Living in a Neurodiverse World
Neurodiversity terminology gets thrown around constantly, but the history behind it, the reasons diagnosis rates keep climbing, and what it all actually means can be hard to pin down. Get clear on the terminology, understand the real factors shaping who gets diagnosed and who doesn’t, and build a stronger foundation for showing up in neuroaffirming ways, rooted in universal design and respect for self-identification.
Kelsie Mick Olds, MOT OTR/LEnrollment Options
Professional Track
Provides a certificate of completion for 1.5 continuing education contact hours. Designed for social workers, educators, and early childhood educators looking to earn CE credit for professional development.
This course provides 0.15 General CEUs or 1.5 Contact Hours
Personal Track
Designed for parents, caregivers, and educators looking to deepen their knowledge and understanding and learn practical strategies for supporting neurodivergent children.
Professional Track
- Big Talks Little Talks video course
- PDF Companion Notes
- Learning outcome assessment
- Certificate of completion for 0.15 General CEUs
Personal Track
- Big Talks Little Talks video course
- PDF Companion Notes
Meet Your Instructor
Kelsie Mick Olds, MOT OTR/L
Mick is an occupational therapist working both on- and offline to share knowledge widely about the ways that children grow, develop, and learn. Mick is passionate about play as the core meaningful occupation that underlies childhood, and about equipping adults with the education and practical tools they need to defend children’s right to play.
Mick has a Master of Occupational Therapy degree from the University of Oklahoma and has worked primarily in schools, as well as consulting with teachers, therapists, and parents to advocate on children’s behalf. Mick blogs as The OccuPLAYtional Therapist.
About This Course
What Is Neurodiversity?
Every person's brain is wired a little differently. For some people, those differences diverge from what society treats as typical in ways that meaningfully shape how they move through the world, how they learn, how they connect with others, and how they take care of themselves.
The neurodiversity movement is rooted in a simple idea: these differences are natural variations in human neurology, not defects to be fixed. But that idea comes with a lot of terminology, a lot of history, and a lot of ongoing conversation about who is included, how diagnoses work, and what kinds of support actually help people thrive.
Understanding the foundations of neurodiversity gives you a stronger place to stand when you're supporting a child, a loved one, or a client whose brain works differently than your own.
Why the Conversation About Neurodiversity Gets Muddled
Terms like neurodivergent, neurotypical, and neurominority get used constantly, but often inconsistently or inaccurately. Diagnosis rates for autism and ADHD keep climbing, and the reasons behind that are frequently misunderstood, dismissed as a trend, or waved off as overdiagnosis.
When the conversation stays stuck at the surface, it becomes much harder to hear what people are actually telling us about how their brains work and what they need. The families, students, and clients in our lives deserve better than confusion or skepticism when they share their experience.
This course gives you the foundational knowledge to move past the noise and start listening to what neurodivergent people are actually saying about their own experience. That shift changes how you show up.
Big Talks, Little Talks
Understanding How Kids Think, Feel, and Behave — One Talk at a Time
Living in a Neurodiverse World is one of eight modules in Big Talks, Little Talks, a video course series by Kelsie Mick Olds covering key topics in neurodiversity and child development. Modules can be purchased individually or as a complete bundle.
Every module in the series includes two videos:
The professional development component. Kelsie walks through the topic in depth, giving you the knowledge and language to understand what's happening and how to respond. Big Talks run approximately one hour and qualify for continuing education credit.
A kid-friendly video that gives children accessible language to understand what's going on in their own bodies and brains. You can show it directly to a child, break it into shorter chunks across multiple sessions, or watch it yourself to pick up language you can use in your own conversations.
Who Is This Course For?
This course is designed for parents, teachers, early childhood educators, social workers, therapists, and anyone who supports neurodivergent kids or adults and wants a clearer understanding of the terminology, the history, and the realities behind rising diagnosis rates.
Whether you're new to the neurodiversity conversation and trying to get your footing, or you've been part of it for a while and want a solid foundation to build on, this course gives you the grounding to show up with more confidence and curiosity.
Course Details
Select a track to view what's included.
Course Modules
Making Sense of Behavior: The Basics of Sensory Processing
1:19:03This Big Talk provides an introduction to neurodiversity as a concept and a movement. Presenter Kelsie Olds, OTR/L, explains key terminology (neurodiverse, neurodivergent, neurotypical, neuro minority) and traces the history of diagnoses like autism and ADHD, noting that both were first described less than a century ago.
The video addresses common concerns about rising diagnosis rates, explaining how evolving diagnostic criteria, increased awareness, and barriers to access (financial, racial, gender-based, and cultural) all shape who receives a formal diagnosis. Kelsie discusses universal design as a way to build more inclusive environments and explains why self-identification often provides meaningful information about a person’s experience, even without formal diagnosis.
The talk closes with an invitation to approach differences with curiosity and to believe people when they describe what it is like to live inside their own brain.
Some Types of Brains
This Little Talk introduces kids to the concept of neurodivergent brains.
Kelsie explains that the world is often built for one type of person, leaving others out, and that this applies to brains just like it applies to bodies.
The video describes several types of brains (ADHD, dyslexic, hyperlexic, anxious, autistic) and acknowledges that people have different experiences of whether their brain feels disabling to them. The talk closes with two messages: you are completely unique and your brain is wonderful, and you are not alone because there are people who will understand you.
What's Included
Course Content
Registration Information
To register, select your preferred course option on this page and complete your purchase. Access to all course materials is granted immediately upon completion of payment. If you require accommodations or have special needs requests, please contact us at ce@thinksensory.com. Groups of 6 or more can inquire about group rates at the same address.
Course Modules
Making Sense of Behavior: The Basics of Sensory Processing
1:19:03This Big Talk provides an introduction to neurodiversity as a concept and a movement. Presenter Kelsie Olds, OTR/L, explains key terminology (neurodiverse, neurodivergent, neurotypical, neuro minority) and traces the history of diagnoses like autism and ADHD, noting that both were first described less than a century ago.
The video addresses common concerns about rising diagnosis rates, explaining how evolving diagnostic criteria, increased awareness, and barriers to access (financial, racial, gender-based, and cultural) all shape who receives a formal diagnosis. Kelsie discusses universal design as a way to build more inclusive environments and explains why self-identification often provides meaningful information about a person’s experience, even without formal diagnosis.
The talk closes with an invitation to approach differences with curiosity and to believe people when they describe what it is like to live inside their own brain.
Some Types of Brains
This Little Talk introduces kids to the concept of neurodivergent brains.
Kelsie explains that the world is often built for one type of person, leaving others out, and that this applies to brains just like it applies to bodies.
The video describes several types of brains (ADHD, dyslexic, hyperlexic, anxious, autistic) and acknowledges that people have different experiences of whether their brain feels disabling to them. The talk closes with two messages: you are completely unique and your brain is wonderful, and you are not alone because there are people who will understand you.
What's Included
Course Content
Registration Information
To register, select your preferred course option on this page and complete your purchase. Access to all course materials is granted immediately upon completion of payment. If you require accommodations or have special needs requests, please contact us at ce@thinksensory.com. Groups of 6 or more can inquire about group rates at the same address.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:
- Define key neurodiversity terminology, including neurodiverse, neurodivergent, neurotypical, and neuro minority.
- Explain why the number of people diagnosed with conditions like ASD and ADHD has increased over time.
- Describe how universal design creates environments that benefit people across the neurodiversity spectrum.
- Explain why self-identification may provide meaningful information about an individual’s needs and experiences.
Continuing Education Details
Video lecture with slide presentation, optional companion notes document.
To receive 0.15 CEUs (1.5 contact hours) for this activity, you must complete all of the following:
- View all required video content in its entirety.
- Pass the post-activity learning outcome assessment with a score of 80% or higher.
- Complete the post-activity evaluation.
Partial credit is not available. You must complete all requirements listed above to receive CEUs and a certificate of completion.
If you do not achieve a passing score of 80% on the learning outcome assessment, you may retake the assessment. There is no limit on retake attempts.
Mick was paid for their contributions to Goal Writing for Autistic Students. Mick receives commission for the sales of Big Talks Little Talks. Mick is the author of a book, “Your Child’s Point of View: Understanding the Reasons Kids Do Unreasonable Things” and receives royalties for its’ sale. Mick is the owner of The OccuPLAYtional Therapist and receives speaking fees.
Mick is Autistic and has friends and family members who are Autistic.
Think Sensory will issue a full refund to a learner who requests cancellation within 10 calendar days of purchase, provided the learner has not accessed any course content. Once any course content has been accessed, no refund will be issued, regardless of how much of the activity has been completed. Due to the digital nature of CEU-eligible PD activities, Think Sensory does not offer partial refunds after content has been accessed.
If Think Sensory cancels or removes a course from the platform, affected learners will be notified in advance and provided with an appropriate remedy. For full details, see our Terms of Service.
To request a cancellation, email ce@thinksensory.com.