Katie Koullas opens the conference by addressing the key challenges facing our community and introducing the new themes we’ll explore over the next three days.
Katie Koullas
AuDHD Conference Host
An essential session for educators and allies, focusing on foundational strategies for creating truly inclusive classrooms. Our speakers share their expertise on building neuro-affirming learning environments, where autistic girls and gender-diverse students with hidden needs can feel safe and supported.
Adina Levy
AuDHD Speech Pathologist
Em Hammond
AuDHD Speech Pathologist
Ebony Birch-Hanger
Autistic Educator
A deep dive into the anxiety responses our ladybugs experience, this session covers how to support students experiencing fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses. Our panellists offer practical guidance on creating environments where feeling grounded and secure are a priority.
Chelsea Luker
AuDHD Psychologist
Chenai Mupotsa-Russell
Autistic Therapist
A focused session on sensory inclusion, offering practical solutions that educators and families can use to support the sensory needs of our ladybugs, helping them thrive in various settings.
Claire Britton
AuDHD Occupational Therapist
Steph Robertson
Autistic OT
A supportive session for parents and carers focused on self-care. Our experts discuss managing the emotional load of caring for autistic young people and provide strategies to help parents avoid burnout and to keep going.
Mel Spencer
Autistic Advocate
Sarah Hayden
Neurodivergent Social Worker
Cassandra Allen
Clinical Counsellor and Psychotherapist
This session introduces us to the idea of energy regulation, with the incredible team from Autism Level UP guiding participants on how to help our ladybugs’ understand and manage their energy levels, how to create more sustainable support systems for them.
Dr. Amy Laurent
Occupational Therapist & Psychologist
Dr. Jac Fede
Autistic Developmental Psychologist
A crucial conversation about navigating friendships and relationships safely. Our panellists offer advice on identifying healthy relationships, recognising boundaries, and supporting autistic young people in building meaningful connections.
Frances Brennan
AuDHD Speech Pathologist
Annelil Desille
AuDHD Clinical Psychologist
Caitlin Hughes
AuDHD Mental Health Social Worker
What do you do when something at your child’s school isn’t right – but you want to keep relationships intact? How can you advocate to teachers or administration about your child and their unique needs? Join Kelsie Olds, The Occuplaytional Therapist, as they share practical scripts and respectful ways to challenge behaviour plans and systems. A must-watch for families, clinicians and educators.
Kelsie Olds
The Occuplaytional Therapist
Natasha Staheli explores the pressing challenges within our community and provides an overview of the day's themes and discussions.
Natasha Staheli
Conference Co-host
Join us for a deep dive into interoception and Gestalt language processing, covering essential insights into how these concepts impact autistic girls and gender-diverse young people. Our panellists discuss the importance of understanding these unique processing styles.
Kelly Mahler
Occupational Therapist
Caroline Gaddy
Neuroqueer Speech Pathologist
This session explores the complexities of family relationships for autistic young people, focusing on balancing competing needs and fostering a neuro-affirming environment at home.
Dr. Alberto Veloso
Psychiatrist and Paediatrician
An essential session on understanding and working within the Window of Tolerance. Megan provides practical advice for parents and teachers to help them create environments where autistic young people can thrive without being overwhelmed.
Megan Anna Neff
AuDHD Clinical Psychologist
A practical guide on identifying autistic girls whose needs might go unnoticed. This session will cover strategies for recognising autistic traits and supporting girls with high-masking behaviours.
Ritu Campbell
Clinical Psychologist
Miriam Kirby
Autistic Clinical Psychologist
Our speakers share personal stories and diverse perspectives, providing insight into the unique journeys and identities within the autistic community.
Tash Trickey
AuDHD Occupational Therapist
Mel Jeffery
AuDHD Social Worker
Rebecca Rae-Hodgson
AuDHD Occupational Therapist
Victoria Clark
A deep exploration of monotropism and mapping the autistic mind as an interest system. Learn about this affirming theory of autism and how we can better support our ladybugs through understanding concepts including attention tunnels and flow states.
Dr. Wenn Lawson
Autistic Senior Researcher
Helen Edgar
Autistic Educator
Katie will welcome attendees to the in-person event, express her excitement for the day ahead and highlight the opportunity to connect, learn, and share lived experiences.
Katie Koullas
AuDHD Conference Host
Em discusses the often-hidden experiences of people-pleasing, fawning, and masking, shedding light on these coping strategies and how they impact autistic young people.
A short, practical session introducing dialectical thinking strategies that can support autistic young people in managing complex emotions and perspectives.
Christina explores the unique experiences of Black Autistic young people, sharing essential strategies to better support them. This presentation highlights the importance of understanding intersectionality, creating meaningful accommodations and fostering environments where every young person can thrive.
Christina Schmidt
AuDHD Speech Pathologist
Monique explores the concept of microtraumas and their impact on autistic young people, providing guidance for teachers and parents on how to recognise and address these experiences.
Monique Mitchelson
AuDHD Clinical Psychologist
A session on the positive role of sensory joy and special interests, highlighting how these experiences can protect mental health and nurture a sense of identity.
Sandhya Menon
AuDHD Psychologist
Marie shares her thoughtful and encouraging advice, offering parents insights on fostering understanding, compassion, and connection while embracing their child’s individuality and growth journey.
Marie Camin
AuDHD Clinical Psychologist
Akii will share their personal journey as a neurodivergent advocate, offering valuable insights on how parents, teachers, and professionals can create genuinely inclusive, affirming, and accessible support for the ladybug in your life. Their lived experience will highlight the importance of co-designed approaches, intersectional understanding, and practical strategies to foster safety, belonging, and empowerment for autistic girls and gender-diverse young people.
Akii Ngo
AuDHD Activist
2025-06-05 13:20:00
Khadija is done tiptoeing. In this bold and necessary talk, they go where many are too scared to tread-into the messy, exhausting, beautiful and often invisible reality of being a carer. They name the cost: to mental health, dignity, and identity. These roles come with weight-and far too often, with erasure.
Khadija Gbla
Human rights activist and AuDHD advocate
Veronika discusses relational safety and what it means for autistic young people. This session offers insights into creating relationships that support authenticity and connection.
Veronika Miller
AuDHD Student
2025-06-05 14:00:00
Sarah shares her personal journey with interoception, alexithymia, and rejection sensitivity, offering valuable insights for parents, teachers, and professionals.
Sarah Gurrin
AuDHD Educational & Developmental Psychologist
2025-06-05 14:15:00
Sonny Jane Wise invites us to reflect on the hidden standards we place on our ladybugs, even when we believe we’re being affirming or acting with the best intentions. This keynote unpacks how the deficit-based pathology paradigm still shapes the way we impact our ladybugs, through unconscious bias, internalised beliefs, and deeply embedded neuronormative expectations. Sonny explores how this model (one that sometimes directly, but more often indirectly) teaches our ladybugs to mask, to cope, and to conform, which can cause real harm, even when we don’t realise we’re reinforcing it.
Through lived experience, Sonny shares what becomes possible when we shift the lens, and why embracing the neurodiversity paradigm is essential to the safety, wellbeing, and self-worth of our ladybugs.
Sonny Jane Wise
Multiply Neurodivergent Advocate
In-person attendees will have the chance to ask speakers questions during this Q&A session, providing an opportunity to engage directly and gain deeper insights.
Katie Koullas
AuDHD Conference Host