Inclusion at Heart

29/10/2026

🎃 NO TRICKS, JUST TREATS AT PIT STOP COFFEE! 👻☕

No tricks here - just great coffee and a whole lot of heart! ❤️

This Halloween, ditch the spooky morning slump and treat yourself to a delicious coffee from the Upstride Coffee Van!

We'll be brewing up your Saturday morning favourites at Session Garage, Marcoola, from 7am–10.30am.

And the best treat of all? Every coffee you purchase helps support Upstride's social enterprise, creating valuable training, skills and employment opportunities for young people.

So whether you're a ghost, ghoul or just someone who can't function without their morning caffeine fix, we'd love to see you! 👻

📍 Session Garage
980 David Low Way, Marcoola
📅 Saturday 31 October
⏰ 7am–10.30am

Good coffee. Greater purpose. No tricks required! 🎃

28/10/2026

AI AND KIDS: A HELPFUL TOOL, NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR PEOPLE

AI is quickly becoming part of how children learn, create, communicate and play. Two recent publications look at what that means for families and schools.

In New York, a school district planned to trial a lifelike humanoid robot called Sally as a classroom teaching assistant. The project was paused after concerns about student privacy and how data would be stored and tracked.

Research shows AI can bring real benefits to learning. AI tutors can patiently work through a problem step by step and help children practise self-regulation. Some students say they feel less anxious with an AI tutor because it seems less judgemental, which may especially help anxious or neurodivergent learners. AI can also open up new options for accessibility and creativity.

But the evidence also shows clear limits:
• Classroom robots improved learning only when a teacher was present
• Children learn best when they feel seen, known and cared about by real people
• Every interaction can be recorded, which raises questions about privacy, data and who controls it
• AI that is conversational, personalised and has a memory can increase risks through persuasion and over-reliance

A new World Economic Forum report on children's safety and wellbeing in the age of AI sets out best practices for everyone involved in designing and using these tools. It calls for safety to go hand in hand with children's agency, privacy, inclusion, development and human connection.

For parents, a few questions worth asking about any AI tool your child uses:
• What data does it collect, and where is it stored?
• Is an adult involved in how it is being used?
• Is it adding to your child’s learning and connection, or replacing time with people?

Used well, and with adults alongside, AI can be a helpful tool. It works best when it supports the people in a child's life, not when it replaces them.

Two reads on this topic:

https://theconversation.com/a-lifelike-robot-called-sally-was-going-to-teach-in-a-us-school-its-not-as-weird-as-it-sounds-288493

https://www.weforum.org/publications/childrens-safety-and-well-being-in-the-age-of-ai-best-practices-and-incentives/

A rural district in New York state has made global headlines for plans to introduce a humanoid robot into high school classrooms as a teaching assistant.

27/10/2026

What role does personality play in finding the right work?

A huge new study published in Nature, using data from 1.14 million people across 13 countries, has found more than 1,200 genetic markers linked to the Big Five personality traits: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional reactivity and openness to experience.

Personality is relatively stable and influences many parts of life, including career choices. But the study also found that genetics explains only around 5 to 16 percent of the differences in personality between people. There is no single personality gene, and a large part of who we are is shaped by our experiences and environment.

This is why we use personality tools in career planning as a starting point for conversation, not as a label. Traits sit on a spectrum, not in boxes. Understanding your own preferences can help you find work and work environments where you are more likely to thrive.

A study of more than 1 million people found genetic influences on the Big Five traits that shape our personality.

26/10/2026

Endometriosis affects an estimated one in seven Australian women, and the average delay to diagnosis is seven years. Endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain can affect a person’s ability to take part in education, work and family life.

GPs now have a new national tool to help. The RACGP Endometriosis Management Plan supports assessment, treatment, structured follow-up and referral to multidisciplinary care.

If you are living with endometriosis or pelvic pain, it may be worth asking your GP about the plan. At work or study, reasonable adjustments such as flexible hours, working from home options or access to rest breaks can make a meaningful difference.

The EMP supports GPs in tailoring treatment to individual needs and coordinating effectively with other providers. 

25/10/2026

When we talk about ADHD treatment, we often focus on symptoms. But what about how someone is actually managing day-to-day, including at work?

A new study published in the Journal of Attention Disorders looked at exactly that.

Researchers followed 351 adults with ADHD through a four-week trial comparing extended-release methylphenidate (Ritalin LA) with a placebo, followed by a six-month follow-up phase where doses were adjusted to suit each person.

What they found:

Around 40% of people taking methylphenidate improved in both symptoms and daily functioning, compared with 26% in the placebo group.

Another third improved in symptoms but not in day-to-day functioning. This is a reminder that feeling more focused doesn’t always mean life is working better.

By six months, with doses fine-tuned, two-thirds of participants showed improvement in both symptoms and functioning.

Work was the area where the difference stood out most. This included job performance, getting to work on time, keeping a job, productivity and work potential.

Why this matters:

Adults with ADHD face a much higher risk of job instability, unemployment and burnout. Many people go years without a diagnosis, not realising why work feels so much harder than it should.

The researchers’ key message is that symptoms alone aren’t the full picture. The real question is whether treatment is helping someone function in the parts of life that matter to them.

This was an exploratory study and more research is needed. Medication is one option among many, and decisions about treatment are best made with your GP or specialist. Support at work can also make a real difference, whether that is workplace adjustments, finding the right role, or building strategies that suit how your brain works.

If ADHD is affecting your work or career, you don’t have to work it out alone.

Adult ADHD treatment with methylphenidate improves daily functioning at work and employability, as well as core symptoms treated with stimulants, a new st…

25/10/2026

24/10/2026

🧠 Promising Parkinson’s research — and a reminder that there is hope in continued neurological research

Could a treatment targeting inflammation in the brain help change the future of Parkinson’s disease? And could findings like these eventually inform research into other neurological conditions?

Researchers are investigating these questions in an early clinical trial of SNT-4728, a drug developed by Australian company Syntara.

🔬 What did the research find?

The trial involved 41 people with isolated REM sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD), a sleep condition in which people physically act out their dreams. This condition is associated with an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease and certain related neurodegenerative conditions.

Participants received either SNT-4728 or a placebo for 12 weeks. Researchers reported a statistically significant improvement in clinician-assessed movement scores in the treatment group compared with the placebo group, with the difference persisting 12 weeks after treatment ended.

Earlier findings from the same trial also indicated reduced inflammation in a brain region involved in movement.

These are encouraging early findings, but the study was small. It has not established whether the drug can prevent Parkinson’s, delay its onset or slow its progression over the longer term. Researchers will need to conduct further studies to understand its potential.

🔎 Could this research have relevance beyond Parkinson’s?

Parkinson’s disease shares some underlying biological features with other neurodegenerative conditions, including dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy. Understanding these shared processes may help researchers investigate future treatment options.

There are also ongoing research questions about inflammation and nervous-system functioning in conditions such as epilepsy and functional neurological disorder (FND).

For people living with neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and ADHD, or complex conditions involving hypermobility, chronic pain and dysautonomia, research into underlying biological mechanisms continues to develop.

However, these conditions are different, and the findings from this Parkinson’s trial do not demonstrate that SNT-4728 would benefit people with FND, epilepsy, autism, ADHD, hypermobility or dysautonomia. Any potential relevance would need to be investigated separately.

🌱 Why does research like this matter?

Because every carefully conducted study adds to our understanding of how the brain and nervous system work — and what might be possible in the future.

For people living with neurological conditions, chronic illness or disability, and for the families and practitioners supporting them, progress may feel slow. But research that identifies a potential treatment target, tests a new approach and builds evidence step by step is an important part of moving forward.

We cannot promise what these findings will lead to. But there is hope in continued research, scientific collaboration and the possibility that today’s early discoveries may contribute to better options for people in the future.

📚 Read the research update from Parkinson’s UK. The trial findings are reported by Parkinson’s UK, with further details on the study and its limitations available in its research update⁠.

Latest results show an improvement in movement symptoms after just 12 weeks of taking SNT-4728

23/10/2026

When “acting natural” becomes a dangerous standard ⚖️

If you’ve watched true-crime documentaries like Netflix’s The Confession Tapes, you may have seen how police investigators interpret body language, emotional responses and inconsistencies during questioning.

But what if the behaviour being interpreted as suspicious is simply how someone’s brain processes stress?

Autistic and ADHD people, among others, may avoid eye contact, appear unusually calm or distressed, fidget, need extra processing time or struggle to communicate under pressure.

These behaviours are not reliable indicators of deception. Under intense questioning, confusion, overwhelm or a tendency to agree with suggestions can also increase the risk of inaccurate statements or false confessions.

🇦🇺 Are we better protected in Queensland?

Some safeguards exist for vulnerable people during police questioning, including provisions for support people in certain circumstances. However, being autistic or having ADHD does not automatically guarantee access to an advocate or support person.

A few practical tips:
🔹 Consider carrying a communication card explaining your needs.
🔹 Ask for a lawyer before answering questions about a suspected offence.
🔹 Request extra processing time, clear questions and breaks if needed.
🔹 Ask what support-person arrangements apply to your circumstances.

The key message? Eye contact is not a lie detector. Calmness is not proof of guilt. Distress is not proof of deception.

Fair investigations must consider the individual, their communication needs and the evidence—not rely on stereotypes about how an innocent person supposedly behaves.

📌 Queensland resource: Legal Aid Queensland – Talking to the police

Your rights and responsibilities when talking to, or being questioned by the police.

23/10/2026

⚽ Expressions of Interest – Football Queensland Intellectual Disability Futsal Squad

Football Queensland is seeking expressions of interest for its Intellectual Disability Futsal Squad, with trials scheduled to be held in Brisbane over the first two weekends of November.

A great opportunity for eligible players to showcase their skills and explore representative futsal!

📍 Location: Brisbane
📅 Trials: First two weekends of November

For more information and to submit an expression of interest, please see the EOI form below.

Please share with anyone who may be interested!

22/10/2026

SKILLS FOR LIFE, NOT JUST FOR NOW

Australia is going to need many more people with trade and vocational skills over the coming decades. Yet analysis of the latest Intergenerational Report suggests federal funding for vocational education is set to fall over the same period. That gap matters for anyone hoping to train, retrain or move into a new field.

Careers are also changing shape. New research from Jobs and Skills Australia shows that fewer Australians are changing occupations each year. Those who do make a move are increasingly stepping into higher-skilled roles and entirely new fields. Building skills across your whole working life, not just at the start, matters more than ever.

But wanting to learn is not always enough. The OECD found that adults face barriers at every stage of training. These can come up before they even consider it, while exploring options, when making a decision and after they enrol. Time, cost, confidence, caring responsibilities, health and disability can all get in the way. Career guidance, flexible study options and inclusive learning environments make a real difference.

Three reads on this topic:

The Intergenerational Report says we need more vocational skills, but federal funding for them is set to drop
https://theconversation.com/the-intergenerational-report-says-we-need-more-vocational-skills-but-federal-funding-for-them-is-set-to-drop-292694

Fewer moves, bigger changes: occupation mobility and learning across life stages
https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/publications/fewer-moves-bigger-changes-occupation-mobility-and-learning-across-life-stages

Helping adults overcome barriers to training
https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/helping-adults-overcome-barriers-to-training_1d108027-en.html

The federal government is unambiguous about the need for more nurses, builders and electricians. But the plan to find and fund these workers is less clear.