We are a leading provider of disability and autism-specific services and supports that are sensory-focussed. We enable clients / families to live their lives to their fullest potential, utilizing their diverse strengths and interests across all ages and life stages. Our Mission:
Our Mission is to provide high quality, evidence-based and research-informed, advice, support, programs, guidance and advocacy for clients with disability and their parents, families and carers within a framework of respect and dignity. We value the voice, truths and opinions of our clients and their families and always welcome and encourage them to express themselves, their views and their needs. We will collaborate and provide information about supports with our clients and their families to ensure they have full choice and control in making decisions surrounding their support options, and their progress, both individually and within the community. Nelle Frances is part of a network of organisations and providers who meet regularly monthly to exchange service provision information. This enables us to stay current with new supports, organisations and programs available in our local community and surrounding areas for clients and their family and friends to participate in. Our Values:
RIGHTS: Respect, dignity, independence and choice inclusion. PARTICIPATION: Inclusion, connection with community, individual interests. OUTCOMES: Participant’ led, flexible and tailored to strengths, responsive to culture, gender, faith and sexual identity. FEEDBACK: Ongoing continuous communication, collated feedback as opportunity for improvement, complaint resolution policies. SERVICE ACCESS: Fair, equal and transparent, dependent on location, client need, and resource capacity of service. SERVICE MANAGEMENT: Person-centred services, continuous improvement and reflective processes, ongoing skills development for staff, sound governance.
22/11/2025
Still true!
Autistic children engage in 'masking' at school, where they camouflage their autism traits so as to not stand out but rather blend in, and / or to gain acceptance from their peers & teachers.
The use extraordinary amounts of energy doing this, and when the school day is over, their 'tank' is empty. Parents find that even the slightest demand is met by explosive behaviour.
Ensure your child's teacher understands this & schedules regular breaks & down time throughout the day. A great strategy I encourage teachers to use is having the student zone out on an iPad with headphones for the last 15-20mins of each school day. This helps them de-stress before transitioning to home.
22/11/2025
Australian’s with an NDIS plan (people with disability) are about to be totally Fu&ked over!!!!
Instead of Allied Health Therapist’s reports recommending your supports, untrained NDIS staff will be deciding what you need.
Not only THAT, it will be via a 3 HOUR assessment!!!?
NONE of my clients have the capacity to engage in a 3 HOUR ASSESSMENT. (I work solely with autistic individuals, of all ages, across the lifespan).
If you have a problem with this YOU MUST TAKE ACTION!
It’s easy to protest- just sign the PETITION.
We only have approx. 3400 signatures …. There are nearly 751,500 Australians receiving NDIS support.
Use your voice & sign this petition to have you say about the NDIS RAZOR GANG!!!!
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
22/11/2025
Why Sleep Is So Hard for Autistic Children (and Why It’s Not Behaviour)
A major new study found that 98% of autistic preschoolers have significant sleep difficulties — but here's the real reason why:
+ not just because they can’t settle.
+ not because they’re “not tired.”
+ not because they need stricter routines.
It’s because their sensory system is overwhelmed and their emotions aren’t regulating, which prevents their nervous system from reaching a sleep-ready state.
In fact:
+ 82% showed sensory sensitivity
+ 84% had sensory avoidance
+ 66% experienced emotional dysregulation
+ On average, they slept 107 minutes LESS than others their age
Sleep difficulties in autism are not behavioural — they are sensory and emotional.
This means:
+ weighted blankets and deep pressure help
+ dim lighting, predictable routines, low verbal demands help
+ co-regulation (calming alongside a trusted parent or carer) helps
+ reducing sensory overload during the day helps improve sleep at night
The question isn’t: “How do we get them to go to sleep?”
The question is: “How do we help their nervous system feel safe enough to fall asleep?”
What helps your child regulate before sleep? I’d love to hear your experiences!
18/11/2025
Autistic children engage in 'masking' at school, where they camouflage their autism traits so as to not stand out but rather blend in, and / or to gain acceptance from their peers & teachers.
The use extraordinary amounts of energy doing this, and when the school day is over, their 'tank' is empty. Parents find that even the slightest demand is met by explosive behaviour.
Ensure your child's teacher understands this & schedules regular breaks & down time throughout the day. A great strategy I encourage teachers to use is having the student zone out on an iPad with headphones for the last 15-20mins of each school day. This helps them de-stress before transitioning to home.
13/11/2025
⚡Attention: SOUTH BURNETT REGION: NDIS Practitioners &
AH Therapists, Support Workers, Teachers, Early Childhood Educators, Parents ⚡
Join Nelle Frances (Sensory Specialist & Autism Therapist) at the Sensory Detective® Workshop – a full-day training designed specifically for support leaders like you.
You’ll learn/understand:
✅ The neuro-biological symptoms of AUTISM
✅ How autism is a "whole body & brain" condition
✅ How autism presents across the life-span
✅ To identify triggers to sensory & emotional dysregulation and how to guide self-advocacy skills
✅ How to equip participants & families to communicate sensory needs, averting crisis
✅ Heaps of support strategies for all ages / stages
📍 Workshop Details
🗓 Thursday 28 November 2025
📌 Kingaroy RSL, Cnr Short & Markwell St Kingaroy Q 4610
⏰ 9:00am – 3:30pm
🎟 $245 per person (NDIS claimable)
Create calmer, connected environments through understand sensory overwhelm from the inside out.
Seats are limited – book your ticket/s today to embrace proactive practices and achieve better, more successful, outcomes with your clients / children!
9:00 AM Fri 28 Nov at Kingaroy RSL, Kingaroy, QLD. Sensory Detective Autism Workshop Psychologists, Allied Health Therapists, Support Coordinators, Behaviour Specialists, Support Workers, Teachers & Families The Workshop HANDOUT NOTES will be emailed ...
09/11/2025
Neuroception, Sensory Overwhelm & Homeostasis
Stephen Porges describes neuroception as the body’s automatic, subconscious process of scanning for cues of safety or danger. The nervous system does this constantly — from inside the body (interoception), outside the body (environmental input) and in between (social and relational cues).
This means a person’s nervous system can detect “threats” long before they can articulate, or even realise, what they are feeling. That’s why teachers / parents often say, “But nothing happened” before a student / child becomes dysregulated. From the outside, nothing is visible. But from the inside, the student/child’s nervous system has already picked up a sensory or relational signal that disordered their sense of safety.
In my work, I frame this through the lens of sensory overwhelm and sensory homeostasis. When sensory input tips the nervous system out of balance, the body shifts away from homeostasis — the state where regulation, safety and learning occur. Instead, neuroception flags “danger,” triggering performances that look explosive or challenging, but are actually signs of survival physiology.
The key for educators, therapists and families is recognising that what we call “behaviour” is quite often a neurobiological response to hidden sensory or relational triggers. By supporting sensory homeostasis — balancing input and restoring calm — we help the nervous system return to safety, reducing overwhelm and fostering regulation.
*Neuroception explains why the body reacts to unseen threats.
*Sensory Homeostasis explains how to restore safety and balance.
31/10/2025
⚡ Attention: SOUTH BURNETT REGION: NDIS Practitioners & AH Therapists, Support Workers, Teachers, Early Childhood Educators, Parents ⚡
Join Nelle Frances (Sensory Specialist & Autism Therapist) at the Sensory Detective® Workshop – a full-day training designed specifically for support leaders like you.
You’ll learn/understand:
✅ The neuro-biological symptoms of AUTISM
✅ How autism is a "whole body & brain" condition
✅ How autism presents across the life-span
✅ How to identify the triggers to sensory & emotional dysregulation and how to guide self-advocacy skills
✅ How to equip participants & families to communicate sensory needs, averting crisis
✅ Heaps of support strategies for all ages / stages
📍 Workshop Details
🗓 Thursday 28 November 2025
📌 Kingaroy RSL, Cnr Short & Markwell St Kingaroy Q 4610
⏰ 9:00am – 3:30pm
🎟 $245 per person (limited tickets available)
Create calmer, connected environments through understand sensory overwhelm from the inside out.
Seats are limited (20) – book your ticket/s today to embrace proactive practices and achieve better, more successful, outcomes with your clients / children! https://tix.yt/6vY
24/10/2025
NDIS bureaucracy gone mad!
Today I witnessed before the Joint Standing Committee alongside some incredible advocates including Stevie Lang Howson who gave a compelling account of what happens when the system stops seeing people as individuals. I wanted to bring you what he had to say it will make your jaw drop! He descr...
21/10/2025
Absolutely vital ⭐️
Recess, unstructured play, and physical activity are essential for child development. Let’s make sure our kids have the space to move, explore, and grow. Every jump, skip, and run helps them build confidence and creativity. 🏃♂️🌳
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Contact The Practice
Send a message to Nelle Frances Autism Education Consultant & Trainer:
Nelle Frances - Autism Consultant - provides sensory focussed support for Autistic individuals of all ages. We decode behaviours through a sensory lens, including meltdown.
“Through my roles as parent, Special Needs Educator and Sensory and Social Skill Program Facilitator and Consultant I’ve gained extensive insight and experience with children, teens, young adults and mature and elderly individuals with an ASD.”
Nelle is author of the 'Ben & His Helmet' series of fiction books for children with ASD, and 'Asperger Child - Simply Explained.
Nelle is co-author of Sustainable Social Skills programme - a program for schools to implement, offering 20 lesson plans for Social Skills lessons.
Nelle is the creator and author of the 'Sensory Awareness Program' - a nine session program teaching children (4-15) to monitor their reaction to sensory input and help them to self regulate their behaviours.
The Sensory Awareness Program (SAT) is a behaviour management program implemented collaboratively with parents to increase positive outcomes and solutions to challenging and/or puzzling behaviours.
Nelle also provides advocacy at all levels:- Early learning, Prep, Primary School, High School, University and the Workplace.
She can support you in meetings e.g. IEP, Behavioural, Guidance, Learning Support.
Nelle offers an ASD Consultancy Service either face to face or via Skype or phone.
Nelle also delivers her Sensory Detective® Training Workshop to Teachers, Health Professionals and Families nationally and internationally. This workshop allows you to look at ASD from the inside out and provides you with the missing piece of the Autism puzzle - sensory issues! You’ll come away from this interactive and fun session with loads of great strategies and specific techniques for dealing with challenging behaviours. See her website http://www.aspergerchild.com/ for her workshop calendar.
