Testimonials
My journey in the realm of ADHD has at times felt like a shipwreck about to happen. As a GP, I 'should' know what to do or how to manage my son – but I didn't. As a wife, I 'should' know how to love my husband unconditionally – but at times it is frustrating and VERY HARD. I have known the relief and 'freedom' that having a confirming diagnosis has meant for my loved family, and it has enabled us to start of journey of working towards our full potentials.
General Practitioner – Practitioner Stream Post on Conversation Wall
I am writing to congratulate you on the excellent 2021 conference last week. It was brilliantly organised and from my perspective at least, ran like clockwork. It was a privilege to be a part of the amazing programme. The technological assistance was superb and considering the distances that were travelled between me, and Launceston, well, it was quite an achievement to go without a hitch.
Dr. Judith Hudson – Presenter at 2021 Conference
I wanted to personally thank you for all your help and support in preparation for the conference. You made it seem easy. There are so many details to manage for an international professional conference. ACND brought cutting edge information for a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders for professionals. It was an honour to be a part of it.
Professor Laura Hill – Presenter at 2021 Conference
Thank you so much. Additionally, congratulations on a massively successful conference! I was so glad to attend from online in Brisbane!
Felisa Golingi – Psychologist
It was a pleasure, thank you for giving Vanessa and I the opportunity. You planned, coordinated and executed a fantastic event, well done!
Sophie Harrington – COO, NOFASD (National Organisation for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) and presenter at 2021 Conference
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to present at the conference. Both my husband, Russ, and I thoroughly enjoyed attending a range of presentations.
Julia Ebert – Presenter at 2021 Conference
I am writing to provide my strongest support for the application to for the Tasmanian Community Fund to support the Australian Conference for Neurodevelopmental Disorders.
In a few short years, this Conference has become a leading conference in the field, attracting many local attendees, and also domestic and international visitors to Tasmania. The particularly unique aspect of the Conference is that it provides a place for families, practitioners and scientists to interact. Traditional conferences separate out these stakeholders, which often limits the value of the information presented.
The Australian Conference for Neurodevelopmental Disorders actively welcomes this broader milieu, and it amplifies the community impact of the event. I see the Australian Conference for Neurodevelopmental Disorders as a major event on the calendar, and has certainly provided international visibility to Tasmania. The organisers are to be strongly commended for what they have created, and further support would ensure this Conference continues to have its deep impact on the community.
Professor Andrew Whitehouse, Telethon Kids Institute (extract from a letter for support)
ASD is just one example of neurodevelopmental disorder that affects communication, social interaction, and sensory processing. Attending in-person events can often present significant barriers for individuals such as sensory overload, social anxiety, and difficulty with transitions. By offering streaming options the ACND is proactively addressing these barriers and striving to make the conference experience fully accessible for attendees from the comfort of their own environment, offering a controlled and familiar setting. This approach offers a genuine avenue for accessing the same information, workshops, and discussion with peers as those attending face to face.
As an organisation committed to fostering professional growth, promoting inclusivity, and advancing research, we strongly support the Australian Conference for Neurodevelopmental Disorders and recognise the immense value it brings to brings to the field, people with lived experience and the wider community.
Zoe Green, General Manager, HR+ Tasmania (extract from a letter for support)
Now in its third event, the conference organisers have a proven track record for delivering an impressive program of new information and networking opportunities for:
- Neurodiverse communities
- Expert researchers and advisors
Autism Tasmania is a proud supporter of this work and supports the award of a funding grant to support the delivery of the 2023 event. Autism Tasmania looks forward to future collaboration for the betterment of the autistic community.
Donna Blanchard, CEO, Autism Tasmania (extract from a letter for support)
Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to present at the conference, and to listen to some inspirational speakers. On a more personal note, can I say how courageous your son was in sharing his story and how important it was for all educators in the audience to hear what he had to say. His words will stay with me for a long time, as will yours.
Lisa Drinkwater – Respectful Schools Team
I attended the ACND and I must say it was the most marvellous insightful and extremely helpful gathering I have ever been to. Thank you.
Shari – Grandparent
This was a very well run, informative and interesting conference. I am amazed at the cost of the tickets as I know I have paid twice as much for other conferences. I got a lot of value out of it, and learnt a lot as a counsellor at a school.
Azni Taylor – Attendee at 2021 Conference
I just needed to let you know that over the course of the ACND Conference, I had more than a dozen conversations about it with participants. The comments were all about the running of it, the catering, the running of said catering, the volunteers, and the content. Every single person was amazed. How professional every stage of the event was. Some were saying they had never been to anything that well run.
Gray Douglas – Launceston Christian College staff member
I just wanted to pass on my sincere gratitude for the privilege of attending the seminar these past two days in Launceston. I woke up this morning in my hotel at 5am feeling empowered and flooded with ideas…Please pass on my heartfelt gratitude to the committee involved for their foresight and perseverance in organizing an event of such importance to Tasmanians. It provided a wonderful opportunity to collaborate and network and has provided me with extraordinary personal empowerment.
Jane – Parent
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you times a million. It has been 100% worth getting time off work to attend; spending hundreds on child-care/babysitting to attend; time away from family; dealing with the fall-out from being away from the neuro-diverse children….ALL WORTH IT!!! We’ve gotten SO much out of this conference.
Parent Stream Post on Conversation Wall
I want to offer a very sincere congratulations - it was an outstanding conference. Your planning, the team, the volunteers and the program were first class. I just loved your team and volunteers who were at every door, around every corner, all day, and always with a smile on their face and such a professional approach. They made the venue such a pleasant place and I believe the part they played would be unequalled. I have not experienced anything that could compare.
Mrs Elizabeth Daly, AM. – Co-Chair of B4 Early Years Coalition