Branching Minds

Branching Minds Online Autism Assessments (UK)
Helping parents get clarity sooner
NICE aligned
Ages 2-18 years

Special interests Girls & Masking

16/09/2026

A little snapshot of what’s coming…

A huge thank you to Clare Canale, Occupational Therapist and mum to an autistic daughter, for sharing such an open and personal conversation with me.

Clare’s daughter was diagnosed as autistic at 17. In this short clip, Claire talks about the moment she began to realise that her daughter might be autistic and the complicated emotions that came with that realisation.

At school, her daughter was masking so successfully that so much of what she was experiencing wasn’t visible to those around her.

This is only a tiny part of Clare’s story. 💛

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more short clips exploring masking, late identification, what was happening beneath the surface, and Clare’s experience as both a professional and, most importantly, a mum.

The full conversation will be part of the Branching Minds ASD podcast, coming in January. 🎧

13/09/2026

What Changes When We Get Curious About Behaviour?

Thank you to Sharron Harper, Educational Psychologist for joining Branching Minds in the podcast about behaviour (full podcast, coming soon).

In this short conversation, we talk about something we feel strongly about at Branching Minds ASD: behaviour needs to be understood in context.

What if, instead of asking “How do we stop this behaviour?”, we became curious about what is the young person trying to communicate to us, as behaviour does not happen in isolation💛

When we understand the environment around the young person, the routines, relationships, sensory experiences, and support they need, we can respond with greater compassion.

Are we expecting young people to cope in an environment that is already using up all of their capacity?

Sometimes the most powerful change isn’t asking the young person to change. It’s changing what’s happening around them.

Understanding the environment around the young person helps us respond with empathy and enables us to provide the support they need to feel safe, regulated and ready to learn.

🌿Curiosity changs everything

Sometimes, lining things up is the calm. 💚The order.The repetition.The predictability.The need to finish.It might not ma...
05/09/2026

Sometimes, lining things up is the calm. 💚

The order.
The repetition.
The predictability.
The need to finish.

It might not make sense to us but it may be helping a child feel settled, regulated and safe ❤️

02/09/2026

Spot Early Signs: Emotionally Based School Avoidance - full podcast, coming soon.
Sharron Harper, Educational Psychologist

It’s only one day a week… But what if it’s an early sign?

One day off school here and there can be easy to brush aside.
But when it starts becoming a pattern, it may be a child/young person’s way of showing us that something about school is becoming too difficult.
The earlier we notice the pattern, the earlier we can get curious about what’s underneath it before one day becomes two… and getting through the school door becomes even harder.

💭 Don’t just ask, “How do we get them back into school?”
Ask: “What is making school feel so hard right now?”

Early signs matter. ❤️

When a child/young person begins struggling to attend school, there is often much more happening underneath than what we...
30/08/2026

When a child/young person begins struggling to attend school, there is often much more happening underneath than what we can see. 💚

Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) rarely begins with a child simply saying, “I’m not going to school.”

It can start quietly, more difficult mornings, tummy aches, tears, disrupted sleep, increasing anxiety, exhaustion after school, or a growing need to stay close to home.

What can look like refusal may actually be a child’s nervous system telling us:
‘This feels too difficult for me right now.’

What might this child/young person be communicating and what do they need from us?

🎥 Next week, we’ll be sharing a short clip with Sharron Harper, Educational Psychologist talking about Emotionally Based School Avoidance and helping us understand what may be happening for children who are finding school increasingly difficult.

This is such an important conversation, and one we know will resonate with many families

27/08/2026

👀 SNEAK PEEK | BRANCHING MINDS ASD PODCAST — COMING LATER THIS YEAR
Thank you to Sharron Harper,Educational Psychologist.
Understanding Behaviour: Ask “How?”, Not “Why?”

A child struggling at school isn’t always “misbehaving” sometimes they’re trying to tell us something they can’t yet put into words.
What matters most is curiosity before judgement.
🧠 A child might be overwhelmed by learning, friendships, transitions, expectations or sensory experiences such as noise, smells or the wider school environment.
💬 Behaviour is communication. When a child can’t explain what is happening for them, their behaviour may communicate it instead.
🤝 The best support often begins when families and schools communicate early, stay curious and look for the clues together.
Instead of asking:
“Why are they doing this?”
Try asking:
“How are they experiencing this?”
“What is making this harder?”
“How can we make it easier?”
Sometimes, when we change the environment, expectations or support around a child, we change the outcome too.
That’s the shift. 💛

26/08/2026

We’ve been quiet on here, but behind the scenes, a lot has been happening. If you’ve got a topic you want us to cover, drop it in the comments below.

We’re building something honest, useful, and made for families like yours. This summer we’ve been supporting children and families through autism assessments, and one thing keeps coming up:
💬families need support before, during, and after assessment/diagnosis
💬the journey doesn’t end with an assessment - what is next?
💬real help should feel calm, practical, and human

So, we’re expanding our support packages and starting something brand new: podcasts. Nothing polished, nothing scripted, just real conversations with professionals, families and lived experienced young people about autism, neurodiversity, and topics families have shared they need. If there’s a question you wish someone would answer properly, put it below. Maybe, we’ll make it the next conversation.

Every family's experience is different.Some families are looking for answers.Some are considering an assessment.Some alr...
22/06/2026

Every family's experience is different.
Some families are looking for answers.
Some are considering an assessment.
Some already have a diagnosis and are wondering what comes next.

At Branching Minds ASD, we provide support at every stage of the journey.

And with our new flexible payment options, accessing support has become even easier.

🌿 Assessments
🌿 Family Support
🌿 Sleep Support
🌿 Speech & Language Support
🌿 Occupational Therapy Support
🌿 Neurodiversity-Affirming Guidance

www.branchingmindsasd.co.uk

14/06/2026

Exciting News From Branching Minds ASD🎉
Support does not always start with a diagnosis…
Families often tell us they know their child needs support but they are unsure where to begin. That is why we are delighted to introduce our new range of family and child support programmes.
You can now access support from a variety of experienced professionals including:
🌱autism specialists
🗣️speech and language therapists
🧩Occupational therapist
🧠Clinical Psychologist
📚Educational Psychologist
💭Counsellors
🎨Play therapists

Our support is personalised, neuro-diversity affirming and designed around your unique family.
Find out more at https://branchingmindsasd.co.uk

Every family has a different autism journey…Some families are looking for answers.Some are considering an assessment.Som...
31/05/2026

Every family has a different autism journey…

Some families are looking for answers.

Some are considering an assessment.

Some are looking for autism support without a diagnosis.

Some already have a diagnosis and are wondering what comes next.

At Branching Minds ASD, we provide support at every stage of that journey.

And with our new flexible payment options, accessing support has become even easier.

🌿 Assessments
🌿 Family Support
🌿 Education Advice
🌿 Sleep Support
🌿 Speech & Language Support
🌿 Occupational Therapy Support
🌿 Neurodiversity-Affirming Guidance

Wherever you are on your journey, we are here to help

https://branchingmindsasd.co.uk

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