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Supporting neurodivergence

These resources will support practitioners to understand developmental delay, neurodivergence and autism, as well as build skills and confidence to have safe and productive conversations with families about developmental concerns and support options. This collection includes free courses and resources promoting neuro-affirming practice strategies for working with children and families.

Our resources on supporting neurodivergent children and their families include:

  • While your organisation may promote the use of ‘person-first language’ when talking about disability (e.g. ‘child with autism’, ‘child with ADHD’), the majority of individuals in the neurodivergent community advocate for ‘identity-first language’ (e.g. ‘autistic child’, ‘ADHDer’, ‘AuDHDer’; Taboas et al., 2023). This is based on the belief that autism and ADHD are an intrinsic part of a person’s identity, not a ‘problem’ that can be separated from it.

     

    Based on insights from the literature, guidance from parents with lived experience of autism and ADHD, and the Australian Government’s National Roadmap to Improve the Health and Mental Health of Autistic People, we have chosen to use identity-first language in this resource collection.

     

    Everyone’s preferences are different, so we encourage you to ask the children and families you work with about their preferred terminology.

Free online learning pathway to help practitioners understand and support neurodivergent children’s mental health

Emerging Minds’ Neuro-affirming practice learning pathway includes two free online courses that aim to increase your understanding and application of neurodivergent-affirming practice approaches.

Our Understanding autistic and ADHDer children’s mental health course (1.5 hours) introduces a neuro-affirming approach to working with autistic and ADHDer children – one that is focused on accepting their differences, engaging their strengths and interests, and responding to their needs.

Practice strategies for supporting autistic and ADHDer children’s mental health (3 hours) introduces five strategies to improve children and families’ quality of life by understanding, accommodating and advocating for their needs, rather than controlling or ‘treating’ the child’s neurodivergence.

Webinars and podcasts about supporting neurodivergent children and their families

Resources for general practitioners

This 2026 webinar series, presented by the RACGP and Emerging Minds, explores GPs’ role in supporting families when there are concerns about a child’s development and behaviour and through the process of an ADHD assessment:

 

Resources for parents and families

These are resources you might like to share with parents or families with neurodivergent children.

Explore other topics and resources related to Thriving Kids:

References

Taboas, A., Doepke, K., & Zimmerman, C. (2023). Preferences for identity-first versus person-first language in a US sample of autism stakeholders. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 27(2), 565–570. DOI: 10.1177/13623613221130845.

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