Ruth Turnbull Psychology

01/02/2026

A gentle note of caution with regard to what is currently being reported in the media around autism, disability and NDIS and its connection to a very sad, confusing and confronting situation that has occurred.

The reporting of this incident has alluded to the demand on parents with children with disabilities AND autism and funding inadequacies.

As a psychologist and someone who has worked intensively with neurodivergent children and families for over 25 years I have been witness to the joy, the struggles, the changing language, improved research and understanding, the dedicated professionals AND the changes in funding models.

What happened in the current situation being reported is UNKNOWN. It is no doubt complex and nuanced. It is absolutely not black and white and it is likely that there were many contributing factors that will never be reported.

What I want to say is:
💙 Parenting is hard and there are many things other than disability, but including disability that make it harder
💙 Autism DOES NOT automatically equal disability
💙 Some people with autism have other diagnoses such as intellectual disability (also known as Intellectual Developmental Disorder) which changes the level of support they need.
💙 People with disabilities are as diverse and individual as people without disabilities.
💙 People with disabilities have the same rights as anyone else.
💙 People with disabilities are deeply loved by their families and networks.
💙 Disability is not the cause of such acts.
💙 People with disabilities bring enormous joy to those around them and it is unusual for parents to describe any of their children, disabled or not, as burdens. It is often people with little understanding of disability who form beliefs such as this because they have no lived experience of loving someone with a disability.
💙We are all vulnerable to disability, we are all ONE ACCIDENT or ONE MEDICAL episode away from experiencing disability or caring for someone with a disability
💙 We all have a responsibility to ensure that as a country we understand and advocate for funding models that support people with disabilities.

What can be burdensome for families is trying to navigate a system that has a poor understanding of disability, is often staffed by people without appropriate training in disability where decisions are made based on inaccurate interpretation of information. This is not about disability, this is about SYSTEMS.

The NDIS has been life changing for many, however it is problematic due to the privatisation of delivery of services by people who have little training in disability and who are running businesses for profit.

There is no case management model so families are often left without a skilled, trained individual who can support them to provide appropriate services, families and participants are left to take advice from those who are benefitting financially from providing services to clients and often have lack training in ethical delivery of services including professional boundaries and knowing when their service may not be the appropriate service for a client and knowing when to refer on.

We cannot view the current media reporting as accurate regarding the current situation as there are so many unknowns. The narrative is incredibly damaging to people with disabilities and their families.

No one is denying the difficulties that people with disabilities and their families experience, it is real and valid however let’s not create more distress by dehumanising people with disabilities who are actually dearly loved and wanted by their families and friends, deeply respected, wanted and cared about by their teachers, their therapists, and their carers JUST LIKE ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL.

If consuming media reporting is causing you distress, take a break. Turn off the news, don't read the social media posts (especially the comments) and do something that you know supports and comforts you.

If you are experiencing any distress please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or reach out to your current support network.

08/01/2026

One of my children certainly humbled me 🤭 and I believe made me a much more empathic psychologist when working with kids, teens, young adults and their parents 🙌🏻 She showed me in real time how traditional parenting methods and “rules” don’t work for all children and how being headstrong and having a strong desire for independence (although challenging for parents 🤪) are strengths that will serve them well as adults 🤩

This in no way means permissive parenting…instead it is placing yourself firmly as parent leader and using coaching and authoritative methods that invite cooperation vs authoritarian methods that invite opposition.

Be the calm in the chaos and lead with acceptance, flexibility, kindness, boundaries, good communication, respect and a whole lot of love ❤️

27/10/2025

Best wishes and lots of calming vibes 😮‍💨 for all the Year 12s heading into their first exam today.

Remember that you are not a number, you are so much more than that 🙌🏻

You have already participated in one of the most demanding years of your school life 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 so you are already so capable and prepared.

You are amazing, loved by your friends and family, and your future is bright. No matter what happens during this exam period, you will thrive in life.

There will be good times and hard times and you will come through them all, gathering skills along the way.

There are so many pathways to what you want to do in life, so
B R E A T H E and believe in yourself and your ability to cope with whatever life throws at you and always ask for support if you need it….you will be surprised by how much is available if you just ask 💙

26/10/2025

🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

24/10/2025

What Friday “Report Writing and Clinical Admin” can look like. One of us gets to do all the writing and one gets to snooze and offer the occasional barks of encouragement

03/06/2025

😀

17/05/2025

This is a great example of what neuroaffirming approaches are 💙

20/04/2025

I believe neurodivergence is just that. A different way of thinking in a world built for neurotypicals. As a psych who has worked in the field of ND for 25+ years I now think that we need a much more adaptable world rather than more expectations placed on ND people to “fit in”

Your thoughts?

27/03/2025

We are in a stage of flux with the NDIS. I have worked with young people with disabilities and differing abilities for nearly 30 years and this scheme is LIFE CHANGING for participants and their families.

We should all feel passionate about the longevity of the NDIS, after all we are all just one accident away from needing it.

14/03/2025

Some of you may have already seen this. It is very powerful.

As a psychologist who has worked in the field of autism and neurodivergence for nearly 30 years I have seen many shifts in how we think about neurodivergence.

Today the onus is on us, to understand. The onus is not on neurodivergent people to change who they are.

I am often asked by professionals, by organisations, by funding organisations, by support workers, and many others about “strategies” “What are their strategies?” “How do we get them to use their strategies?” “Why aren’t they using their strategies?” “What strategies can you recommend?”

The strategy is to understand, to reduce expectations that neurodivergent people behave like a neurotypical person.

The strategy is to provide neurodivergent friendly education, schools and workplaces.

The strategy is to find a ND person’s skills and allow them to use them.

The strategy is inclusion.

The strategy is to ASK a ND person what they need and not tell a ND person how they are meant to be.

The strategy is not to view distressed behaviour as “bad” behaviour that has to be corrected, rather it has to be understood.

The strategy is to get EDUCATED in neurodivergence by neurodivergent people.

My clients have taught me more about neurodivergence than my 3 university degrees. I will be forever grateful for their insights, their stories and their patience with me.

Ask a ND person what they need. They will tell you. Then be flexible enough, kind enough, adaptable enough and educated enough to action it.

That is the “strategy”