Beyond Compliance: Neurodiversity-Affirming Practices That Help People Thrive

Beyond Compliance: Neurodiversity-Affirming Practices That Help People Thrive

Presenter: Megg Thompson

Program Description
What changes when we stop asking neurodivergent people to adapt to environments that were not designed for them—and start listening to what they tell us they actually need?

Drawing on 15 years of conversations with neurodivergent individuals about the conditions that help them thrive, Megg Thompson will challenge traditional compliance-based approaches and introduce practical, neurodiversity-affirming alternatives grounded in lived experience. Participants will explore common patterns related to pace, priorities, overwhelm, communication, and environmental demands while examining how rejection, judgment, and attempts to control behavior can interfere with authentic support.

This interactive workshop moves beyond simply understanding neurodiversity to reconsidering how we respond to neurodivergent needs in practice. Participants will leave with concrete, strengths-based strategies for creating environments that support autonomy, regulation, connection, and success—strategies informed by the voices and experiences of neurodivergent people themselves.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Identify ways traditional compliance-based practices may conflict with neurodiversity-affirming approaches.
2. Describe how differences in pace, priorities, overwhelm, and lived experience can influence neurodivergent individuals’ functioning and participation.
3. Examine the effects of rejection, judgment, and behavior-control strategies on neurodivergent individuals.
4. Apply practical, neurodiversity-affirming strategies that promote autonomy, regulation, connection, and meaningful participation.