“What’s wrong with me?” That’s the question Victoria Bagnall was left asking at nine years old, when the adults around her weren’t sure what her diagnosis meant.

We sit down with Victoria Bagnall, neuroinclusion specialist, executive function coach and author of The Neuroinclusive Educator. Victoria believes there is nothing wrong with neurodivergent children. They are exactly who they have evolved to be, and our systems need to be designed around that.

We talk about the difference between a “lazy” child and a child struggling with task initiation. Why the body budget matters more than we think. What executive function actually is, and why a child can know what to do and still not be able to start. And why there is no such thing as a naughty child, only a child who can’t meet the demands in front of them right now.

In this conversation, we explore being diagnosed at nine and the identity that formed around “something being wrong”, why bright children are so often mistaken for lacking ability or effort, the body budget and how hunger, tiredness and stress override existing skills, executive function explained, why one-hour training sessions don’t create neuroinclusive teachers, why the average learner doesn’t exist, play as the foundation for executive function at home, and why policymakers need courage rather than tinkering around the edges.

Victoria’s message is clear: stop asking what’s wrong with the child. Start asking what the child needs to get their body into balance, and build the skills from there.

Because every human brain works differently, and that is something to be supported, not shamed.

About Victoria:

Victoria Bagnall is a neuroinclusion specialist, executive function coach and author of The Neuroinclusive Educator. She is the founder of Connections in Mind CIC, a non-profit working with schools, teachers and families to understand how children’s brains and bodies work, and to build learning environments where every human can develop in the way their brain works best. She is also the mother of three neurodivergent daughters, and her work is grounded in both professional expertise and lived experience.