Rethinking neurodiversity.

Transforming ECE practice.

One powerful day. Fresh perspectives. Practical strategies.
A more inclusive future for ECE.


Friday 19 March 2027     Sorrento in the Park, Auckland         9.00 am to 3.00 pm

Secure your early bird ticket

limited seats available. Last year's event sold out.




It’s time to think differently about neurodiversity.

Neurodiversity isn’t just about the children we teach. It’s about the educators we work alongside, the environments we create, the approaches we take and the different minds that make our ECE communities stronger.

Every day, early childhood professionals navigate diverse learning needs, emotional regulation, individual strengths and different ways of experiencing the world.

But what if we could move beyond simply responding to differences and start creating environments where neurodivergent children and educators genuinely thrive?

Neurodivergence in ECE is a full-day professional learning experience designed to do exactly that. Bringing together specialist knowledge, real-world strategies and powerful lived experiences, this event will challenge the way you think about neurodiversity and equip you with practical tools to make meaningful changes in your everyday practice.

This isn’t just another professional development day. It’s a chance to see things differently, think more inclusively, and return to your early childhood service ready to make a difference.

One day. Six powerful conversations.

Endless opportunities to rethink practice.

UNDERSTANDING 
NEURODIVERSITY
Discover how different minds process, experience and engage with the world, and what this means for creating more responsive ECE environments.
BEYOND 
BEHAVIOUR
Explore practical strategies for supporting emotional regulation and responding to children’s individual needs with greater understanding and confidence.
THE 
SAFE MODEL
Discover a practical framework to support neurodivergent children and embed more inclusive approaches into everyday teaching.
REAL STORIES. 
REAL EXPERIENCES.
Hear firsthand perspectives from parents and educators navigating neurodiversity, offering insights that go beyond textbooks and traditional teaching approaches.
THE STRENGTHS OF
NEURODIVERGENT EDUCATORS
Challenge assumptions and explore the unique perspectives, talents and strengths neurodivergent teachers bring
to the ECE profession.
ASK
 THE EXPERTS
Bring your questions to our speakers in a live Q&A, connecting expert knowledge with the real challenges and opportunities
experienced in ECE settings.



Meet the voices shaping the conversation

An inspiring line-up sharing their expertise, experiences and practical insights.

Dr Sarah Watson

Senior Clinical Psychologist, Totally Psyched

Tami Harris

Acorn Neurodiversity

Chloe Wong

Blackburn Speech 
& Paediatric Therapy

Jo Blair

Neurodivergent Parent
 & Centre owner

Dr Barbara Watson

InspirED ECE
Professional Learning Leader

KEYNOTE SPEAKER · 9:15AM

Dr Sarah Watson

Founder, CEO and Senior Clinical Psychologist, Totally Psyched

Understanding Neurodiversity:
What Every ECE Professional Needs to Know

Explore neurodiversity and its implications for daily ECE practice, developing a deeper understanding of how different minds experience and engage with the world.

BEYOND BEHAVIOUR · 10:00AM

Tami Harris

Chief Executive, Acorn Neurodiversity

Beyond Behaviour: Supporting Emotional Regulation in ECE

Discover approaches to emotional regulation that support children’s individual needs and help educators respond with greater confidence and understanding.

THE SAFE MODEL · 11:15AM

Chloe Wong

Director, Blackburn Speech & Paediatric Therapy

The SAFE Model: A Practical Framework for Neuro-inclusive Practice

Explore the SAFE Model and how it can be used to guide responsive, supportive approaches for neurodivergent children.

LIVED EXPERIENCE · 12:00PM

Jo Blair

Former Owner, Magic Garden Education Centre

Two Perspectives, One Journey: Navigating Neurodiversity at Home and in Education

Hear powerful perspectives from a parent and educator, exploring the realities, challenges and opportunities of navigating neurodiversity across home and education settings. Jo is a former teacher, owner of Magic Garden Education Centre, and mother of an autistic, intellectually disabled and non-verbal child.

DIFFERENT MINDS · 1:30PM

Dr Barbara Watson

InspirED ECE

Different Minds, Exceptional Strengths: The Power of Neurodivergent Educators

Discover the strengths and perspectives neurodivergent teachers bring to the ECE workforce, and why neuro-inclusion must extend to the educators within our teams.

2.15PM

Live Expert Q&A

Your questions. Real-world challenges. Expert perspectives.

An opportunity to ask questions, explore challenges and gain insights from our whole speaker panel.

Walk away with more than inspiration.

This is professional learning designed to make a difference long after the event ends.

Because meaningful inclusion doesn’t happen by chance. It happens by design.

  • A deeper understanding of neurodiversity in both children and educators
  • Practical approaches to supporting emotional regulation and individual learning needs
  • Greater confidence in recognising and responding to different ways of thinking, learning and experiencing the world
  • New perspectives on the strengths and contributions of neurodivergent   educators
  • Frameworks and ideas you can bring back to your centre and team
  • Fresh motivation to build more inclusive environments where everyone has the opportunity to thrive

Who is this event for?

Whether you’re just beginning your journey towards more neuro-inclusive practice or looking to deepen your existing knowledge, this day is for you.

ECE teachers and educators

Looking for practical strategies, deeper understanding and fresh approaches to everyday teaching.

Centre managers and leaders

Wanting to create more inclusive cultures, strengthen team understanding and better support both children and educators.

Neurodivergent educators

Interested in exploring neurodiversity within the profession and celebrating the strengths that different minds bring to ECE.

ECE professionals and sector leaders

Passionate about challenging assumptions and helping shape a more inclusive future for early childhood education.

Your ticket to a more inclusive future

Friday 19 March 2027 | 9:00am to 3:00pm | Sorrento, Auckland

Your full-day event experience includes:
  • Access to all expert-led presentations
  • Practical strategies and professional learning
  • Lived-experience perspectives 
  • Interactive speaker Q&A 
  • Morning tea and lunch provided 
  • Opportunities to connect with other ECE professionals


EARLYBIRD

$299

Save $100 per ticket

Standard ticket price: $399

**Don't miss out. Last year sold out fast.


       *This event is not included in the Black Friday special offer

Contact us if you need to pay via bank deposit. 

No reservations are complete until payment is made.

The future of ECE is neuro-inclusive.
Be part of shaping it.

Creating truly inclusive early childhood environments begins with understanding, grows through connection and becomes reality through the choices we make every day.

Neurodivergence in ECE is your opportunity to challenge your thinking, gain practical tools and connect with people who share your commitment to making ECE better for everyone.

Every mind deserves environments where it can thrive. Let’s create them.

Secure your ticket: $299 early bird
Partnering with The ECE Leaders Summit to support the growth and development of
ECE Owners, Executives and Leaders across New Zealand. 
Quality & Compliance — Doing Both at Once

Paula Hawkings

ECE Compliance & Quality Specialist I ECE Consultancy Services
For many ECE leaders, compliance and quality feel like two competing demands pulling in opposite directions — one driven by paperwork and regulation, the other by philosophy and practice. Paula Hawkings has spent her career helping centres prove that's a false choice. Done well, compliance and quality reinforce each other. Done poorly, they undermine everything.

In this session Paula shares the frameworks and practical approaches she has seen work in real services — from small owner-operated centres to multi-centre groups. She addresses the compliance areas that create the most stress (ERO reviews, licensing criteria, assessment and planning), and shows how the best leaders integrate quality practice into the fabric of their daily operations rather than treating compliance as a separate 'add-on' task.
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