As stated in Dr. Pickar’s 2022 article in Family Court Review, “Family court professionals must continually be developing a greater appreciation of diversity in its many forms. As with cultural diversity and non-traditional families, neurodiversity in children and parents is an issue in which overt or implicit bias may impact child custody decision-making, such as when a divorcing parent has a significant psychiatric or neurocognitive condition. The neuro-diversity perspective, while having its limitations, can help reduce bias in family court by recognizing that there is a broad range of brain functioning, while taking a strengths-based approach, as opposed to a pathology orientation.” This conference will define neurodiversity, address how the mental health diagnoses can lead to automatic negative presumptions about parental capacity and child functioning, and examine how the voices of neurodiverse children can be better heard in family court processes. In addition, the utility of this approach for family law professionals will be addressed.

Hosted by the Massachusetts Chapter - Association of Family and Conciliation Courts live in Weston, MA for 7 CEs. For more info, visit the event webpage.