For families raising a neurodivergent child
You're holding your child's whole world in your head.
Understanding Zoe holds it with you. Pip, our pocket coach, gives you strategies for the hard moments, spots the patterns, and keeps your child's whole team in the loop.
7 days free.
As featured in
Parents of
From Making the Invisible Visible, our 2025 study of 1,091 Australian families, with Sunday Insights and PureSpectrum.
We understand what parents really need
Laetitia Andrac
CEO and Mother of Autistic child
Our research shows that parents of neurodivergent children carry a significantly heavier mental and emotional load compared to parents of neurotypical children.
That's why we built Understanding Zoe: to lighten that load with practical, personalised support that meets you where you are.
Understanding Zoe is an Australian neuroaffirming app for parents of neurodivergent children, built on our 2025 study of 1,091 Australian families. You tell Pip, our pocket coach, what happened each day. Pip gives you strategies for the hard moments, spots patterns, keeps records in one place, and helps you prepare for appointments.
A moment with Pip
Just tell Pip what happened.
No forms, no fields. You tell Pip what happened, in your own words. Pip makes sense of it and offers one small thing to try.
Pip
Your pocket coach
You: Bedtime fell apart again tonight. They didn't settle until almost 11.
Pip: That's a hard end to the day. I've added tonight to the sleep picture. Was anything different today, or more of the same?
You: School photos tomorrow. I think the change threw them.
Pip: That fits a pattern you've logged before: harder nights before a change at school. One small thing to try tomorrow: a quiet run-through of the morning plan at breakfast. Tonight is saved, so you don't have to hold it.
An example of how a conversation with Pip can go. Pip replies to your real days, in your context.
How it lifts
How Understanding Zoe holds it with you.
Morning
The morning when everything felt too loud.
Tell Pip what happened, by voice or message. Pip suggests neuroaffirming strategies for your child, and you track what actually helps.
The school gate
Hand every new teacher the whole picture.
The About Me one-pager introduces your child, strengths first. Invite teachers and therapists to the village, and everyone works from the same picture, so you stop repeating yourself.
The 4pm appointment
The appointment where you start from zero. Again.
Before you walk in, Pip drafts a summary of what's changed for your paediatrician, psychologist or OT. It can also help with NDIS plan reviews and IEP contributions. The session starts with the full picture.
The 5pm window
The meltdown after one small change to the plan.
Ask Pip what might help. You get calm, practical ideas. Pip can also find you something to read. A factsheet or a picture book, chosen for what just happened.
Bedtime
The bedtime that fell apart, when no one slept.
Tell Pip once, and it's kept. No form to fill in at 10pm. Over the weeks, the Story tab shows you what actually helps.
And the paperwork? Forward a letter to your child's own Pip email address, and Pip files it. You review it first.
One subscription covers all your children's profiles.
Their words, not ours
From parents holding what you hold.
Why Understanding Zoe is different
Most tools start over each year. We don't.
Understanding Zoe keeps your child's whole story. The context you build now still helps when they start school. It stays with you as they grow into an adult. The same calm home, for a whole life.
Built by parents, for parents.
Laetitia and Johan are parents of neurodivergent children. They built Understanding Zoe because their own family needed it.
Read our story- Stored in Australia
- Registered NDIS provider
- ISO 27001 certified
Understanding Zoe is a registered NDIS provider. If your plan includes the right funding, a subscription may be claimable. Confirm with your plan manager.
Made in Australia, built for the way families actually work.
The Australian parenting website. Government funded since 2006.
Your GP or child health nurse may already suggest it to you.
Pip draws on more than 1,200 evidence-based parenting resources from the Raising Children Network to help generate its responses. Where relevant, you can follow links to the original Raising Children Network resources.
Pip is not a doctor or therapist. It helps you organise and prepare, not diagnose or treat.
Your data, protected by design.
Understanding Zoe puts you in control. Your information stays private and secure.
Trust is earned, so we show our working.
- Encrypted in transit and at rest.
- Stored in Australia (AWS Sydney).
- Protected to global security standards, including ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification.
- Granular permission controls. You decide who sees what.
- Your reports stay yours. Download or delete them anytime.
- Pip chats are private by design.
- Aligned with the Australian Privacy Principles.
FAQ
Questions parents ask
Do I need a diagnosis to use Understanding Zoe?
No. You can start with or without a formal assessment. The app works from support needs and traits, not labels.
Which devices can I use Understanding Zoe on?
You can use it on a computer, in a web browser, at app.understandingzoe.com. It also runs as an app on iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and tablets. It is the same account everywhere, so everything you add is already there. Reminders and notifications come from the phone app, not the browser.
Do I need the phone app to start?
No. You can create an account in your web browser, at app.understandingzoe.com. You can also start in the iPhone or Android app.
Can my child use the app themselves?
The app is built for adults: parents, carers and the people they invite. Children are not direct users. Anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian to agree to the terms.
Is Pip a therapist or a doctor?
No. Pip is not a therapist, a counsellor or a doctor. It helps you organise, notice patterns and prepare. For medical questions, speak with your GP or your prescriber.
Does Pip search the open internet?
No. Pip draws on a library we chose and licensed. That includes more than 1,200 evidence-based parenting resources from the Raising Children Network. Pip does not read the open web.
Can Pip read documents I upload?
Yes. Pip reads PDFs, images and Word files. It pulls out the useful parts and saves them as a record.
Will I get reminders on the web?
No. You can create and manage reminders on the web. Their notifications come from the phone app, on the profile owner's device. The web does not send browser alerts.
Do the people I invite have to pay?
No. Supporters join for free. Only you hold the subscription, and it covers every profile on your account.
What can a supporter see?
Only what you allow. You set nine categories to None, View or Full for each person. You can also hide a single item from chosen people.
Is anything always shared with a supporter?
Yes, two things. Every supporter can read the profile's About Me. Every supporter can also chat with Pip about the profile.
Can a supporter invite other people?
No. Only the profile owner can invite someone, change what they see, or remove them.
Can my NDIS plan manager pay for my subscription?
Yes. Email us your plan manager's name and email address. We send them a tax invoice and copy you in. Your access is set up once it is paid.
If I subscribe on the web, does it work in the app?
Yes. It is the same account everywhere. A subscription you start on the web also works in the app.
More answers are on our help page.
Ready when you are
Your family's whole story, held in one calm place.
7 days free.
Cancel before day 8 and you won't be charged.
Free guides
Not ready for the trial? Start with a free guide.
Practical, neuroaffirming guides you can keep. No app needed.
Free guide
How to Understand and Support Your ADHDer
Practical home and school strategies for ADHD, from parents and professionals who get it.
Read the guide
Free guide
Supporting a PDAer: A Practical Guide for Families
Low-demand strategies that protect connection, and the nervous-system explanation that changes everything.
Read the guidePrefer a gentle place to start?
Get our free Neuroaffirming Guide. A calm, practical start, yours to keep.
- What to do first, when everything feels like too much.
- How to keep your child's whole picture in one place.
- Words that help at school and at appointments, with examples.
Where should we send it?
Built on our 2025 study of 1,091 Australian families.
We protect your details. Unsubscribe any time. See our privacy policy.
