19/05/2026
A special post today โ straight from the words of a young person who joined us for work experience recently. ๐
They've given us permission to share their story (with details changed to keep them anonymous). We think it's worth reading.
This student โ let's call them Alex โ has Autism and ADHD. For Alex, the idea of work experience felt daunting: a fast-paced environment, unfamiliar people, no structure they could rely on. So they made a thoughtful choice and requested to do their placement somewhere already familiar to them: The Speech Tree.
Over three days, Alex supported sessions with young children, helped with behind-the-scenes tasks like laminating, and on the final day was genuinely amazed by a group of bright, creative homeschooled kids.
"They were extremely innovative," Alex wrote. "They can come up with names for things that no normal person could think of in a lifetime."
By the end, Alex had also sat in on a clinical meeting โ a real, meaningful part of the work we do every day.
What struck us most was Alex's self-awareness โ knowing what kind of environment they needed, and advocating for it. That's a skill we admire in anyone, at any age.
If you have a young person in your life who might benefit from a supported, neurodiversity-affirming work experience, feel free to reach out. We'd love to chat. ๐ฌ๐ณ