Show Notes

“These parents are parenting in intense situations where dysregulation reigns and the child is largely over-stimulated and overwhelmed, for a far more extended period of time”. In part two of this powerful and practical interview with neuro-diversity parent-coach experts Tara and Meg, we seek to shed light on the invisibilised experience of parents to additional needs children and the day-to-day challenges they are faced with. We ask the deeply meaningful questions from parents within our community who experience challenges in parenting their own neuro-diverse children. Just some of the gold in this episode covers questions and deeply insightful and knowledgeable answers to questions such as:

– Navigating the education system for neurodiverse children

– Meeting their neurodiversity needs vs meeting the teenager and independence tantrums

– Discussing equity v equality with siblings of neurodiverse children

We really hope you find as much richness in this discussion as we did. Please find all mentioned links within the podcast below:

Meg & Tara business links 
Insta https://www.instagram.com/megandtara/
e: hello@megantara.com 

website under construction……..

Tara links 
F: https://www.facebook.com/tarabroughan
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/tjbroughan/

Meg links 
Insta https://www.instagram.com/playful_pathways_ot/
F: https://www. facebook.com/mmolancox

Tara Broughan , Parent Coach, Child Rights & Equity Consultant (BA Public Policy/BA Psych)

Tara (she/her) is a bisexual/queer feminist woman married to a wonderful man with two young children living in Naarm, Melbourne Australia on the land of the Wurundjeri WoiWurung people.

With over 10 years working with human rights organisations and international aid organisations, Tara remains focused on equity, inclusion and liberation.

Tara supports educators and parents/ carers to understand and respond to children’s perspectives in their family, identify family of origin impacts, and how to build connected and respectful relationships with children using emotion coaching and inclusive decision making. Tara loves tackling the ‘difficult’ conversations with adults and children alike.

With deep compassion and high accountability, Tara collaborates with families, entrepreneurs and schools to examine our social identities, socialised beliefs, norms and systems. Together we identify prejudice and discrimination to develop practical knowledge, skills and systems of accountability to ensure our actions reflect our commitments to equity and justice.

Tara has consulted with some of the most marginalised children and provided policy advice to government regarding children in immigration detention, discrimination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children with neurodiversity and disability, LGBTQIA+ kids and families, and those living in poverty. Grounded in the perspective of children, now supports organisations, state and local governments, to develop systems of participation and child led decision making that consider the barriers marginalised children experience to participation.

Meg McIntosh, Paediatric Occupational Therapist, Parent Coach and Educator

Meg has worked with wonderful, neurodiverse, and complex families across a variety of settings (both public and private) for over 12 years. She supports families to honour their strengths, develop and implement strategies to improve their family life and function. Meg approaches therapy from a systems perspective, and aims to work collaboratively with families, schools, and community organisations to learn how to consider the many

factors, within (person) and without (Environment, Occupation, Culture), that may be contributing to the challenges they are experiencing that effect, development, learning, participation, and wellbeing of the many diverse people in their community. She aims to support both people and organisations to build the awareness and skills required to proactively implement positive changes, that enable meaningful participation and improved connection for all. Meg knows in her heart that truly inclusive and equitable systemic changes (across both small systems and large), not only support those that are most in need, but also positively impacts the mental and physical health of the entire community for generations to come.
 

Social Media folks we recommend 

Kristy Forbes – Neurodiversity/ Austic advocate  https://www.facebook.com/inTunePathways  and https://www.instagram.com/_kristyforbes/
Alison Davies https://www.allisondavies.com.au/instagram/
The Neurodivergent Collective https://www.instagram.com/theneurodivergentcollective/
Respectful/ child centred parenting advice https://www.facebook.com/groups/visiblechild
 

Podcasts 

https://www.instagram.com/yourparentingmojo/ evidence based considers social and cultural factors that influence parenting
https://www.instagram.com/toopeaspod/ real talk from two Melbourne mums about their experience of high intensity parenting and interviewing many people of their experiences
 

Nourishing the Mother
http://www.nourishingthemother.com.au
Bridget Wood
http://www.bridgetwood.life
Julie Tenner
http://www.julietenner.love