Courses for Parents
Parents want their Autistic children to be understood, supported, and able to learn comfortably and without distress. But too often, Autistic children are misunderstood at school and at home because adults do not understand how nervous system differences affect learning, communication, emotional regulation, and participation.
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When Autistic children are not understood, they may be pushed into power struggles, meltdowns, shutdowns, refusal, or distress that can impact the whole family and school community.
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Kids Master Skills offers two course options for parents:
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“Insight to Autism for Parents”
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“Sensory Processing in Autism: From Understanding to Engagement”
Parents will learn to better support their Autistic child so they can participate and learn at home and in school. Scroll to learn more.
Autistic Regulation and Learning
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Autistic children may be misunderstood when adults in their lives never learned about Autistic nervous system processing and its impact on a child's learning, regulation, communication, and participation. When parents are uninformed, they cannot understand how to best support their child across different settings. These struggles are real at home, at school, and in the community as well. When children become distressed, parents may feel lost and confused and simply don't know what to do to help their own child cope, let alone thirve.
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This four-hour, pre-recorded course enables parents to understand their Autistic children better, so they can set up supports that fit the child - and parents can communicate this to staff at school as well. Dr. Lisa Marnell will teach you how Autistic nervous system differences shape how your child functions in areas of sensory processing, motor skill acquisition, .social traits and comfort, and will provide ways to identify what your child needs in order to learn, and how to adapt goals, accommodations, and teaching approaches in ways that are practical, respectful, and neuroaffirming.
A Sensory Course for Parents
When sensory processing differences are not recognized or supported, many Autistic children are unable to function in comfortable ways and access and explore the world. Their distress may be misunderstood, and parents often witness meltdowns, escalation, safety risks for all, and an inability for their child to feel emotionally regulated in order to engage in the world.
In this course, parents will learn to understand, interpret, and proactively address sensory differences in their Autistic children so they can respond earlier and more accurately to their needs - and communicate this to school staff. This strengthens a child's ability to learn and participate at home, school, and in the community.
This course will be available in August 2026
Who is Dr. Lisa Marnell?
Hello! I provide specialized Autism education primarily to school districts and schools, in both the United States and Canada. Whether working with OTs or teachers and paraprofessionals, my priority is to teach strategies to support nervous system regulation, which, in turn, cultivates emotional safety, quality of life, deeper and richer engagement in learning, and self-empowerment.
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My goal is to incorporate meaning, joy, and agency into the lives of Autistic children. I believe Autism is not a disorder, but rather a different neurotype with its own unique strengths and challenges.
I am an occupational therapist by training with over 20 years of experience. I completed my doctorate at Boston University (BU) where I studied executive function in autism and worked on the faculty at BU for five years. I am also a DIR Floortime Therapist, certified in Sensory Integration through USC, and trained in SOS Feeding. I am diagnosed Autistic myself.
When I am not teaching, creating courses or working with kids, you will likely find me hiking with Luna, my precious husky rescue dog. I look forward to connecting with you!