK Local Council Tool to jump straight to your specific local authority's Council Tax exemption forms.
3. Key Strategies for Neurodivergent Primary Kids
When completing forms via your local council, frame your child's neurodivergence around these two options:
- The Extra Room Argument (Disabled Band Reduction): You do not need structural modifications like ramps. If you use a specific bedroom or separate space predominantly for your child's sensory regulation, calming down, or storing specialized therapy/sensory equipment, it qualifies as "a room required to meet the needs of the disabled person".
- The Carer Disregard: If your child receives the Middle or Higher rate care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and you provide at least 35 hours of care per week, you may be "disregarded" (counted as invisible) for council tax purposes, unlocking a 25% to 50% discount depending on how many other adults live with you.
I learn everyday about what my Dyslexic super powers can help me achieve with Testing, I excel and achieve more by embracing my neurodiverse side and using it to my best advantage. This all stemmed from the 99 second talk at Test Bash, looking forward to another 99 seconds talk this year for another magic moment.
Paul White
Lead Test Engineer
he/him
Simon Tomes
Thank you for sharing this, Paul.
What a brilliant and well curated set of helpful resources.
Something my household will find helpful to explore.
Rosie Sherry
What an amazing list.
Also, it's early days yet, but we have a Neurodiversity MoT Chapter - https://www.ministryoftesting.com/chapters/neurodiversity
Happy to chat about it and always looking for people to help lead such things.
Jesper Ottosen
🌻
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