Bridging OT and Education Frameworks: Aligning Practice to Support Neurodiverse Learners
This interactive session will explore collaborative, neuro-affirming strategies and practical evidence based supports to create inclusive classrooms, particularly for children with prenatal alcohol exposure and other neurodevelopmental differences.
Program Overview
This interactive workshop will equip occupational therapists with strategies to collaborate effectively with educators in creating inclusive, neuro-affirming classrooms. Participants will explore how occupational therapy models align with educational frameworks to support children with known or unknown neurodevelopmental differences.
The session will highlight person-centred approaches, environmental adaptations, and tiered supports, with practical strategies for fostering participation and engagement.
A workshop component will focus on the impacts of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on development. PAE causes the most common neurodevelopmental disability in schools, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), yet it is misunderstood and often misdiagnosed. FASD can impact up to nine developmental domains and the functional impact is readily seen in education settings from early childhood through to adulthood. Participants will gain practical realistic, evidence-based strategies to support children and educators.
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Identify key areas of overlap between occupational therapy models and educational frameworks for inclusive practice.
- Apply person-centred approaches and environmental adaptations to promote participation and engagement for neurodiverse students.
- Explain the prevalence and developmental impact of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) in school-aged children.
- Recommend practical, neuro-affirming strategies and tiered supports for children with PAE and other neurodevelopmental differences.
- Collaborate effectively with educators, school leaders, and families to implement inclusive, strength-based practices.
This session is suitable for:
Occupational therapists across all career stages
WORKSHOP DETAILS:
DATE:
Thursday 26th February 2026
TIME:
11:00am – 1:00pm | VIC, NSW, ACT, TAS |
10:30am – 12:30pm | SA |
10:00am – 12 noon | Qld |
9:30am – 11:30am | NT |
8:00am – 10:00am | WA |
The session will run for approximately 2 hours.
Please login 10 minutes before the scheduled presentation time
VENUE
This is a 100% virtual event. You will receive an email with details to access the event one day ahead of the scheduled event date
CPD HOURS:
Total CPD claimable workshop hours: 2 hours
Please allow 48 hours for your CPD Certificate to be loaded in your CPD Tracker after course completion.
ACCESS:
This session will not be recorded as it is an interactive workshop.
Participants will be able to access the recording and course materials online in their OTA account for the event and for a further 12 weeks after the event.
REGISTRATION FEES
EARLYBIRD – Book on or before 25 January 2026
OTA Member: $72
OTA Student/New Graduate Member: $65
Non-member: $95
STANDARD – Book on or after 26 January 2026
OTA Member: $80
OTA Student/New Graduate Member: $72
Non-Member: $105
(All pricing is inclusive of GST)
RSVPS close 11:55pm AEDT on 24 February 2026
Members must be logged in with username and password in order to register at the member rate.
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DISCLAIMER
All information is correct at the time of publication. OTA reserves the right to alter or delete items from the CPD calendar as required, and takes no responsibility for any errors, omissions, and changes.
All resources including copies of the presentation, along with all supporting documents and links are not for distribution and are the property of the presenter.
An OTA staff member or representative may be photographing this event for use in OTA publications and/or on OTA social media sites. If you do not wish to be photographed, or have your image published please make this known to the OTA representative at your course or contact OTA on 1300 682 878 or info@otaus.com.au
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Terms and Conditions including OTA’s refund and cancellation policy are available here
CONTACT US
Please email info@otaus.com.au or phone 1300 682 878
Presented By
Christine Brooks
Christine Brooks is the Vice-Chair of NOFASD Australia and a caregiver to a teenager with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). She also supports a number of young people navigating the challenges of this hidden disorder. Her lived experience with FASD has fuelled her passion for advocating for the well-being of young people in the education system. After extensive years as a Primary School Educator both in Melbourne and a remote NT community, Christine is now dedicated to educating educators about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
Rebecca Ball
Rebecca Ball is a special education teacher and occupational therapist with a diverse and extensive career around Australia. Rebecca is a passionate advocate for building neuro-affirming environments working collaboratively to ensure inclusive practices are embedded to support children and their families. Rebecca works with the Department of Education Victoria, in private consulting as the Director of HopscotchED and is a Partner at BrainyCo.