Making Sense of the Diagnosis
For families who have a diagnosis or report, but don’t know what that means for their child or where to start.
Navigating a new diagnosis — whether it’s ADHD, autism, or a learning difficulty like dyslexia or a specific learning disorder in writing or maths — can feel overwhelming for families. Reports are often packed with technical terms and long lists, leaving parents unsure of what the diagnosis actually means for day-to-day school life or their child’s future. There is an urge to ‘do all the things now to fix it’, but how and at what cost to the child? Will they feel different? Will they feel labelled? Will they think something is wrong?
That’s where I come in.
“A diagnosis isn’t something to fix — it’s a starting point for self-understanding, empowerment, and advocacy.”
~ Jillian Shapiro, psychologist and founder Shapiro Learning
The problem isn’t the diagnosis, the label or your child. The problem is the mismatch between how your child thinks and interacts with the world and the expectations placed on them. This gap is what we need to discover and support.
Sometimes this is referred to as a ‘neuroaffirming’ approach. This means we recognise and respect the way a person’s brain naturally works, rather than trying to "fix" or change them to fit a standard mould. It focuses on understanding strengths, bridging challenges, and helping people thrive as they are—instead of forcing them to think, learn, or behave in a certain way.
This approach is critical for your child - particularly if they have felt like the problem for a long time. Self-esteem and self-acceptance should start to lift. It’s a process of discovery and I will be with you every step of the way.
We don’t fix the child, we solve the problems.
Once we understand the ‘whys’ of the problems, I will help you set realistic priorities, balancing what’s most important to your family with the key areas your child’s teachers and support team need to focus on at school.
If treatment will help (for example to help your child cope with frustration, anxiety or support their reading), it’s always introduced with their buy-in — so they see it as a tool to reach their goals, not as something they need because something is "wrong" with them. Support happens with them, not to them.
Whether your child needs adjustments in the classroom, specialist tutoring, or strategies to help them feel more confident and capable more generally, we’ll work out a plan that everyone can follow — parents, teachers, tutors, and even your child themselves. My goal is to empower families with clarity and confidence, so you can advocate for the right support at school and build the skills your child needs to thrive.