Understanding Autism

We’re excited to host Understanding Autism, a hands-on workshop in honour of Autism Acceptance Month—created for educators, families, community members, and anyone who wants to better understand autism through a neuroaffirming, strengths-based lens.

In this two-hour session, we’ll paint a colourful field of flowers that acts as a visual framework for understanding autistics—each flower representing different ways people experience, process, and interact with the world, including sensory needs, communication styles, and strengths.

Expect a guided, step-by-step painting experience paired with lived-experience insights and practical, real-world strategies. We’ll explore how autism has historically been misunderstood, examine how those narratives still shape stigma today, and offer a more inclusive, strengths-focused perspective you can apply in classrooms, workplaces, and everyday interactions.

What you’ll get:

• Guided 12" × 16" painting to display as a visual reminder in your classroom

• Practical tools for supporting sensory regulation and communication across settings

• Strategies for fostering psychological safety and authentic inclusion

• Lived-experience perspectives that translate to real scenarios—not just theory

• Invoices are emailed upon request for SSTA reimbursement. Please print our invoice and attach it to Form B from the SSTA website:

Who should attend: Educators, school staff, parents, caregivers, community members, and anyone interested in building a more inclusive, neuroaffirming understanding of autism.

Join us to learn, create, and leave with a new perspective—and practical ways to better support autistic people in our schools, workplaces, and communities. Spaces are limited. A little extra for teachers!— take-home printouts for your classroom:

Upon request teachers will receive a compact, teacher-friendly booklet that summarizes the workshop visuals, key concepts, and neuroaffirming language around autism. It also includes a simple class activity called the Brain Map, designed to help students recognize that everyone processes the world differently — and that diversity in thinking is a strength, not a problem to fix. The activity encourages students to identify their own sensory preferences, strengths, and communication styles, reinforcing acceptance and reducing stigma.