The SENDcast

When you see a child glued to a screen, it's easy to make assumptions. But for neurodivergent children, screen use is rarely what it looks like from the outside.
In this episode, Dale is joined by Dr. Daniel Weisberg a consultant clinical psychologist to discuss neurodivergent children, young people, and screen use.
Together, Dale and Daniel explore six key reasons why screens function very differently for neurodivergent children - from the haven of predictability that games provide in contrast to an overwhelming real world, to the role of screens in decompression and emotional regulation after a demanding day. They also dig into the neurobiology of dopamine, why the anticipation of screen time can be just as powerful as the screen use itself, and the important nuance between different types of screen time.
They also tackle the thorny subject of sleep - what screens actually do to the brain at night, why it's not as simple as just switching off, and why the 70mph-to-standstill analogy might make you think twice about your own bedtime scrolling habits.
 
About Dr Daniel Weisberg
Dr Daniel Weisberg is a consultant clinical psychologist and the managing director of CAYP Psychology, an award-winning independent clinical psychology service for Children, Adolescents, and Young People.
Daniel worked for NHS services for over ten years. He has substantial experience of working with children, adolescents and young people experiencing health, social, emotional and psychological difficulties.
After he qualified as a clinical psychologist, he worked within Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust for Children's Psychological Services. He then moved to Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and worked within the Paediatric Psychosocial Department. Daniel specialised in paediatric neuropsychology, a highly specialised area of clinical psychology that aims to understand how children's brains relate to their learning, behaviour and development. He worked closely with children and families who are living with neurological health conditions, genetic disorders, metabolic diseases and other health conditions.
 
www.cayp-psychology.com
https://www.facebook.com/CAYPpsychology/
https://www.instagram.com/cayp.psychology/
https://www.tiktok.com/@cayp.psychology
daniel@cayp-psychology.com
 
 
B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk 
Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast 
Email Dale – dale@bsquared.co.uk 
Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe
 
The SENDcast is powered by B Squared
We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

For some children and young people, the traditional school system has already failed them - sometimes more than once. What they need isn't a better curriculum. It's someone who will meet them where they are.
In this episode, Dale is joined by Ed Robbins, CEO of Fresh Start in Education to discuss 'Leadership in Social Impact Education'. Fresh Start works one-to-one with young people in their homes, in coffee shops, parks, libraries - wherever they feel safe enough to connect. The goal isn't academic attainment from the outset. It's building a relationship, celebrating the seemingly small wins, and gradually inspiring a belief that things can be different.
Dale and Ed discuss why behaviour is always communication, why 'they won't' and 'they can't' are very different things, and why a child who hasn't left their bedroom in weeks getting as far as opening a car door is, in reality, a huge achievement worth celebrating.
 
About Ed Robbins
Ed Robbins has been an integral part of Fresh Start in Education since its earliest days, bringing over two decades of experience in teaching, mentoring, operational leadership and social impact. Ed played a key role in shaping the company's growth, having served successively as operations manager, operations director, managing director and now CEO.
 
Before joining Fresh Start, Ed worked as a finance manager for an independent fostering agency and spent many years teaching and mentoring both in the UK and across Asia. His diverse experience, ranging from finance and strategy to direct youth engagement, gives him a unique lens through which to lead the organisation. Holding an MBA, Ed blends business acumen with deep human empathy, aligning operational excellence with a mission to see the lives of children transformed by the opportunity of a fresh start.
 
As CEO, Ed oversees Fresh Start's national delivery and strategic development. He is passionate about system reform, second chances and scaling personalised education that genuinely works. Under his leadership, Under his leadership, the company continues to expand its reach and impact, guided by its core values: IMPACT – Innovation, Making a Difference, Person Centred, Appreciation, Collaboration and Trust.
 
https://freshstartineducation.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/freshstartineducation/
https://www.instagram.com/freshstartedu/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/freshstartineducation/
 
 
B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk 
Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast 
Email Dale – dale@bsquared.co.uk 
Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe
 
The SENDcast is powered by B Squared
We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

This is a special episode in which Dale is joined by Beverley Walters, Programme Director of the Tes SEND Show, and Jane Friswell, SEND Consultant and parent advocate, to discuss why listeners should attend the Tes SEND Show taking place on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th October at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London.
Now in its 34th year, the show is the flagship event in the SEND calendar, offering over 42 seminars, 29 free exhibitor sessions, six parent-carer forum sessions, and a leadership summit run in partnership with ASCL. Beverley outlines this year's seminar programme, which reflects the current climate of SEND reform, covering topics such as change management in education, school improvement, and AI technology. Jane shares her experience of attending 32 of the 34 shows and reflects on the unique sense of community, collaboration, and welcome the event has always fostered.
We are looking forward to exhibiting and Dale will be recording live podcasts at the show, with guests speaking about the SEND reform, which will be released after the event.
We hope to see you there!
About the Tes SEND Show
The Tes SEND Show is the UK's leading event for the SEND community, with over 30 years' experience of supporting front-line teaching and support staff. The 2026 show takes place on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th October at the Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, London N1 0QH.
The show brings together thousands of education professionals for two days of inclusive CPD, networking, and discovery. Highlights include:
42 CPD-certified seminars from leaders across the SEND community – view the full seminar programme
The SEND Leadership Summit – an immersive all-day conference for senior educators, delivered in partnership with ASCL
A Parent, Carer and Teacher Forum – sharing real experiences to improve outcomes for children with SEND
3 free-to-attend exhibition theatres showcasing innovative products and services
Over 150 exhibitors, including specialists you won't find anywhere else
 
B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk 
Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast
Email Dale – dale@bsquared.co.uk
Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe
The SENDcast is powered by B Squared
We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

When schools stop doing things *to* students and start doing things *with* them, everything changes.
Dale is joined by Claire Cannon a national inclusion consultant at Indigo Owl Coaching and Consultancy and Alice Phillips, a Year 11 student currently taking her GCSEs and a neurodiversity advocate with Tourette's. Together, they explore what student self-advocacy really means - and why so many schools are still getting it wrong.
Alice speaks with remarkable insight and honesty about her own experiences: fighting for the right to wear a hoodie; being sanctioned for not going to lessons when she physically and mentally couldn't and spending years masking at school.
Claire brings the professional lens - unpicking why schools default to rigid systems over individual understanding, and what genuine listening actually looks like in practice.
 
About Claire Cannon
Claire Cannon is an experienced educational leader with 20+ years in education. With extensive experience across both mainstream and specialist settings, Claire has worked in a variety of roles including Assistant Head in secondary AP (SEMH) and SENCO across two education phases.
Claire also supports others as an Educational Leadership Coach, INSET day provider (specialising in SEMH and behaviour), and SEND consultant – frequently contributing as a conference speaker. She is an NPQ facilitator and has served as Chair of Governors.
Claire holds a degree in Psychology, bringing a research-informed, people-centred approach to her work supporting children, staff, and whole-school improvement. In her downtime, she enjoys taking time to reset – her spaniels happily take her for a walk twice each day.
https://www.indigoowlcoachingandconsultancy.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088529101987
claire@indigoowlcoachingandconsultancy.co.uk
 
About Alice Phillips
Alice is 16 years old and getting ready to take her GCSEs this year. She has 2 bunnies and 2 naughty working cocker spaniels.
https://www.instagram.com/tourettes_dino26/
 
B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk 
Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast 
Email Dale – dale@bsquared.co.uk 
Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe
 
The SENDcast is powered by B Squared
We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

For many neurodivergent children, reading isn't just difficult - it's frightening. And without the right support, that fear can follow them well into adulthood.
In this episode, Dale is joined by Vicki Edgar, Director at Fonetti and co-founder of the National Read Aloud Challenge, to discuss 'Removing the Fear of Reading'.
Vicki was diagnosed with dyslexia at seven and brings a deeply personal perspective to the conversation - sharing how the anxiety of reading aloud in class has stayed with her, and what finally helped her overcome it.
She also introduces Fonetti, a read aloud platform that gives children real-time visual feedback as they read, and explains how it is helping reluctant and struggling readers build confidence - without judgment, and without disrupting their flow. Make sure you check out their National Read Aloud Challenge - a free summer reading initiative now in its fourth year, open to all children aged 5 to 15 across the UK!
View all podcasts | Visit our SENDcast Sessions shop
 
About Vicki Edgar
I'm deeply passionate about children's literacy and confidence when reading aloud. Growing up with dyslexia, I know first-hand how difficult and isolating reading can feel — and how powerful it is when a child discovers confidence in their own voice.
Now, through my work with Fonetti, the read-aloud app for school and home, I'm helping children build fluency, independence, and a genuine love for reading. I see the impact every day, both in classrooms and at home with my own son, who is dyslexic, ADHD, and ASD.
I work closely with schools to support the implementation of Fonetti and the Fonetti School Portal for teachers. The feedback from teachers, parents, and most importantly, the children themselves has been nothing short of inspiring.
Helping children find joy and confidence in reading aloud isn't just my job, it's my purpose. 💙
Website - https://www.fonetti.com/
Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicki-edgar/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/fonetti/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-read-aloud-challenge/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/FonettiApp/
Insta - https://www.instagram.com/fonettiapp/
 
B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk 
Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast 
Email Dale – dale@bsquared.co.uk 
Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe
 
The SENDcast is powered by B Squared
We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.