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Professional Development for Educators
This Masterclass is delivered in partnership with inclusionED presenters Elizabeth Salles and Nicole Torres, and Dr Matt Capp. It will cover a range of relevant topics for any educator supporting Autistic students in the classroom. Attendees will have the opportunity to bring work units or tasks along to explore how they can apply inclusive teaching strategies, and to learn strategies that benefit all students while supporting neurodivergent and Autistic students in particular.
Although the Masterclass will be delivered as part of the Spectrum Space Symposium 2023, educators can choose to attend the Masterclass only. We wanted to accommodate as many people as possible, so will be delivering the Masterclass twice, on both Friday 3 November and Saturday 4 November, using the same content and speakers.
An initiative of Autism CRC, inclusionED is an online professional learning community, providing free evidence-based and research-informed teaching practices and tools to support diverse learners in inclusive classrooms. In 2022 Nicole Torres and Elizabeth Salles from inclusionED, presented at ACHPER Victoria on supporting students’ sensory needs in PDHPE. They will also present this year at EduTECH in Melbourne on sensory needs and the inclusive classroom.
Masterclass Outline
Sessions 1-2: Developing inclusive classrooms through Universal Design for Learning
The session will start by exploring the major barriers to the learning process.
Key concepts include:
Sessions 3-4: Exploring inclusive practices and strategies to supporting neurodivergent learners
Key concepts include:
Three words can be used to describe Adam; quiet, determined and inclusive. Adam is a Bardi man from Derby Western Australia and has two children, 13 and 9 year old girls. The 9 year old is their foster child and is on the Spectrum. Adam has an extensive history of working within health and has a BSc Science, Paramedical and a Master Public Health (Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing). He has a history of working in the custodial setting developing and delivering health education programs to adults in custody and within the juvenile detention setting, lecturing in Indigenous Health at University and now with Positive Partnerships. Adam is am passionate about working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and education.
Culturally Appropriate Services
Presenting with Rebecca Wahlsten
Current data shows that autism is under-diagnosed among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. In many areas, autism is unheard of. Other challenges include lack of access to local services or culturally appropriate diagnostic assessment tools, an absence of trusted relationships, or the fear of shame and blame.
Positive Partnerships provide support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families with autistic children and the educators who work alongside them. After consultation with communities and the Positive Partnerships National First Nations Reference group, we have developed a range of tools and resources designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
Our presentation will focus on how we work through community consultation, yarn about autism and explore the free resources that can be used at home, in schools and across other services.
Libby has over 27 years in education as a teacher, consultant, and eLearning designer. She has worked in both the corporate and government sectors designing eLearning solutions, developing and delivering training, and designing organisational learning plans and strategies. As Education Product Manager at the Autism CRC, Libby is responsible for driving the development and delivery of the inclusionED professional learning platform.
Libby has a Bachelor of Education, Post Grad Diploma in Education (IT) and an MBA in Innovation and Leadership. She has presented nationally and internationally at educational conferences on learning and education. She is passionate about education and providing all students with engaging and rich opportunities to reach their potential.
Jess Rowlings is a qualified speech and language pathologist and co-founder/CEO of Next Level Collaboration, a social enterprise that runs strength-based programs to support neurodiverse children in developing collaborative skills and social connection through cooperative video games. Jess is also a researcher at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education (University of Melbourne) and specialises in the design and analysis of video game-based intervention to build social capacity in neurodivergent children. Jess’ work is informed by her lived experience of receiving autism and ADHD diagnoses as an adult as well as her lifelong love of games. She is passionate about the use of digital games-based learning to promote inclusion and a sense of belonging, and her work has included developing and running a dedicated Minecraft server to support neurodivergent girls and women.
Gaming – Positive Learning Experience
Hosted by Jess Rowlings, this session focuses on the benefits of online gaming in developing skills and knowledge in collaborative teamwork, social capacity, and positive autistic identity. Jess will discuss the structure and design of games that support collaborative teamwork skills during play, what these skills can look like, and how games can be used to support skill development. This session will also cover how gaming and online communities can support social connection and a sense of belonging, along with strategies to support positive gaming and safety when using online platforms.
Laura / Remus Short is a transgender androgyne and non-binary individual. Openly queer and neurodivergent, and has given educational lived experiences talks since 2012. Having completed a master’s in professional psychology, they have a breadth of professional experiences including work in the homelessness, youth, family, and disability oriented services and organisations.
As a writer, Remus has a keen eye for detail and organisation, and how to make content accessible to audiences of all abilities. As a queer educator and individual, she has a particular interest in gender diversity and sexuality. Particularly in relation to how he can support other professional’s development so they can better support their clients.
Laura is currently working as a provisional psychologist at SECCA (Sexuality Education Counselling and Consultancy Agency).
Supporting Neurodivergent and Gender Diverse Young People
Presenting with Theresa Kidd
Parents often ask how they can best support their Autistic/ neurodivergent child or adolescent who is trans or gender diverse. In this informative presentation, Dr Theresa Kidd (Clinical Psychologist, pronouns she/her/hers) will briefly introduce the common co-occurrence of neurodivergence and gender diversity and outline some important considerations for parents when supporting our Double Rainbow young people. Laura Short also known as Remus, a neurodivergent, transgender, androgyne, and non-binary Provisional Psychologist (pronouns she/he/they) will share their journey and lived experience.
We will signpost helpful resources for parents and provide time for questions.
Liz Baird is an autistic Senior Speech Pathologist who is passionate about the provision and promotion of neurodiversity affirming services. She has worked with neurodivergent clients for the past 9 years, supporting them to embrace differences, facilitate authenticity, and live their best life. Liz provides training and consultation on contemporary and evidence-based practice in her role as Neurodiversity Project Lead at Rocky Bay, aiming to shift how disability services are viewed and provided. She is a keen advocate, sharing her perspective and providing education across social media, blogs, guest speaking and workplace training.
A neurodiversity-affirming take on social skills goals
Over the past two decades, many Social Skills Training Programs (SSTPs) and manuals have been
developed, all boasting improvements in social skills for autistic populations. Social skills therapy can
be easily delivered straight from a manual, workbook, or even story books, to individuals or groups.
So, what is the problem?
With growing recognition, autistic populations have advocated that SSTPs don’t benefit them and
may even do harm. An increasing body of evidence supports that SSTPs often don’t produce
outcomes that are desirable and meaningful to autistic populations, and may be encouraging
masking and camouflaging – associated with poor mental health and quality of life outcomes.
However, many autistic people report experiencing difficulties in social situations, impacting on their
quality of life. Social skills referrals continue to be made by parents, educations and health
professionals seeking support for their autistic individuals to understand and engage in the social
world around them. It is evident that Speech Pathologists and Occupational Therapists need to
continue to provide supports for social communication, but that we need to adapt our approach to
be affirming and responsive. So what can we do instead?
Drawing on the developing research-base, advocacy from the autistic community, national
guidelines, and my combined lived-experience with professional knowledge, we will explore guiding
principles of neurodiversity-affirming alternatives to social skills therapy. This presentation will
empower autistic individuals and caregivers of autistic individuals to seek responsive supports,
educators to facilitate meaningful social engagements of autistic students, and health professionals
to upskill on contemporary approaches.
This presentation will cover steps and factors to facilitating meaningful and authentic social
connection for autistic populations – such as understanding autistic neurology, valuing interests,
respecting communication differences, and addressing bi-directional miscommunication.
Dr Matt Capp (EdD) is the Director of CAPITALISE Education and one of the world’s leading experts in the areas of Universal Design for Learning. He has over 22 years of experience in primary and secondary schools, as well as universities, supporting students with disability and diverse learning needs. He is also a man on the autism spectrum, who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and brings his lived experience and knowledge to providing personalised learning for all learners, both adults and children.
Dr Miriam Kirby is a clinical psychologist passionate about supporting and affirming neurodivergent individuals and their families. Her role at The Kidd Clinic includes providing therapeutic support and treatment of co-occurring mental health conditions to individuals of all ages. In addition to providing supervision, Miriam also provides parenting support and problem-solving sessions and enjoys helping like-minded people connect through small, interest-based groups.
Miriam is highly experienced and skilled in working with PDA clients and their families. Her approach is to offer a low demand, safe space where she works together at a pace that suits her clients. She loves to hear about her client’s strengths and interests and understands their needs and preferences in order to provide an individualised and flexible service. She enjoys trying out new games and resources, adding to her book collection, and participating in professional development to keep her skills and knowledge up to date.
School ‘Can’t’ – Reframing school refusal and assisting Autistic students to re-engage educationally
Presenting with Theresa Kidd
With school being the biggest trigger for anxiety symptoms for Autistic students, being unable to attend school occurs significantly more often compared to non-autistic peers. We prefer to reframe school refusal as ‘school can’t’ because many of our young people would like to be able to attend school but just cannot. Parents may observe verbal and physical refusal, pleading, clinging, crying, aggression and threats as they desperately try to take their child to school. Missing days of school can have a negative effect on academic and social development and can lead to full disengagement from school. This webinar will outline the main reasons why ‘school can’t’ occurs for Autistic students and introduces a model that provides a map for re-engagement as well as a brief overview of alternative education pathways when school is not working.
Participants will receive a copy of the AAA School Reintegration Model and accompanying guide along with other practical templates and resources to assist with School Can’t.
This training is suitable for parents, therapists and teachers and provides:
Monique is an Autistic Clinical Psychologist working in private practice in Brisbane Australia. She has an interest in Neurodiversity particularly in women and girls, chronic pain/illness, and trauma. Monique hosts The Neurodivergent Woman Podcast with Clinical Neuropsychologist Michelle Livock where they share free quality psychological information on Neurodiversity in Girls and Women and interview Australian women and non-binary folk about their lived experience of neurodiversity. The podcast has over 500,000 downloads. Monique practices Neurodiversity Affirming therapy which aims to affirm the different neurotype of a neurodivergent person, rather than seeing their neurotype as inherently “bad” or in need of fixing to become neurotypical. It aims for the person to explore their neurodivergent identity and find their own unique strengths. The Neurodiversity Affirming movement comes from the wider social disability movement and is an important therapeutic approach in working with neurodivergent clients. Monique incorporates CFT, ACT, EMDR and aspects of CBT in her practice.
Autistic Burnout
Join Clinical Psychologist Monique Mitchelson on an exploration of Autistic Burnout. Autistic burnout is a phenomenon widely reported in the Autistic population but has not been investigated in research until recent years. Monique will discuss the latest definitions of Autistic Burnout and how it is different to occupational burnout. She will also outline what are the specific signs of Autistic burnout, how burnout affects Autistic people and why, and strategies to assist recovery from and prevention of burnout long term. Prevention of Autistic burnout is vital for Autistic people’s mental and physical health and wellbeing, and unfortunately many Autistic people experience burnout for the first time as young people in school or when transitioning from school to adult life. Education on this topic is critical for schools, health professionals, mental health professionals, parents and Autistic people so that Autistic burnout is accurately recognized and supported.
Chronic Pain and Autism
Join Clinical Psychologist Monique Mitchelson on a discussion on the link between Autism and chronic pain. Monique works with many neurodivergent people who experience chronic pain and chronic health conditions. Although not well known, Autistic children are about twice as likely as their typical peers to experience chronic or repeated pain and those with co-occurring developmental conditions, such as epilepsy or intellectual disability, are even more likely to experience chronic pain (Whitney & Shapiro, 2019). Monique will discuss what the research says about how Autistic people may experience pain differently including the link between interoception and pain, and sensory differences and pain. Monique will also discuss strategies used to manage chronic pain such as pacing and how interoception and co-occurring conditions such as ADHD can impact chronic pain strategies. It is important that health professionals and pain services are aware of the link between chronic pain and Autism as well as Autistic people and their supports so that chronic pain is identified and supported early and in way that is tailored to the person’s neurodivergence.
Nicole is passionate about ensuring equitable outcomes in education and committed to championing inclusive education and inclusive teaching practice. She joined Autism CRC in November 2021 as Education Community Coordinator with the Knowledge Translation team. Nicole is working hard to develop a community of practice for inclusionED and offer teachers a space to learn and grow in their inclusive practice. With qualifications in education, training and assessment, and international and community development, Nicole has over 7 years’ experience as a teacher and experience in several not-for-profit and charitable organisations. She has used her skills to facilitate behaviour change programs, develop and deliver training for large-scale social change initiatives, and create a world-first leadership program supporting young people with a disability to become leaders of other young people with a disability. Nicole strives to make a difference through her work.
Raelene is an Autistic and ADHDer, Educational Developmental Psychologist, and the Director of Okey Dokey Childhood Therapy, a large paediatric allied health practice in Australia that she runs with her husband, Andrew, who is also Neurodivergent. She is also a lecturer in Child Play Therapy at Deakin University. Raelene has extensive experience working with Neurodivergent children and their families providing educational, social/emotional and parenting support. Raelene is also the mother of three Autistic children and draws on both her personal and professional experience to provide support and guidance to children and families.
Raelene regularly presents webinars for parents and professionals on topics related to supporting Neurodivergent children in the classroom and in other settings, and has presented at international conferences in New York, Macau, Singapore, Prague, Edinburgh, and across Australia.
Raelene is the author of 4 books published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers in London, with her fifth book “A Therapist’s Guide to Neurodiversity Affirming Practice with Children and Young People” due for release in November 2023.
Raelene is passionate about supporting Neurodivergent children to understand and accept who they are — and to empower them to be themselves in a society that still has a long way to go in celebrating difference.
Understanding and Supporting Autistic Play
Play is widely accepted as an important part of child development with The World Health Organisation considering the opportunity to play as a child’s human right. Play can be broadly defined as an activity that is child-led, enjoyable, and internally motivated, and there are many types of play that can be engaged in alone or with others such as construction play, rough and tumble play, sensory play, and pretend play.
With such broad and varied definitions of the types of play, and the idea that true play is child-led, it makes sense to assume that there is no ‘right’ way to play. However, for many years neurotypical play has been viewed as the only acceptable way to play. In particular, supports for Autistic children have tended to focus on the teaching of neurotypical play skills while pathologising natural preferences in play. It is time we make a change and recognise Autistic play as a valid and important part of Autistic development.
In this presentation, attendees will first learn about why play is important to child development and the different types of play children engage in. Then the features and characteristics of Autistic play will be discussed, along with ideas for how we can support and encourage Autistic children to play in whatever way they choose.
Reframing Behaviour Management: A Low Arousal Approach
In recent years, developments in psychology and neuroscience suggest that to effectively support children who struggle with behaviours of concern, parents and educators should respect a child’s autonomy and recognise the underlying neurological and physiological processes behind behaviours. These ‘low arousal’ approaches involve parents and teachers recognising the impact of their own arousal, attitude and behaviour on a child’s behaviour and taking responsibility for managing and preventing future incidents, as well as supporting children to regulate in the moment and develop the necessary skills to manage challenges in the future.
In this presentation, attendees will be introduced to the key principles involved in low arousal approaches and the underlying causes for behaviours of concern from a neurological and physiological perspective. Attendees will also develop an understanding of how their own arousal level, attitudes and behaviours can impact on a child’s behaviour and on how challenging incidents are managed, and learn how to effectively apply low arousal strategies to situations involving behaviours of concern.
Rebecca is an occupational therapist by background and has worked alongside neurodiverse children and their families within early years, primary and high school settings. She is passionate about strengthening the relationships between the team working alongside autistic children, as well as helping young people understand their sensory preferences, finding joy within daily activities and developing independence in activities that are meaningful to them. Currently, Rebecca is the WA State Coordinator for Positive Partnerships, a government-funded project working together with families, carers and schools to provide current, relevant and evidence-informed information through workshops and online resources. Within this role, she travels throughout WA delivering free workshops for families and schools who support an autistic student. Having grown up in a country area herself, this aligns strongly with Rebecca’s belief that everyone should be able to access quality evidence-informed resources and information, no matter where they live.
Culturally Appropriate Services
Presenting with Adam Howie
Current data shows that autism is under-diagnosed among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. In many areas, autism is unheard of. Other challenges include lack of access to local services or culturally appropriate diagnostic assessment tools, an absence of trusted relationships, or the fear of shame and blame.
Positive Partnerships provide support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families with autistic children and the educators who work alongside them. After consultation with communities and the Positive Partnerships National First Nations Reference group, we have developed a range of tools and resources designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
Our presentation will focus on how we work through community consultation, yarn about autism and explore the free resources that can be used at home, in schools and across other services.
Dr Sarah Bernard (she/her) is a proudly disabled, autistic, ADHDer doctor working at North Metropolitan Health Service in Perth as a Specialist Geriatrician. She champions neurodiversity and disability inclusion in her clinical practice, research and advocacy. Dr Bernard is passionate about raising the profile of neurodivergent, disabled healthcare workers, researchers and students.
Interdependence: Relying on support can lead to great opportunities
Therapeutic interventions for autistic people often focus on independence as the end goal. However, independence involves reducing reliance on external supports, which can come with its own problems. Interdependence is a different approach, grounded in the social model of disability. It reflects how it “takes a village” to deliver the best support to autistic people, and this is actually a good thing! Interdependence makes autonomy, opportunity, choice and justice for autistic and disabled people the end goals. This presentation will show healthcare providers how interdependence in service design makes great business sense. For autistic people and their supporters, strategies to shift the focus of therapy and school goals to an interdependence approach will be explained.
Dr Theresa Kidd is a clinical psychologist, research fellow and the clinical director of The Kidd Clinic, a private psychology group practice focussed on Autism Spectrum Conditions & Anxiety in Perth. Theresa is committed to helping neurodivergent individuals of all ages to minimise their challenges, increase their strengths and to achieve their life goals. Drawing from her own experience of living within a neurodivergent (including PDA) family, Theresa is passionate about increasing family quality of life by assisting families to be as strong and healthy as possible.
With a passion for intervention research, Theresa embarked on a PhD which focused on using family-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to reduce anxiety in autistic adolescents. Concurrently, she co-developed and managed the Curtin University Specialist (peer) Mentoring Program to support autistic university students to successfully engage in tertiary settings. Following, she embarked on a post-doctoral research fellowship with Macquarie University where she coordinated a national trial to reduce anxiety and bullying victimisation in children.
In addition to her clinical and research work, and supervising other psychologists, she regularly presents to parents and professionals on Autism and co-occurring mental health problems, and on Pathological Demand Avoidance. She has co-authored several articles and manuals related to Autism and has recently written a book, Helping Autistic Teens to Manage their Anxiety.
School ‘Can’t’ – Reframing school refusal and assisting Autistic students to re-engage educationally
Presenting with Miriam Kirby
With school being the biggest trigger for anxiety symptoms for Autistic students, being unable to attend school occurs significantly more often compared to non-autistic peers. We prefer to reframe school refusal as ‘school can’t’ because many of our young people would like to be able to attend school but just cannot. Parents may observe verbal and physical refusal, pleading, clinging, crying, aggression and threats as they desperately try to take their child to school. Missing days of school can have a negative effect on academic and social development and can lead to full disengagement from school. This webinar will outline the main reasons why ‘school can’t’ occurs for Autistic students and introduces a model that provides a map for re-engagement as well as a brief overview of alternative education pathways when school is not working.
Participants will receive a copy of the AAA School Reintegration Model and accompanying guide along with other practical templates and resources to assist with School Can’t.
This training is suitable for parents, therapists and teachers and provides:
Supporting Neurodivergent and Gender Diverse Young People
Presenting with Laura / Remus Short
Parents often ask how they can best support their Autistic/ neurodivergent child or adolescent who is trans or gender diverse. In this informative presentation, Dr Theresa Kidd (Clinical Psychologist, pronouns she/her/hers) will briefly introduce the common co-occurrence of neurodivergence and gender diversity and outline some important considerations for parents when supporting our Double Rainbow young people. Laura Short also known as Remus, a neurodivergent, transgender, androgyne, and non-binary Provisional Psychologist (pronouns she/he/they) will share their journey and lived experience.
We will signpost helpful resources for parents and provide time for questions.
