New workshop, registration now open!

Neurodiversity affirming dietetic care

A Workshop for Dietitians and Nutritionists

This 4 sessions workshop was held on Monday October 16th, 2023 and has been recorded in both video and audio formats. You’ll also find slides and resources included.

There is increasing awareness of the importance of neurodiversity affirming care and practice across all health and support sectors, including nutrition and dietetics. Stepping into this space demands that dietitians bravely challenge the dominance of neuronormative evidence-based nutrition practice to facilitate the transition from traditional dietetic practice to authentic neurodiversity affirming care.

 

foundations of neurodiversity affirming care

with Jaslyn Dugmore

Develop a shared understanding of definitions and the importance of affirming language, explore the intersection of neurodivergence with food, eating and body image experiences

Dismantling neuronormativity and ableism in dietetics: Arguments for change

with Natasha Lane

Pull back the veil and critique dominant cultural narratives infused within Dietetics, it’s time to unlearn and re-learn!

"But that is not what we were taught!": Renovating your dietetic tool kit to be neurodiversity affirming

with Anna Rose

Step up and towards a more inclusive offering for neurodivergent people by identifying action steps and an ongoing commitment to dignified, respectful care.

Bringing lived experience into the picture

with panellists Megan Jones, Natalie Mullins and Ebony McCorkell

Hear from Dietitians with lived experience, and business owners working towards a more neurodivergent-affirming workplace.

Everything will be recorded and uploaded for you to watch in your own time if you are unable to join us live.

Live or self-paced attendance is eligible for 5 CPD points/hours

 
 

In these presentations, our speakers will:

  • Explore the concept of neurodivergence, as well as the historical context of why neurodiversity-affirming care is crucial to our work as dietitians.

  • Discuss how neurodivergence intersects with people's experiences of food, eating, and body image.

  • Explore and provide insights into neuronormative dietetic assumptions and practices and articulate the risk these pose to the holistic wellbeing of neurodivergent individuals and the impact they have on the effectiveness of dietetic care.

  • Discuss how to improve care for neurodivergent individuals by interrupting biases and tailoring communication

  • Identify examples from the peer-reviewed and lived experience evidence that justify stepping away from ‘gold standard’ neuronormative evidence-based care protocols when working with neurodivergent people.

  • Offer concrete actionables for participants to integrate into practice to make our spaces safer for neurodivergent people, including our colleagues

  • Speak and share from their own lived and learned experience to help us better understand how we can build a strong community with everyone in mind.

 
 

Meet our Speakers

 
 

Pricing:

AUD $169 + GST (for Australian residents only)

USD $149 (no tax)

AUD $169 for all other countries

Equity pricing

Available to support people in low income countries and in marginalised groups. Please email Fiona at themindfuldietitian@gmail.com for all details.

Group pricing

20% off available for groups of 5 or more, registering together including group practices. Please email Fiona at themindfuldietitian@gmail.com for access to group codes

 
 

more About our sessions and speakers:

Jaslyn Dugmore (she/her), APD

Jas is a PhD candidate exploring food and eating in the lives of people with dual diagnosis through a Mad Studies and Critical Theory lens. In her dietetic role, Jas facilitates ND-affirming nutrition groups for folks living with mental illness and substance use disorders. Jas uses the terms “mad”,  "mentally ill”, and “neurodivergent” to describe her living experience with ADHD and complex mental illness. In her approach to ND-affirming dietetic care, Jas draws from many modalities including Mad Studies, Critical Theory, Health at Every Size, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. 

Natasha Lane (she/her), APD, CEDC

Natasha Lane from Eating and Feeding is a dietitian and feeding therapist that works with all age groups. She is passionate about helping clients to the build confidence and skills required to enjoy and embrace food for both; nourishment and pleasure. Being diagnosed autistic as an adult was very validating for Natasha. Lots of things made so much more sense after her diagnosis, especially her sensory sensitivities. This fuelled her interest in eating and feeding practices amongst neurodivergent populations further. She supports and counsels families and individuals in a way that is respectful, responsive and affirming. Natasha is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian, she is an ANZAED credentialed rating disorder treatment provider. Natasha engages in continuing education relating to evidence based nutrition and dietetic practice. She also looks to, and learns from her neurodivergent peers and wider the community to improve her practice.

Anna Rose (they/them), APD, CEDC

Anna (they/them) is a late-identified neurodivergent (Autistic-ADHD), queer, non-binary Accredited Practising Dietitian and Credentialled Eating Disorder Clinician, with lived experience of a restrictive eating disorder. With undergraduate degrees in Business (Finance) and Nutrition and Dietetics (Hons), they have more than 12 years of experience as a paediatric dietitian. They are currently a PhD Candidate at Bond University

Anna has specialist dietetic skills in supporting families whose children are experiencing feeding/eating disturbances and delivering neurodiversity affirming support to neurodivergent people who are experiencing feeding and eating differences and disorders. They turned their focus to full time research in 2022 and are currently undertaking a PhD at Bond University where they are exploring the impact of neuronormative feeding and nutrition practices on the wellbeing and quality of life or neurodivergent children and adolescents and their families.

Anna is Deputy Chair of Eating Disorders Neurodiversity Australia (EDNA), a lived experience led not-for-profit organisation dedicated to advocating for improved awareness of, and support for, neurodivergent individuals experiencing a feeding or eating disorder. Anna also works as a Senior Teaching Fellow in Bond University's Master of Nutrition & Dietetic Practice and Medical Programs. In their spare time, Anna enjoys roller-skating, skateboarding, trading info-dumps, dancing wildly, and being silly with their two small humans.

Megan Jones (she/her), APD, CEDC

Megan is a dietitian (APD) and Credentialed eating disorder clinician (ANZAED) who resides in the beautiful Blue Mountains of NSW, Australia.
She is a late diagnosed ADHDer who is passionate about neurodiversity affirming practice and has a particular interest in supporting neurodivergent adults, children and their families with their nutrition and wellbeing. She is a non-diet/HAES  practitioner.
Megan has worked as a dietitian for more than 15 years across a variety of settings including as an inpatient dietitian, in health promotion, mental health, aged care, disability and community dietetics. More recently, she has worked with "The Divergent Edge" supporting neurodivergent adults and now in her own private practice "Quirky Dietetics" where she sees neurodivergent clients across the lifespan.   
She is a mum to several little humans and to a menagerie of animals, including her chicken "Dave" (who lays eggs). 

Ebony McCorkell (she/her), APD, CEDC

Ebony is a fat positive self-identified AuDHD dietitian who specialises in Eating Disorders, Gut Dysfunction, and Vegan/Vegetarian Nutrition. She is particularly interested in the intricate connections between neurodiversity and her other specialisations. She recognises neurodiversity often comes with an intrinsic drive towards justice (and therefore animal rights [among other things]), hypermobility and/or sensory sensitivities (and therefore gut dysfunction), and a need for emotional regulation, drive for autonomy, and sensory sensitivities (and therefore eating disorders). Like most AuDHDers, she's got a lot of thoughts (and sub thoughts [and therefore uses a lot of brackets...])"

Natalie Mullins (she/her), APD

Natalie is the Founder and Director of Pod Dietetics, a team of Dietitians providing high quality, person-centred nutrition care, to people of all ages and backgrounds, on Kaurna country in South Australia. The Pod team work from a weight neutral, trauma-informed and diversity affirming framework, specialising in supporting people with chronic illness, disability, eating disorders and enteral nutrition. Natalie strives to embed an affirming model of practice that permeates all aspects of the business. While she is neurotypical, several Pod team members are neurodivergent, and Natalie is committed to providing a workplace that is safe and inclusive, with accommodations in place to ensure every team member can work in a way that best suits them. This has enabled Pod to thrive through integration of diverse lived experience, celebrating the unique contribution of each team member.