EDUCATION AND NEURODIVERSITY CONSULTANCY
See a child differently;
see a different child
I'm Chris Benson — former headteacher, Education Lead at ADHD UK, and the first serving head in the UK to publicly disclose living with ADHD. I help schools understand the children most systems miss.
Education Lead, ADHD UK | Tes Magazine Author | Ambassador, Ambitious About Autism | ASCL Neuroinclusive Leader’s Community | The SENDcast
Neurodivergence is a difference, not a deficit
ADHD and autism don't limit potential. The barriers most neurodivergent students and staff face come from a mismatch between how their brains work and how schools are built — not from anything lacking in them. Change the lens, and the same young person looks completely different. Change the environment, and so does what they're capable of.
1 in 4
teachers self-identify as neurodivergent — yet it's rarely discussed in staffrooms or strategy
92%
of young people experiencing significant school distress were found to be neurodivergent (Connolly et al., 2023)
2 in 3
autistic people have no co-occurring learning disability — difference is not the same as impairment
About Chris
"He knows what it looks like from every seat at the table. And that changes everything about how he works with schools."
Chris Benson is the first serving headteacher in the UK to publicly disclose living with ADHD on a national level. He has lived neurodivergence as a pupil, a teacher, a headteacher of 15 years — and as the parent of an autistic son and a daughter with ADHD who spent eight months unable to face school.
Today he runs HeadFirst Consulting and NDChat, working with schools, families and organisations across the UK and internationally. Everything comes back to one belief: see a child differently, and you see a different child.
Education Lead, ADHD UK
Chris currently serves as Education Lead for ADHD UK, helping shape how the charity's work reaches schools, educators and the wider education sector across the country.
Read the full story
T
Beyond Labels — ten modules, one shift in thinking
Be an expert in the child in front of you. Each session is built for a specific audience — whole staff, teaching teams, leadership, parents or students — so the message lands precisely where it needs to.
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Please use the enquiry form below to outline your context and what you’re hoping to explore. This might include individual work, training, consultancy or support at an organisational level.
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Initial conversations are used to understand your situation, consider whether my experience is a good fit, and discuss possible next steps. There’s no obligation, and I’ll be honest if I don’t think I’m the right person to help.
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