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AuDHD: Practical Strategies For Co-occurring Neurodivergence

24 SEPTEMBER 2025

AuDHD, the diagnosis of autism and ADHD, is more common than many realise. In this video, Colette Longden, National Training Director from Blueprint Learning shares all the insights of the co-occurring conditions.

AuDHD: Practical Strategies For Co-occurring Neurodivergence

In this webinar, Colette shares practical advice for supporting children with AuDHD. Exploring what is AuDHD, and how different forms of neurodivergence overlap. She also discusses the complexities and paradoxes of the AuDHD profile. Plus, practical strategies to help support AuDHD children and young people.

Your Instagram questions answered

Plan with school to create a simple "space signal" your child can use - a hand gesture, card, or code word. You could create a one-page visual guide with school showing his overwhelm signs (withdrawing, getting quiet, backing away). Suggest they give them a "helper job" or a quiet space pass when he signals need for breaks.

Use gentle warnings: "5 more minutes with Lego, then snack time." Try bridging: "After this tower, we'll build something in the kitchen - a sandwich!" Avoid abrupt stops. Consider timers he can see counting down. Sometimes joining briefly before transitioning helps. Ending a rewarding activity with another enjoyable activity can help with transitions. Make sure you give the time to come out of that deep focus.

Offer "calm with movement" - fidgets during quiet time, yoga, gentle music with movement. What about a walk outside or 5 minutes on a trampoline. Try "energy first, then calm" - 10 minutes running, then 20 minutes quiet activity. Heavy work can be helpful, You could disguise this with activities around the home such as digging in the garden. Make calm activities more appealing with special lighting, weighted blankets, or favourite snacks. I swear by Bubbles, who doesn’t love that?! Blowing bubbles is great for breathing work.

Education is important and Schools are developing their understanding of Neurodiversity every day. Share any resources with school. Share this session!

Hyperactivity symptoms can be SUBTLE and INTERNAL hyperactivity may manifest as feelings of restlessness and difficulty with quiet activities

What this means for school:

· Fidgeting = brain trying to regulate

· Restlessness shows up as mental fatigue

· "Quiet activities" are genuinely difficult

· Internal "motor" always running

A good way to explain is “His brain is like a busy highway even when his body looks still. He might seem calm but be working extra hard to focus. He needs movement breaks and fidgets even during 'quiet' times. Internal overwhelm looks like spacing out, fatigue, or sudden outbursts later."

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