In partnership with Sunbeams Community Hub Great Yarmouth
When our children were diagnosed as autistic, we were booked onto a parenting course and told to 'plod on' by the paediatrician.
Fast-forward 20 years, with teenage and grown-up children who are profoundly autistic with secondary diagnoses of ADHD, Opposition Defiant Disorder, OCD, Anxiety, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Epilepsy and brain damage, we are now in a position to help others - not to 'plod on', but to embrace neurodiversity and to empower children & young people to be their authentic selves in a supportive environment.
We have dedicated our lives to studying psychology and working in the field of neurodiversity, in order to help, find individual solutions and provide training for families, practitioners and professionals. Our aim is to Change the Narrative, not to change the child!
"Neurodiversity may be every bit as crucial for the human race as biodiversity is for life in general. Who can say what form of wiring will prove best at any given moment?" Robert Blume
Chantelle has a foundation degree in Psychotherapeutic Counselling and is currently completing her BSc (Hons) in Psychology with Counselling. She holds registration with the National Counselling Psychotherapy Society and is a qualified National Autism Trainer. Chantelle has also recently qualified as an Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist. Chantelle is blessed with two young men with their own neurodivergent diagnosis. She is also a proud AuDHDer (living with both neurotypes).
"When my firstborn was diagnosed at the age of 5 and my second son at age 7, I needed someone to let me know that it was going to be ok. I was left on my own to 'figure things out'! My curiosity took me into studying neurodivergence and I am keen to offer support, share my knowledge, and empower those around their neurodivergent child, to accept, understand and learn with them."
Pamela has a BA (Hons) in Humanities with English Language and is currently completing a Master's Degree in Psychology (Conv) with special focus on neurodivergence. She is a Chartered Linguist and a certified CPD Trainer. Pamela has a grown-up son and a teenage daughter who are neurodivergent and 'polar opposites' on the ASD spectrum, as well as having other diagnoses.
"When my children were young, I desperately wished for a 'manual' that would provide guidance on how to handle difficult situations. That's exactly what we aim to offer."