ROARworkshop supports advocacy and education in creativity, the arts, and neurodiversity in and outside the classroom setting.

ROAR Workshop works from the *neurodiversity paradigm (see a description below) and through a creative lens. This involves understanding the diverse experiences of neurodiversity, sensory input, and our nervous system responses. Our aim is to enhance awareness of unique strengths through self-understanding and recognizing others’ experiences.

Additionally, we provide links to further resources on our website for continued learning, along with engaging activities for individuals to explore their own sensory profiles and enhance self-awareness.

*The neurodiversity paradigm views neurodiversity as a natural and valuable form of human diversity, rejecting the notion that there is one “normal” or “healthy” type of brain or neurocognitive functioning. This idea, like beliefs about a single “right” ethnicity, gender, or culture, is seen as a socially constructed fiction that does not benefit society or humanity’s well-being. Similar to other forms of diversity, neurodiversity involves social dynamics of power inequalities, but when embraced, it also serves as a source of creative potential. Read more about the neurodiversity paradigm through the writings of Dr. Nick Walker. https://neuroqueer.com/neurodiversity-terms-and-definitions/

“Neurodiversity-affirming practice is an approach that recognizes and values the diversity of neurological differences in our society including those found in Autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, giftedness, intellectual disability, tics and Tourette Syndrome, schizophrenia and more.” From https://jenniferkemp.com.au/resources/autism-and-adhd

Please read more about ROARworkshop here

Resources can be found here.

Workshop Currently being offered in person or online

Somatic & Creative Arts Interventions for Neurodivergent Adults and Children: 
Working with the Nervous System through a Neurodiversity-Affirming Lens

This experiential workshop introduces somatic and expressive arts interventions designed to support parents, therapists, and educators working with neurodivergent and highly sensitive clients. Grounded in a neurodiversity-affirming and integrative framework, we will explore how interoception, proprioception, and autonomy relate to nervous system regulation and therapeutic engagement.
Participants will have the opportunity to engage in movement, balance, and expressive arts-based practices while reflecting on clinical applications. The session invites collaborative exploration—drawing from lived experience, clinical insight, and shared learning to deepen understanding and expand embodied interventions for neurodivergent individuals.

Understanding PDA: This workshop offers a neurodiversity affirming understanding of PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance or Persistent Drive for Autonomy)

Reframing it not as defiance but as a nervous-system–based need for autonomy and safety. 

Participants (therapists, parents, and caregivers) will learn how PDA shows up in everyday life through avoidance, resistance, heightened reactivity, shutdown, or masking and people-pleasing, as well as strengths such as creativity, intuition, and relational attunement. We will explore trauma-informed, collaborative approaches that reduce pressure, support regulation, and honor autonomy, helping adults better understand and support children and teens with a PDA profile.

Please contact me at melissa@melissawymantherapy.com for more information