professional development  

Chris Varney, Founder/CEO of I CAN Network, will be delivering a  highly engaging, interactive PD on “Empowering Autistic Learners” that combines Autistic insights with pragmatic frameworks and tips teachers can use to help create an environment in which Autistic students feel safe to engage and become more visible in their school communities.

Chris knows what it’s like to be that Autistic young person trying so hard to navigate classroom and school yard demands. In this session, he will draw upon his own Autistic lived experience as well as insights gleaned from personally mentoring hundreds of Autistic young people in Victoria over the past decade and working closely with their families and schools.

Themes to be explored and related practical tips include:creating a sense of safety for Autistic learners and their families (including working with young people and/or parents who might be in a negative headspace); helping students see their own strengths and leverage their passions; reducing anxiety and overwhelm for Autistic learners; recognising young people who might be masking; fostering self-advocacy; supporting executive functioning challenges; and understanding the different ways in which Autistic people might socialise, communicate and process the world. Participants will have the opportunity to share some of their own experiences and successes, ask questions and will be given an array of neuro-affirming, practical resources to support their work with Autistic and other Neurodivergent students.