Kristy Forbes is an Australian based autism & neurodiversity support specialist

with experience working with clients both nationally and internationally.

This includes neurodivergent people and their families; and professionals who wish to support them, such as educators, psychologists, paediatricians, allied health professionals, support workers and integration aides.

Her work is informed by her extensive professional experience as an educator (Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary teaching), as an integration aide to children with social, emotional and behavioural differences, and as a childhood behavioural and family support specialist.

Kristy has degrees in Political Science, Education, Literature, Film and Art.

Her most valuable insights, however, come from lived experience.

Kristy is formally identified autistic, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) as well as being a parent to four neurodivergent children, all with varying neurodivergent experience and expression including being non speaking, apraxia, dyspraxia, tourettes and PDA.

She has the unique experience and insight of many perspectives: the teacher, the support specialist, the parent, the partner and the neurodivergent person (including the child she once was!).

Kristy understands the very real challenges neurodivergent people and their families face, and the often misunderstood and undermined position they are in.

Her own personal journey as an autistic person, and the story of her family is often documented throughout her work in her writing, her speaking, her many programs and webinars and in private consultation with others throughout the deeply personal process of empathy and compassion.

Kristy is passionate about radical acceptance, and the profound need for a paradigm shift that moves us as a society from a perspective of autism as a medical disorder to an identity and a culture that is interwoven with pride, inherent and organic autistic expression and intersectionality with our sibling communities such as the LGBTQIA+ community and many others.

After beginning her own journey as a parent to autistic children, seeking to cure and change autism, she has emerged from the doom and gloom narrative of neurodivergence and into the light of positive autistic identity and family life.

Her passion is to support families raising autistic children to thrive. No matter where they’ve been, no matter the trauma or crisis they find themselves in.

To make promotion of your event featuring Kristy easy, here are some high resolution images and a brief introductory paragraph.