Understanding Unique Minds
Resources for families of children with complex neurodevelopmental needs
Resources for families of children with complex neurodevelopmental needs
We make picture books, videos and easy-read guides for families of children with complex needs. The online resources are free for families to use.
We help families find information and fill gaps on less well-known topics, like hyperlexia and echolalia.
We focus particularly on children with developmental delays and significant speech, understanding, learning, sensory or daily-living support needs.
We help you understand your unique child, and let their own experience shine through.
Family life with complex needs can be hard, but like plants, every child grows in their own way, and each needs the right conditions. Understanding helps us support them to thrive.
What if my child can't tell me what they need?
When a child can’t tell you in words what they need, or how they feel, understanding takes time and patience. Children communicate in many ways, through what they seek out, what they avoid, and how they behave. Read our section on connecting.
Why is early understanding important?
It can be tricky to understand how your child experiences the world, particularly if they have complex needs. But the sooner the people around a child understand how they tick, the sooner the world can be shaped to support them, rather than the other way round.
What is overshadowing?
Diagnostic overshadowing is when a child’s behaviour is put down to their main diagnosis. This can mean the fuller picture goes unseen. Read our section on complexity.
What happens when the environment doesn’t fit your child?
Sometimes the world around a child doesn’t help them to grow. This could be for many reasons, such as too noisy, too rigid, over- or under-stimulating. It could be because things are expected that they find difficult. This can result in anxiety, exhaustion or behaviour in the child that gets labelled as “difficult”. Understanding helps the adults around them adjust so the child can flourish. Read our section on the environment.
How can understanding help with advocacy?
Speaking up for your child in school or services can be easier if you can more clearly describe how they think, learn and experience. It can help you ask for the right support. And as your child grows, their own understanding can support their self-advocacy too.
Reading before talking?
Reading and recognising letters can bring comfort, structure, and joy. For some families, early reading is part of how their child explores and connects with the world. It can happen before a child understands what they read — and sometimes before they can talk.
Children who have exceptional abilities in an area such as maths or drawing, and also developmental differences.
Some children have significant differences in how they experience the world, such as noise, pain, or interoception.
Parent survey 2024
394 families responded to our survey. It asked about the complexity of their child’s needs, the information they wanted beyond a diagnosis, early reading and hyperlexia, and how neurodivergence is represented in children’s picture books.
said information beyond a diagnosis would be very useful
Growing Different Parent Survey 2024
Online survey for families of children with neurodevelopmental differences such as autism or ADHD.
Please credit ‘Growing Different Parent Survey 2024’ when quoting these figures.
This site gives general information, not medical advice. We share information and resources, but we can’t offer individual or one-to-one support. Always check with a professional before making decisions about your child.
Disclaimer
The content on this website is provided for general information only. It should not be construed as medical advice, and it is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely. Before making any decisions based on the content of this website you are strongly advised to obtain professional or specialist advice.
Although we make reasonable efforts to update the information on our website, we make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content on our website is accurate, complete or up-to-date, and we are not liable or responsible for any decision taken as a result. Please note that using automated summariser or translation tools may affect the accuracy of the information presented here.
The PIF Tick for trusted health information
We’re proud to hold the PIF Tick, the UK-wide quality mark for trusted, accessible health information. It is a sign of our commitment to clarity, inclusion, and evidence-based resources. Find out more about the PIF Tick here.
Supported by
This project has been made possible with funding from the National Lottery Community Fund and the CPCA (Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority), delivered through Allia Impact Ltd.
