Hi, I’m Steph Reed, an independent Autism & SEND Specialist Consultant, Trainer, and recognised Specialist Leader in Education (SLE). I work with schools and educators to build genuinely inclusive classrooms where neurodivergent learners can thrive.

My path into this profession started as a teenager, when autism and the different ways people learn and think became a genuine special interest. Not a module, or a career suggestion but something I couldn’t stop wanting to understand. Work experience in specialist provisions confirmed that I enjoyed finding creative ways to connect with autistic learners, meeting them where they were rather than where I expected them to be. A degree in Special Needs and Inclusion as well as Early Childhood followed, and the rest built from there.

What I bring to that professional foundation is something that can’t come from a textbook. I’m neurodivergent myself, diagnosed with ADHD and Dyslexia, and I know what it feels like to be quietly overwhelmed and heavily mask while appearing to manage ‘just fine’. That lived experience sharpened something I now hold as a core belief: there are always reasons behind a disengaged, dysregulated, or struggling student. Our job is to dig deeper, with curiosity, patience, and compassion, to understand what that reason is. Not to ‘manage behaviour’, but to meet the needs underneath it.

Through consultancy, training, and my self-paced training programme Autism for Teachers, I’ve supported thousands of educators to deepen their understanding of neurodiversity and translate it into real, everyday change in their classrooms. Everything I create is neuro-affirming, evidence-informed, and grounded in both specialist expertise and genuine understanding of what it’s like to be on the other side of the desk.

If you’re a teacher, SENCO, or school leader looking for support that’s practical, specialist-led, and actually makes a difference, you’re in the right place.