🎉 We’ve just added 3 more dynamic presentations to the lineup—plus exclusive bonus sessions from our event sponsors! Get ready for even more insights, strategies, and neurodiversity-affirming content to support your practice.

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Enhance your professional skills and expand your understanding of neurodiversity with leading experts at this enlightening three-day virtual summit. Whether you are new to neurodiversity-affirming practices or already committed to this journey, our summit offers valuable insights and practical strategies tailored for allied health professionals.

• Expand Your Knowledge: Explore comprehensive topics including masking, ADHD, autism, sensory processing, eating disorders, and more.
• Learn from Experts: Hear from renowned speakers like Dr. Virginia Spielmann, Kieran Rose, Dr. Megan Anna Neff, Amy Laurent, Jac Fede, and others who are pioneers in neurodiversity-affirming practices.
• Practical Takeaways: Gain actionable strategies for implementing neurodiversity-affirming practices in your professional settings.
• Networking Opportunities: Connect with peers and leaders in the field to share experiences and collaborate.

Explore a wide range of essential subjects that form the foundation of neurodiversity-affirming practice. Our summit will address the complexities of masking / camouflage, highlighting the hidden challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals. Understand the unique presentations and needs of ADHD and Autism, and gain insights into sensory processing and integration to create supportive environments. Tackle critical issues such as eating disorders and sex education, ensuring a comprehensive approach to mental health. Learn effective neurodiversity affirming practices that promote inclusivity and respect. Address the double empathy problem to enhance communication and relationships between neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals.

Discover advancements in alternative and augmentative communication and gestalt language processing to improve expressive and receptive skills. Master strategies for regulation and energy management, along with modern emotional regulation techniques, to support both professionals and clients in maintaining well-being. Join us to equip yourself with the knowledge and tools necessary to make a meaningful impact in your practice.

This event will feature a series of engaging webinars, thought-provoking panels, and interactive workshops exploring essential topics such as occupational justice, unlearning the medical model, and the importance of reflective practice. Together, we’ll explore how to create inclusive environments that honor the dignity and pride of neurodivergent individuals and families while addressing ableism and intersectionality in our care. 

All attendees will receive ample digital resources to support their learning and implementation of neurodiversity affirming practices.

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After participating in the 2025 Virtual Summit for Neurodiversity Affirming Practice, attendees will: 

• Define core principles of neurodiversity-affirming practice and distinguish them from traditional, deficit-based frameworks in clinical and educational settings. 
• Critically analyze the social model of disability, identifying its strengths, limitations, and implications for neurodiversity-affirming occupational therapy (OT) practice. 
• Re-evaluate and articulate the core values of OT as they relate to neurodiversity-affirming approaches in the learner's professional settings. 
• Develop intentional, action-oriented strategies to actively embed neurodiversity-affirming principles into each phase (evaluation, intervention, follow-up) of daily OT service delivery, moving beyond passive assumptions of self-perceived allyship. 
• Critically examine how unquestioned societal norms harm neurodivergent clients. Identify gaps between what we say we value (e.g., client-centered care) and what we do (e.g., rigid assessments). Develop actionable strategies to align OT practice with neurodiversity-affirming principles. 
• Identify evidence-based practices that align with both the core values of OT and neurodiversity-affirming principles. 
• Demonstrate effective communication techniques that respect the neurodivergent client's identity, are rooted in OT's core values, and align with the Communication and Social Skills domain in OT PF-4. 
• Co-create client-centered (volition-driven) interventions with neurodivergent individuals by prioritizing self-defined well-being over normative productivity expectations, using collaborative goal setting and occupation-based strategies within the OT service delivery framework.. 
• Evaluate the significance of family and community in neurodiversity-affirming occupational therapy, and craft collaborative goals that recognize interdependence and community actualization as equally vital as independence. Be equipped to create truly client-centered goals based on what clients define as meaningful. 
• Demonstrate emerging skill in identifying and critically analyzing the impact of cultural and societal norms on neurodivergent clients. 
• Develop and implement a personalized professional development plan to advance neurodiversity-affirming OT practice, including delivering trainings to peers and community stakeholders. 
• Analyze intersectionality (the convergence of oppressive systems like racism, ableism, and patriarchy) in OT practice, identifying how unexamined actions sustain privilege. Develop strategies to disrupt these dynamics in care, collaboration, and policy. 
• Integrate neuroinclusive and gender-affirming practices into occupational therapy. Acknowledge all identities, reject oppression hierarchies. Use this approach to adapt assessments, environments, and communication, prioritizing client autonomy and self-defined needs over norms. 
• Define and apply unlearning in neurodiversity-affirming OT practice: 
  • Examine how implicit biases (e.g., deficit-based assumptions, compliance-focused interventions) manifest in personal/professional practice. 
  • Identify gaps between espoused neuroinclusive values (theory) and actual clinical actions (practice). 
• Apply the OT process (evaluation, intervention, outcomes) to address systemic, cultural, and interpersonal factors contributing to masking, burnout, and trauma in neurodivergent clients, integrating client-centered strategies to mitigate risks. 

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Our Program

Wednesday | June 11, 2025 | 8am - 1pm MT

8:00AM - 9:00AM | Neuroaffirming Early Intervention: Supporting Authentic Development for Zero to Five | Hillary Crow

9:00AM - 10:00AM |Deconstructing "Normal": Feeding Therapy Without the Neuronormative Agenda | Naureen Hunani

10:00AM - 11:00AM | What Is Autistic Burnout? What It Is, Why It Matters, and What To Do About It | Dr. Megan Anna Neff

11:00AM - 12:00PM | White Supremacy and the Pathologization of Neurodivergence: Unmasking the Systems that Silence Us | Lovette Jallow */**

12:00PM - 1:00PM | Autistic Authenticity, Epistemology, and Affirmation | Dr. Luke Beardon

 

Thursday | June 12, 2025 | 8am - 1pm MT

8:00AM - 9:00AM | Intersectionality and Honoring Black Neurodivergent Experiences | Dr. Diamond Rashad**

9:00AM - 10:00AM | Understanding the Impact of Masking and How to Foster Authenticity | Dr. Amy Pearson

10:00AM - 11:00AM | Positively Negative - Why we need to rethink PBIS | Dr. Amy Laurent and Dr. Jacquelyn Fede

11:00AM - 12:00PM | Perspectives on Neuroinclusive Practice | Bryden Carlson-Giving, Kieran Rose and Dr. Virginia Spielmann

12:00PM - 1:00PM | Expert Panel | The Danger of Good Intentions: Critical Thinking About Neuroinclusive Practice*/**

 

Friday | June 13, 2025 | 8am - 1pm MT

8:00AM - 9:00AM | There Has to be a Better Way | Dr. Michele Cohen

9:00AM - 10:00AM | Modern Emotion Regulation Supports: Are You Keeping with the Times? | Dr. Kelly Mahler 

10:00AM - 11:00AM | Exploring Autistic Sexualities, Relationality, and Genders: Living Under a Double Rainbow | Dr. Hanna Bertilsdotter-Rosqvist

11:00AM - 12:00PM | Understanding Attention in ADD - It’s Not What You Think | Dr. Sarah Hays

12:00PM - 1:00PM | Supporting Interoception in Gestalt Language Learners: Strategies for SLPs and OTs  | Bobbi AdamsBrown

*Not available for ASHA CEUs
**Not available for AOTA CEUs

 

SPONSORED BONUS PRESENTATION

Sensory-Based Care for Neurodivergent Teens and Adults | Autistic Adult and Teen Consulting

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Get to Know Our 2025 Speakers - CONFIRMED TO DATE

Speaker Disclosure Statements

Virginia Spielmann PhD, OTR/L (she/her) Executive Director STAR Institute Co-Host	Kieran Rose (he/him) Consultant, Writer, Advocate Co-Host	Ky Keenan Westcott (he/him) Advocate, Creator Co-Host
Amy Pearson PhD (she/her) Assistant Professor Durham University	Hillary Crow MA, CCC-SLP (she/her) Speech-Language Pathologist Crow Autism & Speech Therapy Consulting Services, Inc	Amy Laurent PhD, OTR/L (she/her) Co-Director Autism Level UP!
Naureen Hunani RD (she/her) Registered Dietitian RDs for Neurodiversity	Diamond Rashad OTD, OTR/L (she/her) Occupational Therapist A Dime of OT	Megan Anna Neff PhD (she/they)  Clinical Psychologist Neurodivergent Insights
Jacquelyn Fede PhD (she/her) Psychologist Autism Level UP!	Kelly Mahler OTD, OTR/L (she/her) Occupational Therapist	Luke Beardon PhD (he/him) Senior Lecture Sheffield Hallam University
Bobbi AdamsBrown M.A. CCC-SLP (she/her) Speech-Language Pathologist Anchor Creek Speech Therapy	Bryden Carlson-Giving OTD, OTR/L (he/him) Occupational Therapist Neurodivergent Nexus	Michele Cohen PhD (she/her) Psychologist
Hanna Bertilsdotter Rosqvist PhD (she/her) Professor Södertörn University	Sarah Hays PsyD (she/her)  Psychologist Respec Psychological Services	Lola Dada-Olley  (she/her)  Advocate Not Your Mama's Autism
Shayda Kafai PhD (she/her)  Associate Professor California State Polytechnic University	Melissa Houser MD (she/her)  Founder All Brains Belong VT

 

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Thank you to Our Sponsors

Group Discount
Register 5 or more participants in a group and automatically receive a 10% discount!

Use the promotional code SUMMITGROUP25 upon checkout to automatically receive the discount on 5 or more registrations.

If participants of the group must pay separately, please:

1. Register all participants separately.
2. Send the names of all participants in your group to Education Team at education@sensoryhealth.com by June 1, 2025.
3. Once at least 5 registrations are received, each person will be partially refunded for the discounted amount.

Groups must be determined and paid in full before the start of the conference. 

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Who Should Attend: Healthcare and education professionals, as well as caregivers, who want to better support neurodivergent individuals through neurodiversity-affirming, sensory-informed, and trauma-informed practices.

Level: Introductory

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Continuing Education

ASHA CE Provider approval and use of the Brand Block does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedures.

Add-on ASHA CEUs Option Available for an Additional $90
Includes Certificate of Completion and reporting your credits to the ASHA CE Registry*
*This is a separate fee from the annual ASHA CE Registry fee that is processed by ASHA

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Attendance Policy

Participants may join the conference at any time during the live broadcasts and/or view the recorded presentations for 60 days after the livestreamed event. All participants may otherwise receive a Certificate of Attendance.

To receive the Certificate of Completion, participants must meet the following criteria:

1. Attend the event or watch the recordings.
2. Complete and pass brief CEU quizzes for each approved presentation by July 13, 2025.
   • A passing score is at least 80%.
   • Quizzes must be completed in the order of the presentations.
   • You may retake each quiz as needed.
3. If you wish to have your credits reported to the ASHA CE Registry by the STAR Institute, please submit the ASHA CE Registry Reporting Form no later than July 13, 2025.
4. No partial credits will be provided.
5. All participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance.
6. You will have access to the recordings until August 12, 2025.

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Do you have a disability that would require special accommodations?

Please contact us at education@sensoryhealth.org and describe how we can help accommodate your needs.

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Cancellation Policy

Since this program is recorded and available for on-demand access, cancellations are generally not accepted. If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch with education@sensoryhealth.org.

In the rare event that this program must be canceled due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness, fire, strikes, war, acts of God, or other disruptions beyond our control, STAR Institute will make every effort to reschedule. If rescheduling is not possible, all registration fees will be refunded.