Polyvagal Theory and Neurodiversity-Affirming Practice
💻 Live online
📅 February 25 – May 13, 2027
🕛 Thursdays at 12:00 PM ET
🎤 With Tracy Stackhouse, Niki Elliott, Kim Barthel and Kelly Beins
🎓 Hosted by the Polyvagal Institute
Overview
This is a new live online series from the Polyvagal Institute. It looks at Polyvagal Theory through a neurodiversity-affirming lens, bringing together nervous system science, sensory processing, autistic lived experience, and relational and embodied approaches. The series offers a nervous system-informed alternative to compliance-based care. It moves away from treating neurodivergence as something to fix, and toward understanding people in their wholeness. Clinicians, educators, families and neurodivergent people are all part of the conversation, and each instructor brings practical tools for reading the nervous system and supporting both clients and ourselves.
Kim’s Session
April 8, 2027 — Expanding Connection, Co-Regulation, and Play (90 minutes)
Followed by a one-hour practice and application session on April 15
Course Highlights
15+ hours of content: 5 live teaching modules and 5 practice and application sessions
A closing neurodivergent wisdom panel, plus a final whole-faculty Q&A
Live teaching, case discussion, breakout work and prerecorded guest interviews
A Practice Companion Map, drawn from Niki Elliott’s Embodied Inclusion 360 and Tracy Stackhouse’s Polyvagal Portals, for use long after the course ends
One year of access to recordings and course materials
Course Schedule
Feb 25: Introduction to Polyvagal Theory and the Neurodiversity Paradigm (Tracy Stackhouse + Niki Elliott)
Mar 4: Practice and application session
Mar 11: Understanding Nervous System States in Autistic Individuals (Tracy Stackhouse)
Mar 18: Practice and application session
Mar 25: Sensory Experience and Embodied Regulation through a PVT Lens (Kelly Beins)
Apr 1: Practice and application session
Apr 8: Expanding Connection, Co-Regulation, and Play (Kim Barthel)
Apr 15: Practice and application session
Apr 22: Navigating Relationships Across Neurotypes (Niki Elliott)
Apr 29: Practice and application session
May 6: Neurodiversity and Communities + Neurodivergent Wisdom Panel
May 13: Final integration and Q&A
Who It’s For
Practitioners who work with autistic and neurodivergent people, including OTs, SLPs, educators, school psychologists, neurodivergent practitioners, ABA therapists and parent advocates.
Fees
$1,297, or payment plans of 3 × $432 or 7 × $185
Register: https://learning.polyvagal.org/pages/polyvagal-theory-and-neurodiversity-affirming-practices
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