Training Options

Summary of Training

Equipping your team

            This customized support will deliver an increased understanding among your staff of how to support individuals who are neurodivergent and neurocomplex, with an Autism focus. We use a strengths-based perspective that provides staff with practical tools for how to foster growth and empowerment in community.

We believe in investing into your organization to benefit your team and the incredible work you do, for the long-term.

 Training options: 1 hour, 2 hour, half day (3hr) and full day (7hr).

• • Topics listed below can be customized. More complex topics and research may increase cost.
• Custom Webinars are available. This includes client-specific, complex brains and behaviours, mental health, accessibility, etc.
• Curriculum, programming, and train the trainer options availabl

TOPICS:

1. Embracing neurodiversity

For service providers, caregivers and community members who want to increase their knowledge, understanding and skill to create a neurodiversity-affirming world.

An introduction to neurodiversity in our community, including ADHD, autism, and those living with multiple service needs.

• An introduction to neurodiversity in our community (ADHD, Autism, FASD, and CPTSD) and how this intersects with care.
  • What is complexity and what does it feel like?
  • Expanding our Window of Tolerance
• Exploring how to increase connection and calm.
  • Supporting Behaviour change
  • Strategies to manage stress and increase success
• Activity: Co-creating safe spaces, while navigating a system that supports
  • Calming tool kit creation
  • Creating an authentic script

2. Complex brains and behaviour – managing complexity in care, including Aggression

Supporting complex community members living with multiple care needs, such as mental health, neurological, and intellectual differences.

 Introduction to complex needs

• • Defining Neurocomplexity
  • Variable development (5 areas assessed by psychologists, “spiky” profiles)
• Understanding complex needs and behavior
  • Attachment, neurotypes, understanding body needs
  • Interpreting Sensory Overload
  • Intersecting differences, including trauma, ADHD, and aggression
• Practical Tools
  • Accommodations: managing in a world not made for you
  • Building relationship/collaboration
  • Managing frustration, opposition and transitions
• Activity: Caring for ourselves
  • Burnout & Self-care action plan 

3. Case management for complex youth and families

This workshop will increase understanding of how to connect to, collaborate with, and case manage those who live as more complex, including those who identify and live within the neurodiversity spectrum, or have multiple service needs. 

• Introduction to neurodiversity in our community (ADHD, Autism, FASD, and others) and complexity in care.
  • Defining neurodiversity/complexity
  • Why behind behaviour and common experiences
  • Window of tolerance
• Exploring how to increase connection and calm with limited resources
  • What does neurodiversity look/feel like
  • Using playfulness
  • Frustration Traffic Circle
  • AFCCA (Aggression toward Family / Caregivers in Childhood & Adolescence)
• Increasing our success in working as a collaborator with youth and families and the system that supports them.
  • Toolkit
  • Responses
• Importance of advocacy
  • Common barriers/accessibility
• Activity: Case management framework support/templates

4. Building connection with complex children and youth

Building on positive connection and safety with complex children and youth, to support planning and future growth.

• Defining neurodiversity and complex needs
• Intersectionality: common concerns
  • Trauma
  • Impacts on the lived experience: physical, emotional
• Highlight: Kids in care
• Increasing engagement programming
  • Strategies to engage youth
  • Accommodations
• Crisis management/ Planning
• Activity: Something related to youth engagement?
• Avoidance, disorganized, complex behaviours worksheet
• Important things doc
  • Masking
  • Body needs
• Activity: Crisis Plan 

5. Supporting neurodiversity In a therapeutic setting

An introduction to becoming a neurodivergent affirming care helper for both 1-on-1 client care and groups.

• Increasing our understanding of neurodivergence, as it intersects with providing therapy and care
  • Defining neurodiversity
  • Window of tolerance
  • Level of Attachment
• Defining neurodivergent “effective care”
  • Neuro-affirming care
  • Working with Neurodivergent Clients
• Encouraging Neurodivergent identity: normalizing, examples, redefining/framing, empowering language, planning for growth
  • Masking / Camouflaging
  • Sensory sensitivity
  • Body charge
  • Connection need
  • Stages of growth
• Exploring tools and resources that support complexity in the community.
• Activity: case study/conversation to identify the areas that were not neuro-affirming care and creating alternatives

*Option: Intake specialization focus

6. What you need to know about neurodiversity psychoeducation

Increasing understanding and application of neurodiversity affirming support for caregivers, parents and helpers.

• What is neurodiverse affirming care/support?
• What is psychoeducation
  • Problem solving, communication, assertiveness skills
• Body charge, sensitivity, connectivity
• Sticky thinking: All or nothing, all wrong or all right, on or off
• Co-occurring disorders: mental health, learning disabilities, trauma,
• Importance of sleep, eating, exercise
• Overlap with other communities, LGBTTQ+
• Common concerns: Autoimmune, relationships, bowel disorders, eating disorders, pain, sexuality, addiction
• What options are there and how do you use it?
  • CBT
  • Group Therapy
  • Education
  • Medication
• Case studies

7. Managing Neurocomplexity: Connecting to Others and Ourselves

An invitation to create meaningful and unique solutions for a variety of connection seeking needs. Preventative and responding to body needs will be discussed.

• What does this look and feel like?
  • Common concerns and strengths
  • Important psycho-education
  • Intersecting differences
    • Trauma
    • ADHD
    • ASD
    • Anxiety/avoidance
  • Using and managing our Window of tolerance
  • Growing Self-compassion – Examples with connection
  • Accommodations/Practical hacks
    • How can we respond
    • Use of sensory awareness
    • Use of body and brain charge
  • Activity: planning with our neurotype in mind

8. Managing Neurocomplexity: Sensory Awareness and Sensitivity

An invitation to create meaningful and unique solutions for a variety of sensory sensitivities and experiences. Preventative and responding to body needs will be discussed.

• What does this look and feel like?
  • Common concerns and strengths
  • Important psycho-education
  • Intersecting differences
    • Trauma
    • ADHD
    • ASD
    • Anxiety/avoidance
  • Sight, touch, sound, taste, smell
    • What information is this giving us
  • Using and managing our Window of tolerance
  • Growing Self-compassion- examples with sensory
  • Sensory overwhelm
    • Living with high sensory awareness
    • Using your neurotype sensitivities
    • Creating safety
  • Explaining the power of choice and planning
  • Growing Safety, interdependence, independence, confidence, sense of control
  • Accommodations/Practical hacks
    • Use of body and brain charge
    • Use of connection seeking
  • Activity: calming plan
  • Activity: playfulness 

9. Managing Neurocomplexity: Regulating Energy in the Brain and Body

An invitation to create meaningful and unique solutions for managing energy levels, including intense highs and lows. Preventative and responding to body needs will be discussed.

• What does this look and feel like?
  • Common concerns and strengths
  • Important psycho-education
• Intersecting differences, including trauma, ADHD, ASD
• Using and managing our Window of tolerance
• Growing Self-compassion – examples with body charge
• Battery examples: regulating output to support recovery
• Managing avoidance and anxiety
  • Inviting flow state
  • The power of: Art, music and creativity
• Accommodations/Practical hacks
  • Use of sensory awareness
  • Use of connection seeking
  • Body doubling
  • Gamification – making things a game
• Activity: calendar

10. Planning for Transitions: Complex youth and adulthood

An invitation to carers to support growing independence within a complex world. From the family perspective: including foster, adoptive and biological families.

• Common experiences and concerns
  • System failures
  • Processing grief Hopes and dreams
  • Exploring boundaries
    • Independence and interdependence
    • Sexuality
  • Understanding and managing conflict within the family and system
    • Relationship repair
    • Empowering communication
    • Advocacy
  • Advocacy: Working within the challenges in society
    • As a carer
    • As a support
    • Teaching self-advocacy skills
  • Co-creating plans: a framework for families and teams
  • Planning with community support/resources