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Isabelle Finn-Kelcey

@isabellefk

MEd MRes Interested in narratives of neurodiversity, inclusive education, double empathy, EOTAS, neuroqueering. She/her.

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Latest posts by Isabelle Finn-Kelcey @isabellefk

Interesting. Lots to unpack. FWIW dyslexia & ADHD are lifelong neurodevelopmental differences from a culturally situated notion of ‘normal’, not SEND labels.

21.02.2026 16:52 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I listened to this yesterday - brilliant & helpful.

12.02.2026 10:35 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Also unhelpful in KS3/4. Which retrieval technique should we use when a YP is masking?

12.02.2026 09:47 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
The Mental Elf Keeping you up to date with reliable mental health research, policy & guidance

excellent explainers & training for schools on the best evidence-based research ✨

www.nationalelfservice.net/mental-healt...

www.annafreud.org?gad_source=1...

12.02.2026 09:22 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Agreed. It’s so frustrating - there is lots of fab research out there, conducted to the highest ethical & academic standards, eg @grrand-team.bsky.social’s impressive RE-STAR project on emotional regulation in the classroom.

@annafreudcharity.bsky.social, @thementalelf.bsky.social & others have

12.02.2026 09:22 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

‘With your body’

12.02.2026 08:43 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

‘Compliantly perform arbitrarily selected explicit behaviours so I don’t need to attune to or decode your internal emotional/cognitive states’ 🙄

12.02.2026 08:42 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Thanks so much for sharing @autisticrealms.bsky.social 💛 Your work on burnout and monotropism has been incredibly influential in my own practice, so it really means a lot.

Thank you also for amplifying it, I hope it reaches those who will most benefit 💛

11.02.2026 20:38 👍 11 🔁 6 💬 0 📌 0

Great thread - thanks for sharing! 🙏

11.02.2026 12:54 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Good to hear this!

11.02.2026 12:45 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

We’re rolling out new training to improve neurodivergent children and young people’s wellbeing in schools and help them feel they belong.💜

We estimate over 10,500 neurodivergent students will benefit from the programme, Neurodiversity and Wellbeing in Schools, over 3 years.

10.02.2026 12:58 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0

Please share

We have a few fully funded spaces available on our Neuro-Affirming Discovery Programme for 18-24 year olds starting 18th Feb.

Register your interest here:
thrivingautistic.org/discovery-pr...

10.02.2026 12:17 👍 12 🔁 15 💬 1 📌 2

I’m guessing that a lot of our creative & integrative T&L in specialist & AP settings, EOTAS & home ed would work well if introduced as part of ‘core’ pedagogy and provision ✨

10.02.2026 08:19 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

So disappointing to see this divisive headline suggesting that ‘SEND’ is not only separate from but is in conflict with ‘core’ education provision.

Integrative, inclusive provision, such as #neuro-affirming T&L, is needed.

autisticrealms.com/neuro-affirm...

10.02.2026 07:31 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

These might include preferred formats/modalities (eg access to audio versions of texts).

09.02.2026 08:12 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Also, I’m wary of the assumption that support/scaffolding should be gradually phased out. YP with eg processing/focusing difficulties/differences (eg dyslexics & ADHDers) ought to be able to count on ongoing & reliable reasonable adjustments - just as adults are entitled to in the workplace.

09.02.2026 08:11 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Preview
Neuro-Affirming Research in Practice: Supporting Autistic Students, Embracing Monotropism In The Classroom And Beyond | Autistic Realms Written by Tanya Adkin and Helen Edgar, based on the presentation we delivered to the National Autistic Society Professionals’ Conference in March, 2025. Sh ...

Really surprised not to see working with YP interest/motivation mentioned in support strategies.

Super important for #neurodivergent & #monotropic learners with/without so-called ‘SEND’.

Here’s why ✨

autisticrealms.com/neuro-affirm...

09.02.2026 08:08 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
Preview
Template letters Download and make changes to our template letters to fit your situation

This is a scary headline for families already struggling for much-needed support.

Families: the law hasn’t changed and the process of legally diluting YP’s rights would take years.

IPSEA has fab legal info & template letters to request support ❤️

www.ipsea.org.uk/template-let...

09.02.2026 06:53 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

“it’s not processes, policies & services holding our very fragile SEND system together, but families up and down the country. And at a huge financial & emotional cost”

Valuable insights from SNJ and @georginadurrant.bsky.social 🙏

09.02.2026 06:46 👍 5 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0

Yes exactly

08.02.2026 21:21 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I find this time of year tough because it’s when our community groups fill up with new families whose YP can’t stay in school. Otherwise, not bad thanks! Yourself?

08.02.2026 21:15 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

“SEND is not a framework for inclusion, but an administrative construct created to manage difference without requiring the education system itself to change” - @kieranrose.bsky.social 🙏

08.02.2026 20:47 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
Preview
There is no such thing as SEND - The Autistic Advocate In this article Kieran Rose looks at why there is no such thing as SEND in UK Education and addresses the harm casued by SEND narratives.

Agreed.

theautisticadvocate.com/there-is-no-...

08.02.2026 20:45 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Congratulations!

08.02.2026 09:26 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Graphic titled “Book Review.” It shows the cover of Re-Storying Autism: A Framework for Families, Parents, and Carers by David Gray-Hammond and Helen Edgar, featuring a colourful infinity symbol. Beside the cover is a quoted positive review praising the book’s focus on sensory experience, interoception, burnout, identity, and belonging. The review is attributed to Kelly Mahler, with five stars and her portrait. The background is soft sage green with decorative lines and the words “Book” and “Review.”

Graphic titled “Book Review.” It shows the cover of Re-Storying Autism: A Framework for Families, Parents, and Carers by David Gray-Hammond and Helen Edgar, featuring a colourful infinity symbol. Beside the cover is a quoted positive review praising the book’s focus on sensory experience, interoception, burnout, identity, and belonging. The review is attributed to Kelly Mahler, with five stars and her portrait. The background is soft sage green with decorative lines and the words “Book” and “Review.”

So excited about the book & course for families/ parents/carers supporting Autistic people of all ages, I wrote with @neurohubcommunity.org

Pre-order video course 20% discount
neurohub.blog/invitation?c...

Order the book
(paperback & ondemand course out Feb 16th)

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GHGG8SS...

07.02.2026 14:53 👍 11 🔁 7 💬 0 📌 0

Great point. Market research-style polls can be interesting, but they don’t have the ethics standards or rigour of actual academic research.

This kind of content would make a great data set for discourse analysis though 🤭

07.02.2026 09:20 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Just to say, a Teacher Tapp poll is not a representative sample of teachers in England.

bsky.app/profile/scho...

07.02.2026 09:06 👍 9 🔁 3 💬 3 📌 0
Text reads: And so frankly, we do need to be much clearer as a society… 

About what we expect of people… 

And the responsibilities that come with rights.

That means: 

Much stronger powers for the Charity Commission to shut down charities that promote extremism. 

It means tougher regulation of home schooling… 

Because schools are so important for integration… 

And so we need a higher bar for people who want to opt-out of that responsibility.

Text reads: And so frankly, we do need to be much clearer as a society… About what we expect of people… And the responsibilities that come with rights. That means: Much stronger powers for the Charity Commission to shut down charities that promote extremism. It means tougher regulation of home schooling… Because schools are so important for integration… And so we need a higher bar for people who want to opt-out of that responsibility.

Now I appreciate he's on the ropes, but Starmer seems to have been letting his dog-whistle speechwriter out again in Hastings.

I'm not *keen* on the implication that wanting to spend more time with your family = terrorism but, possibly more painful, he's misrepresenting the legislative changes.

07.02.2026 09:07 👍 15 🔁 4 💬 3 📌 4

And to you Charlie

06.02.2026 10:28 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Agreed. Also hard to trust the entire system because YP’s needs are only deemed ‘special’ when they fail to align with a bunch of arbitrary cultural assumptions that may or may not have anything to do with the ways children actually develop & learn 🤷‍♀️

06.02.2026 08:14 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0