Neurominded

Professional learning should be something people actually want to come to.

At Neurominded, we want our sessions to feel relevant, practical and engaging. A space where people can ask questions, reflect on their practice, share ideas and leave with something they can genuinely use.

So feedback about strong turnout and genuine engagement means a lot to us. Because that’s exactly what we’re aiming for.

Professional learning that doesn’t just tick a box, but gets people thinking, talking and wanting to learn more 💚

Good practice translates across languages. 🌏

We’ve been reflecting on our current work alongside a bilingual early learning service and, in particular, on something we weren’t entirely sure about when we began.

How effectively could we observe, reflect on and coach educator practice when many of the interactions happening around us were in a language we don’t speak?
As it turns out, there is so much about quality, inclusive practice that doesn’t require translation.

You can observe connection.

You can see whether an educator pauses and gives a child time to respond.

You can notice whose communication is being recognised and whose might be missed.

You can see when an interaction is being led by the child, when an educator scaffolds participation, and when a small shift in practice could create greater access, agency or belonging.

The spoken words may be different, but the foundations of responsive, inclusive practice translate across languages.

And perhaps one of our biggest reflections has been how much we continue to learn through this work too.

We have been incredibly fortunate to work alongside a team who have been willing to reflect openly, question established ways of doing things, trial different approaches and think deeply about what inclusion looks like for the children in front of them.

Because capacity building isn’t about arriving with all the answers. It’s about slowing down, observing, reflecting together and asking: What could we do differently here to make participation, communication and belonging more possible for every child?

Different languages. Shared commitment. And some pretty powerful learning happening in both directions. 💚

✨ Flashback to last week in Albany!

Our founder, Gee, had the pleasure of spending time in Albany delivering two sessions focused on supporting the emotional wellbeing of neurodivergent young people:

🌿 Supporting Emotional Wellbeing in Neurodivergent Young People
🌿 Supporting Your Neurodivergent Child’s Emotional Wellbeing

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us across the two sessions. There were such thoughtful conversations, shared reflections and genuine connection in the room, and we’re so grateful to everyone who contributed.

A big thank you also to and Parenting Connection WA for bringing us to Albany and creating opportunities for these important conversations within the Great Southern community.

We loved our time in the region and hope it won’t be too long before we’re back again! 💚

This first photo pretty much sums up the energy of the day! 💚

On Saturday, our Leanne had the absolute pleasure of delivering the keynote at the Central Great Southern Early Years Conference, inviting educators to reflect on the lens through which we view children, and how shifting that lens can shape the way we understand, respond to and ultimately support neurodivergent identities.

Such an incredible conference and such a fantastic opportunity for educators across the Great Southern to come together, connect, learn and share.

A huge thank you to everyone involved in organising such a brilliant day, and to all of the educators who joined Leanne for the keynote. It was pretty special to have so many passionate Educators in one room!

We’ve also loved hearing from and connecting with so many of you since Saturday - we’re very happy to have you as part of our growing Neurominded community.

Thanks for having us 💚

We’re looking forward to being part of this one! 🌱

Next month, our very own Gee van der Watt will be joining Larissa Muir from 12 Buckets for Breakfast Connect: Conversations about Neurodiversity – Supporting Every Child to Thrive.

Hosted by Communities for Children Mirrabooka in partnership with the City of Stirling, the morning will bring together local community leaders for conversations about neurodiversity in children, greater awareness, early support and the role strong community connections can play in supporting neurodivergent children and their families.

We love opportunities like this to keep conversations about neurodiversity happening beyond individual services and settings, and across the communities children and families are part of.

Thursday 22 October 2026
7:15am–9:00am (registration from 7am)
Hammersley Golf Club – The Sunny Social, Karrinyup

Bookings are open now - scan the QR code on the flyer to join us.

Just one week to go!

Our next Neurominded Early Learning Webinar, Supporting Neurodivergent Play, is coming up next Tuesday, 22 September.

We’ll explore the many ways neurodivergent children may use play to connect, regulate, explore and communicate; and challenge some of the assumptions we can unknowingly bring to children’s play.

We’re also very excited to welcome the door prize winners from the West Australian Association of Teacher Assistants Inc. - WAATA conference, who had the opportunity to choose between joining us for this session or our October webinar, The Power of Visual Supports. We can’t wait to have you join us! 💚

There’s still time to register if you’d like to come along - simply scan the QR code in the post.

Tuesday 22 September | 6:30–8:30pm AWST

What if we stopped asking neurodivergent children to play differently? 🌱

Our next Neurominded Early Learning Webinar explores Supporting Neurodivergent Play; looking beyond traditional ideas of what play should look like and considering the many ways neurodivergent children may use play to connect, regulate, explore and communicate.

We’ll unpack different expressions of play, challenge some of the assumptions we can unknowingly bring to children’s play, and explore how educators can create environments that genuinely support participation, autonomy and belonging.

💜 Supporting Neurodivergent Play
📅 Tuesday 22 September
⏰ 6:30pm–8:30pm AWST
💻 Online webinar

Perfect for early childhood educators, leaders and anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of neurodivergent children through a more affirming lens.

Bookings are now open - scan the QR code to register.

And as always, please feel free to share with a colleague or service who might benefit. 🌿

Sometimes our parenting sessions look a little like this. 💚

We talk a lot about connection, co-regulation, responding to what’s in front of us, and recognising that real life doesn’t always fit neatly around a workshop.

So when a little person needed some extra comfort mid-session, Leanne’s instincts kicked in; up she came, and the session carried on without missing a beat.

There’s something about this photo that captures a little of what we hope people feel when they come into a Neurominded space.

We get it. Life happens. Kids need us. And everyone is welcome.

What if we stopped asking neurodivergent children to play differently? 🌱

Our next Neurominded Early Learning Webinar explores Supporting Neurodivergent Play; looking beyond traditional ideas of what play should look like and considering the many ways neurodivergent children may use play to connect, regulate, explore and communicate.

We’ll unpack different expressions of play, challenge some of the assumptions we can unknowingly bring to children’s play, and explore how educators can create environments that genuinely support participation, autonomy and belonging.

💜 Supporting Neurodivergent Play
📅 Tuesday 22 September
⏰ 6:30pm–8:30pm AWST
💻 Online webinar

Perfect for early childhood educators, leaders and anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of neurodivergent children through a more affirming lens.

Bookings are now open - scan the QR code to register.

And as always, please feel free to share with a colleague or service who might benefit. 🌿

We’re coming to Albany! 🌿

We’re so excited to be heading to Albany this September to deliver two parent and carer workshops exploring emotional wellbeing in neurodivergent children and young people.

Across the day, Gee will be facilitating two sessions tailored to different stages of childhood and adolescence:

🌱 Supporting Your Neurodivergent Child’s Emotional Wellbeing
For parents and carers of preschool and primary school-aged children.

🌿 Supporting Emotional Wellbeing in Neurodivergent Young People
Exploring the teenage years through a neuro-affirming and strengths-based lens.

Both sessions will explore emotional wellbeing, regulation, connection and behaviour through a neuro-affirming lens, while sharing practical strategies that families can take into everyday life.

A huge thank you to Uplyft through Parenting Connection WA – Great Southern, for making these sessions possible and bringing us to the Great Southern.

📍 Albany | Thursday 17 September 2026
Bookings are essential, all the details and booking links are on the flyers.

If you know a parent, carer or family in the Albany/Great Southern region who may benefit, please share this with them or tag them below. We’d love to see them there. 💚

TOP TIP OF THE MONTH | Presume competence 🌱

What we see on the outside doesn’t always tell us what a child understands, knows or is capable of.

A child may communicate differently, need more processing time, find it difficult to demonstrate their learning, or participate in ways we don’t immediately recognise.

Presuming competence means starting from possibility, rather than limitation.

Try:
✨ Speaking to children, not about them when they’re present
✨ Giving enough time to process and respond
✨ Offering different ways to communicate, contribute and participate
✨ Avoiding assumptions based on speech, behaviour or support needs
✨ Asking, “What might this child understand that they haven’t yet been able to show me?”

Sometimes the most important shift isn’t changing the child or even the environment.

It’s changing what we assume is possible.