Neurodiversity Affirming Practice – 1-day Workshop
online – Thurs 6th July
For Allied Health Professionals who Support Neurodivergent Children
Neurodiversity Affirming Practice – there’s a LOT to learn, process, think about and shift. Let’s dig in together over 1 dynamic, interactive day to boost you on your journey!
I’m here to help you feel more knowledgeable, clear and confident!
If we haven’t met, HI! I’m Adina Levy. An Autistic ADHDer speech therapist & professional educator from Australia. I’m utterly dedicated to supporting professionals, parents, teachers and educators how to support autistic children in affirming ways.
I am so heartened by Allied Health Professionals’ huge response to the ND movement and there are so many wonderful professionals like you who are making big changes in your practice already.
Together, we can keep heading in this direction! My goal is to guide you over the 1-day workshop to reflect on your knowledge, confidence and practice, learn new ideas, and make plans to shift the way you work with autistic & neurodivergent children.
Neurodiversity Affirming Practice 1-day Workshop
Live on Zoom
Thursday 6th July – 9:30 am – 4:45 pm (Syd time/AEST)
NZ time (NZST): Thursday 6th July, 11:30am – 6:45pm
Perth time (AWST): Thursday 6th July, 7:30am – 2:45pm
LA time (PDT): Wednesday 5th July, 4:30pm – 11:45pm
Check time in your own timezone
This workshop is for you if:
🦸🏽 You’re an Allied Health Professional (including therapy assistants and students)
👧🏻 👦🏾 You support autistic and/or neurodivergent children
🧠 You want more knowledge, confidence and deeper understanding about what a neurodiversity affirming approach looks like
👩🏽💻 You enjoy learning in a live, discussion-based format
⚡️ You’re ready to put learning into action and make changes in your clinical practice, life and work!
🟢 You haven’t yet joined me for my Intro Workshop or Turn Theory into Practice Webinars
Here’s what we cover in this 1-day online, active workshop. You’ll dive deep into reflection, learning, un-learning and make plans for change, on these topics via activites & discussion:
Session 1: Introduction to Neurodiversity Affirming Practice
- Self-Assessment – How Neurodiversity Affirming Are You?
- Basic Principles of Neurodiversity Affirming Practice
- Social Model & Human Rights model of disability and challenge the Medical Model
- Affirming and non-affirming terminology and concepts
- Ableism & internalised ableism, reflect on your own biases & how they impact your work
- Collaborate & advocate – share your Neurodiversity Affirming approach with your clients, families, teams & communities
Session 2: Affirming Approach to Social Support
- ‘Social Skills Training’ of the past and why it’s so problematic
- Double Empathy Problem, masking, socialising preferences, autistic communication styles, perspective-taking
- My model of social supports
- Framework for analysing any resource, intervention and program to decide if it follows a Neurodiversity Affirming Approach
- What affirming social and peer support looks like
- Discussion & Planning – How affirming social support looks & can look in your practices
Session 3: Affirming Approach to Understanding & Supporting Behaviour
- Brief history of behavioural approaches (including ABA) and discussion of issues with these approaches
- Understand the Deep Why behind behaviours (not just the immediate triggers)
- How to implement a sensory-based, emotionally-supportive, collaborative approach to ‘improving’ behaviour
- Examples and case studies to help you see what helps (and what doesn’t!)
Session 4: Neurodiversity Affirming Goals-setting & Report-writing
- Learn a framework for a Neurodiversity Affirming goal-setting approach for allied health clients
- Understand how to write affirming reports for all audiences that are Neurodiversity Affirming, that still get your clients the support they require from funding bodies or schools
- Practice and update your own reports or templates
PLUS when you join this workshop, you’ll be invited to connect with me and other professionals in our closed Facebook Group, to dig deeper and really make changes over many months ahead!
Why learn with me?
I’m an Autistic ADHDer with over a decade’s experience working professionally with autistic & neurodivergent children, their families, and their support networks. I’ve been an educator in various settings for almost 20 years, and I’m absolutely dedicated to helping others learn, digest and take action on big concepts and ideas.
I make learning fun and engaging, and I blend lived experience, personal reflection, clinical experience and evidence-based practice (with a critical lens!)
More than 350 professionals have taken my online & in-person workshops and webinars to date! I hope you’ll join us!
Here’s what others have said about my Neurodiversity Affirming Practice training:
“I enjoyed it all. I love that you are encouraging us all to see things from a different and much more inclusive perspective. I particularly enjoyed the case studies and thinking about what neuroaffirming responses might be in these given situations”
“Thank you so much Adina, I always have so many ah huh moments and feel like my own thoughts and challenges are validated!“
“Adina was so positive with everyone and supportive of where they are at on their neuro-affirming journey.“
” I appreciate your approach – important to be critical of all approaches, but not every approach is bad (some parts may be, but some parts can be useful). Also appreciate that you recognise that this is a massive cultural shift for society – some of us will move quickly and others of us will need time.“
How much is it?
6 hours of learning & action is $210 AUD
What you get when you register:
Live access to the 6-hour online active workshop
52-page Workbook to help you reflect, process and take action to become a more affirming therapist
Access to the closed Facebook to continue the connection and ask questions after the workshop
Certificate of attendance! Who doesn't love to be acknowledged for your efforts?
Team discounts available for 3+ team members.
Email hello@playlearnchat.com to enquire.
Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT HAPPENS IF I CAN'T ATTEND LIVE?
I'VE ALREADY JOINED THE Play. Learn. Chat. Neurodiversity Affirming Practice Workshop or webinars. Should I do this workshop?
This workshop generally covers the same learning topics that are covered in these 4 modules:
- 2 hour Introductory Workshop
- Turn Theory into Practice Webinar Series:
- Affirming Ways to Support Social & Peer Interactions
- Affirming Approach to Goal-Setting and Reports
- Affirming Approach to Understanding & Supporting Behaviour
The format of the 1-day workshop is very different – interactive and discussion-based. You may choose to add on this workshop to your existing learning, if that complements your learning style!
CAN MY team JOIN in too?
💬 Get in touch
If your enquiry is about personalised resource or service requests/recommendations, you can view my resources & links page here, and view therapy services that I've worked with here. I'm not able to give personal suggestions.
Please note that I no longer take on new speech therapy clients.
I might not reply if your message is about these questions.
For anything else - please feel free to contact me using the form below