At Talk to the Trees, we believe every individual wants to connect, communicate, and be understood — including every autistic, PDA, ADHD and otherwise neurodivergent child. When a child seems to struggle, we don't see a child who is failing. We see a mismatch between the child and the environment. Our job is to change the environment, not the child.
We are neurodivergent people ourselves — practitioners, parents, carers. This is how we'd want to be supported.
We are not a social skills group. We don't teach children to mask, to make eye contact, to sit still, or to perform neurotypicality. We don't ask a child to fit in. Instead, we create the conditions where connection happens on its own: shared interests, no pressure, and adults who understand. That is the difference — the connection is real, and it's on the child's terms.
Nobody can learn, play or connect from a dysregulated place. Our woodland setting does a lot of the work here — space, movement, fresh air, and nature are naturally regulating. Children can stim, move, retreat to the edge, use a device, or communicate in whatever way works for them. We adapt the environment before we ever expect the child to adapt.
We know and understand demand avoidance and demand for autonomy. Demands are flexible, not absent. We invite rather than require — joining in, transitioning, staying for the whole session. "No" is a full answer. There is always a way to take part from the edge, and edge-dwelling counts. Participation doesn't have to look like participation to be participation.
We assume every child understands, wants to connect, and has something to say — even when they're not speaking, and even when they look like they are refusing. Behaviour is communication, and our job is to listen to it rather than manage it.
We offer individual and group session or a mix. Our groups are deliberately small — 3 to 5 children. Small enough that no child is overwhelmed and no child is invisible. Small enough that every child gets a practitioner who genuinely knows them, their interests, and what helps.
A child's brain is not broken and does not need fixing. Neurodivergent children have differences in how they process the world, how they move, and how they experience the senses. Our job is to understand how each child's brain and body works, and build around their strengths and interests so they can meet their goals and thrive as themselves.
You know your child better than any professional ever will. We listen to you, we believe you, and we work with you — not on your child.
Because the outdoors is not a backdrop for the work — it does half the work itself.
In the outdoors we can more easily:
None of this is taught in a lesson. It grows out of doing real things, in a real place, with people who get you.
The best therapy meets the individual where they are and helps them develop their speech, language, communication and skills in ways that are meaningful and motivating to them. It thinks about the whole person, the family and the community around them.
That's why our team brings different specialist perspectives to the same child — speech, language and communication, sensory and motor development, emotional regulation and wellbeing. When the people around a child share what they see and build on each other's insights, the support fits together around the whole child rather than one piece of them. Families shouldn't have to piece that together themselves, appointment by appointment.
We all do our best when we can. Forest school and outdoor learning provide the background and opportunity for every individual to do their best.
Because the trees are part of the team. The outdoors is not a backdrop for therapy — it's the most regulation-friendly, low demand environment we know. Some children need a long time at the edge before they're ready to join. That's fine. The trees are patient, and so are we.
If this sounds like the way you'd want your child to be supported, we'd love to hear from you.
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