Gecko Community

10/03/2026

An interest in video editing combined with a creative idea, has resulted in one of our young people creating this awesome Gecko promo, with a personal twist. Using creative cutaways, finding footage and using their own shots resulted in them creating a high quality production that gets to the point of what Gecko is all about.

Sharing with their permission.

10/03/2026

Just a gentle reminder this is tomorrow. Link in comments

New Live Webinar Announcement!!

Today we did a live Q&A for the PDA societies' burnout conference and there was just not enough time to get through the many questions which was really disappointing.

So, I have convinced Mel to join me on a live Q&A session, for people to bring along questions or simply listen to responses of others questions.

Please tag and share 🙏🏼

Sign Up link in comments.
Respond to the events page for updates!

27/02/2026

An open Q and A - Ask us Anything! (Not quite anything, but I'll let you know if I can't/won't answer it) 😁

Link in the comments of the share below, or go to Jodie Clarke, Children's Well-being Practitioner & Autism Specialist for more info of dates and how to sign up.

New Live Webinar Announcement!!

Today we did a live Q&A for the PDA societies' burnout conference and there was just not enough time to get through the many questions which was really disappointing.

So, I have convinced Mel to join me on a live Q&A session, for people to bring along questions or simply listen to responses of others questions.

Please tag and share 🙏🏼

Sign Up link in comments.
Respond to the events page for updates!

21/01/2026

My and Brook (No Pressure PDA)'s book is released today

We contemplated making a party for it on social media with banners and bling...

but realised we were both exhausted and barely able to function; that this was because our PDA brains were wrung out from:

- All the behind-the-scenes prep work we'vew been doing for this launch, flat out since September

- The demand pressure of launching our business and the compound, extra demands this will continue to bombard us with

We're wise enough to our PDA to know to step lightly with it.

To not "wake" our slumbering PDA "dragons".

That, no matter how many exciting things we might want to do, we absolutely must prioritise which ones to channel our limited, demand-avoidance busting energies into.

Our business prevailed.

The launch party was vetoed.

But this doesn't mean we're not putting our all into our business.

Go on then, before hitting "Next" in making this post, I'll create an ironically puny balloon graphic to mark our launch!!

Worldwide book link: https://mybook.to/oouIo

Our website: https://pda-insiders.com

21/01/2026

🎉🎉BIRTHDAY BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!! 🎉🎉

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED- but book can be purchased online via Amazon, Waterstones etc

I would like to celebrate our 1st birthday 🎂 by gifting 3 books!

I am asking everyone who would like to be considered for a book, to comment on this post. Any comment, tagging of a friend or emoji is valid x

If you have read the book, I would value your feedback in the comments and you too will be entered for a chance to win a copy, which you can keep as a spare or gift to someone who you feel needs it (this could be a professional or your LA 😜)

Winners will be announced on Friday.
A link to more info on the book can be found in the comments. Please share xx

20/11/2025

One of our young people has chosen to raise funds for these amazing Charities (including us!). He's at the point where he feels ready for this epic step, but we know too, the challenges many of us face when having haircuts.
We're all in awe of his determination to help Charities that are important to him at the same time. Thank you :)

See original post for more info and how to donate.

Kindly asking for donations..... many of you will know I have my own ND children..... and will also know how so many of us have challenges with having our hair cut. (And I know as even his Mum, I am definitely going to struggle with the change!!)

Well after 6 years, one of my little people is wanting to be proper brave and have a big chop..... so we decided its a great opportunity to fundriase for some charities that he feels are important.

More info and donation link here; https://gofund.me/ca8f20f8e

10/11/2025

Recently, a professional wrote that presuming competence is dangerous because it leads us to overlook vulnerability. That by presuming competence, we fail to protect, fail to offer help, fail to teach and assume people already know skills they have not yet learned. The professional’s stance confuses competence with current performance and support with correction or training.

This is not presuming competence. This is neglect.

Presuming competence is not an instructional strategy nor a belief about skill level. Presuming competence doesn’t mean assuming the person already has every skill but not demanding of someone to prove their right to access before we are willing to help them learn.

To presume competence is to recognise that a person’s understanding, agency, emotional depth and capacity for meaning-making exist regardless of whether they can demonstrate those things in neuronormative ways.
We do not treat a person as less intelligent because they communicate, learn or express differently.
We should assume cognitive presence, even when expression is delayed, non-linear or happens through non-speech communication.
We must provide access, support, scaffolding and alternative communication methods without requiring someone to prove they deserve them.

Presuming competence is an ethical stance that does not reduce someone to what is observable, nor treat one's humanity as being contingent on performance.

Moreso, vulnerability and competence are not opposites... A person can be deeply vulnerable and competent at the same time. Presuming competence allows us to support that vulnerability with dignity, instead of controlling it through fear of what might happen if we get it wrong.

Bottom line is that we don’t presume finished ability. We presume capacity, presence and potential and we support the person in accessing and expressing it.

21/10/2025

We have secondary spaces after half term, we need full funding as we are out of grant spaces. This is £65 a session (usually from a school / LA / EHCP).

We are online and 1:1. All our team are ND.

Current spaces:
Jo F Thursday 2pm - english
Jo T Thursday 10am - maths
Jo T Thursday 3pm - maths

Jo F teaches English (including GCSE). This can be any topic which can be deep dived, researched and explored. It can be GCSE focused too.

Jo T teaches Maths (including GCSE). This can start through playing chess online together or other maths games or start by looking at maths GCSE.

Staff profiles are on our website, the link is below in the comments.

If you are interested, please email us at [email protected]

01/10/2025

We have secondary spaces, we need full funding though as we are out of grant spaces. This is £65 a session (usually from a school / LA / EHCP).

We are online and 1:1. All our team are ND.

Current spaces:
Jo F Tues 11am - English
Jo F Weds 10am - English
Jo F Thurs 2pm - English

Jo F teaches English (including GCSE). This can be any topic which can be deep dived, researched and explored. It can be GCSE focused too.

Staff profiles are on our website, the link is below in the comments.

If you are interested, please email us at [email protected]

**edit, we are deleting spaces as they fill. If something goes which you were interested in, please email us still as we get spaces across the year**

15/08/2025

Position CLOSED.

We're recruiting!

Important! You must be a gamer, own a gaming console or PC or at the very least, be willing to learn! Many of our young people game and this is a skill you definitely need to have.

This position is for an ONLINE mentor, working from home.

CV's via email by Friday 29th August please.

Aiming to interview on 5th September with view to start on October 1st 2025 (subject to satisfactory checks)

25/07/2025

We have no spaces currently but we will get spaces in September, onwards. Please email us if you are interested [email protected]

We have some 11+ spaces available for September. We are online and 1:1, sessions are up to 50 minutes long, term time.
**editing this as we go to remove spaces which are confirmed**

We need full funding as we have no grant spaces left. This is £65 from a school / LA / EHCP / private.

If you are interested, please have a read through below and then email us at [email protected] to discuss your young person joining us.

You can see our staff on our website and the link is below in the comments.

- Mentor sessions:

Mentor sessions are led by the young person. They are online, 1:1 and up to an hour long. The aim is to support young people in exploring their neurology through a neurodivergent-affirming lens, re-building self-confidence, helping them re-discover their love of learning (on their terms) and act as a positive Neurodivergent role model. Mentors also support young people who are in crisis, have cPTSD and work therapeutically with them to process trauma.

All sessions are student led. Self-discovery and recovery is achieved through the therapeutic relationship between the mentor and the young person. The length of this process is determined by the young person and is organic, not time limited or prescriptive.

All mentors use a trauma informed framework (PACE).

- Project Sessions

Project sessions bring in learning. These sessions are student-led, based on an interest chosen by the student. This can be an opportunity to both explore particular interests and to expand these interests into new areas. We find that engaging with Autistic students on subjects they are already knowledgeable about, interested in and comfortable learning about, often expands into new areas of learning in a way that suits the interests and abilities of a student. These sessions are with teachers and can flow between any topic/interest or focus on English, Maths, Science or more.

In addition, we offer ASDAN subjects which include short courses in e.g. Animal Care.

- September start

We may get a lot of interest and it will be first to confirm, gets the space. (We get spaces throughout the year if these spaces go quickly.)

Please email if you are interested (we don't monitor our FB inbox). Email us at [email protected]