Parent resources

Parent guides on talking, attention, daily skills, and hearing

Short guides for parents. If a medical word is used, the meaning is in brackets. Use the list on the left, or pick a topic below.

Topics

• Autism in children: Autism (a difference in how a child talks, plays, and feels the world) is not caused by bad parenting. Every child is different. Help can start even before a doctor gives a name for it.
• ADHD in children: ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, difficulty with attention, sitting still, or waiting) is not laziness. It shows at home and at school. Children often need clear steps, short tasks, and movement breaks.
• Speech and language delay: Speech is how clearly sounds come out. Language is understanding and using words. A child can have trouble with one or both. Always check hearing.
• Daily skills and senses: Occupational therapy / OT (help with daily skills like eating, dressing, and writing) is not a “job class”. Sensory means how the body feels sound, touch, and movement.
• Extra support and early help: Early help means starting support while the child is still small, not waiting until Class 1 is already very hard. Special education means teaching in the way this child learns.
• Hearing and listening: A hearing problem can look like “not listening” or late talking. Audiology (a hearing check by a trained tester) is a simple first step.

All guides

1. Signs of autism in toddlers: A toddler is a child about 1 to 3 years old. This list is for noticing, not for naming the child yourself.
2. Speech delay vs autism: Late talking and autism can look similar. They are not always the same.
3. ADHD signs in school-age children: ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, difficulty with attention, sitting still, or waiting) should show at home and at school, not only with one teacher.
4. When the world feels too loud or too itchy: Sensory (how the body feels sound, touch, and movement) problems can look like “bad behaviour”.
5. When to start speech therapy: You do not need to wait for a failed nursery interview.
6. What happens in an autism check: An assessment (careful check) is not a trap. It is a structured look at your child.
7. Daily-skill therapy for autistic children: OT (help with daily skills) is the practical layer: body, clothes, food, and school sitting.
8. ADHD and late talking together: A child who “does not listen” may not have understood the sentence.
9. Repeating and routines: is it OCD?: OCD (unwanted fears and repeated actions to feel safe) is not the same as loving sameness in autism.
10. Help at home: Clinic time is short. Home is where skills stick.
11. What speech therapy is: Speech therapy is help with talking, understanding, and being understood.
12. How an autism check usually starts: You can start help while you wait for a specialist date.
13. Support for ADHD: Listening, language, and school-ready habits can be practised. Medicine is a doctor’s decision.
14. Late talker: when to worry: Word count matters. Pointing, play, and understanding matter more than family stories.
15. Autism and hearing: Not turning to name can be autism, a hearing problem, or both. Test; do not assume.
16. Extra learning support: Extra learning support means small steps and pictures, not a warehouse away from family.