One in five people is estimated to be neurodivergent, yet services across health, education, and community settings continue to struggle to meet their needs effectively. This continuing education lecture asks: what does it actually feel like to be autistic or have ADHD in a world designed for neurotypical processing, and how does that shape a person's capacity to manage their health, sustain medication routines, and access the self-care that underpins everything else? Beginning with therapy's unique contribution to understanding sensory processing, interoception, and self-regulation in neurodivergent individuals, the lecture builds a compelling case for why conventional approaches to medication management and health maintenance are often insufficient, and why wearable technologies represent a promising new frontier. Through interactive case studies spanning the lifespan, participants explore how specific devices can be purposefully matched to client profiles and occupational goals across medication adherence, physiological monitoring, and self-regulation support. Critically, the lecture addresses the practical and ethical considerations unique to neurodivergent populations. This course is designed for an interprofessional audience.
Live Webinar
Thu, Jul 23, 2026 at 3:00 pm EDTUnder Review: AOTA/0.1 - Application has been made to the American Occupational Therapy Association's (AOTA's) Approved Provider Program.
Learning Outcomes
- After this course, participants will be able to identify sensory processing and interoception frameworks to explain health management challenges across the lifespan in neurodivergent individuals.
- After this course, participants will be able to identify neurodiversity-affirming ethical and practical considerations for wearable technology use with autistic and ADHD individuals across the lifespan.
- After this course, participants will be able to explain clinical reasoning for wearable device selection, implementation, and interprofessional communication across different life stages.
Agenda
| 0-10 Minutes | Overview of prevalence, co-occurring conditions, unmet healthcare needs, and the health management participation gap for autistic and ADHD individuals. |
| 10-25 Minutes | Therapy Lens: Sensory Processing, Interoception, and Self-Regulation as Foundations of Health Management |
| 25-50 Minutes | Wearable Technologies in Practice: Device Types, Evidence, and Application Across the Lifespan |
| 50-55 Minutes | Interprofessional Context: Reflection and Barriers |
| 55-60 Minutes | Summary; Q&A |
Presented By
Julia Colman
OTD, OTR/L, BCP, CCTS-I
Dr. Julia Colman, OTD, OTR/L, BCP, CCTS-I, is a neurodivergent occupational therapist and the founder of Sensory Life Assessment & Wellness. Drawing on her own lived experience, she built a practice rooted in neurodiversity-affirming care, offering what she wishes she'd had access to as a teenager. After working as a school-based OT in Arizona and witnessing firsthand how systems were failing neurodivergent students, Julia shifted her approach from compliance-based methods toward strengths-based, trauma-informed occupational therapy. She holds a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, is Board Certified in Pediatrics, and serves as Arizona's representative to the AOTA Representative Assembly. She also teaches at Northern Arizona University, working to train the next generation of OTs in affirming, evidence-based practice. Her mission is to advocate, educate, and empower neurodivergent individuals and families by serving clients in Arizona and Ohio via telehealth.
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Financial: Julia Colman has received an honorarium for presenting this course. Non-financial: Julia Colman has no relevant non-financial relationships to disclose.
Sponsor Disclosure: This Course is presented by OccupationalTherapy.com, a Continued site.
Content Disclosure: This learning event does not focus exclusively on any specific product or service.
Course participation information
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