The Early Neurodiversity Community
The Village you’ve been looking for is here
Monthly support, expert-led education, and the village you’ve been craving—right here. 💬👶🏽🌈
If your baby, toddler, or preschooler is highly sensitive, neurodivergent, or showing signs that something more is going on—you don’t have to figure it out alone.
The Early Neurodiversity Community is a membership space for families navigating the early years with complex, sensitive, or neurodivergent kids. Whether you're just beginning to wonder, or you've been advocating for a while, this space is here to meet you with the support you’ve been craving.
Become a member of the Early Neurodiversity Community
This space was made for parents of babies, toddlers, pre-schoolers, and school age children (0–6 years) who are:
Highly sensitive, intense, or showing early signs of neurodivergence
Struggling with sleep, sensory regulation, feeding, or communication
Facing red flags or wondering if something deeper is going on
Dismissed by professionals or told to “wait and see”
Trying to access early intervention, early childhood education services, or IEP/504 support—but feeling overwhelmed
Looking for a village that truly gets it
Who is this for?
Welcome!What’s Inside of the Community?
For your membership fee, you’ll get:
✅ Monthly live Q+A calls with Lauren (RN, CLC, pediatric sleep specialist, mom of 3 neurodivergent kids, and founder of The Early Neurodiversity Company)
🎤 Expert workshops on IEP prep, ARFID, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, PDA, sensory needs, and more
🧠 Access to the full Early Neurodiversity Course (an $89 value)
📚 Library of exclusive resources you won’t find anywhere else
💌 Parent-to-parent messaging for real, judgment-free connection
🫶🏼 Group coaching & topic-specific chats to connect in real time
Here's just some of what you’ll dive into as soon as you join:
🧠 Understanding Early Signs of Autism & ADHD
🌿 Sleep, Sensory, and Nervous System Support
🎤 Workshops in feeding, speech, and early childhood advocacy
📋 IEP Planning + Early Intervention Navigation
🎧 Real-parent convos about regulation, burnout, and doing things differently
🫂 Parent-led space for co-regulation, real talk, and celebrating small wins
There’s so much already waiting for you inside—scroll down for the specifics! 👇
monthly supportCommunity Matters You don’t have to do this alone.
This is the community I wish I had from the beginning. A place where no one tells you “all babies do that,” where you don’t have to justify your instincts, and where real support meets real understanding. Whether you’re just starting to ask questions or you're deep in the thick of advocacy, this is your space.
Ready to join the village?
You’re not too early. You’re never too late.
Existing Courses + Workshops already waiting for you inside!
The Complete Early Neurodiversity Course — $89 Value
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🌿 The Early Neurodiversity Course
Supporting Your Baby’s Unique Journey
The Early Neurodiversity Course is an evidence-based, compassionate guide designed to help parents understand and support their highly sensitive or neurodivergent babies and toddlers from birth to age three.
Whether you’re navigating inconsolable crying, sensory sensitivities, developmental delays, or just a strong sense that your baby is developing differently, this course will validate your intuition, equip you with knowledge, and empower you to advocate for your child—long before a diagnosis.
What You’ll Learn Inside 👇
🧠 Neurodiversity in Babies, toddlers, and preschoolers
Gain a deep understanding of the natural variations in brain development and behavior that shape early neurodivergence. You’ll learn about:
What Autism and ADHD can look like in infancy and toddlerhood
Traits of highly sensitive babies (drawing on Elaine N. Aron’s research on HSPs)
What it means to be twice-exceptional (2e)
The role of temperament, including how the 9 temperament traits impact regulation and sleep
Typical diagnosis timelines and why early signs may be missed
🫶 Support Before a Diagnosis
Discover how to secure supportive services without waiting for a formal label. This section walks you through:
How to initiate early intervention and self-referrals
What to expect from early childhood education programs
How occupational, speech, and physical therapy can help regulate the nervous system and support development
Navigating private therapy and overcoming common barriers parents face
🚩 Ruling Out Red Flags
Before addressing behavior or sleep struggles, it’s crucial to rule out underlying clinical factors. You’ll learn how to spot and seek help for:
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and feeding-related challenges
Airway issues such as Laryngomalacia, oral ties, and open-mouth posture
Nutritional deficiencies, especially low Ferritin levels
Allergies, intolerances, and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS)
Motor delays and sensory dysregulation
♾️ Special Considerations
Explore the broader neurodevelopmental picture and how it intersects with early caregiving. Topics include:
The nervous system and sensory processing
Stimming, special interests, and developmental delays
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) and appetite regulation
Childhood Apraxia of Speech, dyspraxia, and motor planning
2e profiles and Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)
😴 Sleep Through a Neurodiversity Lens
Traditional sleep training often fails to account for sensory sensitivities or neurological differences. This section reframes sleep support with:
Developmentally appropriate sleep needs, cues, and wake windows
Understanding true disordered sleep versus typical variations
The role of Melatonin and the nervous system in sleep regulation
Gentle, responsive strategies that protect attachment while supporting rest
🌈 Neurodiversity-Affirming Care
End the course grounded in a neurodiversity-affirming framework that centers dignity and inclusion. You’ll explore:
How to recognize and unlearn ableism
Affirming language and terms to use
The importance of autistic voices and lived experience
Trusted resources to support your journey
🌿 This Course Will Help You:
Feel validated and understood as you navigate early signs and challenges
Build a support network and confidently access services
Learn how to meet your baby’s sensory and regulatory needs
Shift from fear and uncertainty to connection and advocacy
Sensory Processing Differences Workshop
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🌿 Sensory Processing Differences Workshop
With Lauren Sloan, RN, Certified Sleep & Wellbeing Specialist
Part of the Sleep Red Flag SeriesThe Sensory Processing Differences Workshop helps parents understand how a child’s unique sensory profile impacts their ability to regulate, rest, and sleep—from infancy through the early school years.
Led by Lauren Sloan, a Registered Nurse, Certified Sleep and Wellbeing Specialist, and mother of three highly sensitive, neurodivergent boys, this workshop combines research, lived experience, and a deep understanding of nervous system regulation to help you identify red flags early and respond with confidence.
What You’ll Learn Inside 👇
🧠 Spot Early Sensory Signs
Learn how to recognize early signs of sensory processing differences that can influence feeding, sleep, play, and emotional regulation. We’ll discuss how sensory processing shapes the brain’s perception of safety—and why it’s at the root of so many daily struggles labeled as “behavioral.”
🌈 Understand the Sensory System
Get an overview of the eight sensory systems—touch, sound, sight, taste, smell, balance (vestibular), body awareness (proprioception), and internal sensations (interoception)—and how they interact to support regulation.
You’ll discover what happens when these systems are over- or under-responsive, and how sensory thresholds shape a child’s comfort, focus, and sleep.🔍 Common Mislabels and Misdiagnoses
Many children with sensory processing differences are mislabeled as “colicky,” “defiant,” “hyperactive,” or “anxious.” We’ll unpack how sensory challenges are often mistaken for conditions like ADHD, ODD, anxiety, or feeding disorders—and how to advocate for accurate understanding and support.
🪞 Build a Sensory Profile
Learn how to observe and document your child’s responses to different types of input to identify their unique sensory profile. You’ll walk away knowing which sensations calm your child’s nervous system, which overwhelm it, and how to use that knowledge proactively during routines, transitions, and sleep.
🌙 Sensory + Sleep Connection
Explore how sensory processing differences influence sleep at every stage:
Infants — rely heavily on motion, contact, and co-regulation
Toddlers — need intense movement or pressure before rest
Preschoolers — carry sensory stress from stimulating environments into bedtime
You’ll understand why “behavioral” sleep struggles are often regulation challenges—and how to adjust routines, environments, and expectations to meet sensory needs.
💬 Scripts and Advocacy Tools
Get practical scripts to use with pediatricians, therapists, and educators that help you communicate sensory concerns clearly and effectively. Each script reframes “difficult behavior” as a nervous system response—helping you access sensory-informed evaluations and support.
🧩 From Feeding to Transitions
Learn how sensory processing affects feeding, communication, and daily transitions. You’ll see why pushing through discomfort often backfires—and how child-led, low-demand approaches protect the nervous system and support growth, connection, and sleep.
🤝 When and How to Seek Support
Discover when to pursue an occupational therapy (OT) evaluation and how to use early intervention services to support sensory integration. You’ll gain confidence in building a care team that understands the sensory roots of your child’s regulation and sleep.
🌿 This Workshop Will Help You:
Identify sensory processing red flags early
Reframe “behavior” as communication
Build regulation strategies that align with your child’s sensory profile
Create sensory-informed routines for rest and transitions
Advocate confidently for sensory-based support
Regulated + Resourced: Productivity without Disconnection
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🌿 Regulated & Resourced
Productivity Without Disconnection
With Lauren Sloan, RN-BSN, CLC, Certified Sleep & Wellbeing SpecialistThe Regulated & Resourced Workshop explores what is happening beneath the surface when your child becomes dysregulated the moment you step away to cook, clean, or complete a task.
Through a nervous system lens, this workshop reframes clinginess, protest, and “can’t let you leave” behavior as stress responses — not manipulation or defiance. It is designed specifically for parents raising highly sensitive, temperamentally intense, neurodivergent, or PDA-profile children who rely heavily on proximity for regulation. Regulated + Resourced
This is not about productivity hacks.
It is about understanding regulation — yours and your child’s — and building capacity before increasing demand.💛 What You’ll Learn Inside
🧠 What Is Happening in the Nervous System When You Step Away
You’ll learn why proximity equals safety for many children — especially those with heightened sensory processing, increased threat detection, slower recovery from stress, or persistent drives for connection. Regulated + Resourced
We break down:
Why separation can trigger sympathetic activation (fight/flight) or shutdown
How predictive processing shapes a child’s response to transitions
Why “clinginess” is often a survival response from the inside
You will leave understanding that difficulty with separation is not about independence — it is about autonomic capacity.
⚡ Why Some Children Experience This More Intensely
We explore how temperament, sensory processing differences, neurodivergence, and PDA profiles lower the threshold for stress activation. Regulated + Resourced
You’ll understand:
How allostatic load builds in children
Why demand sensitivity increases stress reactivity
Why separation feels destabilizing rather than behavioral
🌿 Connection as a Regulation Deposit
Before increasing productivity, we increase nervous system safety.
You’ll learn how a short, intentional 10–15 minute connection deposit can significantly lower baseline arousal and make transitions more tolerable. Regulated + Resourced
This includes:
Child-led engagement strategies
The PRIDE model from play therapy (Praise, Reflection, Imitation, Description, Enjoyment)
Why connection is not indulgent — it is regulatory preparation
Connection is not delaying productivity.
It is building the capacity that makes productivity possible.🔄 Transitions as Autonomic Events
Transitions are not behavioral problems. They are physiological shifts. Regulated + Resourced
You’ll learn:
What predictive processing is and why mismatch increases threat detection
How anticipatory stress builds around separation
Why increasing predictability matters more than increasing duration
We focus on building separation tolerance gradually through:
Micro-separations
Predictable scripts
Visual timers
Reliable reconnection
The goal is not forced independence.
The goal is physiological flexibility.🧩 Play as a Bridge to Productivity
This workshop includes concrete, practical strategies to integrate connection and task completion, including:
Hide & Seek Tidy
Fast Car / Cleaning Car
Regulation Dance Party
Happy Helpers (parallel play productivity)
The Checklist Effect
These strategies preserve proximity, reduce demand tone, and keep the nervous system socially engaged while tasks are completed. Regulated + Resourced
🧠 Parental Allostatic Load
Allostatic load does not only apply to children. Regulated + Resourced
High-needs parenting significantly increases parental nervous system activation.
You’ll learn to identify:
Cognitive overload (task initiation struggles, decision fatigue)
Emotional overload (irritability, guilt, resentment)
Physical signs (jaw tension, racing heart, sensory overwhelm)
Productivity does not collapse because you lack discipline.
It collapses because cognitive resources are already allocated to regulation.Regulation precedes execution.
🛠 Micro-Regulation for Parents
You’ll leave with immediate tools to reduce your own stress activation, including:
Down-regulating breathing (longer exhales to stimulate vagal tone)
Proprioceptive input (heavy work for grounding)
Orienting techniques
Cold water resets
When parental nervous system load lowers, task initiation improves.
🤍 Attachment Across Development
We also explore how attachment evolves across infancy, toddlerhood, preschool, and school age — and how proximity, sameness, belonging, significance, and love shape a child’s regulation needs. Regulated + Resourced
Understanding attachment stages allows you to align productivity expectations with developmental reality rather than fight against it.
🌿 This Workshop Will Help You:
Understand why your child struggles when you step away
Reframe clinginess as regulation, not manipulation
Reduce both child and parent allostatic load
Build productivity through nervous system safety
Integrate connection and competence instead of choosing between them
Move from frustration and self-blame toward a capacity-aware framework Regulated + Resourced
Regulated & Resourced is for parents who are tired of being told to “just be more consistent” when the real issue is nervous system capacity.
You don’t need better discipline.
You need lower load, more predictability, and strategic connection.And that’s exactly what this workshop teaches. 🌿
Supporting Transitions Workshop
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🌿 Supporting Transitions Workshop
Understanding Why Transitions Are Hard—And How to Support Them
The Supporting Transitions Workshop is an in-depth, neurodiversity-affirming workshop designed for parents of highly sensitive and neurodivergent toddlers and preschoolers.
Transitions—moving between activities, environments, or caregivers—are one of the most common triggers for dysregulation. This workshop pulls back the curtain on why they’re hard and gives you evidence-based strategies to reduce stress, meltdowns, and resistance during daily shifts.
What You’ll Learn Inside 👇
🧠 The Science of Transitions
Understand the why behind your child’s big reactions:
How the Stress response system and sensory system interact during change
The role of Neuroception and the brain’s threat detection circuits
Why unfamiliarity, unpredictability, or perceived loss of control can overwhelm a developing nervous system
How early neurodevelopment shapes flexibility and adaptability
⚡ What Dysregulation Looks Like
Learn how to recognize and respond to signs of distress before your child tips into full meltdown:
Common outward behaviors during transitions (fight/flight/freeze/shut down)
How sensory overload and emotional overflow contribute to resistance
Why these reactions are not “behavior problems,” but protective nervous system responses
🌈 Tools to Support Transitions
Walk away with a toolbox of practical strategies you can begin using right away:
Proactive preparation and visual supports (timers, first/then boards, social stories)
How to lower sensory demands before and after transitions
Using co-regulation to keep your child within their Window of Tolerance
Building transition routines that create predictability and safety
💬 Real-Life Scripts & Language
Get concrete examples of what to say and do during tricky moments:
Scripts that validate your child’s feelings and nervous system state
Language shifts that reduce perceived demands and increase cooperation
How to model emotional regulation in the moment without escalating conflict
💛 Rooted in Connection
This workshop emphasizes connection over compliance. You’ll leave with a framework that:
Honors your child’s nervous system
Reduces power struggles by supporting regulation first
Builds your confidence to navigate even the hardest daily transitions with empathy and consistency
🌿 This Workshop Will Help You:
Understand the root causes of transition challenges
Respond to meltdowns with confidence and compassion
Create smoother daily routines anchored in safety and connection
Support your child’s long-term flexibility, emotional regulation, and resilience
Rethinking Parenting Advice for Highly Sensitive + Neurodivergent Children
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🌿 Sensory Processing Differences Workshop
Rethinking Parenting Advice for Sensitive and Neurodivergent Children
With Lauren Sloan, RN-BSN, CLC, Certified Sleep & Wellbeing Specialist
Most traditional parenting advice is built on behaviorism.
Rewards. Consequences. Charts. Consistency. Compliance.
And while these tools may appear effective for some children, they often backfire for highly sensitive and neurodivergent kids.
In this workshop, we dismantle the one-size-fits-all parenting narrative and replace it with a nervous system and temperament-informed framework that protects regulation, strengthens connection, and supports long-term resilience.
💛 What You’ll Learn Inside
🧠 What Behaviorism Is — And Why It Became So Popular
You’ll learn what behaviorism actually is: a framework focused on observable behavior, reinforcement, punishment, and conditioning — not internal state, nervous system regulation, or emotional development. Rethinking Parenting Advice for…
We explore:
Why behaviorism aligns with productivity culture and school systems
Why it promises control and predictability
The hidden assumptions it makes about a child’s capacity to tolerate stress
Why those assumptions often fail highly sensitive and neurodivergent children
⚡ Why Behavior-Based Parenting Fails HS/ND Kids
Sensitive and neurodivergent children often have:
Faster stress activation
Slower return to baseline
Higher sensory intensity
Lower tolerance for cumulative demand
Greater difficulty shifting states Rethinking Parenting Advice for…
That means:
Consequences can feel like threat
“Ignore it” can feel like abandonment
“They’ll get used to it” often becomes escalation
Compliance may happen — but at the cost of safety and trust
A regulated child can learn.
A dysregulated child can only survive.🌈 The Developmental Mismatch
Many parenting strategies treat young children like miniature adults.
But babies and toddlers:
Do not have mature impulse control
Do not have mature emotional regulation
Do not have consistent access to language during stress
Cannot learn regulation through isolation
They learn regulation in relationship. Rethinking Parenting Advice for…
We also break down the 5–7 neurological shift and why expecting preschoolers to self-regulate through willpower is developmentally inappropriate.
🧩 The Role of Sensory Gating + Temperament
You’ll gain a clear understanding of:
What sensory gating is and how it affects regulation
Why meltdowns often reflect accumulated sensory stress
The three common temperament patterns (easy/flexible, slow-to-warm, high-needs/sensitive)
Why parenting success is often about nervous system flexibility — not superior strategy Rethinking Parenting Advice for…
We explore the concept of goodness of fit — how regulation improves when environments adapt to children, not the other way around.
🚨 Common Parenting Missteps
We unpack the most common mistakes that unintentionally worsen dysregulation:
Escalating demands when the nervous system is overloaded
Confusing meltdowns with defiance
Using rigid “consistency” instead of responsive flexibility
Removing co-regulation too early in the name of independence Rethinking Parenting Advice for…You’ll understand why stacking demands during stress pushes children deeper into fight, flight, or shutdown — and what to do instead.
🌿 The Nervous-System + Temperament-Informed Alternative
Instead of behavior control, we focus on:
Behavior as communication + physiology
Co-regulation before correction
Environment shaping outcomes
Skill-building when regulated
Predictability with flexibility
Repair as non-negotiable Rethinking Parenting Advice for…
This approach does not create weakness.
It builds internal safety.🤍 “Preparing Them for the Real World” — Reframed
We directly challenge the myth that accommodation creates dependence.
You’ll learn:
Why accommodation builds boundaries, not fragility
How compliance training increases risk for masking, burnout, and people-pleasing
Why teaching children to trust their nervous system signals protects future relationships
How true resilience is built through safety and skill-building — not suffering Rethinking Parenting Advice for…
Resilience does not come from suppression.
It comes from support.🛠 Practical Applications
This workshop connects directly to real-life areas parents struggle with, including:
Feeding (child-led exploration and reducing sensory pressure)
Communication (honoring all forms of expression)
Transitions (lowering cumulative stress load)
Sleep (supporting regulation first)
Accessing early intervention and occupational therapy when needed Rethinking Parenting Advice for…
🌿 This Workshop Will Help You:
Stop blaming yourself for strategies that don’t fit your child
Understand why traditional parenting advice fails sensitively wired kids
Lower stress for both you and your child
Protect your child’s nervous system and dignity
Replace shame-based narratives with science and compassion
Build regulation through connection instead of compliance Rethinking Parenting Advice for…
You didn’t fail. The framework didn’t fit.
This workshop gives you a new one. 🌿
Ferritin + Sleep Workshop
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Sleep Red Flag Series: Iron, Ferritin & Your Child’s Sleep
Understanding the Biological Roots of Sleep, Regulation & Appetite
With Lauren Sloan, RN-BSN, CLC, Certified Sleep & Wellbeing SpecialistThis workshop explores what may be happening beneath the surface when your child’s sleep feels unusually hard—frequent waking, constant movement, difficulty settling, or persistent dysregulation.
Through a biological and nervous system lens, this workshop reframes sleep challenges as potential indicators of underlying physiology—not simply behavior. It focuses specifically on ferritin, the body’s stored form of iron, and how low iron stores can impact sleep, dopamine regulation, sensory processing, and overall development.
What You’ll Learn Inside
🧠 The Role of Ferritin in the Brain & Nervous System
You’ll learn how iron supports dopamine production, motor control, arousal regulation, and sleep stability—and what happens when ferritin is low.
We break down:
How low ferritin disrupts sleep architecture
Why movement during sleep is often neurological, not behavioral
How iron status impacts regulation and sensory processingYou will leave understanding that sleep disruption is often rooted in physiology—not habit.
🌙 Sleep Patterns Linked to Low Ferritin
We explore the specific patterns parents often report, including:
Frequent night waking
Restless sleep and constant repositioning
Difficulty falling or staying asleep
Daytime irritability and sensory sensitivityYou’ll learn how to identify when these patterns may be worth investigating further.
👶 Iron Stores in Infancy
We walk through how babies are born with maternal (prenatal) iron stores, when those stores begin to deplete, and why this often overlaps with the 4-month sleep regression.
You’ll understand:
Why early signs of low ferritin are often missed
How maternal iron status impacts infant stores
When sleep changes may be developmental—and when they may not be🧪 Understanding Labs
This workshop breaks down what to ask for and how to interpret it.
You’ll learn:
Why ferritin is often not included in standard labs
The difference between ferritin, serum iron, and hemoglobin
What an iron panel and CBC can tell you about absorption and utilizationA single “normal” lab does not always reflect optimal function.
⚡ Why Some Children Are More Impacted
We explore why low ferritin is more common in neurodivergent children, including:
Sensory-based feeding challenges
Restricted diets
Higher neurological demand
Differences in metabolismThis helps explain why some children are more vulnerable to sleep disruption related to iron status.
🌿 Supporting Iron Levels
You’ll learn practical next steps, including:
Dietary sources of iron and common challenges with intake
How cofactors (vitamin C, A, B12, folate, copper) impact absorption
The different types of iron supplements and how to choose based on toleranceThis is about supporting the whole system—not just increasing intake.
🔄 Why Follow-Up Matters
Not all children respond to iron in the same way.
We cover:
Why some children do not respond to oral supplementation
What patterns like high serum iron with low ferritin can indicate
Why retesting after 8–12 weeks is essentialThis allows for more individualized, informed next steps.
🧠 Advocacy & Clinical Context
You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of:
When something is worth exploring further
How to approach conversations with your child’s provider
How to advocate when concerns are dismissed🌿 This Workshop Will Help You:
Understand how ferritin impacts sleep, regulation, and appetite
Recognize red flags that may point to low iron stores
Move beyond behavioral explanations for persistent sleep challenges
Advocate for more comprehensive lab work and evaluation
Support your child’s physiology with informed, practical strategies
Accessing Services Workshop
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🌿 Accessing Services Workshop
Getting Support for Your Baby or Toddler—Without Waiting for a Diagnosis
The Accessing Services Workshop is a step-by-step, empowering workshop designed to help you secure early support for your highly sensitive or neurodivergent baby or toddler (ages 0–3).
Many parents are told to “wait and see”—but early support is crucial, and you don’t need to wait for a diagnosis or a professional referral to get it. This workshop shows you exactly how to navigate the system and begin services early, so your child gets the help they need during this critical window of development.
What You’ll Learn Inside 👇
🧠 Understanding Early Intervention
Learn what early intervention is, who qualifies, and why it matters:
The purpose of Early Intervention (Part C of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in the U.S.)
What developmental delays, sensory differences, and regulatory challenges may qualify a child
How starting services early can support the nervous system, reduce stress, and change developmental trajectories
💌 How to Self-Refer for Services
You don’t have to wait for a pediatrician’s referral. This workshop will show you how to:
Initiate services yourself (self-referral)
Find and contact local early intervention programs in your area
Request developmental evaluations and screenings
Overcome common barriers like long waitlists, gatekeeping, or dismissal of concerns
🧩 Understanding Available Services
Get a clear picture of the many supportive options available to babies and toddlers, including:
Occupational Therapy
Speech Therapy
Physical Therapy
Early childhood education programs (like Parents as Teachers and Early Head Start)
Private therapy and when it can be helpful
How to request accommodations and build a collaborative team around your child
🛑 Navigating Barriers and Red Tape
Many parents are met with resistance when they first seek support. This workshop will help you:
Respond when professionals dismiss your concerns
Know what to say if you’re told to “wait and see”
Understand your rights and your child’s rights
Advocate confidently without burning bridges
🌿 This Workshop Will Help You:
Bypass the “watch and wait” approach that delays support
Access developmental, therapeutic, and educational services early
Build a supportive care team around your child
Step into your role as your child’s strongest advocate with clarity and confidence
Airway Considerations Workshop
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🌿 Sleep Red Flag Series: Airway Considerations
With Lauren Sloan, RN-BSN, CLC, Certified Sleep & Wellbeing Specialist
Breathing drives the entire sleep system. When the airway is not open and effortless, sleep stops being restorative — even if a child appears to “sleep through the night.” Airway Considerations Workshop
In this in-depth workshop, we move beyond surface-level sleep advice and examine what is happening physiologically when a baby or toddler struggles to breathe during sleep.
Airway challenges are frequently mislabeled as behavioral problems, sleep regressions, sensory issues, or “just temperament.” This workshop equips parents with the knowledge to recognize early red flags, understand root causes, and advocate confidently for proper evaluation.
💛 What You’ll Learn Inside
🧠 Why Breathing Is the Foundation of Sleep
Sleep is a biologically protected state of repair. During sleep, the brain prioritizes:
Oxygen conservation
Growth and neural development
Immune activation
Memory consolidation
Any disruption to airflow fragments these processes. Airway Considerations Workshop
You’ll learn why infants and toddlers are especially vulnerable due to narrow airways, soft tissue structures, obligate nasal breathing, and high oxygen demands.
⚠️ Nighttime + Daytime Airway Red Flags
We cover the signs that should never be dismissed, including:
Nighttime red flags:
Snoring (even “quiet” or intermittent)
Mouth breathing
Gasping, choking, pauses
Restless sleep, constant repositioning
Night sweats
Teeth grinding
Unusual sleep postures (neck extension, prone, arms overhead) Airway Considerations Workshop
Daytime red flags:
Chronic congestion
Feeding fatigue or poor weight gain
Hyperactivity or impulsivity
Behavioral dysregulation
Speech or articulation delays
Dark circles under eyes
“Colic” or inconsolable crying Airway Considerations Workshop
Behavior is often a biological output of low oxygenation, inflammation, and fragmented sleep — not defiance.
🧩 The Four Root Buckets of Airway Disruption
Rather than treating symptoms, we examine the underlying drivers of sleep-disordered breathing:
1. Anatomy + Structure
Enlarged tonsils/adenoids
Narrow palate
Retrognathia or micrognathia
Craniofacial development patterns
Laryngomalacia Airway Considerations Workshop
2. Tone + Motor Patterns
Hypotonia
Oral motor weakness
Body tension and torticollis
Alignment impacting airway diameter Airway Considerations Workshop
3. Inflammation + Irritation
Environmental allergies
Food sensitivities
Reflux (GER/GERD)
Chronic nasal swelling Airway Considerations Workshop
4. Sensory + Nervous System Contributions
Chronic sympathetic activation
Poor coordination of breathing and swallowing
Regulation challenges tied to airway instability Airway Considerations Workshop
This framework moves families away from “wait and see” and toward root-cause understanding.
🩺 Evaluation Pathways That Protect the Brain
You’ll learn how to pursue collaborative assessment when symptoms persist, including:
ENT evaluation and flexible nasoendoscopy
Sleep study (polysomnography) to assess apnea, hypoxia, and CO₂ retention
Airway-focused pediatric dentistry
OT/PT/SLP for tone and feeding coordination
Lactation professionals for early airway red flags Airway Considerations Workshop
We also discuss common evaluation barriers — and how to advocate effectively when concerns are dismissed.
🌿 What Parents Can Do Now
While waiting for evaluation or when symptoms are mild, you are not powerless.
We cover supportive strategies such as:
Optimizing nasal breathing
Positioning considerations (within safe sleep guidelines)
Supporting functional tongue posture
Reducing inflammatory exposures
Sensory + nervous system regulation strategies Airway Considerations Workshop
The goal is not to “fix sleep behavior.”
The goal is to protect the airway so sleep can become restorative.🚨 When Urgent Intervention Is Needed
We also review signs that require immediate medical attention, including:
Cyanosis
Severe gasping or labored breathing
Failure to thrive
Frequent apneas
Extreme daytime lethargy Airway Considerations Workshop
Parents deserve to know what is normal variation — and what is not.
🌿 This Workshop Will Help You:
Recognize airway-related sleep red flags early
Understand why “behavioral sleep problems” are often breathing problems
Advocate confidently with providers
Protect your child’s developing brain
Reduce chronic nervous system stress
Replace blame with biology
Airway screening is not optional when a child struggles to sleep.
If breathing is compromised, sleep will never fully restore.
And when sleep is fragmented, development is impacted.This workshop gives you the clarity to see what’s beneath the surface — and the tools to act early.
Expert Guests already waiting for you inside!
Bedsharing: Where, When, Why + How
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🌿 Safe Bedsharing Workshop
With Infant Sleep & Wellbeing Specialist Taylor Westenberger
The Safe Bedsharing Workshop is a comprehensive, evidence-based training designed to help families safely share sleep.
Led by Taylor Westenberger (@babyledsleepmama)—Certified Sleep & Wellbeing Specialist and Lactation Educator—this workshop dismantles fear-based messaging around bedsharing and equips you with practical, research-supported tools to protect your baby while honoring their deep biological need for connection.
Whether you are already bedsharing or are navigating exhaustion with a baby who won’t sleep alone, this workshop will give you clarity, confidence, and peace of mind.
What You’ll Learn Inside 👇
🛏 What Bedsharing Really Is
The difference between Cosleeping and bedsharing
Chaotic vs. intentional bedsharing and why this distinction matters
Why many families bedshare out of necessity—and how to do it safely from the start
🌍 Bedsharing in Context
How cultural norms shape attitudes toward bedsharing
What the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) say—and why their recommendations differ
Why denying safe bedsharing information increases risk, especially for families of babies who cannot sleep alone
⚡ Understanding Risks & Risk Mitigation
What makes bedsharing dangerous (bedding, location, parental impairment, overheating, pets/other children, etc.)
The difference between Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID)—and why bedsharing does not cause SIDS
The Safe Sleep Seven guidelines from La Leche League for creating a safe bedsharing environment
🤱 The Science of Breastsleeping
How physical contact during sleep supports breastfeeding and regulation
Research on how shared sleep affects arousal, breathing, temperature, and nervous system regulation
Why breastsleeping dyads are uniquely attuned to each other overnight—and how this reduces risk
🛠 How to Bedshare Safely
Setting up your bedsharing environment (mattress choice, bedframe safety, pillow and blanket guidelines, room setup)
The cuddle curl position and how to do it safely
The unique considerations and safety steps for chest sleeping
How to troubleshoot rolling, multiple children, and older siblings in the bed
💬 Common Questions Answered
What to do if your baby rolls off
Whether bedsharing is possible with preterm or bottle-fed babies
How to balance safety with realistic family needs
Why safe bedsharing is protective, not negligent
🌿 This Workshop Will Help You:
Understand the science, history, and safety of bedsharing
Confidently set up your sleep space to reduce risk
Protect your baby’s nervous system and meet their need for connection
Get more rest while keeping your baby safe and close
Insight Session: Apraxia of Speech with Michael Tatro
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🌿 Insight Session: Childhood Apraxia of Speech
With Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist Michael Tatro
The Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) Insight Session is an eye-opening, practical conversation with Michael Tatro, a pediatric speech-language pathologist.
This session bridges the gap between what parents may notice in infancy—like limited early sounds—and later challenges with speech clarity, planning, and sequencing. It’s designed to help families understand what apraxia is and why early support matters.
What You’ll Learn Inside 👇
🧠 Understanding Childhood Apraxia of Speech
What Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is and how it differs from other speech delays
How CAS relates to motor planning and coordination in the brain
Why children with CAS often have typical receptive language but struggle to produce words
🐣 Early Signs That May Appear
Limited babbling, delayed consonant development, or reliance on vowel sounds
Late first words or groping
👶 How Apraxia Can Emerge in Toddlerhood
Inconsistent speech errors (saying the same word differently each time)
Groping or visible struggle to form sounds
Sound omissions or simplifications
Gaps between receptive and expressive language
🌈 Early Support & Intervention
Why “watch and wait” can delay critical therapy access
How to pursue a motor speech evaluation and what to expect
The role of Speech-Language Pathology, including therapy intensity and strategies
How to support communication at home while reducing stress and pressure
🌿 You’ll Leave With
A clear understanding of what CAS is—and isn’t
Clues to watch for in babies and toddlers who may be at risk
Steps for pursuing evaluation and therapy early
Tools to support your child’s communication while preserving connection
This session is educational and not diagnostic, but it will give you the insight and language you need to advocate for your child early.
Neuroaffirming Transitions in Early Childhood Workshop
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🌿 From First Steps to First Grade
With Dr. Destiny Huff, LPC
Neuroaffirming Transitions in Early ChildhoodThe From First Steps to First Grade Workshop is a parent roadmap for navigating the entire early childhood support system—from your child’s first developmental concerns through early intervention, preschool special education, and the transition into kindergarten.
Led by Dr. Destiny Huff, Licensed Professional Counselor, parent advocate, and Master IEP Coach®, this workshop equips you with the tools to secure neuroaffirming supports, protect your child’s sensory and regulatory needs, and walk into IEP meetings with confidence.
What You’ll Learn Inside 👇
🧠 The Landscape of Early Childhood Services
The difference between Early Intervention (Part C of IDEA), Early Childhood Special Education (Part B Section 619), and school-age services
What happens when your child transitions from an IFSP to an IEP
How eligibility criteria and services shift as kindergarten approaches
🧩 Understanding Neurodivergent Development
Early signs of autism, ADHD, and sensory processing differences
How neurodivergence impacts communication, play, regulation, feeding, and sleep
Why big emotions and meltdowns are communication—not “misbehavior”
⚡ Avoiding Common Transition Pitfalls
How to prevent sudden loss of services when moving from EI to ECSE
Myths around “readiness” (potty training, sitting still, multi-step directions) that can lead to gatekeeping
Reducing mismatched expectations that often cause behavior misinterpretation, discipline, or exclusion
🌈 Neuroaffirming Transition Planning
Centering your child’s identity, strengths, and voice
Creating “All About Me” profiles and sensory snapshots
Visual supports, transition countdowns, and proactive regulation plans to reduce overwhelm
🤝 Collaborative IEP Meetings
Your role as a parent and the provider’s role in creating a collaborative team
Writing goals that build agency, not just compliance
Using neuroaffirming language and meaningful accommodations
How to bring observations and questions that invite partnership
📚 Tools & Resources
Do’s and don’ts for neuroaffirming transitions
Recommended books (Uniquely Human, Brain-Body Parenting, Punished by Rewards)
Practical templates for parent input statements, sensory snapshots, and continuity planning
🌿 This Workshop Will Help You:
Confidently navigate every stage of the early childhood services system
Anticipate eligibility and service changes before they catch you off guard
Advocate for your child’s sensory and emotional needs in every setting
Build a consistent, supportive plan from toddlerhood through first grade
Nurturing Infant + Family Sleep for Lifelong Mental Health
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🌿 Nurtured Neuroscience Sleep Workshop
With Gabrielle Ferrara, LCSW, PMH-C
Nurturing Infant and Family Sleep for Lifelong Mental HealthThe Nurtured Neuroscience Sleep Workshop is a groundbreaking, evidence-based session that blends infant sleep science with the emerging field of Nurture Neuroscience—a framework developed by Dr. Greer Kirshenbaum, author of The Nurture Revolution.
Led by Gabrielle Ferrara, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional (PMH-C), and one of the world’s first Nurture Neuroscience Practitioners, this workshop reframes how we think about infant sleep. You’ll learn how nurturing presence, co-regulation, and attachment literally build the brain—and why supporting sleep through connection (not separation) lays the foundation for lifelong emotional health.
What You’ll Learn Inside 👇
🧠 Infant Brain Development
How over 1 million new neural connections form every second in the first years of life
The brain regions that shape lifelong emotional resilience (amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, prefrontal cortex)
Why infants are born with the most immature nervous systems of any mammal—and how nurturing builds regulation
🌿 What Nurture Really Means
The science of parental sensitivity, attunement, and co-regulation
How nurture wires the limbic system for calm, empathy, and trust
Why your gentle, responsive care is the primary force shaping mental health—not a sleep schedule
🌙 The Biology of Infant Sleep
Normal infant sleep patterns and cycles—short, variable, and non-linear
How melatonin and circadian rhythms develop between 12–14 weeks
Why night wakings are protective and biologically normal
The truth about “self-soothing,” “drowsy but awake,” and other sleep myths
🤱 The Art of Nurtured Sleep
How to support the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) state through closeness
Feeding to sleep, babywearing, singing, touch, and contact sleep as biologically expected regulation tools
Reading tired cues and following connection-based rhythms rather than rigid schedules
🛏 Safe Sleep for Every Family
How to create a safe sleep setup—whether in a crib or shared sleep space
Evidence-based bedsharing guidance
How to plan for realistic night parenting and caregiver rest
💬 When to Get Support
Identifying medical or developmental sleep red flags
When to reach out for guidance around feeding, regulation, or exhaustion
How to find responsive, evidence-based professionals who align with a nurturing approach
📚 This Workshop Will Help You:
Understand the deep connection between nurture, sleep, and brain development
Let go of harmful cultural sleep myths and embrace biological norms
Learn responsive ways to support rest for both you and your baby
Build confidence in your intuition, connection, and caregiving rhythm
“At the heart of all nurture is the intention to be present, attuned, and close.”
— Greer Kirshenbaum, PhD, The Nurture Revolution
Insight Session: PDA with Sunita Theiss
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🌿 Insight Session: Understanding PDA
With PDA Coach Sunita Theiss
Supporting Autonomy in Neurodivergent Toddlers & PreschoolersThe Understanding PDA Insight Session is a compassionate, practical conversation with Sunita Theiss—a late-diagnosed PDA, autistic, and ADHD adult; parent to fiercely independent kids; and a PDA North America Level 1–certified coach.
Drawing from lived experience and years of family coaching, Sunita helps parents reframe “defiance” as nervous-system protection, reduce daily battles by lowering perceived demands, and build a home rhythm rooted in safety, connection, and trust—especially within cross-cultural and/or faith-informed families.
What You’ll Learn Inside 👇
🧠 PDA, Clearly Explained
What PDA is and isn’t within the autism spectrum
Why demands (even fun ones) can trigger fight/flight/freeze
How PDA differs from “strong-willed” behavior or typical toddler resistance
🌪 Early Presentation in Little Kids
Common patterns: insistence on autonomy, distress when your attention is divided, refusal of routine care tasks, “can’t when asked”
How unpredictability, pace, and stacked demands drive dysregulation
🌈 Lowering the Demand, Keeping the Boundary
Translating “low-demand” into daily life without giving up safety or values
Co-regulation, choices that feel like agency, and flexible sequencing
Gentle scripts that reduce status threats and preserve connection
🏡 Family, Culture, and Faith—Without Conflict
Navigating extended-family expectations and generational norms
Aligning your values with a PDA-affirming home rhythm
Language for schools, churches, and community spaces that protects your child’s autonomy and dignity
🧩 Practical Tools You Can Use Tonight
“Before/During/After” transition supports
Demand-dialing (how to step demands down, then back up)
Quick language shifts that lower resistance (“when/then,” “first/then,” side-door invites)
🌿 You’ll Leave With
A nervous-system lens for understanding PDA (not a behavior chart)
Concrete scripts for tough moments and public settings
A plan to reduce daily flashpoints while keeping essential boundaries
Confidence to advocate—at home, with relatives, and in community spaces
Sunita’s coaching is inclusive and affirming for families of all backgrounds and beliefs. While her personal faith informs her empathy and approach, this session is designed to feel safe, respectful, and accommodating regardless of culture or creed.
Note: This session is educational coaching, not medical, diagnostic, or psychotherapy advice.
Insight Session: A Strength Based Approach to PDA with Dr. Christine + Dr. Sam
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🌿 Insight Session: A Strength-Based Approach to PDA
With Dr. Sam & Dr. Christine (The Neurodiversity Docs)
Reframing Pathological Demand Avoidance Through Safety, Play, and Nervous System SupportThe Strength-Based PDA Insight Session is a paradigm-shifting conversation with Dr. Sam and Dr. Christine, co-founders of The Neurodiversity Docs, focused on understanding PDA through a nervous system and developmental lens—not a behavior management lens.
This session helps parents move away from compliance-based strategies and toward approaches that protect autonomy, reduce threat responses, and support long-term emotional health. If your child experiences intense distress around demands, unpredictability, or expectations (even preferred ones), this session offers clarity, validation, and actionable guidance.
What You’ll Learn Inside
🧠 What PDA Really Is
How PDA presents as a nervous system profile within the autism spectrum
Why demand avoidance is driven by perceived threat, not defiance or manipulation
How shame-based interpretations worsen regulation and behavior patterns
Why traditional behavior frameworks often fail PDA children
⚡ The Role of the Nervous System
How chronic stress and perceived loss of autonomy activate fight, flight, or freeze
Why safety and felt security must come before skill-building
How polyvagal-informed care changes support strategies
The importance of co-regulation in early childhood
🌈 A Strength-Based PDA Framework
Shifting from control to collaboration
Protecting autonomy while maintaining boundaries
Using curiosity, playfulness, and flexibility to reduce demand load
Supporting motivation without pressure or coercion
🎮 Play Therapy & Relationship-Based Support
Why play is a powerful regulation and connection tool for PDA children
How child-led interaction builds trust and emotional safety
Using relational safety as the foundation for learning and development
💬 Practical Language & Home Strategies
Reframing everyday demands to reduce nervous system threat
Small language shifts that lower resistance and power struggles
Supporting routines without rigid enforcement
Creating environments that promote autonomy and emotional safety
🌿 This Insight Session Will Help You:
Understand PDA through a compassionate, brain-based lens
Reduce daily battles and emotional blowups
Build trust and felt safety with your child
Support autonomy without sacrificing structure
Replace compliance-based parenting with connection-driven care
Find your advocacy through community…
Why Community Matters
When you’re surrounded by people who don’t understand your child—or your parenting—it becomes more than just isolating. It becomes disorienting. You begin to question what you know. You over-explain your decisions, water down your concerns, and shrink your voice to avoid criticism. Even when your gut is screaming that something more is going on, the constant need to justify your parenting choices can erode your confidence. It gets harder to advocate clearly when your own nervous system is stuck in survival mode.
So many of the families I work with have been told the same outdated lines: “It’s just colic.” “They’ll grow out of it.” “Don’t worry unless they’re still doing that at three.” “You just need to sleep train.” “Put them in 40 hours of therapy and be consistent.” These statements don’t support parents—they silence them. When you're isolated in your knowledge, it becomes harder to trust yourself. And when you don’t trust yourself, advocacy becomes harder to access.
But when you sit in a space with like-minded parents—people who see what you see, who understand the language of sensory regulation, nervous system support, and early neurodivergence—something shifts. You begin to exhale. You start recognizing that what you’re seeing is real, and that your child doesn’t need to be fixed—they need to be understood. Surrounded by others who truly get it, you build the language, tools, and community to show up with clarity and confidence. You stop defending your child and start advocating for them.
The Early Neurodiversity Community isn’t just a place to gather information—it’s a place to rebuild your trust in yourself. It’s a space to feel seen, supported, and steady. Because when you’re connected and regulated, you can show up for your child in powerful, transformative ways. You were never overreacting. You were early. And now, you don’t have to be alone.
A little more about me…
👋🏼 I’m Lauren—RN, parent of three neurodivergent kids, and the founder of The Early Neurodiversity Company. I’ve spent over a decade navigating therapies, sleep challenges, diagnoses, sensory systems, and emotional regulation—and I built this space because no family should have to figure this out alone.
Whether your baby is a few days old or your preschooler is 4, this is your space to learn, be held, and grow.
I’ll be in your corner every step of the way.
Can’t wait to meet you inside. ✨