SueB

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Blog Writer: Parent of Adult Neurodivergent Children

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Join date: Oct 7, 2025

About

Hello, I’m Sue, and I’m the mother of the founder(s) of Unlabelled and Limitless.

I grew up in the 1950s and 60s and became a parent in 1977 and 1981. It was a time when there was little to no understanding of neurodiversity - most certainly not within my family, social circles, or wider society.

After marrying in 1974, my husband and I lived and worked overseas for a decade, including in the Middle East, the Far East, and West Africa. These culturally rich and varied environments were ones in which my children thrived.

In 1984, our family became a single-parent household. I worked in a variety of roles before returning to education in 1990, initially to retrain in secretarial and emerging IT skills. This path led me into teaching, where I gained a Diploma in Teaching Further Education, a BA in Education, and a PGCE. I worked in both secondary and further education, spending much of my career supporting students with Special Educational Needs, while also teaching in mainstream settings.

Now retired, I remain active through travel, volunteering, and community involvement. I write and advocate from lived experience—both as a parent who navigated life with two very different neurodivergent children without the benefit of understanding at the time and as a teacher and mentor. Through open dialogue and understanding before labels, I hope to help create a space where families feel supported and build a more inclusive future for everyone.

Posts (5)

Jan 30, 2026 ∙ 7 min

Looking Back at Family Holidays With Adult Insight

This blog traces a mother’s evolving understanding of her two neurodivergent children, reflecting on how holidays that once seemed difficult were, in fact, early indicators of sensory overload, masking, and the need for predictable routines for her children. From her son’s quiet retreat into handheld games to her daughter’s instinctive role as a social bridge, the story follows their journeys into adulthood, where coping strategies, burnout, and carefully chosen environments continue to shape...

Jan 10, 2026 ∙ 6 min

Before Asperger's and ADHD Had Names: Rethinking Family Mealtimes

For many families, mealtimes are held up as a marker of good parenting. Eating together, at set times, with balanced meals on the table. These expectations, shaped largely by neurotypical norms, have long influenced how parents judge themselves and each other. This reflection is written with hindsight, not judgement. In the 1970s, 80s and 90s, there was little language to explain why some children struggled with food, routine, and texture. This is not a story about food. It is about inherited...

Jan 10, 2026 ∙ 4 min

Things I Didn’t Fully Understand at the Time: Looking back at curiosity, class and the cost of not having language

I asked my mother if she had an understanding of autism, and her words, verbatim, were, “Yes, they’re naughty boys.”