Hi! I’m Kate

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I'm a neurodivergent educational consultant.

I'm a neurodivergent person raising neurodivergent children and I've worked in disability and education for over 20 years.

I specialise in complex profiles as I have lived and professional experience in these areas:

Autistic & ADHD (AuDHD)
Gifted & neurodivergent (Multi or twice-exceptional, 2E)
Autistic with multiple diagnoses & co-occurring conditions
Autism, nervous system dysregulation & stress behaviours
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)
Autistic internalised profiles (masking)

_{"Embracing my children's and then my own autistic and neurodivergent identities changed my professional practice profoundly.}

_{I now apply best practice principles based on neuroscience through a neurodivergent-affirming lens and provide culturally appropriate, neurologically safe, and responsive services that change people's lives.}

_{Cultural change and meeting neurodivergent needs is possible through collaboration, education, and compassion."} - Kate Donohue

Find out more about Kate here...

Educator

Kate is an educator with experience in teaching kindergarten, primary teaching and as a service leader.

Her experiences include teaching on Pitjantjatjara land, leading special needs programs, and co-facilitating Aboriginal inclusion programs with Aboriginal elders. Kate taught in the Cook Islands and facilitated programs that supported children with complex disabilities to be able to attend school for the first time.

Disability Sector

Kate has been working in the disability sector for more than 20 years. She has been a DIR therapist, mentor, support worker and public speaker & presenter.

She also researched disability inclusion in Norway, worked with youth at risk in Canada and supported children with severe and complex needs in the Cook Islands and rural Australia.

Already specialising in neurodivergent-affirming behaviour support, Kate is currently completing a PBS practitioner qualification.

Kate now develops, produces and delivers online parenting training. She has facilitated many parent support groups and committees, having provided extensive support to parents over many years. She provides individually tailored professional development to schools, businesses and organisations.

Professional Development

Kate is experienced in delivering training and development for teachers, support workers, and professionals in supporting children with complex profiles. Including children at high risk of being removed from families (supporting families to stay together).

Autistic Community

Kate identifies as autistic, ADHD, dyslexic and PDA. She has supported hundreds of autistic people and their families in the last 20 years.

She has a deep understanding of neurodivergence which she uses to mentor, educate and support regardless of where people are on their journey.

Parent

Kate's learning journey really began 16 years ago when she became a parent to neurodivergent children and began looking at her professional knowledge through a lived experience lens. Her greatest learning came from applying her knowledge to her own family, and raising PDA children deepened her understanding profoundly. This experience also prompted her to explore her own neurodivergence from a deeper, more nuanced perspective and was diagnosed with autism and ADHD in her late 30s.

Qualifications

Bachelor of Early Childhood Education, University of South Australia 2002- 2004 & 2007-2008
Education & Disability Inclusion, University of Agder 2005
Fellows DIR Floortime, Profectum 2014 - 2016

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