One week after a brilliantly successful launch of her first book, Neurodiversity in the Early Years, long-time friend of the SEND Network, Cheryl Warren sat down with Torie to share more about her writing journey.

Neurodiversity in the Early Years was born out of two things: 30 years’ work in the education sector and Cheryl’s two boys, the oldest of whom was diagnosed as autistic and with sensory processing differences when he was 6 years old.

“When the professional met the personal, things came to a head and drove me to do what I do now,” shares Cheryl.

“After my son was diagnosed, I was given some leaflets to read and that was it – I had to find out everything myself. You start to realise quite quickly that the world is not accepting of the differences that your child has. So, I had to learn as much as possible, to better understand my child and be able to help him the best way I can.”

As Cheryl became better versed with how to support her own sons and other neurodivergent children, she found friends and former colleagues reaching out, asking for help.

“That’s where my work fundamentally came from – as a trainer, I found that in settings there was a clear lack of understanding of children who were different, children who were neurodivergent. That’s where my company (Aperion Training) came from.”

And one day, Routledge approached Cheryl about writing a book – recognising the value of her message and experiences.

“I thought it was a wind up!” recalls Cheryl, “I just didn’t think I could do it.”

But nearly two years on from receiving that email (and a lot of early mornings!) Neurodiversity in the Early Years has been published.

“The feedback I get from my training is very much that I resonate with people because I have the personal experience alongside the professional, and I so I really wanted to make sure that my personal journey was in there. This is not just an academic book but my story”, explains Cheryl.

Speaking of ‘academic’, Cheryl highlights that she is not from that background, so she wanted to ensure this book was a reflection of how she digests information – something easy-to-read which can support an apprentice as well as a long-standing manager.

“It’s also full of strategies and examples so you can very much pick it up, put it down, or read it cover to cover – whichever you prefer,” she adds.  

And as with all of Chery’s work, this book is not just a representation of her voice and experience, but includes the “voices of those living differently in a world that doesn’t always see them”, she says. “My children’s voices are in there, autistic adult voices are there, dyslexic adult voices are in there, parents of children with a range of differences are in there.”

Neurodiversity in the Early Years highlights the importance of the 4 C’s – consideration, connection, consistency and collaboration with parents – providing practitioners with practical steps to create a positive, long-lasting impact on the children they work with. We were fortunate to speak to Cheryl in more detail about these key concepts for The SEND Network Podcast – you can listen back to these episodes here.

For Cheryl, the writing journey brought up some old emotions as she dug back into difficult times with her son, but it was a learning experience too.

“I always learn more from the neurodivergent community” she says, “in terms of their thoughts and views on the way they are trying to navigate the world and the way they are viewed by others. I always feel really grateful that people have shared those stories with me.”

And what are the key messages that Cheryl wants readers to learn from her book?

“Everyone at the book launch was given a wristband which said difference not deficit, and that is my key message. Our children are different but different is OK. Our children don’t need to change, we do. We need to build connection, trust and belonging. Belonging isn’t a tick-box exercise, just like inclusion isn’t; it is a feeling, and we need to embed it through everything that we do to make sure we get it right. Adopting a needs-based approach is not just putting a diagnosis on a piece of paper, but it’s about making sure we are neurodiversity-affirming in everything we do. That’s what I’d like people to take away.”

To learn from Cheryl’s wealth of experience, click here to get your copy of Neurodiversity in the Early Years.  

You can also connect with Cheryl via the network or on her website here.