Articles & resources
Straightforward answers to the questions parents actually ask
Short, practical guides written by our clinical team. They are general information rather than personal medical advice - if something is worrying you, get in touch.
Understanding ADHD
4 min read
What Is ADHD?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, usually shortened to ADHD, is a neurodevelopmental condition. This means that there are differences in the way a person's...
Read article →5 min read
Signs of ADHD in Children and Young People
It is normal for children to be distracted, energetic or impulsive sometimes. With ADHD, clinicians are interested in the pattern of difficulties, how much they...
Read article →Autism & Neurodevelopment
5 min read
What Is Autism?
Autism is a neurodevelopmental difference. It can affect how a person experiences and interacts with the world, including communication and social interaction,...
Read article →6 min read
Signs of Autism in Children and Young People
Autism can look different from child to child. The overall developmental picture matters more than any one characteristic.
Read article →5 min read
Autism in Girls: Why It May Be Less Obvious
Autism does not necessarily look the same in every child. Some girls may have differences that are not immediately recognised by the adults around them.
Read article →5 min read
Understanding Sensory Differences
The world can feel very different depending on how sensory information is experienced. Sounds that seem ordinary to one person may feel overwhelming to another.
Read article →5 min read
Understanding Autistic Communication
Different children communicate in different ways. Some autistic children speak fluently but still find aspects of communication challenging. Others may use fewer...
Read article →6 min read
Autism and ADHD Together
Yes. A child can be both autistic and have ADHD. It is important to understand how each child's individual profile affects everyday life rather than trying to...
Read article →Assessment & Diagnosis
5 min read
Should I Have My Child Assessed for ADHD?
Parents often tell us that deciding whether to seek an ADHD assessment can be difficult. You may have wondered about your child's behaviour for some time, a teacher...
Read article →6 min read
What Happens During an ADHD Assessment?
There is not one single standalone test that determines whether someone has ADHD. An assessment considers information from different sources to understand your...
Read article →5 min read
Should My Child Have an Autism Assessment?
You may have noticed developmental differences yourself, school may have raised concerns, or your child may ask why some things seem harder for them. Seeking...
Read article →6 min read
What Happens During an Autism Assessment?
An autism assessment looks at your child from a developmental perspective. It is not simply a checklist. Information may be gathered from different sources to...
Read article →4 min read
Why Is Developmental History Important?
Autism is neurodevelopmental, so understanding a child's developmental journey provides important context. Questions may cover early communication, language, play,...
Read article →4 min read
Preparing Your Child for an Autism Assessment
Children often cope better when they know what to expect at an appropriate level. Avoid making the assessment sound like an exam. You might say: 'We are going to...
Read article →Treatment & Medication
6 min read
Understanding ADHD Medication: A Parent's Guide
No. ADHD management should be individualised. Medication may form part of a broader approach depending on a child's age, symptoms, level of impairment,...
Read article →5 min read
What Happens During ADHD Medication Titration?
Titration is the period in which treatment is carefully reviewed and adjusted according to your child's response and any adverse effects. Finding an appropriate...
Read article →5 min read
What Do We Monitor During ADHD Medication Titration?
Monitoring helps us answer two important questions: Is treatment helping? Is your child tolerating it safely?
Read article →6 min read
ADHD Medication Side Effects: What Parents Need to Know
All medicines have the potential to cause unwanted effects. Not every child experiences side effects, and different ADHD medicines can have different effects. This...
Read article →Parent & Family Guides
6 min read
My Child Has Been Diagnosed With ADHD. What Happens Next?
Receiving an ADHD diagnosis can bring different emotions. For some families it brings relief; for others it raises many new questions. You do not have to answer...
Read article →5 min read
How Do I Explain ADHD to My Child?
The aim is to help your child understand themselves better without making them feel broken, negatively different, or responsible for difficulties they cannot simply...
Read article →6 min read
My Child Has Been Diagnosed With Autism. What Happens Next?
A diagnosis can bring validation, relief, worry or many feelings at once. There is no correct way for a family to feel, and you do not need to learn everything...
Read article →5 min read
How Do I Explain Autism to My Child?
You might say: 'We have learned more about how your brain works and why some things feel easy while other things can be harder.' Explain gradually, using language...
Read article →5 min read
Supporting Your Child's Confidence After an Autism Diagnosis
If children repeatedly hear only what they cannot do, they may begin to see themselves through that lens.
Read article →
Everyday Life & Wellbeing
5 min read
ADHD and Sleep
Some children and young people with ADHD find settling, switching off, maintaining routines, waking during the night or getting up in the morning difficult. Sleep...
Read article →5 min read
ADHD, Appetite and Nutrition
Some children become distracted while eating, forget to eat when absorbed in an activity, find structured meals difficult, have strong food preferences or struggle...
Read article →5 min read
Helping Your Child With Organisation and Routines
Planning, remembering, starting tasks and keeping track of belongings can be difficult for some children with ADHD. Repeated verbal reminders alone may not solve...
Read article →6 min read
ADHD and Emotions: Helping With Overwhelm
Some parents describe emotions arriving very quickly and intensely, including frustration, anger, excitement, disappointment, embarrassment or overwhelm.
Read article →5 min read
Helping With Routines, Change and Transitions
Predictability can be important for some autistic children. An unexpected change may be much more significant than it appears to someone else.
Read article →6 min read
Autism, Overwhelm and Emotional Regulation
When a child becomes extremely distressed or overwhelmed, consider what may have happened before the behaviour.
Read article →Behaviour & development
6 min read
Difficult behaviour in school-age children and ADHD
How to tell ordinary lively behaviour from the attention, impulsivity and activity patterns that point towards ADHD.
Read article →5 min read
Difficult behaviour in young children
Tantrums, defiance and meltdowns in the under-fives - what is developmentally normal and what deserves a closer look.
Read article →5 min read
Understanding teenage behaviour
Risk-taking, withdrawal, sleep shifts and conflict - what is typical adolescence and what needs clinical attention.
Read article →5 min read
Dyspraxia (developmental coordination disorder)
The child who is clumsy, slow to dress and struggles with handwriting may have a recognised coordination difficulty.
Read article →Emotional wellbeing
Sleep
6 min read
Children's sleep: how much, and how to fix it
Realistic sleep needs by age, the routines that actually work, and when a sleep problem is a medical one.
Read article →4 min read
The link between sleep and behaviour
Why a tired child looks hyperactive rather than sleepy, and how poor sleep imitates ADHD.
Read article →Everyday illness
4 min read
Hygiene habits that actually reduce illness
The handful of simple routines that make the biggest difference to how often children get ill.
Read article →5 min read
Fever in children: what to do and when to worry
Fever is a normal immune response. Here is how to assess your child and recognise the red flags.
Read article →5 min read
Headaches in children
Most childhood headaches are benign. Knowing the pattern helps you treat them and spot the rare ones.
Read article →5 min read
Eczema in children
Emollients, flare control and trigger avoidance - the practical basics of managing atopic eczema.
Read article →Growth & nutrition
6 min read
Food allergies in children
Telling allergy from intolerance, recognising a reaction, and what a proper allergy plan includes.
Read article →6 min read
Childhood weight: a practical, non-shaming approach
Why the family, not the child, is the unit of change - and the habits with the best evidence behind them.
Read article →5 min read
The psychology of weight and eating
Emotional eating, food as reward, and the family patterns that quietly shape a child's relationship with food.
Read article →
Talk to us about your child
Tell us a little about your concerns and we'll advise on the right type of appointment - there's no obligation to book.
ADHD assessments, autism assessments and combined ASD/ADHD assessments are all currently bookable.
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- 01926 624 235