The Neuro Nurture Conference - Supporting Autistic Children and Families

Join us at the beautiful Adelaide Festival Centre for our one-day conference and connect with psychologists, allied health professionals, educators, advocates, and parents, who are committed to building a world where autistic children and their families are understood, celebrated, and supported.

The conference is an opportunity to link in with and learn from professionals who are leaders in the affirming space, providing insights into how we can best support our autistic children and families to thrive - whether that is at school, home, or in therapy.

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We believe that neurodiversity-affirming practice is not just best practice, but essential practice. Every session is designed to challenge outdated models, promote authentic inclusion, and provide practical tools that genuinely improve the lives of autistic children and their families.​

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This event is for allied health professionals, teachers, social workers, and anyone supporting autistic children and families. It’s also a space for parents and advocates who want to learn, connect, and create change together.

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Can't wait to see you there!

- Esther, Organiser and Director of The Neuro Nurture Collective

Sessions will be recorded and available for 3 months post-conference date. All attendees (whether you select 'in person' or 'live stream' will receive a Zoom link to the conference and have access to these recordings.

Find more information on our website: www.theneuronurtureconference.com

Meet our speakers:

Marie Camin - Twice Exceptional

Are you supporting children who have ‘spiky skillsets’? Maybe they are able to achieve highly in areas such as academia, but feel left out socially? They may be twice exceptional. Marie is speaking specifically to the presentation of being autistic and gifted. 2E children experience unique strengths and challenges, and can often go ‘under the radar’. She will help us understand what the traits look like, and how to support children with this neurotype.

Christina Schmidt - Cultural Considerations

Working with cultural humility is integral to our work as professionals supporting autistic children and families. The risk of harm in approaching supports without understanding and reflecting on cultural factors is important to consider. Christina will be supporting us to strengthen and deepen our self-direction towards reflective practice and connection to the families we support.

Amanda Moses - Masking in Adolescence

Often children who are unidentified and highly masking in their younger years will go on to struggle - perhaps even experience burn out and school can’t - in their teen years. It is at this point that they will often be referred for an assessment as a result. We must understand how masking shows up in this cohort, and Amanda is going to help us by sharing her wisdom in this topic!

Sandhya Menon - Tuning in to the body

When children are able to understand why their energy ebbs and flows, and why this may cause dysregulation, they are empowered to manage their daily activities in a way that works best for them. Sandhya will help us help them by speaking to this concept - backed by neuroscience, sharing coping strategies and language we can use.

Kelsie (Mick) Olds - Sensory Mismatches

What do we do when we have children with mismatched sensory needs - for example, siblings where one has a preference for noise, while the other prefers quiet? Or a classroom where some students are busy and move a lot, while others need calm to focus? Kelsie will speak to this phenomenon and help us to support children with differing sensory needs.

Sarah Harrower - Attachment and attunement

There’s been increasing pressure around “fixing” autistic communication styles in infants through state programs. But what does the research say? What do autistic families and adults tell us? And how do we support secure, authentic connections without trying to change who our babies are?

Sarah will help us learn about how to support autistic babies, bonding, and building relationships that honour neurodiversity from day one.

Amelia Wright - AuDHD

Autism and ADHD combined - what does this look like, and how can we best support children with this presentation? It is a unique neurotype which looks different than a straight autism presentation, and requires different supports as a result. Amelia will share information to help us understand what this presentation looks like and how to provide support.

Caitlin Hughes - PDA

PDA stands for 'pathological demand avoidance' or 'persistent drive for autonomy'. While not a distinct diagnosis in the DSM, this is a presentation that is regularly discussed in affirming child and family therapy spaces. Caitlin will help us understand PDA and how to support children and families who are experiencing this in their daily lives.

Chenai Mupotsa-Russell - Neurodiversity Affirming Parenting

Parenting in an affirming way requires a specific lens change and can look vastly different from parenting approaches of generations ago. Chenai will share her lived experience with neurodiversity affirming parenting to help us understand this supportive lens which will help our autistic children thrive.