Early Childhood Supports with the CALMER Approach

Seeing and Understanding the Child and Their World Through the Lens of Our Shared Humanity

Every child shares the need to feel safe, connected, heard, and understood — yet each child expresses themselves differently, shaped by their unique lived experiences, emotions, and environments. It is important to remember that each of us was once a child too, and that many things did not always make sense when we needed them the most.

CALMER helps us understand the relationship between past and present through a neuro-behavioural, co-designed, and neuro-affirming approach to support. By starting with the child’s perspective and working alongside families, carers, educators, and therapists, CALMER creates safe and nurturing environments where children and their families can thrive together.

What Makes CALMER Different in Early Childhood?

Child-first and Neuro-Affirming Support begins with the child’s perspective, recognising their unique ways of thinking, feeling, and experiencing the world.
Co-Designed Support: Created together with families, carers, educators, and therapists to ensure continuity and consistency across environments.
Safe and Nurturing Environments: Focuses on shaping spaces where children can thrive, rather than trying to “fix” the child.
Whole-Child Lens: Considers emotions, relationships, and lived experiences as key influences on behaviour and development.
Shared Meaning Over Assumptions: CALMER asks not just “what is the behaviour?” but “what is this behaviour telling us?”
Practical and Accessible Clarity: CALMER equips you to know and understand the difference — making support safe, meaningful, and sustainable.

How Practical and Accessible is CALMER?

CALMER is designed to be realistic and usable in everyday life — not just theory on paper. It meets children and families where they are, in the moments that matter most.

Simple language, clear principles: No jargon. You don’t need a clinical background to use CALMER.
Works across settings: Schools, homes, disability services, workplaces, and communities.
Step-by-step approach: Tools that can be applied immediately, in real time.
Capacity building: Strengthens families, educators, and practitioners — not just the individual plan.
Accessible formats: Delivered through workshops, resources, and therapeutic support — online and in-person.

This is what it means to be part of a living ecosystem of shared humanity — where behaviour is understood through empathy and authenticity, not just managed.

What People Are Saying

I explored approaches like the Neurosequential Model, the Low Arousal Approach, and the Trauma Wisdom Circle — all of which added value, but still felt incomplete. What I love about CALMER is how it brings the research from all these pioneers and much more together into one approach.”

— Pam, Autistic parent and family educator

“It was good to hear a different approach… Very insightful, and justified a lot of unanswered questions.”

— Emma, Behaviour Support Practitioner

“We see this training as a significant milestone in our focus to continuously improve the quality of supports delivered to participants”.

NDIS Provider

“As the principles of your model are universal, I see a real strength of your model in helping others — carers, staff, and families — to understand and challenge assumptions, perceptions, and labels relating to the person they support or interact with.”

Michael, Psychiatrist

“I wasn’t sure about having yet another behaviour support plan… but you started from the beginning and helped us understand why the behaviours were escalating. You made it simple and practical—we feel like we have our life back.”

— Amy, Parent