Links – below are my top go-to links for resources and deeper understanding

Neurodivergent Insights https://neurodivergentinsights.com

Embrace Autism – a place where autistic people can access “clear, trustworthy information and assessments grounded in current research and lived experience.” https://embrace-autism.com

Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN) – Autistic led and majority of board members are Autistic. https://autisticadvocacy.org

Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network https://awnnetwork.org

An extensive list of ADHD and Autism related resources created by NeuroPebble https://docs.google.com/document/d/12JU1TZbI-Yas_BIzQfqjU1tIiTQU1XrR0ttOJ60GpoE/edit?tab=t.0 ——-NueroPebble empowers clinicians with Neuroaffirming care

Content created by me

Expanded Understanding of Autism (Part 1) – Updated presentation slides

Our understanding of autism, along with how to best support autistic clients, is continually growing and expanding. This workshop will provide an overview of diagnostic criteria and explore expanded and atypical presentations, including PDA considerations in both children and adults. The session will conclude with a question-and-answer period.

Understanding Your Partner: A Brief Guide to Masked Autism in Relationships – Article for loved ones

Working with PDA from a neurodiversity affirming approach -Updated presentation slides

This workshop offers a neurodiversity affirming understanding of PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance or Persistent Drive for Autonomy), reframing it not as defiance but as a nervous-system–based need for autonomy and safety. Participants (therapists, parents, and caregivers) will learn how PDA shows up in everyday life through avoidance, resistance, heightened reactivity, shutdown, or masking and people-pleasing, as well as strengths such as creativity, intuition, and relational attunement. We will explore trauma-informed, collaborative approaches that reduce pressure, support regulation, and honor autonomy, helping adults better understand and support children  and teens with a PDA profile. Expanded slides here

Heavy Work, Proprioception, and Relational Regulation: Why Grappling and Somatic Drawing Integrate Mind and Body – Article by Melissa Wyman

Abstract

Heavy work (physical activity involving deep pressure and resistance that engages the proprioceptive system) is increasingly recognized as supportive of nervous system regulation across somatic psychotherapy, occupational therapy, and neurodiversity-affirming practice. Drawing from Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Polyvagal Theory, this article examines Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) and somatic drawing as distinct practices that share a common therapeutic architecture grounded in proprioception, intentional action, relational engagement, and play. Through a Sensorimotor Psychotherapy lens, these practices function as bottom-up interventions that engage regulatory capacities encoded in movement, sensation, and action, supporting the modulation and completion of defensive and relational action tendencies within structured, consent-based contexts and promoting agency, boundary clarity, and autonomic flexibility. Polyvagal Theory further situates play as a key mechanism, providing a neurobiological context of safety that allows exploration of intensity, proximity, and mutual influence without overwhelm. Positioned within a neurodiversity-affirming framework, the article highlights the relevance of these embodied approaches for autistic, ADHD, and highly sensitive individuals for whom traditional talk therapy may be insufficient, emphasizing that by prioritizing embodied experience and honoring diverse nervous system organizations, heavy work and somatic drawing offer inclusive, relational pathways to regulation and integration.

****Full Heavy Work Article here with further considerations****