“The past 2 years have been extremely challenging before we had a diagnosis. The usual parenting strategies that worked so well for our eldest made no difference to our child. My wider family and school made me feel it was all down to my parenting and I was getting really low. The stress of it all made working full-time almost impossible and my relationship with my partner was difficult.

I arrived at the Complete Guide to Parenting Children with SEND online course almost as a blank page not knowing what to do. It was so great on that first session to hear from other parents going through the same things and Francine and Lesley soon put everyone at ease. Each week we got handouts such as helpful services in my area that I knew nothing about before. It was the highlight of my week to attend the course and each week I took away tips and ideas I could put in place that worked for my family. It was wonderful to share our stories with everyone in the group and
using empathy techniques with everyone in the family is fantastic and we are all much closer and happier now.

We have just received our DLA thanks to your support and telling us about the Hertfordshire Money Advice Unit was a game changer and helped me to complete that horrible form! We were able to buy a new bigger trampoline, which has given our child much enjoyment and delight as well as the additional football and boxing courses we’ve been able to enroll, to help redirect all his energy!

I am more able now to see my child's many positive attributes, and he makes us laugh every day and has without a doubt made us better parents.

I feel so emotional when I think of how far we’ve come and I just can’t thank you all enough. The SEN world has been so welcoming and opened our eyes to a new and beautiful way of seeing the world.

This comes with a huge hug of gratitude. Your support, advice, and education have been pivotal in everything we’ve done for our children. I was blind to my next steps and all your courses and additional tools have taught me to make our lives easier to manage. Thanks to Francine and Lesley.”

“We were struggling and overwhelmed with conflicting advice and our child was so different to others at the nursery school and services were hard to find and we both felt very low. Our first session with Francine and Lesley on the Complete Guide to Parenting Children with SEND online course was such a relief. We learned about provision in schools and EHCP which was so helpful and informative. We wouldn’t be in the position we are in today and now my child is getting what he needs in nursery, is much more settled and happier too. Francine and Lesley told us about services we didn’t know existed. We loved talking to other parents too, and small group exercises were a great way to get to know each other & so enjoyed it every week. Everything was amazing, hard to put into words just so brilliant. Francine & Lesley are just so great, so knowledgeable, and answered our questions. They smashed it every week and are priceless!”.

“I had been on several courses and nothing worked for my son and thought I would try a course specially for children with ADHD and or Autism  and was pleased I was able to attend Handling anger in your child with ADHD and or Autism whilst waiting for my son to be assessed. My son  behaves well at school but is very different at home and many people said I just need to be stricter with him. That made my son (and me too) very unhappy and more anxious. Finding out about masking and how anger affects children with ADHD and Autism was fascinating and almost as if they perfectly described my child. I understand my son so much more now and he is very similar to my ex-husband. I have also learned to communicate more clearly with all my family and empathy has worked so well for all of us. This course was invaluable and I will continue to use every single part of it every day and our family will be much happier. I can communicate with my ex-husband in a clear & calm way now and resolve issues which means my son is happier as a result. It’s great to gain so much knowledge and share experiences with other parents.”

“Before joining the Handling anger in your child with ADHD and or Autism course I did not have a clue how to handle my children’s anger, meltdowns, and sudden outbursts. I thought it was all part of the condition. Now with help from this course, step by step I am aware if I do nothing then nothing will change! Now I know how to deal with situations, know the signs before a meltdown, and am learning how to keep calmer. We still have a long journey ahead, and with your advice and support, I’m feeling a lot more confident in myself with the tools that you’ve given me in this course. I shall be singing your praises and advising other parents in the same position of the wonderful work that you both do. Thank you so much again, you’re both amazing.”

“I was very nervous during the first session and unsure if this course would work for me. The group talked quite openly about their own family  challenges and I respected their honesty. As my confidence grew I too was talking in the group more openly than before and no one judged me it  felt safe to do so. We were all parents struggling to get it right and do the best we could for our families. I was quite shocked that anger was a  typical emotion and thought it was something that needed to be ‘banished.’ I often overreacted when my child expressed their anger or was  emotionally heightened. I learned about empathy techniques and how to just listen. The more I listened to my child with empathy he was able to understand and regulate his own emotions, this was mirrored within the family and everyone, over time we grew calmer and more regulated. I remembered what I enjoyed doing with my father and started to spend more doing craft projects in a similar way to what I did as a child with my dad. Most of all I loved the honesty of the other parents and hearing about the challenges others were experiencing as they were so similar to my own. I now have a better relationship with my child and we spend time together doing crafts and have more fun. The angry meltdowns have all but disappeared and ‘I just get my child better now.’ I can’t thank you both enough, and the course has helped us all feel closer as a family now.”

I am writing to say HUGE THANK YOU…

All the sessions with you were so supportive that I have no words to express…

There was lots of helpful information and links, which were “served” to us, saving us time and preventing stress caused by looking up ourselves for all this new stuff… but more importantly, the feeling of both of you – that you went through the same journey and you know exactly… without even using  word’s, how hopeless, down, frustrated and powerless we feel a lot of the time – makes all of us feel understood, heard and simply, truly supported… This is exactly how I feel after this course with you…

It was so calming, stress-free, and full of “clear understanding” from your side. I can’t express in words how much it meant for me.
I am genuinely grateful for your time and piece of heart given to all of us.

And by the way, I think I could cry for the first time freely, without being given pieces of advice, judgment, weird looks, or comments… But I could just melt and stop being “strong”. I could just be, because I felt “I finally COULD”…
THANK YOU LESLEY AND FRANCINE ❤❤❤❤