NipintheBud

08/10/2026

Sign up now for this evening's FREE webinar all about in
https://mailchi.mp/nipinthebud.org/srv1gc4bhf

05/10/2026

There’s a name for what’s happening to these girls. We call them the ‘Lost Girls’ - and I want to explain why.
Everything you think you know about ADHD and Autism was probably based on research into boys. Here’s what that means for your daughter or for the girls in your classrooms.

For decades, Autism & ADHD research was built almost entirely on how these show up in boys.

If you’re raising her, teaching her, or supporting the adults who do - this one’s for you.

Join our FREE WEBINAR
“Lost Girls: Understanding Autism & ADHD in Girls”
Thursday 8th October | 7:00–8:15 pm

With:
Alis Rocca — Ex-Headteacher & Education Consultant
Lucie Newman — parent, lived experience
Jolene Ironside — ASD & ADHD Specialist

You’ll learn to spot 👇
✔️ Masking & the after-school “restraint collapse”
✔️ Internalised symptoms vs. hyperactivity
✔️ Intense interests & social nuance
✔️ Sensory sensitivity & emotional dysregulation
✔️ Executive functioning & burnout

Free. Evidence-based. For parents AND teachers.

🔗 Link to register https://bit.ly/4hMrshQ

01/10/2026

Girls often mask their struggles to fit in, so their needs can be missed or diagnosed late. Join Alis Rocca with panel guests Jolene Ironside and Lucie Newman as they explore the "Lost Girls" phenomenon. For parents, carers and educators.

📅 Thursday 8th October | 7:00–8:15pm | Zoom
Book your FREE place via the link in comments. Or via the LinkTree in Bio

30/09/2026

"While most people attend A&E for a physical injury or emergency, a small group do so because of a mental health reason. With emergency departments in England expected to provide mental health liaison services and ensure that patients are seen by a liaison psychiatry team within an hour from referral, Stuti Bagri examines whether there’s a difference in how quickly children and young people are seen in comparison to adults." Read more from bagri

While most people attend A&E for a physical injury or emergency, a small group do so because of a mental health reason. With emergency departments in England expected to provide mental health liaison services and ensure that patients are seen by a liaison psychiatry team within an hour from referral...

28/09/2026

Parents see her collapse at home. Teachers see her cope at school. Neither of you is seeing the whole picture, because she's not letting you.
She holds it together all day at school, then falls apart the second she's home.
She's not "a bit shy" or "a bit sensitive." She's masking.

For years, Autism and ADHD research (and diagnosis criteria) was built almost entirely around how these neurotypes show up in boys. The result? A generation of girls who are missing out, misread, or diagnosed a decade too late, the "Lost Girls" of autism and ADHD.

If you're a parent, carer, or teacher of a girl who feels different but doesn't fit the stereotypes you've read about - this free webinar is for you.

FREE Webinar | Tuesday 8th October | 7:00 - 8:15pm
"Lost Girls: Understanding Autism & ADHD in Girls"

Join our panel:
Host: Alis Rocca - Ex-Primary Headteacher, Life Coach & Education Consultant
Lucie Newman - parent with lived experience
Jolene Ironside - ASD & ADHD Specialist

We'll unpack why autism and ADHD so often present differently in girls, and give you practical, evidence-based strategies you can use at home and in the classroom, including:

✔️ Masking & social camouflaging - and the "after-school restraint collapse" every parent recognises but few understand
✔️ Internalised symptoms vs. external hyperactivity - inattention, overthinking and anxiety
✔️ Intense special interests and the social nuances around them
✔️ Sensory sensitivity and emotional dysregulation
✔️ Executive functioning struggles, the coke bottle effect and burnout - and how to spot it before it becomes a crisis

Whether you're raising her, teaching her, or supporting the adults who do, you'll leave with clarity, practical tools, and a lot less stigma.

It's free. It's for parents, carers AND teachers. And it might change how you see her.

👉 Register here https://mailchi.mp/nipinthebud.org/srv1gc4bhf

Please share with your communities to support more neurodivergent girls


Autism & ADHD ADHD Inspiration ADHD Wise UK Autism Dadcast Autism Awareness Autism West Midlands National Autistic Society ADHD Babes mumsnet.com

25/09/2026

Snowflake generation." We need to stop saying it.
A major independent review into children's mental health, ADHD and autism has just delivered its verdict, and it's not what some headlines have claimed.

Professor Peter Fonagy, leading the review, told the BBC that today's young people are genuinely more distressed than previous generations — not softer, not over-sensitive, not "over-diagnosed." He said it's genuinely harder to be young today, given economic uncertainty, job insecurity, and the pressures of social media.
birmingham

This matters because the review was commissioned after claims that young people were being over-diagnosed and "written off" — a narrative we hear constantly in staffrooms, in parenting forums, and in the comments sections under every article about ADHD or autism in children.

At Nip in the Bud, we see the other side of this every day: children whose distress is real, whose nervous systems are genuinely overwhelmed — not "snowflakes," but young people navigating a world that's objectively harder to grow up in than it was 20 years ago.

If we want better outcomes for children, at home and in the classroom, the starting point has to be believing them.
What are you seeing in your own school, family or practice? Does this match what you're noticing on the ground?

Read the full BBC piece: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8q26q2r75o


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqzrz0z4plk1o

Speaking exclusively to the BBC, Prof Peter Fonagy says being young is much harder now than it was.

23/09/2026

Still time to join us at 4 pm - 4:45pm
Ever had a child in your class who's "fine" all day but you sense something's not quite adding up? Tonight's webinar helps spot the early, easy-to-miss signs of neurodivergence in their pupils before behaviour becomes the only clue.
Last chance to register - link in bio. See you at 4pm

21/09/2026

National Inclusion Week finished yesterday. The classroom teaching carries on.
There's a version of fairness that says every child gets exactly the same thing.
The same instructions, same timings, same environment, same expectations. It all sounds even handed, but for some children it quietly makes the day almost impossible.

Professor Amanda Kirby makes the point well: we are all neurodiverse, but some children don't fit the way education is currently set up, and they end up working far harder than everyone else just to show what they can actually do. That effort shows up later in confidence, self esteem and wellbeing.

Swipe through for more info and a few tips that seem to help. None of this will be new to teachers already doing it, and you'll know your class far better than we do. It's more a reminder that small environmental changes often do more than anything we ask of the child.

With thanks to Prof Amanda Kirby for the thinking behind this post. Listen to the podcast with Rachel MacFarlane: https://nipinthebud.org/toolkit/school-life/transforming-education-with-rachel-macfarlane

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18/09/2026

Notice a child struggling in your new class but not sure what your next step should be? Stop scrolling. Join us next Wednesday, the 23rd at 4 pm for a Free webinar on what to do next - Link via the LinkTree in Bio

11/09/2026

“Can I have my phone?”
If your child’s school has introduced a phone-free school day, you may already be seeing what happens when they get home.
After a whole day without access to a phone or other screens, some children may be desperate to get online the moment they walk through the door.
And that can be hard for parents and carers to navigate.

But before we see it simply as “too much screen time”, it can help to ask: what is your child actually looking for? They may be looking for:
→ comfort after a demanding day
→ stimulation because they feel restless
→ connection with friends, siblings or you
→ something familiar to help them switch off
→ relief from having had to concentrate and manage social situations all day

The new phone-free school day changes when children can access screens, it doesn't necessarily change their desire for them. For some children, that “screen gap” may simply move to the hours at home.

So what can parents and carers do when the school bell has rung and your child arrives home already asking for their phone?

We've created After the Bell: Helping your child navigate Phone-Free school days, a practical guide for parents and carers of primary-school-age children.

It includes ideas for:
- understanding what may be behind the screen request
- creating a simple 20-minute “landing” routine after school
- recognising when your child needs quiet, movement or connection
- agreeing screen boundaries together - rather than negotiating in the heat of the moment
- finding low-effort ways to fill some of the reclaimed time
And importantly, the goal isn't necessarily zero screen time. It's helping make sure screens aren't the only tool available for managing every transition in the day.
If you're a parent or carer navigating this change, we've put the support pack in our Linktree👉 here: https://tr.ee/wcS584waK1

Please share it with another parent or carer who might find it useful.