NeuroDiversity Affirming Training and Supervision

15/08/2026

The ACT now has a Minister for Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity.

I spoke with the ABC about what the new portfolio could mean for Autistic and neurodivergent people in Canberra. My main point was that representation and consultation need to translate into actual partnership with and positive outcomes for our community.

There is a lot of expertise within the Autistic (and other neurodivergent) communities, including people who work professionally in this space. If the ACT is serious about improving outcomes, that expertise needs to be part of the process, not something people have to keep advocating to have heard.

I also raised a question about why autism has been separated from neurodivergence in the portfolio. At the time of the interview, I had not been able to find a definition of what the ACT Government will include under “neurodivergence”.

I use neurodivergent in its broadest sense: people whose ways of thinking, communicating, sensing, learning or experiencing the world significantly diverge from neuronormativity. This is consistent with how the term has been developed within the neurodivergent community, including through the work of Kassiane Asasumasu, a Lived Experience Educator, and others.

It will be interesting to see how the new portfolio defines its scope, and more importantly, how that definition translates into policy and practice: how will this improve the lives of Autistic people?

The ABC article is here:

Neurodivergent support organisations welcome the creation of a dedicated autism and neurodiversity portfolio in the ACT government, but say the government needs to work alongside neurodivergent Canberrans to improve support systems.

04/08/2026

Just a reminder:

Neurodivergent is:
- where someone diverges from the typical or the norm
- where someone cannot perform neuronormativity
- not a medical diagnosis
- can be present from birth, acquired, or situational
- about who has power, who has a voice, who is listened to

This means that mental illness and personality disorders are included in the neurodivergent umbrella.

It means that situational mutism is a neurodivergence.

Dementia and acquired brain injury are also neurodivergences.

31/07/2026

I really dislike it when so called advocates (or anyone else) throw other neurotypes under the bus. Even more concerning is when this kind of neurosupremacy is built on claims that simply aren’t supported by the evidence.

It’s frustrating because this happens so often in this field. I try to base my work primarily on peer reviewed research because it’s incredibly easy to believe content like this. We all want to believe there are simple explanations or that our own neurotype has unique strengths, and that makes us vulnerable to confident sounding misinformation.

It’s one of the reasons I’m so careful about the research I draw on in my own teaching and training.

Meanwhile, people like this can produce quick, catchy social media content that spreads far faster than careful, evidence based discussion. This particular creator is problematic for other reasons as well, and Dr. Inna has published several videos critically examining some of his claims.

Whether you’re a therapist, neurodivergent yourself, or both, I’d recommend following accounts that critically examine these kinds of claims rather than simply repeating them. Protect yourself from the charlatans!

30/07/2026

Gosh, was just compared to the brilliant Pete Wharmby, Autistic Author by someone attending my full day workshop on supporting neurodivergent clients and couldn’t think of a bigger compliment to receive.

I love Pete Wharmby’s openness and vulnerability, and they are certainly things I try and incorporate those into my workshop.

❤️💜

27/06/2026

I just signed a service agreement with a new bookkeeper because admin can absolutely get in the bin.

I wanted to work with an ADHD/Autistic bookkeeper, and I found one.

There was a whole Teams meeting kerfuffle where we somehow managed to miss each other while trying to attend the same meeting, which feels deeply on brand.

But also? Within 24 hours of me contacting her, we had talked, sorted the details, signed the agreement, and set everything up.

On a Saturday.

This is the kind of neurodivergent business support I wanted. Clear, practical, fast, slightly chaotic, and still extremely effective.

27/06/2026

I’m doing a book review for the Australian Counselling Association on counselling research, and it’s the first time I’ve seen alexithymia included in a counselling textbook. Love that!!

I’m in love with this book and would absolutely recommend it for counsellors at all levels: Essential Research Findings in Counselling & Psychotherapy: The Facts are Friendly by Mick Cooper.

**I am not paid for this review**

12/06/2026

Here's a service not many people are aware of: The Employment Assistance Program.

It can cover the costs of workplace changes for people with disabilities. This can include workplace training and mental health support, as well as physical adjustments.

The Employment Assistance Fund (EAF) can cover the costs of workplace changes and equipment for eligible employees with disability. It can also fund Auslan interpreters and other workplace support services. JobAccess refunds the costs after you apply for the EAF and get approval. Workplace changes a...

12/06/2026

This is why I find the claim that “modern ABA is different now” both unconvincing and, frankly, offensive. The article is locked, but Henny Kupferstein, Ph.D. has given a description below of the article.

The issue is not only whether today’s ABA looks exactly like older ABA. The issue is that it still often begins from the same underlying premise: that Autistic behaviour is something to identify, manage, reduce, reshape or replace. Even when the language is softer, the framework can still treat Autistic ways of communicating, regulating, moving, refusing, needing sameness, avoiding eye contact or expressing distress as “behaviours” to be corrected.
And this is where the double standard becomes very clear. When a neurotypical person needs predictability, they may be described as organised. When an Autistic person needs predictability, it may be labelled rigidity. When a neurotypical person sets a boundary, it may be called assertiveness. When an Autistic person does the same, it may be labelled non-compliance. This is a problem of who holds power in the therapeutic relationship.

We don't need ABA to support Autistic adults. We already have therapeutic approaches that begin from a more respectful premise: that Autistic people are competent, whole people whose communication, distress, boundaries and autonomy matter. Good therapeutic support is not centred on therapist determined goals, compliance and making someone appear less Autistic. Good therapeutic support is relational, trauma informed, sensory aware, person centred, and grounded in unconditional positive regard.

To date, only one behavior analytic study has systematically examined the use of functional analysis to assess arranging and ordering, which is a form of higher level restricted and repetitive behavi...

28/05/2026

So pleased to have given a guest lecture to counselling students at UC today. I love teaching this topic, and the questions were thoughtful and genuinely thought-provoking.

26/04/2026

When listening to Autistic adults, it’s easy to mistake difference for deficit, especially if your knowledge is based on old myths and misconceptions.

When you try to understand a client’s distress in real time, it can be easy to reach for the autism knowledge you absorbed years ago, especially when you feel under pressure to understand quickly.

If we don’t keep up with the latest knowledge, the guidance you use may still be shaped by outdated myths.

Myths & misconceptions like:
*Autistic people struggle with empathy
*Autistic people are either high or low functioning
*Autism is caused by parenting/trauma/vaccines

And when myths and misconceptions guide your therapeutic decisions, therapy harm occurs.

Read more about this here: https://www.ndats.com.au/therapy-harm-ethical-practice/when-outdated-autism-myths-shape-therapy

Image Alt Text: Shelves with dusty books