Talking Lab Loves

Below are some fantastic products and services that we recommend for supporting your communication journey

  • GROVE is an autistic‑led organisation offering genuinely neurodivergent‑affirming mentoring, groups and identity‑building programmes for autistic young people. Their approach is grounded in lived experience, relational safety and low‑demand support, creating spaces where communication, participation and pacing are always led by the young person.

    We love GROVE because they centre autistic joy, autonomy and authenticity. Their mentors bring a rare blend of expertise and lived experience, and their programmes help young people understand themselves, build confidence and connect with others in ways that feel safe, validating and empowering.

  • Dragonfly Arts Centre is a warm, creative community space offering art, LEGO, craft, and storytelling workshops, Dungeons and Dragons, clubs, and parties for children, young people, and families. They provide calm, hands‑on activities that help children and young people explore interests, build confidence and connect with others in a relaxed, welcoming environment.

    They are also now an Alternative Provision, offering a gentle, structured and nurturing setting for learners who thrive outside mainstream education. Their AP programme blends creativity, wellbeing and personalised support, making it a safe and engaging option for SEND, EOTAS and home‑educated young people.

  • Spectrum Gaming is an autistic‑led UK charity that creates safe, accepting spaces for autistic young people to connect, make friends and be fully themselves. Their main offer is a large, supportive online community designed and run by autistic adults, giving young people a place where they can socialise, explore interests and build meaningful relationships with others who share similar lived experiences.

    Alongside their community, Spectrum Gaming is widely recognised for their advocacy work, representing autistic young people at a national strategic level. They provide high‑quality training for professionals, parents and carers, and host an extensive library of resources covering key topics around autism, wellbeing and education. Their mission is simple and powerful: to help every autistic young person feel safe, accepted and confident in who they are, while supporting wider change that makes the world more equitable and understanding.

  • Their team of fully qualified, experienced teachers work from a beautiful converted barn in Easton, providing a calm, nurturing space where children can grow in confidence, curiosity and creativity. They support home‑educated learners, children with additional needs, and families who want an educational path shaped around the child rather than the system. Every session is tailored to the individual, blending academic learning with social‑emotional support and interest‑based projects.

    Bloom also provides Alternative Provision, working closely with schools, SENDCOs and families to support children who are not currently able to manage mainstream school demands. They offer structured, personalised lessons for learners aged 5–16 who may be on reduced timetables, not attending, or awaiting a suitable placement. Their approach is collaborative, child‑centred and deeply understanding of diverse learning needs, helping children rebuild confidence, develop essential skills and rediscover a love of learning.

  • Talking Lab loves this book as it helps children see their stammer as part of who they are instead of ‘a problem’ or ‘needing to be cured’. Stammering is a completely acceptable variation of speaking and this book promotes normalising stammers.

  • Talking Lab loves You Choose books as pictures are a highly motivational way of engaging your child. It’s so easy to talk about the pictures that interest your child rather than sticking to a set story. Plus this book can be used with children of any communication level

  • Talking Lab loves this book as it helps children to understand being Autistic. Neurodiversity is still a relatively ‘new’ concept that can be tricky to understand, but this book breaks down the misconceptions and shows how neurodivergent brains work a little differently. The book is aimed at 7-9-year-olds, but is useful in explaining all of the awesome abilities that neurodiverse individuals have, introduces them to advocates who are challenging neurodiversity stereotypes, and most importantly gives them a safe space to feel accepted.

  • Talking Lab loves Bookstart reading packs which are available for FREE from your health visitor or local library. Getting involved in your local library is a great way to improve your child’s communication skills. Bookstart also offers dual language options for multi and bilingual families and a range of packs for children with additional needs including: children who are deaf, blind or partially sighted and children with conditions affecting their fine motor skills.

  • Talking Lab loves this easily accessible and FREE app on the Apple store to support alternative communication, using a visual symbol-based system on a tablet.

  • Talking Lab Loves Hampshire Healthy Families. Barnardo’s and Southern Health (Hampshire Healthy Families) work in partnership to offer a number of FREE workshops and courses to support you with your new baby through to starting school. We particularly love the ‘Baby Talk’, ‘Toddler Talk’, and ‘Five to Thrive’ workshops.

  • Talking Lab Loves CHAOS Support. CHAOS is an independent organisation based in Hampshire that supports individuals with a learning disability to achieve their goals in a variety of ways, through a range of activities. CHAOS has a strong focus on communication and many of their staff members are trained in Makaton signing.

  • Talking Lab loves Little Bear Baby Signing as evidence proves that children who sign develop their communication skills faster! Little Bear Baby Signing provide pre-recorded online classes to learn the magic of signing in the comfort of your own home, at your own pace. They empower parents and their children to become confident signers.