The Neurodiversity Symposium-Session 3: Neurodiversity and Co-Occurrences

6 CEs (All 6 can be used as Cultural Competence or Health Equity CEs.) Recorded: Spring, 2024

For many Neurodivergent people, their experience of differences does not end with their nervous system. In fact, ADHD and Autism come with a host of co-occurring issues and illnesses that further impact their need for support. The sessions for “Neurodiversity and Co-occurrences” cover topics including the most common co-occurring issues, differential diagnoses or identities, hormones, and the impact on ND experiences throughout the lifetime.

Session One: Differentials and Co-Occurrences in Autism and ADHD
Session Two: The Role of Addiction in ADHD and Autism
Session Three: Neurodivergence over the Lifetime

EPDC CE Hours: 6

Presenter: B. Lourenco, LMHC

B Lourenco is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, advocate, and activist. B has been working in community support for 15 years and is committed to social change on all system levels. Seeing mental health as a way to serve the community, she earned a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology, with a Systems Emphasis, in 2015 and began her private practice in 2017. B has also worked in the public school system, providing support to students with behavioral issues that made attending school challenging for them. Highly trained in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), B became a district-wide expert in supporting neurodivergent students. It was during this work that she began to be critical of the current models of support for neurodivergence, including ABA. Making the shift from the medical to the affirming model has allowed her to finally identify her own neurodivergence, including Autism and ADHD. Combining her lived experience of neurodivergence, along with years of anti-oppression work, B is passionate about helping others untangle themselves from harmful practices and align themselves with those that instead support marginalized communities. In addition to her work in neurodiversity, B is also a sex and relationship therapist, specializing in ethical non-monogamy and kink exploration. She has been a speaker on panels and podcasts, as well as facilitating therapeutic workshops in her area of Washington State.