Neurodiversity Centre

05/01/2026

Gentle beginnings.
Because growth doesn’t have to be hard to count. 🌱

11/12/2025

Holiday behaviour isn’t misbehaviour.
It’s communication.
Sensory changes, social pressures, disrupted routines, and new environments all impact regulation.
Let’s normalise understanding over judgement.

09/12/2025

A gentle reminder: Your December does not need to look like anyone else’s.
Low-pressure celebrations are valid.
Quiet holidays are real holidays.
Do what feels grounding for your family.

05/12/2025

You’re allowed to say no - for yourself and
for your neurodivergent child.

“No, we won’t be staying the whole time.”
“No, they need a break.”
“No, we’re choosing a low-demand holiday.”

Boundaries are support.

02/12/2025

✨ Nervous System Safety: Holiday Edition ✨
A gentle holiday support space for neurodivergent adults, children, parents, and anyone feeling stretched thin this season.

Do the holidays bring more dread than excitement?
You’re not alone — many of us feel that way, especially when routines shift, expectations rise, and rest feels impossible.

This time of year can be particularly tough when:
• Routines change suddenly
• Expectations and reality don’t quite match
• Care demands increase
• Family and social pressures intensify
• Burnout feels closer than ever

This holiday season, Liesel Smal is offering online group support sessions designed to help you understand your nervous system, build practical regulation tools, and feel less alone while navigating the festive chaos.

🧡 What to expect:
Simple nervous system education, gentle experiential practices, supportive community, and a space where your capacity is respected.

🗓 When:
Every Tuesday | 19h00–20h30
Dates: 16/12, 23/12, 30/12, 6/01, 13/01
(Attend 1, 2, 3, or the full 5-session series — whatever fits your capacity.)

💻 Where:
Online (from the comfort of your home)

💰 Cost:
R300 per session
or
R1200 for all 5 sessions

Facilitated by Liesel Smal
Occupational Therapist, Somatic Experiencing trainee, and mother of a PDA autistic, ADHD child.

📩 To book or ask questions:
WhatsApp: +27 64 019 1543
Email: liesel@neurodiversitycentre.co.za

You don’t have to navigate the holidays alone — support is here. 💛

01/12/2025

Not all festive activities are sensory-friendly — and that’s okay.
Here are a few low-demand, accessible ways to celebrate December without the overwhelm.

What helps you or your family feel grounded?

29/11/2025

You’re doing enough. 🫶

December can bring change, sensory load, and a lot of demands — and neurodivergent children and adults often feel this more intensely.

Here are a few neuroaffirming supports to help everyone move through the month with more ease.

26/11/2025

When kids feel unsafe, their nervous systems take over.

Fight, flight, freeze, or fawn are survival states — not defiance.

A regulated adult helps a dysregulated child feel safe.

25/11/2025

Understanding AuDHD 📖🔎💡

Autism + ADHD can coexist in powerful and meaningful ways. This article explores how AuDHD can deepen focus, creativity, connection, and purpose — and why a strengths-based lens matters.

🔗 Read the full article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/we-are-story/202511/understanding-strengths-with-coexisting-autism-and-adhd

A strengths-based look at how autism and ADHD coexist (AuDHD) reveals five capacities that deepen perception, creativity, insight, and authentic connection.

21/11/2025

When your brain struggles to anticipate what’s coming next, every unexpected change feels like a small earthquake.

That’s called predictive processing difference — and it’s a core feature of many autistic and ADHD experiences.

You’re not “too sensitive to change.” You just experience uncertainty more deeply.

19/11/2025

Some learners can’t automatically tell when “the rule has changed.”

That’s context blindness — the world may feel unpredictable.

🗝️ Tip for teachers: Say things out loud, clearly and consistently.
“Usually we’re quiet, but now it’s your turn to shout your ideas!”

16/11/2025

Neurotypical kids are like spekbooms — they thrive almost anywhere.

Neurodivergent kids are like orchids — they need the right light, water, and care to bloom.

Our job is to nurture, not change, the child in front of us.