Neurodivergent Two-Day Workshop for Parents (15 & 16 December)

“Supporting Neurodiverse children to lead valued and positive lives through understanding and encouragement across all areas” – a comprehensive, interactive 2-day workshop for Parents and Families

For parents, families and carers of neurodivergent children and teens
Held December 15 & 16 | 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Explore your child’s unique wiring with understanding, hope, and tools to support their thriving. These sessions are relational, affirming, and grounded in lived experience and evidence-based practice. Build a comprehensive understanding of your child to develop a strategic plan of support across all areas of your child’s life: home, school, community, leisure and within the NDIS.

Attendance at both days is desirable, but not required.

Cost $15 per day

December 15

Session 1: Understanding the NDIS & Navigating Supports as a Family
Cut through the jargon and learn how to access and work with the NDIS to best support your child and family.     

•             Understand your rights and entitlements within the NDIS, and how to communicate effectively

•             Breaking down NDIS plans: Core, Capacity Building, and Capital supports

•             Understanding therapy funding, social support categories, and STA

•             Learn how to write goals and gather evidence and justification of challenges

•             understand the role of therapists and support workers, and how to best collaborate

•             develop a plan of best practise to prepare and communicate effectively for plan meetings

Session 2: Sensory Regulation reducing meltdowns
Understand sensory processing and learn practical ways to support regulation, reduce meltdowns, and create a calm home environment.

•             Understand sensory hyper- and hypo-sensitivity across the seven senses, and the importance of developing a sensory profile for your child to understand their triggers

•             Recognising signs of sensory overload and dysregulation, and what sensory overload (or meltdown) looks like in children – the importance of being proactive, not reactive

•             Create Sensory-friendly strategies for everyday activities (mealtimes, hygiene, sleep) and calming spaces and routines, as based on their profile

•             how to effectively use sensory tool, fidgets, visuals and, noise management tools

•             Identifying sensory triggers in the home environment and building methods of environmental regulation into family life

December 16

Session 3: Social Development Through a Neuroaffirming Lens
Reframe how we view friendships and ‘social skills’ to align with your child’s neurodiversity, and learn how to support healthy connections.

•             Understanding and respecting the different social needs of he neurodiverse child (introversion, selective friendships, parallel play)

•             Managing playdates, group activities, and social events by learning how to be your child’s social bridge, and support them to navigate friendships

•             Celebrate different ways of connecting with peers, and the need for boundaries, consent and respect

•             Support safe, pressure-free social engagement by rethinking social milestones and ‘skills training’

•             Help siblings and peers understand differences, and ways to connect while maintaining healthy roles

Session 4: Understanding Autism, PDA, ADHD & Giftedness in Family Life
Learn about complex profiles of Neurodiversity, and how to adjust expectations, routines and language to lower stress and support autonomy.

•             Unpack complex behaviour without blame – lean on societal rules, not limiting freedoms

•             Learn how to avoid power struggles and support autonomy, while maintaining mutual respect

•             Adapt language and expectations at home

•             Understanding the unique profiles with co existing conditions, and how to best support your child

•             Learn strategies for Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) – rewire your language

•             Explore ADHD – find practical strategies for navigating executive function challenges and find the balance between motivation, challenge, interest and boredom

•             Learn the internal conflict of those with co existing Autism (AuDHD), and the challenges of Giftedness: Emotional intensity, perfectionism, and burnout

Session 5: Education & Advocacy for Your Neurodivergent Child
Get equipped to communicate with schools, advocate for accommodations, and work with educators as a team.

•             Know your rights and responsibilities in schools, such as relevant Education legislation and policies

•             Prepare for school meetings effectively, and document specific support needs

•             collaborative strategies to Create child-focused Individual Education Plans (IEPs), One Plans, and learning profiles which are sustainable, proactive and effective

•             Build collaborative partnerships with teachers, SSOs and principals based on co-design which includes your child

•          Understanding adjustments, exemptions, and alternative pathways of education