Hi I’m Sam!
In 2007 I came back from University with no degree and an ironic ‘certificate of attendance.’ I found at part time job at a charity organisation in their youth services, supporting disabled young people, with a high proportion having a diagnosis of Autism or ADHD. It was there that I got the opportunity and had the privilege to work with and learn from many different Neurodivergent young people. I started to find I had skills and enjoyed working with those that perhaps needed the most specific support to stay regulated in our setting. After years of finding education a challenge myself, despite sport and a decent ability to cram last minute and pass stuff keeping me engaged, there were so many of the young people I could relate to in areas of impulsivity and emotional regulation. Yet there were also others who taught me so much and made me work hard to empathise and connect. I feel working with these young people helped me to become a much improved version of the disorganised, chaotic and impulsive 25 year old I was. Too much ego and not enough self-reflection was helpfully removed by those I supported.
I moved into management, providing staff training and being a point of contact for parents. I began to hoover up any relevant vocational qualification I could find. I learnt more about planning for support to Neurodivergent young people in social and group environments. I learnt how important environment, activity and people were to getting things right or wrong support wise. I started to find certain training I went either painted too negative or too narrow a view of the diverse and different young people I worked with who were Autistic or ADHD. I started to combine the best of what I had accessed and learnt to pass onto staff and implement supportive approaches for Neurodivergent and all young people that access our youth services. We got a reputation for being able to support many who could not access any other setting in the area. I got the opportunity, as the person leading behaviour support in the organisation, to implement and practice de-escalation and support approaches with many young people who had unfortunately become dysregulated. I found things that helped, did lots of things that didn’t and learnt to avoid those.
One thing that struck me during this time when speaking to parents, was how little support and provision was in place for them. In 2013 I sat down with our fundraiser and wrote a funding bid to the National Lottery. We got it and BIS-net was born. This service provided support direct to parents; offering advice and guidance as well as a non-judgemental space to offload. I also began to work more therapeutically with young people. I started by drawing upon several approaches I had trained in such as RDI and Narrative Therapy, as well as my experience of what had helped those I worked with in the past. Over the years, I developed the bones of what I now would call my triple A approach to supporting Neurodivergent young people.
Awareness
Acceptance
Adjustment
I left CEDA in 2021 to launch Neurodive and allow me to be more creative in the ways I work and adapt to be able to provide support where there is most need. Through Neurodive, I provide support direct to Neurodivergent young people and work with parents in person or online to indirectly support and offer non-judgemental advice and ideas. I also provide online support to parents and professionals through webinars and our membership service. As well as working with schools and organisations to help them understand and implement a triple A approach.
I would describe myself as ‘unofficially identified as ADHD.’ I don’t use the term ‘self-identified’ as it was mainly others I worked with or knew telling me I should look into it, rather than something I recognised in myself at first. Working more with Neurodivergent adults when co-presenting or co-hosting webinars, led me to meet people who wouldn’t accept that I wasn’t Neurodivergent myself! I don’t use the term ‘diagnosed’ as I haven’t gotten around to the ironically enormous amount of admin involved in getting that across the line. However, I asked a friend and colleague of mine who is a Dr of Psychology to run me through the diagnostics and she said ‘I wish you’d ask me sooner….’ with her results coming back much to everyone's surprise. A few months later, my Mum handed me a book of old school reports she’d found in the attic….. I’m less convinced there’s even a doubt these days and often use it as a good way into a conversation around Neurotypes with the young people I support.
