Growing Gently Psychology

26/03/2026

Donut forget to book your spot at our upcoming supported social event for autistic primary school children these April school holidays!

We will be making a big batch of sensory dough and participants will get to take home three tubs of dough they have designed. Participants will get to chose from a range of themes and resources, adding in sense colours and textures!

One of the themes will be doughnut theme where participants can make a sensory do that almost looks as good enough to eat!

Stay tuned to learn more about the theme options available!!

25/03/2026

Bookings for the next school holiday supported social event open!

Let’s Dough is a relaxed sensory play session for primary school aged autistic children who enjoy hands-on activities and creative exploration.

Children will have the opportunity to make non-bake sensory dough. Choosing from a range of themes, children can decorate up to three jars of dough using scents, colours, and craft items to take home.

Participants who book before 20 March can suggest dough themes and I will do my best to accommodate these ideas!

The session is designed to be calm and flexible, but also fun!

Social interaction is welcomed but never expected. Children may choose to play independently, engage in parallel play, or connect with others through shared creations. The aim is to provide a supportive environment where children can explore sensory play, regulate, and build confidence connecting with peers in a way that feels comfortable for them.

For more information and to book, visit:

https://www.growinggentlypsychology.com.au/event-details-registration/lets-dough-supported-social-event

23/03/2026

“They are fine at school”, the school says. “We don’t see any of that here”. Sound familiar?

It’s a common story. The school says the child does not show any behavioural signs of distress or even neurodivergence. It’s something I have been thinking a lot about recently. Because both my professional and personal experience of neurodivergent masking makes it really hard for me to NOT SEE when a child is struggling. It might not look like screaming, throwing things across the room, absconding, crying or hiding under a desk. It might not look like “challenging” behaviours or blatant demand avoidance. But the more neurodivergent children I get to know, the more I fail to see how their needs are “hidden”. They are not masked to the point of invisibility. To me, even when a child is masking, their behaviours still tell a story about their support needs.

The problem is that often their behaviours are not “challenging”; in fact, they might make things easier for those around them.

They might not be crying with distress; but they are still engaging in stress behaviours.

The behaviours are not invisible. They are there, but they are misunderstood. They are dismissed, deflected or even praised. But they are still there.

Know them. Know the impact. Address the need.

14/03/2026

Bookings for the next school holiday supported social event now open!

Let’s Dough is a relaxed sensory play session for primary school aged autistic children who enjoy hands-on activities and creative exploration.

Children will have the opportunity to make non-bake sensory dough. Choosing from a range of themes, children can decorate up to three jars of dough using scents, colours, and craft items to take home.

Participants who book before 20 March can suggest dough themes and I will do my best to accommodate these ideas!

The session is designed to be calm and flexible, but also fun!

Social interaction is welcomed but never expected. Children may choose to play independently, engage in parallel play, or connect with others through shared creations. The aim is to provide a supportive environment where children can explore sensory play, regulate, and build confidence connecting with peers in a way that feels comfortable for them.

For more information and to book, visit:

https://www.growinggentlypsychology.com.au/event-details-registration/lets-dough-supported-social-event

13/03/2026

The perinatal period is one of the most common windows in which adults first recognise their own neurodivergence. As identity shifts, sensory demands intensify, and support needs become more visible, many parents begin to connect the dots between lifelong patterns and their current experiences.

I will presenting at the How Babies Thrive Conference this April/May.

Come along and we will explore what neurodivergence can look like in the perinatal context and the common challenges experienced by neurodivergent parents and their babies, including feeding and sleep overwhelm, sensory overload, co-regulation mismatches, burnout, and difficulty navigating competing advice.

Book your spot now:

https://www.breastfeedingconferences.com.au/about/How-Babies-Work-Sleep-Eat-Thrive-1?ref=YQE9A2

13/03/2026

Art is often treated in therapy as a way to build rapport before the “real work” begins or as a “reward” once the “real work” ends.

But art IS the real work.

Through art, we can see thinking, feeling, curiosity and regulation unfold in real time.

🎨 Experimenting with colours to experience and express emotions.
🧩 Practising problem solving to figure out how to make ideas come to life.
🌱 Expanding interests by following curiosity and discovering new ways to engage.
🌈 Learning about sensory preferences by noticing which textures, movements and materials feel calming, exciting or overwhelming.
🙋 Practising asking for help and requesting materials or support when something feels tricky.
💬 Aiding communication bypassing demanding reciprocal verbal interactions or direct lines of questioning.

Art creates natural opportunities for communication, collaboration and exploration.

If we want therapy to be truly neurodiversity-affirming, art and play shouldn’t sit on the sidelines.

They deserve a place at the centre. 🎨✨

24/02/2026

This makes a lot of sense to me. It’s good to see some research is being done in this area.

This new study explored factors underlying Extreme Demand Avoidance (EDA) in autistic children and adolescents, including those with and without Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). It was the first to show that heightened sensory reactivity, particularly increased sensory sensitivity and sensory seeking, distinctly characterises autistic young people with PDA. The findings suggest that strong sensory responses may significantly influence both the ability to manage, and the avoidance of, everyday demands. A clearer understanding of these mechanisms can support strengths-based, individualised strategies, including approaches that adapt environmental sensory demands for autistic children with PDA.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reia.2026.202816

Follow us to keep up to date on the latest research in Sensory Integration and Neurodiversity.

To learn more about supporting individuals with sensory differences across the lifespan see the link below:
https://www.sensoryintegrationeducation.com/bundles/Sensory-Inclusion-Facilitator-Certificate-B

22/02/2026

I spent Sunday afternoon watching this webinar by .ed.network.aus

Alot of the children I support are homeschooled or they potentially will be eventually. It was interesting (but not surprising) to hear about how well education and psychological theory can be integrated in homeschool education to create positive learning environments for children, particularly autistic and PDA kids.

What does this have to do with my role as a psychologist?

First, I see the value in multiple educational pathways and do not consider that either formal or homeschooling is better than each other. The approach is dependant on what suits the child and family the best. Hence, understanding homeschooling is important to know how to apply my approach in this setting.

Second, parents who are considering homeschooling or who are homeschooling may benefit from psychological support to:

💚 Make decisions relating to what educational pathway suit their child and family the best.

💚 Identify and support their child’s learning style and needs.

💚 Reflect on and work through thoughts and beliefs about education and learning which may be causing distress, conflict or confusion.

💚 Work out how to motivate and engage their child’s natural curiosity to learn.

💚 Establish structure and rhythms to their day/week that supports fluctuating capacity, family wellbeing, competing demands, and value-based goals and tasks.

💚 Manage their own wellbeing and needs whilst homeschooling.

20/02/2026

Saturday morning reminder…

Don’t assign your value based on your child’s meltdowns (or your meltdowns for that matter). Being a loving, caring and good enough parent is not contingent on the intensity of your child’s emotions, how often their nervous system reacts to their environment, or even how you respond to extreme life stressors.

Don’t let the (inner) critics fool you.

If you want tangible reminders like these around your home, check out my Neurodivergent Parenting Card Deck. The card deck is designed for Neurodivergent Families to prompt a neuroaffirming way of living for your family. A way of being where you can

💚 Stop trying to ““keep up” with other families without success.

💚 Reframe your neurodivergent behaviours and experiences.

💚 Support your children to grow up authentically and unapologetically themselves.

💚 Free yourself from the shame that can come from experiencing the world differently.

Get your own card deck now: https://www.growinggentlypsychology.com.au/product-page/pre-order-neurodivergent-parenting-cards-hard-copy

14/02/2026

I have so many exciting things lined up for the next few months! 🙊

💚 I am so excited I was invited by to host an ADHD in Motherhood Masterclass for her perinatal therapist program. It’s just an explosion of all my passions combined 🎉 This is a closed event and you can contact the lovely Yara for more information on how to join.

💚 Casual spots or annual memberships are available for my Neuroaffirming Families Professional Development Series. Our first session explores how professionals can guide neurodivergent families and schools to build strong relationships through a neuroaffirming and nervous-system to communication. Book your spot via my website: https://www.growinggentlypsychology.com.au/events-1

💚 Our second Psych Parents Group Supervision will be happening soon. If you want to be part of our March session, book your spot via my website: https://www.growinggentlypsychology.com.au/events-1

💚 And I’m going on tour! (Well, kind of!) If you want to come along to .conferences ‘ How Babies Work, you’ll not only hear my “Born Neurodivergent” presentation, but also hear some of the biggest influencers in my personal Psych Parent journey and
If you can’t make it in person, a recording will also be available.

09/02/2026

Psych Parents is back in March 2026

🌱 Are you a psychologist or health professional who is pregnant, on parental leave, or in the early years of parenting?

🌱Are you navigating the juggle of work, CPD, and family life, or wondering how (or whether) you want to return to work?

Psych Parents Peer Supervision offers a compassionate space to connect with other clinicians who understand the unique experience of being both a parent and a health professional.

📅 Friday 6 March 2026
⏰ 12pm (midday), Sydney time

In these sessions we:
💚 Share the realities of parenting as clinicians
💚 Reflect on psychological concepts through the lens of parenthood
💚 Explore identity shifts, values, and sustainable ways of working
💚 Consider how becoming a parent shapes the work we do

Last session we explored the challenge of returning to pre-baby roles when parenting has changed who we are. and how small, values-based shifts can support a more sustainable path forward.

Book here:
https://www.growinggentlypsychology.com.au/event-details-registration/psych-parents-group-supervision-2

09/02/2026

This month kicks off the Neuroaffirming Families Professional Development Series 🎉

In our first interactive session, we will be exploring how to support neurodivergent families and schools to build strong, open relationships through regulated, effective, and affirming communication.

We will examine common challenges and underlying neurotypical assumptions, and discuss practical neuroaffirming and nervous system–aware strategies.

Book a one-off spot or sign up for an annual membership!!

Book now via our website: https://www.growinggentlypsychology.com.au/event-details-registration/neuroaffirming-families-professional-development-series-2026