You don't need a cupboard full of expensive manipulatives to teach great maths. Chances are you already have one of the best maths resources sitting in a drawer somewhere: a deck of playing cards or an Uno pack.

Cards are cheap, portable, endlessly reusable, and — best of all — kids don't clock them as "schoolwork." They just see a game. That makes them brilliant for homeschooling families who want effective, low-prep learning without a big spend on kits and worksheets.

What the Still Face Experiment and "technoference" research tell homeschool parents about connection, attention, and early development…

In my last post, I looked at "virtual autism" (or pseudo-ASD) and the research linking children's screen time to autism-like developmental symptoms. But there's a flip side to this conversation that gets far less attention: What happens when it's the parent or caregiver who's on the device. As a qualified teacher, I have spent years watching how children respond to attentive, responsive adults — and how quickly they notice when that attention isn't there. It turns out developmental psychology has been studying exactly this for 50 years, and the findings are worth sharing.

Understanding the research on excessive device use, developmental delay, and autism-like symptoms in young children

If you've spent any time in homeschool parenting groups lately, you might have seen or heard the term ^"virtual autism" (sometimes called ^“pseudo autism” or ^”pseudo-ASD”) floating around. It's a topic that understandably worries parents — especially as most of us are raising kids in a world of tablets, smartphones, and endless screen time.

 As a qualified teacher working closely with homeschooling families, I get asked about this a lot. Parents want to know: is my child's screen habit affecting their development? Does this relate to my child who already has an ASD / PDA diagnosis?

 This post pulls together what the current research actually says — no scaremongering, no oversimplifying — so you can make informed decisions for your family.

If you're parenting a child with ASD and you're standing at the edge of that decision wondering if it's the right call, or if you’ve already found your way to homeschooling - I want you to understand this…you are not giving up.

You are not taking the easy way out. You are paying attention to your child, and that is one of the most powerful things a parent can do.

There are so many ways that home education can give to your child, so let's talk about what school often can't offer kids with ASD, and what home education — done well — genuinely can.