Thriving Not Just Surviving

Join Dr Annie Clements (Autism & ADHD) and Charmaine Champ (Clear Steps Consultancy) for a supportive, practical and compassionate half‑day conference designed for anyone supporting or navigating neurodivergence — parents, carers, guardians, professionals, educators, and neurodivergent adults and young people themselves.

Whether you’re raising a neurodivergent child, supporting a young person, working in education or care, or navigating neurodivergence in adulthood, this event offers realistic tools that help you move beyond daily crisis‑management and towards sustainable, compassionate support.

Led by two trainers with lived experience of raising and living in neurodivergent families, this conference blends real‑life understanding with evidence‑informed practice. You’ll gain clarity, confidence and practical strategies you can use immediately.

Together we will explore:

• Why sleep can feel impossible — and what actually helps
• Understanding continence through a gut‑health and nervous‑system lens
• Emotional‑based school avoidance, looking beyond “attendance”
• Regulation before behaviour — reducing distress at home, school and in daily life
• How to support neurodivergent people without burning out the adults around them

This event is not about quick fixes or compliance‑based strategies. Instead, the focus is on:

• Understanding the nervous system
• Reducing shame for families
• Building practical, realistic support plans
• Helping individuals and families move from surviving to thriving

What you can expect

• A warm, welcoming environment at Firstsite Colchester
• Practical, regulation‑focused approaches to sleep, continence, behaviour, burnout and school avoidance
• Clear, realistic strategies that reduce overwhelm
• Lived‑experience insight from two highly respected specialists
• Opportunities to connect with others during the mid‑morning networking break
• A small, meaningful goody bag on arrival

Schedule

• 9.00–9.15am – Arrival & registration
• 9.15am – Welcome
• 9.30–10.30am – Charmaine Champ
• 10.30–11.00am – Break & networking
• 11.00am–12.00pm – Dr Annie Clements
• 12.00–12.15pm – Closing remarks

You’ll leave with:

• A deeper understanding of neurodivergent experiences
• Language that reduces blame and increases compassion
• Practical strategies you can implement immediately
• Greater confidence in supporting neurodivergent individuals and families

Families deserve more than just surviving — they deserve the opportunity to thrive.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Autism & ADHD + Clearsteps Consultancy