Working with Policy Change to Create Neurodiversity-Affirming Education
Tracks
Jacaranda - In-Person Only
| Monday, September 28, 2026 |
| 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM |
| Jacaranda Room |
Overview
Emma-Rose Parsons, Spectrum House| Emma-Rose Consulting
Key Learnings
1. Policy as a lever for change
School policies shape expectations, environments and responses to students. When reviewed through a neurodiversity-affirming lens, policy can shift schools from reactive accommodation to proactive inclusion that supports access, wellbeing and belonging.
2. Moving beyond traditional disability frameworks
Many existing approaches focus on compliance and fixing the student. Neurodiversity-affirming practice instead examines systems, environments and expectations to identify and remove barriers to learning.
3. Whole-school responsibility
Meaningful change requires collaboration across leadership, teachers, wellbeing teams, families and students. Sustainable progress happens when neurodiversity-affirming principles are embedded in culture, policy and everyday practice across the entire school community.
Speaker
Ms Emma-Rose Parsons
Director
Spectrum House
Working with Policy Change to Create Neurodiversity-Affirming Education’.
Presentation Overview
As schools increasingly recognise the importance of supporting neurodivergent students, many leaders are asking a critical question:
How do we move beyond individual adjustments and embed neurodiversity-affirming practice into the policies, systems and culture of our schools?
This presentation explores how meaningful change occurs when schools examine the intersection of policy, practice and lived experience. Drawing on lived experience as an ADHDer and extensive professional work as a psychologist supporting schools to navigate neurodiversity in education, the session offers practical insight into the realities of implementing neurodiversity-affirming approaches within complex educational environments.
Many schools already have disability policies; however, these are often grounded in traditional medical or deficit-based models focused primarily on compliance, diagnosis and accommodations. Neurodiversity-affirming practice requires a broader lens. It invites schools to consider how systems, environments, expectations and policies themselves may unintentionally create barriers for neurodivergent students.
Grounded in psychological research, educational practice and real-world school contexts, this presentation examines the challenges schools encounter when attempting policy change, including competing priorities, traditional schooling structures, community expectations, staff capacity and the need to align practice with legislation such as the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005.
The session will focus on three practical areas for delegates:
• Understanding the difference between traditional disability frameworks and neurodiversity-affirming approaches
• Identifying where existing school policies may unintentionally create barriers for neurodivergent students
• Key considerations for clinicians/those in schools/those who work alongside schools, who can influence inclusion in practice
Participants will leave with practical insights into how policy can act as a powerful lever for cultural change, supporting schools to move beyond compliance toward environments where neurodivergent students can genuinely thrive.
How do we move beyond individual adjustments and embed neurodiversity-affirming practice into the policies, systems and culture of our schools?
This presentation explores how meaningful change occurs when schools examine the intersection of policy, practice and lived experience. Drawing on lived experience as an ADHDer and extensive professional work as a psychologist supporting schools to navigate neurodiversity in education, the session offers practical insight into the realities of implementing neurodiversity-affirming approaches within complex educational environments.
Many schools already have disability policies; however, these are often grounded in traditional medical or deficit-based models focused primarily on compliance, diagnosis and accommodations. Neurodiversity-affirming practice requires a broader lens. It invites schools to consider how systems, environments, expectations and policies themselves may unintentionally create barriers for neurodivergent students.
Grounded in psychological research, educational practice and real-world school contexts, this presentation examines the challenges schools encounter when attempting policy change, including competing priorities, traditional schooling structures, community expectations, staff capacity and the need to align practice with legislation such as the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005.
The session will focus on three practical areas for delegates:
• Understanding the difference between traditional disability frameworks and neurodiversity-affirming approaches
• Identifying where existing school policies may unintentionally create barriers for neurodivergent students
• Key considerations for clinicians/those in schools/those who work alongside schools, who can influence inclusion in practice
Participants will leave with practical insights into how policy can act as a powerful lever for cultural change, supporting schools to move beyond compliance toward environments where neurodivergent students can genuinely thrive.
Biography
Emma-Rose Parsons is a psychologist, keynote speaker, director and proud ADHDer with over 25 years’ experience working in mental health across Australia and internationally. She is passionate about creating neurodiversity-affirming communities and believes that when mental health is thriving, it can change lives. Emma-Rose is the founder of Nurturing Sparkles and director of Spectrum House Psychology, Emma-Rose Consulting, and co-director of the Paediatric Health Collective. She works with schools, families, clinicians and workplaces to better understand neurodivergence. Known for her engaging, practical and often humorous presentations, Emma-Rose makes complex ideas accessible, hopeful and genuinely useful.
