There are lots of important fantastic reasons to prioritise play for disabled and/or neurodivergent children and young people. I’m sure you can list off a bunch of them without having to think too much; there’s developmental reasons, physical wellbeing, opportunities to develop peer relationships, therapeutic benefits, sensory regulation and educational reasons… But there is oneContinue reading “What We Say When We Prioritise Inclusive Play.”
Tag Archives: learning disability
Communal Space as an autistic person or: What’s the big deal about other people?
For a long time I didn’t really understand what the big deal was about being with other people. Yes, they could be funny, kind and interesting. But frankly, as far as I was concerned, I was already all of those things for myself. The other people bit, especially when there was more than one, justContinue reading “Communal Space as an autistic person or: What’s the big deal about other people?”
Creating inclusive play spaces: a place to start
If one hundred people wrote a guide to creating inclusive play spaces the result would be one hundred different guides. That’s no bad thing, they could be a hundred fantastic and useful guides filled with innovative and creative ideas, but, “inclusive” is not a fixed state. And as it is informed by multiple ever changingContinue reading “Creating inclusive play spaces: a place to start”
Let me process my sensory processing
content warning: this post contains discussion of mental health and has self harm mentions I’m a sensitive guy When I say I’m Sensitive, I really mean it, in its most literal sense. Certain noises make me flinch and squirm, certain lights make me nauseous, and food is a textural minefield. Wagon wheels (a biscuit withContinue reading “Let me process my sensory processing”
Playful Communication: the joys of the ‘non-functioning’
“Communication is about our ability to share our lives with other people” Working in play, particularly in disability and additional needs settings, has blown open my understanding of what communication is. The quote above from therapist and author Phoebe Caldwell is, to me, is the best explanation of where I’veContinue reading “Playful Communication: the joys of the ‘non-functioning’”
Play Radical 