Mr Wallis wowed audiences with his no-nonsense hands on information for parenting and brain development including important advice about the relationship between parent and child in the first year of a child’s life, particularly the importance of frequent communication and activities with your child.

Day two involved a more hands-on approach for practitioners with Compass Seminars Australia’s Ben Monaghan leading groups through a challenging brain building exercise.

Groups were provided with the foundations for the brains with different experiences and challenges moulding the brain over time.

They were required to build the strongest brain possible with the influence of these experiences changing the structure, to see how their brain would hold up in the long term.  

Neuroscientist and child psychologist Nathan Wallis said advances in genetics and neuroscience have deepened our understanding of brain development and cognitive functioning.

“Much of the public discussion has related to new knowledge of infant’s brains, however, just as amazing are discoveries relating to brain development and functioning from childhood right through to late adolescence.”

Full of “aha!” moments, the workshop focused on different discoveries in neuroscience which were explained in plain English.

Guidance on how to put this knowledge to practical use in the home, classroom and therapy room, with recommendations backed by evidence from neuroscience for optimum social and emotional well-being well relayed.

“This is an invaluable workshop for parents/ carers and professionals working with children and young people,” he said.