Meghan O’Rourke is the Clinical Practice Manager and an Occupational Therapist at Neurodiversity Ireland, where she has spent the past two years developing neurodiversity-affirmative services. A graduate of Trinity College Dublin in Occupational Therapy, she has over eight years’ experience in children’s services, including roles with Enable Ireland, ErinoakKids in Canada, and in private practice.

Primarily working with younger and school-age children, Meghan co-established neuro-affirmative camps and play-based group sessions for neurodivergent children, and co-piloted the Regulate Participate! project to foster neuro-inclusive educational environments. Her additional training includes strengths-based therapy approaches, trauma-informed practice for autistic individuals, and sensory integration. As an ally to the neurodivergent community, Meghan is passionate about advocating for children and is committed to bridging gaps in services for neurodivergent children and their families in Ireland.

Dr. Lisha O’Sullivan is Head of the Department of Reflective Pedagogy and Early Childhood Studies and Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education, at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick.  Lisha lectures across the BA Early Childhood Care and Education (BA ECCE) and BEd programmes. She is a qualified play therapist, and her research interests include the role of play in development, playful learning and teaching, inclusive education, and playful participatory research methods. She is a member of the Leadership for Inclusion in the Early Years (LINC) programme Steering Committee and has recently been involved in several national evaluation projects. With her colleague Prof Emer Ring, Lisha O’Sullivan, is co-author of the forthcoming publication ‘Play from the Inside Out: Perspectives from Theory, Research and Practice’ published by Peter Lang.

Elle Drohan is an Educational and Child Psychologist, having completed the Doctorate in Educational and Child Psychology (DECPsy) Programme in Mary Immaculate College in 2025. She completed a Doctoral Thesis in understanding and supporting Autistic children’s experience of absorbing interests to enhance inclusion in education. Prior to undertaking her Doctoral studies, Elle worked as a primary school teacher for three years. She also completed a Graduate Diploma in Autism Studies. Elle is passionate about supporting Autistic children and young people using neuro-affirmative approaches and including the Autistic voice in research to increase societal understanding of their lived experiences.