Autistic SLT

03/06/2026

03/06/2026

03/06/2026

Preverbal and Pre-intentional?

These deserve far more critical scrutiny within and developmental research. The problem with these terms is not simply the language itself. It is the worldview underneath them. These concepts emerge from developmental frameworks that often assume communication develops in a linear, observable and neuronormative sequence: eye contact → joint attention → pointing → gesture → words → conversation.

Within these frameworks, communication becomes measured against highly specific behavioural markers shaped by normative research populations and normative assumptions about bodies, movement, attention, interaction and sociality.

But communication is embodied. It is sensory, motor, relational, contextual, cultural and neurocognitive. and people communicate richly and expansively..and neurodivergent communication does not always emerge through the pathways dominant developmental frameworks expect.

Too often, neurodivergent forms of communication and sense-making become collapsed into narratives of absence because they do not align with normative developmental scripts.

The term “pre-intentional” is especially revealing. How can another person definitively determine the absence of communicative intent in someone whose sensory-motor system, body, movement, speech production, attention regulation or interaction style differs from dominant expectations?

Too often, “pre-intentional” does not describe the child. It describes the limits of professional recognition. The Double Empathy Problem is rarely acknowledged within these interpretations of communication.

Similarly, “preverbal” subtly positions spoken language as the destination toward which all communication is progressing as though communication only becomes fully legitimate once it approximates normative speech. And, preverbal - just like nonverbal - has risks around false assumptions about absence of language and thinking.

The danger is that these frameworks do not merely describe children. They shape expectations, opportunities and access.
Once communication is interpreted through a deficit-based developmental hierarchy, children may be denied assumptions of competence, denied access to AAC, denied autonomy, denied access to rich multimodal language environments, and denied meaningful participation.

Neurodivergent communication challenges the idea that human communication is linear, uniform or singular, so we should not fall into the trap of letting developmental hierarchies and sequences become limiting and overshadowing lenses.

www.divergentperspectives.co.uk

03/06/2026

"Use a First–Then board"

Elaine (from Access Communication Ltd) and I talk a lot about widely used tools used with Autistic children. This has been one of the most common answers to questions like: "How do I get this autistic child to do...?"...“How do I get them to stop...?” to leave...?” etc

Visual schedules, timers, countdowns and First - Then / Now and Next supports are not inherently problematic. They can be useful ways of increasing predictability, reducing uncertainty and supporting transitions for some people, in some situations.

Too often, First – Then schedules are implemented without sufficient curiosity about the child's experience, regulation, priorities or perspective. The focus becomes the child having to adapt to the demands of the environment rather than exploring whether the environment, expectations or transition itself might also need to change.

When an autistic child is deeply engaged in monotropic flow, immersed in an interest, regulating through movement, or finding safety within a familiar activity or object, the question should not automatically become, "How do I get them to move on?" or “How do I get them to let go of this?”

Yes, there are times when transitions are necessary. The issue is though – are we approaching this transition collaboratively, respectfully and with an understanding of what the child needs in this moment?

Do we consider, what this activity or object provides that the next activity or object may not?

When an autistic child is moving back and forth between activities and doesn't appear able to settle to one thing for long, the automatic response shouldn't necessarily be - "They need a schedule."

There are other important questions to consider before making assumptions and introducing solutions unilaterally. Does moving quickly between activities help them explore and express preferences? Does movement reflect curiosity, sensory-seeking, uncertainty, anxiety, overwhelm, or difficulty finding something that feels meaningful or safe? Does movement tell us something about how they are experiencing the activities, the demands being placed upon them, or the environment itself?

What might we miss if we move immediately to directing and organising their engagement?

What would happen if we gave them more time, more agency and more opportunities to communicate preferences before introducing a ‘First – Then’ as a directive? How can we navigate the experience of exploring and transitioning collaboratively?

It's important to examine the assumptions underneath the use of visual supports. Consider whose agenda is being prioritised? Whose needs are being met? Whose definition of a "successful transition" are we working towards?

There is an important difference between supporting a transition and securing compliance with a transition. One is grounded in communication, collaboration and respect. The other risks are becoming compliance at the expense of agency, autonomy and trust.

www.divergentperspectives.co.uk

02/06/2026

Today I was reminded why I don't use widely used Autism interventions with children I support.

Today I attended a group with my child. They were shown an exciting bag of toys. My child was immediately drawn to an object and approached to explore. They reached out to touch it and were told "My turn...you can have a turn soon". That turn never came by the way.

I watched my child wait and their frustration grew. Eventually, they walked away and slumped to the floor, saying, "I wanted to play mummy". I said "I know you did, darling". This happened twice with 2 different toys. It was demoralising and sad.

What struck me was that my child wasn't demonstrating a lack of attention - quite the opposite. They were deeply engaged and curious...self-advocating and communicating clearly. Yet the intervention goal appeared to be to teach them to wait, watch, and comply with the adult's agenda before accessing what interested them.

As and educators, we should ask ourselves: what are we actually teaching in these moments? Because if a child leaves a session feeling frustrated and misunderstood, we have to question whether we've achieved anything meaningful at all.

www.divergentperspectives.co.uk
www.autisticslt.com

I’m Emily, an Autistic Speech and Language Therapist in Greater Manchester, UK. I provide neurodivergent-affirming speech and language therapy for autistic children, teens and adults, supporting communication in a way that respects neurodivergence. I combine lived experience with clinical expertis...

01/06/2026

Do you have any toy diggers lying around that are no longer in use?

We're currently looking for digger donations for the Hive! Items can be dropped off at Moss Bank cafe which is open 7 days a week from 8:30am to 4pm.

Find out more about the Hive here: https://ow.ly/31QC50Z61Xp

01/06/2026

📢 Just letting you all know I have availability in July, with limited slots remaining for June. I offer Neurodivergent-Affirming Speech & Language Therapy support for Autistic children and adults, both across Greater Manchester and virtually.

I offer:

- Free 20-minute consultations
- Communication Assessments
- Therapy sessions
- Parent & carer advice sessions
- Clinical supervision & consultations
- Training for schools, individual SLTs, and SLT teams

You can learn more about me and my approach here 🌐 www.autisticslt.com

01/06/2026

Neurodivergent-affirming speech & language therapy in Manchester. In-person & online support for children and adults.

28/05/2026

When a school states, “We apply the behaviour policy regardless of any additional need.”

Some might think this sounds fair. But fairness and equity are not the same thing. Treating every student identically within a behaviour system does not automatically make that system ethical, inclusive or non-discriminatory. In fact, when policies fail to account for neurodivergence, disability-related distress, sensory overwhelm, impulse regulation, communication differences or nervous system dysregulation, they can become structurally discriminatory, even when implemented consistently.

Students with are often disproportionately exposed to punitive responses at school, while simultaneously being less likely to have their sensory, regulation, executive functioning, communication or relational needs consistently understood and supported.

ADHD communication style may be misinterpreted through a behavioural lens. And:

- Impulsivity framed as defiance.
- Distress framed as disrespect.
- Overwhelm framed as non-compliance.

Adults begin anticipating “poor behaviour,” resulting in increasingly harsh responses: withdrawal of warmth, relational rupture, public correction, isolation from peers, repeated sanctions. Too often, neurodivergent distress becomes moralised. Adults may apply labels such as: “rude”, “attention seeking”, “oppositional”, “making poor choices”, “not trying hard enough” rather than understood within the context of disability, cognitive overload, sensory stress, emotional dysregulation, unmet need, accumulated shame or nervous system threat.

Once a child is repeatedly punished for manifestations of their neurodivergence, it is discriminatory, especially when schools know:
• the child is disabled
• the behaviour is linked to that disability
• the environment contributes to dysregulation
• the child is already trying extremely hard to cope

A student in distress is not transformed through punishment.
The danger of some “positive behaviour” systems is that they become compliance systems - rewarding neurotypical regulation, communication and inhibition capacities while sanctioning disability-related differences.

This calls for:
- proactive relational support
- sensory-informed environments
- emotionally safe classrooms
- curriculum access that reduces overload
- regulation-informed responses
- adult understanding of nervous system distress
and a shift away from interpreting everything through a behaviour lens

www.divergentperspectives.co.uk

27/05/2026

I just wanted to let you know that I have some availability in July, with limited slots remaining in June.

Just a reminder that I offer Neurodivergent-Affirming Speech & Language Therapy support for Autistic children and adults, both across Greater Manchester and virtually.

I offer:

- Communication Assessments
- Therapy sessions
- Parent & carer advice sessions
- Supervision for SLTs & consultations
- Training for schools, SLTs, and SLT teams

You can learn more about me, my approach, and the services I offer here: 🌐 www.autisticslt.com

Neurodivergent-affirming speech & language therapy in Manchester. In-person & online support for children and adults.