Understanding Neurodiversity

Description

See beyond the label. Support every learner.

3-Hour Workshop | $75 per person | Perth | Take-Home Resources | Certificate of Attendance

What might be going on?
Every classroom has students who think, process and engage with the world differently, often long before there’s a diagnosis attached to explain why.
Why does an instruction seem perfectly clear to everyone else, but just not land for one student? Why can a seemingly simple transition become a flashpoint? Why does a busy classroom become completely overwhelming? And why can a student manage beautifully one day and struggle with exactly the same environment the next?
This workshop explores some of the neurotypes you’re most likely to come across in schools and how differences in attention, communication, processing, regulation and sensory experiences can affect a student’s day. It’s not about learning a checklist of traits or becoming an expert in diagnosis. It’s about getting better at recognising what might be happening underneath what you can see.

Looking beyond the diagnosis
Two students with the same diagnosis can have completely different strengths, challenges and support needs. And some of the students who need our understanding most may not have a diagnosis at all.
We’ll look at neurodiversity through a strengths-based, neuroaffirming lens, focusing on the individual student rather than the label attached to them. That means considering their strengths, communication, environment and experience of learning, and asking a different question: what can we change around this student to help them succeed?

From understanding to action
Understanding neurodiversity is useful. Knowing what to do with that understanding is better.
Throughout the workshop, we’ll connect what you’re learning back to everyday school situations and explore practical ways to reduce barriers, create more inclusive learning environments and better support neurodivergent students.
You’ll leave with a clearer read on what may be happening for the students you work with, and strategies you can start using the very next day.

Who is it for?
Teachers, Education Assistants, Learning Support, Student Services, Wellbeing Staff, School Leaders, Pre-Service Teachers, Parents, Carers and Tutors, and anyone who works directly with children or young people and wants to better understand the different brains around them.

Are you a teacher?
This workshop is mapped to relevant focus areas of the Professional Standards for Teachers in Western Australia and may contribute towards your professional learning requirements.

APST Focus Areas: 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 4.1