Online Course
Neurodiversity-Affirming Care: Core Principles and Clinical Applications in Rehabilitation and Pain Management Settings
This online course will be delivered by Sophie Shephard, a neurodivergent titled Pain Physiotherapist with extensive experience working clinically with neurodivergent clients. You will learn more about neurodiversity-affirming care, and explore how to adapt communication, assessment, and management approaches to better support neurodivergent clients across clinical rehabilitation and pain management settings.
Date: TBC - early 2026
Duration: Half day
Location: Online
Why this course:
There is growing recognition of neurodiversity across healthcare, education, and society more broadly. Neurodivergent people are disproportionately affected by chronic pain, fatigue, and chronic health conditions. At the same time, they often face barriers to accessing appropriate, safe, and effective healthcare, often contributed to by a lack of understanding from health professionals. Currently, neurodiversity affirming care remains an underexplored topic in most standard medical and allied health education, particularly for non-mental health professionals. Developed by a neurodivergent health professional with lived experience, this course aims to help bridge the gap between theory and practice by translating principles of neurodiversity-affirming care into practical adaptations for clinicians working in rehabilitation and pain management contexts.
Who the course is for:
This course is relevant to a wide range of health professionals working in clinical and rehabilitation roles across different settings. While it is applicable across disciplines, it is particularly designed for non–mental health professionals (e.g. physiotherapists, exercise physiologists, nurses, doctors, coaches) who want practical, neurodiversity-affirming strategies and skills they can apply within their existing scope of practice. Mental health professionals are also welcome, particularly those interested in learning more about how neurodiversity-affirming principles translate into physical health, rehabilitation, and pain management settings.
What you’ll learn:
In this course, we’ll cover:
Foundational principles and terminology relevant to neurodiversity and neuroinclusive/neurodiversity-affirming healthcare
How neurodivergence (particularly ADHD and Autism) intersects with physical and mental health, including the co-occurrence of complex and invisible illnesses.
Clinic-wide strategies to improve accessibility, communication, and safety for neurodivergent patients.
Practical strategies for adapting clinical assessment and management in rehabilitation and pain management contexts.
Interested? Let us know!
Be first to receive updates and announcements, and have first shot at limited early-bird places. You’ll also get the chance to help shape the final course, by suggesting topics or questions you’d like to see included.