Dr Sarah Mills

09/09/2026

Great to come together today with FASD Network UK and all the wonderful parent/carers who could make it, down to City Hall Sunderland for FASD day to advocate, network and eat cake!

07/09/2026

Come and join us at the City Hall, Sunderland on Wednesday 9th September for FASD Day 11-2pm to join forces, raise awareness and give a positive voice for our wonderful children and young people. It’s exciting that councillors in Sunderland have started looking in detail at the condition and services that are offered locally around it.

September is FASD Awareness Month - It's a condition caused by drinking alcohol during pregnancy which can cause lifelong physical, mental and behavioural issues for babies.

Helen from Tyne and Wear adopted three children with FASD. More than 20 years later, she says there is still too little awareness and support for people living with the condition.

"My message to mums-to-be is that it's not worth the risk. The damage of FASD is lifelong."

Dr Sarah Mills is a consultant working in Child Health for South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.

She said: "We can make a difference if people have a better understanding of the risks of drinking during pregnancy and if women and families receive compassionate support without judgement."

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust | North East and North Cumbria NHS

28/08/2026

I meet a lot of children and young people presenting with burnout. Sometimes it’s before they can’t completely go to school anymore often it’s when they have already got to the point of being completely unable to go-sometimes to even being unable to leave the house at all. Recovery takes as long as the burnout itself lasted but understanding the reasons and how to support them means they can reach their potential and goals in new ways. Raising awareness that’s it’s a real thing and believing children, young people and their families is so important on their journey.

Autistic burnout is more than just feeling a little tired. It may also co-exist with depression or be mistaken for depression, which can make it harder to recognise and get the right support.

It often also shows the hidden cost of coping in environments that don’t meet autistic people’s needs.

If you're a parent, partner, carer or professional, it can be worrying and confusing when you can't understand what may be going on for an autistic person you support. It may look as though nothing has changed in their life. There may have been no major life event and no obvious reason why they are finding it harder to cope.

Autistic burnout may be one reason for persistent or increasing difficulties in everyday life. Burnout isn’t a behaviour problem to fix. It’s a sign that demands have exceeded capacity - and the most helpful response is more understanding, fewer demands, safer environments, and gentler support.

Read our autism advocate and consultant Helen Edgar’s blog to learn more about autistic burnout and why recovery starts with meeting autistic people’s needs. https://orlo.uk/ImmMy

NHS England Workforce, Training and Education

14/08/2026

We appreciate that children who may be neurodivergent often have parents that are neurodivergent. If you need any adjustments made to how we plan to conduct your child’s assessments please let us know we are more than happy to offer alternatives or think of creative solutions. We like to think of it as being *beautifully bespoke*

29/07/2026

Mr G is bringing out a home based ADHD teaching package for children to learn more about their ADHD. It looks like it’s going to be a great resource for families where post diagnosis ADHD is so limited.

We Can't Wait To See What Mr G Has To Offer.
Such An Inspirational Teacher And Amazing With Neurodivergent Children.

28/07/2026

An area where we are all trying to learn and understand more -when a child can’t not won’t speak in the moment

Introducing our brand new parent support group 🙌

Supporting Young People with Selective Mutism is our brand new monthly group for parents and carers of autistic children and young people experiencing selective mutism (sometimes known as situational mutism). We know that this is a much needed area of support for families.

The group offers a safe, welcoming space to connect with other families, share experiences, gain support and know you're not alone. Please see the poster below for further details.

This monthly group will be starting on Monday 21st September from 10am -11am
Venue: Toby House, Bedlington, Northumberland, NE22 7AD.

To book your place, please contact us:
By emailing: [email protected]
By calling: 0300 365 3055

15/07/2026

🎉 We’re delighted to share some exciting news!

Dr Sarah Mills Independent Paediatrics Ltd is now officially registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

This is an important milestone for our team and reflects months of hard work developing a service that is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

For the children, young people and families we support, CQC registration means you can be confident that our service has met the national standards expected of independent healthcare providers.

We remain committed to providing:
💙 Compassionate, child-centred care
🧠 Expert neurodevelopmental assessment and support
🤝 Collaborative working with families and professionals
⭐ High standards of clinical governance, safety and quality

I’d like to thank everyone who has supported this journey—our patients and families, colleagues, associates and professional partners. Your encouragement and trust have meant so much.

This is just the beginning. We look forward to continuing to grow and improve our service while helping even more children and young people reach their full potential.

If you’d like to find out more about our services, please visit our website or get in touch.

22/06/2026

Such an important topic that so many autistic young people struggle with

One of Our Most Popular Webinars Returns This July!

Following fantastic feedback from previous attendees, we're pleased to be bringing back our Autism and Mental Health Difficulties in Children and Young People webinar.

Join us via Zoom on:
📅 Monday 13th July
🕛 12:00pm – 2:00pm

This insightful session will be led by Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, Carolyn Morgan, who will explore the links between autism and mental health and ways we can support our children and young people with their mental wellbeing.

As always, our webinars are free to attend, but places need to be booked in advance. We anticipate that this session will fill up quickly so make sure to secure your place ☺️

To book your place, please visit our website: https://www.ttht.co.uk/event/autism-and-mental-health-difficulties-webinar-2/.

20/06/2026

We are still putting the finishing touches to it but our new consulting rooms are opening in July. Half moon house will provide purpose built consulting rooms for Children and Young people's assessments offering a sensory aware, comfortable environment for all.
Find out a little bit more here: https://www.drsarahmills.co.uk/clinic

We can't wait to welcome you to our new place!

06/06/2026

Always the sign of a good session when the room is full of busy and fun. I’m passionate about assessing under 5’s for developmental, learning, language concerns to make sure they get the right understanding and support as all the evidence tells us early intervention is key