🛁 Rethinking Hygiene Through a Neuro-Affirming Lens
Hygiene is often taught as a list of things that must be done: wash, brush, shower, repeat. For many neurodivergent children, young people and adults, that approach simply doesn’t work. What looks like “avoidance” or “poor self-care” is often a nervous system response to sensory overload, loss of autonomy, past shame, or routines that don’t feel safe.
That’s why we’re pleased to welcome Laura Hellfeld of Neurodivergent Nurse Consulting to the Learning Portal with a practical, compassionate webinar that reframes hygiene from the inside out.
This session is designed for parents, carers, professionals – who want to understand why hygiene can feel hard, and what genuinely helps.
🧼 Why hygiene is about more than cleanliness
From a neuro-affirming perspective, hygiene isn’t just about physical health. It’s closely linked to:
- 🧴sensory processing (smells, textures, temperature, sound)
- 🧩 autonomy and control
- 🗣️communication and demand
- 💜 self-esteem and identity
- 🖤 nervous system safety
When hygiene routines are imposed without curiosity or choice, they can quickly tip a child or adult into stress, shutdown, or resistance 🚨 Laura’s webinar invites us to slow this down and ask different questions — not “Why won’t they do it?” but “What is this experience like for them?” 🤔
🧰 What you’ll gain from the webinar
In this session, you’ll be guided to:
- 🪞 reflect on your own beliefs and experiences of hygiene
- 🎯 understand the purpose of hygiene beyond rules and routines
- 🌀 explore why hygiene can feel overwhelming or impossible at times
- 🛠️learn practical, low-pressure strategies that work in real life
- 🧴🧼 consider hygiene products and adaptations that respect sensory needs and autonomy
Everything is grounded in lived experience, nursing insight, and neurodivergent-affirming practice — with ideas you can adapt immediately at home, in school, or in professional settings.
👨👩👧👦 Who this training is for
- parents and carers supporting children or teens who struggle with hygiene routines
- professionals working in education, SEND, health or early help
No prior knowledge is needed — just curiosity and openness 💛
🗓️ Available from 1st–28th February in the Learning Portal and free to all members
- Non-Members: Click here to join
- Members: click here to access.
