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A plain-language glossary

The words you will meet around developmental and sensory support, explained simply. No jargon, no assumed knowledge.

These are everyday explanations to help you find your way, not medical definitions. If you have a question about your own child, a therapist or doctor who knows them is always the best place to turn.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC): Any tool that helps a child communicate without speaking. This ranges from simple picture cards to high-tech tablets. Crucially, giving a child AAC gives them a reliable voice and is proven to encourage speech, not hold it back.
Autism / Autistic / Autistic Spectrum / ASD: A lifelong developmental difference in how a person experiences the senses, communicates, and relates to the world. It is a "spectrum" because it looks completely different from one child to the next. It is a difference to be understood and supported, not an illness to be cured.

Deep Pressure: Firm, even weight on the body—like a tight hug, a weighted lap pad, or a snug wrap. It sends organising signals to the nervous system, which helps settle a restless or anxious body.
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD): When a child has a hard time talking or understanding what others say, even though they are smart and capable. They might struggle to find the right words or follow long instructions. These children usually learn best by doing hands-on activities or looking at pictures instead of just listening.
Difficulties / Disorder / Disability: Words professionals use to describe your child's needs. Difficulty: Something that is hard for your child to do right now. Disorder: A medical word simply meaning the brain developed differently. Disability: A long-term difference that makes everyday tasks harder without extra help.

Epilepsy: A neurological condition where a person is prone to having repeated seizures. How it presents is highly variable from person to person.

Fine Motor Skills: The tiny, precise movements of the hands and fingers. These are the muscles used to hold a pencil, thread beads, zip a jacket, or use a spoon.

Gross Motor Skills: The big, whole-body movements. These use larger muscles for activities like walking, balancing, climbing stairs, and catching a ball.

Hyperactive / Hyperactivity: Having a motor that will not stop. A child who is hyperactive needs to move, run, and fidget much more than what is typically expected.
Hyperlexia: When a child learns to read words much earlier than expected. However, while they can read the words out loud perfectly, they usually have a hard time actually understanding what the story means or what people are saying to them.
Hypermobility: Having extra bendy or "double-jointed" joints. Because their joints are loose, a child's muscles have to work extra hard to keep their body stable, which can make them get tired faster.

Montessori: An educational approach built on hands-on, practical materials. Instead of being lectured, children learn concepts like sorting, shapes, and daily life skills by physically doing them at their own pace.

Neurodivergent / Neurodivergence: A simple word for a brain that works differently than the majority of people. Autism, ADHD, and Dyslexia are all examples of being neurodivergent.
Neurodiversity: The idea that everyone's brain is naturally different. Just like a forest needs many types of trees, the world has all different types of minds.
Non-Verbal: Describes a child who does not use spoken words to communicate yet. It is important to remember: not speaking does not mean they have nothing to say, they just need a different way to say it.

Occupational Therapist (OT): A professional who helps your child succeed at daily tasks. For a child, their everyday "job" is playing, eating, getting dressed, and learning. An OT gives them the physical and sensory tools to do these things more easily.

Proprioception: The "body awareness" sense. It tells you exactly where your arms and legs are without looking. Children who crave this input often love deep pressure and "heavy work" like pushing or pulling.

Rescue Medication: A specific medication prescribed by a doctor to stop a seizure that is lasting too long or repeating. It is given following a clear, pre-agreed action plan.

Seizure: A sudden, temporary burst of electrical activity in the brain. It can briefly change a child's awareness, movement, or sensations. Most stop on their own within a few minutes.
Self-Regulation: A child's developing ability to manage their own energy, emotions, and attention—like calming themselves down after getting overly excited or waiting patiently for a turn.
Sensory: Anything to do with the body's senses. This includes the main five (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch), plus the sense of balance, body awareness, and internal feelings like knowing when they are hungry or need the bathroom.
Sensory Overload: The breaking point when a child takes in more sensory information than their brain can handle. They might cover their ears, hide, or become highly distressed. The solution is almost always less input and a quiet, safe space.
Sensory Processing: How the brain translates the information it gets from the senses. When a child processes things differently, ordinary textures, noises, or lights can feel overwhelmingly intense or completely invisible.
Sensory Regulation: A child's ability to manage everyday sights, sounds, touches, and movements to stay calm and ready to learn. Some children need help calming down from too much input, while others seek out more input to feel settled.
Social Hangover: The total exhaustion a child feels after playing with others, masking, or being in a busy place. Afterwards, they usually need quiet, alone time to recover their brain energy.
Speech and Language Therapist: A professional who helps children communicate. They help kids say words clearly, find the right words to use, understand what others mean, and even help with eating and swallowing issues.
Speech-Generating Device: A tablet or specialized device (a high-tech form of AAC) that speaks a word or phrase out loud when a child presses a symbol or picture.
Stimming: Repeating movements or noises—like flapping hands, rocking, or repeating a word over and over. This is a highly effective, natural way for a child to calm down, focus, or show excitement.

Vestibular Sense: The inner-ear system that controls balance and movement. It tells the brain if you are moving, still, or upside down. Kids might seek this out (constant spinning or swinging) or actively avoid it (fear of their feet leaving the ground).
Visual Schedule: A simple timeline of pictures or symbols showing the shape of a day or the steps of a task. Seeing exactly what comes next drastically lowers anxiety and makes transitions easier.

Want this in practice? The blog puts many of these ideas to work, and you are always welcome to get in touch.