Neurodiversity Workshop | Online – Monday 13 October 2025

♾️ NEURODIVERSITY ONLINE WORKSHOP

Perspectives of Neurodivergent Parents in Birth, Pregnancy and First Year of Baby’s Life

This three-hour workshop provides resources, education and strategies on common neurodevelopment conditions by exploring how we can help those effected by mental illness in the perinatal period focusing on the role of neuro-difference has on perceptions of self, others and the future.

Presented by Marina Elisara and Hannah Cleaver-Marshall

Limited tickets – you must purchase below to attend.

MORE ABOUT YOUR SPEAKERS:

Marina Elisara
BHSc(OT), PGCertProSup, PGCertHSc, PGDipCBT
Primary Mental Health Occupational Therapist

Although I have been working as a Mental Health Occupational Therapist since 2005, I have worked independently since 2021, receiving referrals for mild to moderate anxiety and depression from GP practices. Among the variety of people referred, are parents experiencing low mood or being on-edge with the changes related to bringing a new baby into the world. Occupational Therapists are also trained in neuroscience and have health models to encompass a broad range of knowledge. I found that this makes it easier to consider the effects of late diagnosed neurodevelopment conditions on mental well-being and find methods and approaches that clients respond to.

Hannah Cleaver-Marshall BSocSci

As a (late-diagnosed) AuDHD woman, raising Neurodivergent children (combinations of ADHD, ASD, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, APD) I am deeply passionate about accessibility of knowledge, support and advocacy. The transition into motherhood is never simple, but for me, the perinatal journey was especially intense. I am a mother of five (I gave birth to four of my children), and while I look back with love on those early years, I also remember the enormous challenges I faced, challenges that I didn’t fully understand at the time. These experiences are what sparked my deep interest in perinatal neurodiversity.

I completed my BSocSci (Psychology & Sociology) as a young single mother I entered the workforce at the Ministry of Social Development, after several other roles and gaining a Diploma in Health Science (Naturopathy), now in my mid 30s I have decided to enter back into postgraduate study. I am currently completing my PGDipArts (Psychology) at Massey, I will be begin my masters thesis in 2026 titled ‘Motherhood and Neurodiversity: Exploring the Role of Diagnosis and Knowledge in Shaping the Experiences of Mothers with ADHD and ASD’.