Mindfulness Centre Newsletter

Wellbeing News 2025 - Week 8

What a wonderful week it has been for our students’ learning about Neurodiversity and Diversity.  There have been many thoughtful conversations across the school with many of our students showing empathy and respect as they have talked about the differences in us all.  It has been positive to see so many of our students proudly sharing about their Neurodiversity and their cultural backgrounds.  Being seen for who we are and respected for our differences is empowering and has such a positive impact on wellbeing.

In this week’s newsletter some of our senior Neurodiverse students have generously shared their stories with you all.  It was a privilege to interview  these students who were so courageous, open and reflective on their lives. I know that through our discussion I now have a deeper understanding and respect for our Neurodiverse students and their families.  I hope you enjoy reading these interviews as much as the students and I enjoyed putting them together.

Alongside Neurodiversity Week we have Harmony Week.  We will have some photos in our next newsletter from today.   Please let us know if your family celebrates specific cultural events so we can acknowledge this.  We know that many of our students are celebrating the Persian New Year this week and have been very excited to share about this event with their classmates.

Can you tell me a little about your Neurodiversity and what this means to you?

I am Neurodiverse, I have ASD and ADHD, that is Autism and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In my daily life I sometimes get very angry and a bit stressed.  I also have anxiety.

It’s hard for me to do usual stuff like brush my teeth and get dressed because it’s in a time frame.  Time pressure is very hard for me.  At school it’s hard - if I get a 5 minute warning or I’ve only done half a task, I start to rush and I feel stressed because I don’t have control.  Sometimes I like to do things perfectly.  Sometimes when people sing or make loud noises I get angry and stressed.  I like it quiet.  Loud noises make me feel anxious and I want to go to a quiet place.

Friendships are hard for me especially making new friends as I sometimes don’t like to do what others are doing. I’ve found the perfect group for now as everyone is respectful and kind.

Sometimes I pretend everything is ok at school when it’s not and this exhausts me.  When I get home I let it all out, I get teary or angry.

What can people do to support you?

It would be helpful for people to just let me walk away when I am angry and not follow me. If I am kind of managing, I can sometimes say I need some space, please respect that.  Me needing time alone doesn’t mean people have always done something or I don’t like them, I just need space.

What do you think your strengths are?

I love my craft, reading books, sitting in my hammock, spending time with my family and at the beach.  I think my strength would be knowing my emotions and when I need to walk away.  I’m thoughtful and caring. 

Can you tell me a little about your Neurodiversity and what this means to you?

 I am Neurodiverse and I have SPD which is Sensory Processing Differences.  What this means is that my body and brain can not manage stuff like others.  My brain can not handle strictness and it can not handle a lot of pressure on it, like short time limits. Even time limits like having to be in bed in 5mins is stressful.  I need at least 30 mins or more warnings about things.  I don’t like things sprung on me.  I can’t handle stress as my brain overthinks things and makes things  bigger and worse. I can not handle too much sound either.

What do you think your strengths are?

I’m good at making friends.  I think “kind” should be the cool thing, not mean kids.

What would you like people to know about SPD?

The one good thing about SPD is when you have tough times, I’ve learnt there are always people to support you.

Do you think people treat you differently because you are Neurodiverse?

Some people treat me differently, they  tease me a bit but most people are fine.

What can people do to support you?

When I’m overloaded I like people to leave me alone or suggest I go to a safe place.  

What is not helpful would be people being frustrated with me.

What do you love about your Neurodiversity?

What I love about me and my brain is that I’m so creative.  I can make anything I want to in my mind.

Can you tell me a little about your Neurodiversity and what this means to you?

I have Autism, this means I find it harder to do work when there are a lot of loud noises.  Sometimes I really struggle for no reason.  I can’t  really do anything like make decisions, concentrate on work or think clearly.  I have trouble sleeping which makes the day harder as I get up later than I want and then I feel rushed. I get stressed because I'm rushed.  I don’t really like time limits as I get stressed. 

I used to mask how I felt a lot because I don’t like to show my emotions  but now instead of masking I've learnt strategies to deal with my emotions more  and I can move on from things.

What can people do to support you?

I need fidgets to help me calm down if I am stressed as I can concentrate with them. If I ask for time by myself please give it to me, I am still your friend, I just need to have a break and calm down.

What would you like people to know about Autism?

Sometimes it has a big impact on your life and you might need more support some days like more fidgets or breaks.  

What do you love about your Neurodiversity?

I love my brain because sometimes I can’t focus on all things but when I have a project I like I'm really dedicated and work on it heaps. I love that it is different to everyone else's because if we were the same it would be very boring.

What do you think your strengths are?

My strengths are definitely when I put my mind to something I focus and do it!

Can you tell me a little about your Neurodiversity and what this means to you?

I have Autism and ADHD.  For me this means I have meltdowns over the tiniest things sometimes or I can’t sit still.  If I have a meltdown I shut down and go into my room and listen to an audio book or I yell at people.  After yelling I feel really bad about myself. I struggle with certain things like spelling but excel in maths.  My brain just clicks into maths whereas spelling nothing sticks.  I can’t write a story. My mind thinks all the time and is racing or sometimes I drift off and I think about non relevant things. I can often get really focussed on something. I don’t like loud noises except for when I’m speed skating. I find most smells really intense and the taste of things intense.  

Friendships can be tricky as I can’t control my yelling even though I know I want to stop it. I try to explain this to my friends but it is hard for them to really understand.

I mask a lot which means I hold on to all my emotions then when I get home I am exhausted. I let it all out and get really upset with people.

What can people do to support you?

People could help by walking away if I am about to yell at them or don’t listen to me.

If I ask for space  or walk off, understand that it is because I need space. I'm not doing it to annoy you or saying I don’t want to be with you.  I can’t often physically tell you I need space.

You could let me have some things that help me which are fidgets, space, headphones, music audio books and taking my shoes off.

Do you think people treat you differently because you are Neurodiverse?

I have experienced being treated differently once or twice. If people know me they might treat me differently but in a helpful way.   If they don’t know me they can sometimes think I’m weird or trying to be different in a strange or bad way.

What do you love about your Neurodiversity? 

I love that I am really good at maths and I find it fun to play around with numbers and that I am super creative with stuff.  I love that I set my mind on skating and now I’m really good and might be going to Nationals.

Can you tell me a little about your Neurodiversity and what this means to you?

I have Autism and ADHD and Sensory Processing Difference

I think sometimes it’s hard for me to focus because I am always wanting to make something or do something.  It is then really hard for me to stop doing the things I like.  At school it’s hard to stop the subject I really like doing to do another one or to stop my craft to then do school work. If I am doing something like craft at home then I come to school all I can do is think of the craft which makes it hard to do school work.

I overthink a lot and it's hard to concentrate.  It takes a long time to refocus and to be ready to learn.  I always need time to reset and think about what didn’t go well and how to make the day better. Often I need a plan and a routine as it helps.  It is very exhausting and sometimes you don’t want to do the work so I try to do as much as I can until I need another brain break.

What would you like people to know about Autism and ADHD?

I think a lot of people with autism and ADHD would have different friendships to other people. With both ASD and ADHD it's hard for you not to answer back and hard for you not to react or respond back to people.  You have a feeling where you are angry inside, you are frozen, your body is tight and you feel blank, but you still respond.  I am still learning not to respond back.  I have adults to help me with this.  I think other people think we are different, and people sometimes pick on us and don’t really know how hard it is for us to stop and not do anything back.  I have improved a lot with controlling it.  I think now I’m doing pretty good and I have learnt so much stuff about ASD and ADHD.  

I think it is important for people to know that even though we might have people supporting us we are no different to others and just want to be treated equally.  Please don’t judge us because we have people helping us.

What can people do to support you?

You don’t always know everything about your friends or people.  Like how hard things may be like being able to concentrate but I love people including and having people say “hi, how’s your day?”  Noticing me makes me feel good.  Include me in things. Often people with ADHD or ASD don’t really have friends as they are not always sure what to do in a friendship.   Be kind to everyone, maybe ask “Are you ok, is there anything I can do?”  If I say I need some space let me. Needing space doesn’t mean I am not your friend, I just need space. 

Think carefully about the things you say as often I overthink things and might not always understand words in the way you mean it.  For me friendships are important and I have some great friendships.  These friendships have helped me through tough times.  It is important to me to feel connected and for people to understand me.  I do know it can be hard to understand me at times.

What do you love about your Neurodiversity?

I love that I am creative and make stuff.  I love that a lot of teachers love hanging out with me.  I love that the teachers don’t treat me differently. I love having my aide, she helps a lot  because if she is not in the room I ask the teachers a lot of questions.  It takes a bit of the load off having an aide as I can go to another room where it is quieter, then I don’t disrupt other people and their learning.

I love that I think about stuff like people in the world and their lives and my craft ideas. I love hanging out with my family. My strengths are that I really care and am empathetic. I like to help, create things, invent things, make things with wood.  I love my basketball and football.  I love sports and all these things help me reset and are good for me.

I am really thankful for having my Mum and Dad.  Mum, she does everything for me. Dad, he really helps me with my sport and they both help me with friendship.

My sisters are so good. One sister is always cheering me on and my other sister spends lots of time making things with me.

Can you tell me a little about your Neurodiversity and what this means to you?

I have Autism, ADHD and Dyslexia

Sometimes it is hard to do something like in P-2 I didn’t really write at all.  In Year 3 when I typed on the Ipad people didn’t understand why I was allowed to use it and they didn’t. They were curious I think.

I find it hard to concentrate when there are a lot of loud noises or if I’m sitting too close to someone. It’s also hare to concentrate if there is something else on my mind. I get stressed because I can’t concentrate and I kind of freeze, go blank and get stuck.  I get really tired from trying to concentrate all the time.  When I get stressed I start to feel angry and this builds up until I get that out.  Once the anger is out I can move on.  I can’t stop the anger early.  Often it is not one big thing that makes me get stressed and angry but lots of little things that build up and that’s when I explode. 

Friendships can be tricky depending on how the friends act.  I find it hard to compromise even when I want to.  I feel like I work really hard with my work, work that others say is easy. People telling me something is easy when I find it hard, is one of the things that builds up inside me.

What can people do to support you?

People can give me space when I ask for it and understand it is nothing they have done, I just need space to settle down.

When people see I am getting angry but don’t ask for it, maybe ask me if I need some and just give me space. Asking would help me think about it and I am more likely to take it.

If I am doing some work that you think is easy don’t tell me that as you don’t know how hard I am working.

Do you think people treat you differently?

Sometimes I think people treat me differently but it’s not in a bad way it is in a way that helps me.

What do you love about your Neurodiversity?

I am very passionate about things and will learn everything about the subject I am interested in.  I can tell you all about the things I love like Taylor Swift and Harry Potter.  

I am very creative.