đŸ‘‹Today we welcome the wonderful Dr Veronica Roberts...Veronica is an Educational Psychologist and Parent Coach based in Frome, Somerset. Graduating as an EP from the Institute of Education in 2009, she worked for many years in Local Authorities , specialising in autism and mental health. After having her own son in 2015 and realising she wanted to work more closely with parents she shifted into independent practice, offering parent coaching alongside her educational psychology work. When Covid hit the world her family were on the cusp of moving to New Zealand but the borders closed 4 days before their flight and so they were left stranded in the UK without a home. This was Veronica's first experience of home education and after many failed attempts of trying to recreate a classroom she turned to 'gameschooling', something she describes as a total gamechanger in terms of supporting her son's enthusiasm and engagement with learning.She and her family finally emigrated to New Zealand in June 2021 where she worked with Te Kahu Toi - the Intensive Wraparound Service, a service set up to support the most vulnerable children in the country and their families. It was during this time that she began to appreciate the intersection of neurodiversity and educational trauma - both in her professional work, but also within her own family as her son's sensory needs meant his re-entry into school had led to a rapid decline in his behaviour and well-being, and ultimately sensory overload and burnout. Veronica has recently spoken in her local community about the journey she went on as a parent, re-entering home education as a 'last resort' and supporting her son back from burnout to well-being. She is keen to raise awareness and understanding on this issue within schools, as well as support parents in similar situations . She is particularly interested in the deschooling process for families where home education has felt like a forced choice or 'last resort' and is in the process of writing a book to support parents on this journey.
