It is time for a neurodiversity revolution in Tauranga, Bay Paediatrics clinical director Freddie Bennett said.

Bennett and his wife, Dr Sarah Moll, will bring a TED Talk-styled event called EPIC Families to The Kollective in the Historic Village on March 8.

“EPIC stands for: Extraordinary Parents and Incredible Children,” Bennett said.

Bennett at the North Pole.

EPIC Families will be open to parents and children, and nine different speakers will deliver the necessary information to help these families, he said.

“We wanted to keep that standard high and bring some of New Zealand’s leading experts.”

He would like to have families walk away from the event with what is called the three Cs.

“Certainty, clarity and confidence,” he said.

If Bennett and Dr Moll can give families that, it would be a win for them, he said.

“There could be a fourth C, helping families to understand they are not alone.”

“They are seen, they are heard, and they are supported.”

Bennett believes that talk is cheap, and all too often, children with these needs are told unhelpful things such as “neurodiversity is a superpower”.

“Having someone say ‘neurodiversity is a superpower’ isn’t very helpful. So what we do is we prove to them what is possible.”

Bennett himself was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, and the stigma around neurodiversity had a severe impact on his life.

“It had a very negative impact on my life, my career, my health and everything.”

However, his diagnosis also changed his life and motivated him to raise awareness about neurodiversity, he said.

“I ran across the Sahara Desert to become a Guinness World Record holder. I ran to the North Pole in February.”

Bennett said he plans to run the entire length of New Zealand sometime next year to continue raising awareness and money for ADHD and Autism New Zealand.

Families affected by neurodiversity are often “overlooked and feel as though they don’t have a voice”, Bennett said.

He hopes his story can inspire and encourage others to seek out the truth about themselves and answer the question: “What is my unique talent?”

The speakers confirmed are:

Dr Sarah Moll - paediatric consultant and Bay Paediatrics co-founder

Freddie Bennett - behavioural change expert, Guinness World Record Holder & Bay Paediatrics co-founder

Tracey Rountree - ADHD NZ

Mary-Jane du Toit - Spectrum Connections

Nadia du Plessis - educational psychologist

Jane Ford - Parent 2 Parent

Anja Theron - founder of Allora Healthcare

Natarsha McKewan - dietary consultant, MacMurray

Kelly Karlson - occupational therapist, The Different OT

Dani Archer - The Study Nook

The link to get more information and tickets about the EPIC Families event is here (https://events.humanitix.com/epic-families-live)

For more information about Bay Paediatrics please visit https://baypaediatrics.com/