NeurodivergentStudents

Audience

This session is for teachers and school staff who work with students who are autistic, have ADHD, or who think and learn in ways that may not match traditional expectations

Presenter Name(s)

Julie McKinney, MS, Director of Training / Health Literacy Specialist, Exceptional Lives

Nell Quest Curran, PhD, Head of Product, Exceptional Lives

Presenter Bio(s)

Julie McKinney has over 25 years of experience in health literacy, plain language, and adult education. She has deep expertise in writing information so it’s easy to understand, and has developed trainings for educators in clear communication. At Exceptional Lives, she ensures that our content is clear and friendly. She also works to strengthen relationships with community partners, and designs trainings that help them connect with families. Julie also has experience parenting kids with ADHD, learning disabilities and significant intellectual disability. She has ushered her own children through schooling and transition to adulthood, and is committed to helping make this process easier for others. Her core view is that good relationships are the key to just about anything we hope for.

Nell is an anthropologist, UX evangelist, and a passionate advocate for equitable design. At Exceptional Lives, she works to center user experience and high-quality data in our product strategy & design decisions. She is deeply committed to alleviating inequality and improving opportunities in tech for marginalized communities, and brings a background in tech, nonprofit strategy, as a justice studies professor in prisons, and as a health disparities researcher. In addition to her professional background, she also brings personal experience advocating for her own all-neurodivergent family, including her autistic child.

Description

Families of neurodivergent students often navigate extra layers of stress. They spend a lot of time seeking support, advocating for services, and managing behaviors that may be misunderstood. As an educator, your role in welcoming and supporting these families is critical. You don’t need to have all the answers. But the way you communicate, collaborate, and show empathy can build trust and support the student. This session is offered by 2 neurodivergent facilitators who are also parents of neurodivergent children. They will share insights from both home and school perspectives. You’ll learn practical strategies to:

• Build stronger, more trusting relationships with families
• Communicate in ways that are clear, respectful, and inclusive 
• Use a positive, neurodiversity-affirming approach to supporting students and families 

We’ll provide digital resources you can share with families and tools you can use to make ongoing communication and collaboration easier. 

After this session, participants will be able to:

1. Better understand the realities for neurodiverse students and their families and explain how these challenges affect family-school collaboration. 
2. Demonstrate effective family communication strategies that are clear, respectful, and inclusive. 
3. Implement strategies that invite – and build – family collaboration in support of students Strengthen your ability to support neurodivergent students by building meaningful partnerships with their families.

Synchronous / Asynchronous

Synchronous

Location

Live via Zoom

Dates & Times

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

12pm – 2pm

PDPs

2 PDPs

Credit

n/a

Cost

$150 ACCEPT members;  $180 non-members

Team Rates Available

Registration Deadline

January 28, 2026