A collaboration between researchers in the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences and Moray House School of Education and Sport has created a unique programme of child-centred resources for parents and teachers of neurodivergent children and young people, based on the latest research. Child and adolescent mental health care in the UK is in crisis, with demand skyrocketing since the Covid-19 pandemic and overwhelming NHS provision. Assessment waiting times for neurodivergent conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can be up to five years, but think tank Centre for Young Lives has found that failure to provide children with effective support can lead to poor long-term outcomes, including an increased prevalence of mental ill health and greater risk of school exclusion. With the stakes this high, it is essential that parents and teachers of children with additional support needs – with or without a formal diagnosis– have ready access to trusted, high-quality support that is backed by research. Collaborating for change Developmental psychologist and Senior Research Fellow in Child Life and Health and the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences (CCBS) Dr Sinead Rhodes is committed to understanding and supporting cognition in children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions. Having conducted research with neurodivergent children on waiting lists for over 25 years, I have witnessed the waiting times get longer and longer, and parents and teachers feeling unsupported.I see the need for them to learn about up-to-date research on neurodivergence and to receive that information in a way that they can implement straight away. Dr Sinead Rhodes In 2018, Dr Rhodes embarked on an interdisciplinary, Waterloo Foundation-funded research programme with fellow CCBS and Moray House researchers to develop and evaluate a psychoeducational intervention to improve thinking, learning and wellbeing in children and young people. Wellcome Trust iTPA funding, managed by Edinbrugh Innovations, then supported the development of resources that would help overwhelmed parents and teachers to support the neurodivergent children and young people in their care. To ensure the resources would be fit for purpose, Dr Rhodes assembled a team of collaborators with diverse expertise and experience to tackle the problem from neurodevelopmental, educational, and healthcare angles. Dr Sinead Rhodes and Dr Iona Beange A unique offering Edinburgh Psychoeducation Intervention for Children and Young People, or EPIC as the project was known, built its resources on the complementary skills and expertise of its team, which included Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) professionals, psychiatrists and teachers, and which also consults with an advisory group of parents and teachers with lived experience of caring for neurodivergent children and young people. Incorporating a broad range of perspectives has been vital for the successful development of a truly unique and holistic support programme. EPIC takes an individualised ‘toolkit’ approach that aids optimal learning, behaviour, and wellbeing in children and young people. While its principles apply to all children, they are particularly relevant for those with ADHD, ASD, DCD/dyspraxia, or born prematurely. EPIC’s ‘Understanding’ booklets can be used by parents and teachers to recognise and comprehend a child’s strengths and difficulties, while the ‘Strategy’ booklets can be used to implement approaches that help improve thinking skills, learning and wellbeing in everyday life. Tailored support In 2023 Edinburgh Innovations supported EPIC Think Learn to spinspun out from the University as a Community Interest Company. It and launched with an affordable membership platform of written, video and audio materials, including webinars that explain how best to utilise its resources. EPIC Think Learn also hosts regular online Q&A sessions where parents can ask more specific questions about their children. Initially catering to parents and carers, services for teachers - including in-service training options - were launched in autumn 2024. The whole class materials, which help teachers educate all children about how their attention, memory and planning skills work and how to support them - whether neurodivergent or neurotypical - have proven especially popular. Resources tailored for clinicians are scheduled for launch later in 2025. EPIC Think Learn’s user-friendly resources have been rigorously tested and adapted by the company’s co-director Iona Beange, whose expertise in engagement and resource co-production has been vital to the company’s success. EPIC Think Learn’s journey from academic research to the family home and the classroom has been supported by the business development and staff enterprise teams at Edinburgh Innovations, the University of Edinburgh’s commercialisation service, as well as receiving vital funding and support from the Wellcome Trust iTPA programme and the Waterloo Foundation. 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