This course equips attendees with the essential knowledge to recognise core & nuanced, including high masking, PDA, perfectionism and the complex AuDHD profile. They will gain actionable tools that promote student mental health and foster academic belonging and engagement.

This course is for teachers, SENDCos, Pastoral Leads, Heads of Inclusion, DEIB, Inclusion Managers, Senior Leaders (Inclusion)

In line with the Government’s SEND Review, the OFSTED & ISI focus on inclusive practice, and the statutory duty to remove barriers under the Equality Act 2010, educators are moving from stereotyped single SEND labels towards a neurodiversity-affirming approach that recognises the various challenges that neurodivergent pupils experieince in school. This course focuses on ADHD, Autism and AUDHD and how high masking and challenging behaviour can create ‘hidden profiles’ leading to misidentification, and opportunities for support & diagnosis being missed.

This twilight will provide a sound understanding of the core challenges faced by this cohort of neurodivergent students, explain how to recognise High Masking, reframe defiance, and how autistic and ADHD girls can be overlooked. It will also demonstrate through practical examples how simple adaptations to language, the sensory environment, teaching practice and behaviour responses can improve pupils’ trust, self-esteem, self-regulation and executive function skills to foster belonging & improve progress. The session will end with a short Q&A & discussion.

Course Outcomes

• Recognise core and nuanced traits: Identify subtle signs of high masking and internalised distress in quiet or high-achieving students.
• Decode AuDHD challenges: Understand the internal conflict between autistic routine and ADHD dopamine-seeking behaviors.
• Recognise genuine PDA: Differentiate between anxiety-driven demand avoidance and intentional behavioral defiance.
• Using low-demand language: Master communication that reduces the nervous system's threat response.
• Perfectionism paralysis: Deploy practical scaffolds to reduce fear of failure and unlock executive dysfunction.
• Build regulation frameworks: strategies to de-escalate crisis points.
• How to use Adaptive Teaching strategies to support executive function challenges

Course Outline

• Core traits & nuanced, hidden profiles
• AuDHD impacts, understanding PDA & trauma-informed teaching
• Comfort Break and Virtual Networking
• Actionable Classroom strategies
• Plenary & final Q&A
• Close of day

Presenter Profile

Amanda Ross-Scott has worked for over 20 years in schools as Head of Learning Support (SENCo), Assistant Head, DDSL & Wellbeing Lead. Now a coach/mentor to neurodivergent adults, she also enjoys training on neurodiversity & inclusion.

Cost: £150 per delegate; £50 each for subsequent delegates from same school

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