Page 16 - Dainfern Precinct Living Issue 1_2024

Dainfern Square really does
Today's Child
TODAY'S CHILD have something for everyone.
s a school principal,
I’m lucky to have
been part of the
many transformative
journeys our students
Aand their families
have gone through. Every journey
is different – as is every child – but
as two remarkable mothers recently
highlighted during an EduThink
Podcast, we are doing our children
a disservice if we don’t learn to
understand and ultimately embrace
their differences.
Jo Judnick Wilson and Nicola Killops
are both parents to neurodiverse sons.
Nicola’s son is 19 and was diagnosed
with autism at age 7. Jo’s son is 13
and was diagnosed at 4.
Jo and Nicola have both faced
challenges finding schools that cater
to their son’s needs and for me,
this underscores the importance of
embracing neurodiversity in education.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach.
Some children learn differently, and
we owe it to them to nurture that rather
than exclude them because of it.

Nicola touches on her journey
with James: “James is what they
call ‘Twice Exceptional’ or ‘2E’ –
intellectually gifted with dyslexia and
high-functioning autism. Early on, I
noticed he was different, struggling with
sleep and speech delays.

EDUCATING

NEURODIVERSE CHILDEN

H Helping them be
elping them be

seen and heard
seen and heard

B Y GERSHOM AITCHISON

16 DPL issue 1 2024