What Does It Mean to Be Neurodiversity Affirming?

At Blume, you’ll often hear us talk about our neurodiversity-affirming approach to speech and occupational therapy. Many of you may wonder, what does that really mean?

First, let’s define some key concepts

• Neurodiversity: a way to reflect the substantial diversity in human neurology.

• Neurodivergent: a term coined by autistic activist Kasianne Asasumasu that is often used as a self-identifier and distinguishes the development and processing of one’s brain from what is considered to be typical.

• Neurotypical: a term used to describe those who have typical neurological development.

To understand what it means to be neurodiversity-affirming, we’ve broken it down into the core principles below. 

Essentially, being neurodiversity-affirming means that we believe that...

Differences in the human brain and experience are natural. 

Every brain is unique, and differences in how our brains develop and process information are an inherent part of being human. Recognizing these differences allows us to focus on supporting each child’s individual needs. 

Neurodivergent individuals are worthy of dignity, acceptance, and opportunities to thrive in their communities as their authentic selves.

In other words, all people deserve to live a meaningful life. This includes individuals with high support needs and intersectional identities. 

Neurodivergent individuals have the right to bodily autonomy, self-determination, and self-advocacy.

It’s important that neurodivergent individuals have the opportunity to collaborate with their providers in determining their goals, no matter their age. They also deserve the right to define what “meaningful” means to them. As providers, we empower our clients to advocate for their cognitive, sensory, and physical needs across environments. 

Feeling safe and connected comes first. 

Prioritizing nervous system regulation, felt safety, trust, co-regulation, and connection is paramount to higher-level cognitive development. We embed this principle in our sessions and support our clients’ families in doing the same at home. 

We respect different ways of thinking, communicating, and learning. 

We acknowledge and honor the diverse ways in which our brains process, perceive, and relay information. 

We foster intrinsic motivation.

We learn about and incorporate the child’s interests into our interventions rather than relying on external reinforcers to ensure that therapy is inherently meaningful for the child. This strategy promotes carryover of skill development into multiple contexts, far beyond the walls of our office. 

We utilize a strengths-based lens. 

We presume competence when working with our clients. We celebrate their unique strengths and build upon them to promote developmental progress. In addition, words matter, which is why we use strengths-based language in our clinical documentation and when communicating with clients and their families.

We change the environment, not the child.

We recognize the importance of shifting our focus to making adjustments in the environment rather than attempting to shift the person. For example, we may introduce specific regulation strategies to support participation depending on your child’s individual needs. 

We listen to and learn from lived experience.

We continuously learn from the neurodivergent community in order to inform our practice at Blume. 

We don’t implement behavior-based interventions. 

Why? Behavior-based interventions, like token economies, reward charts, “first, then,” etc. have the following results:

• They don’t teach regulation skills.

  
  

• When it comes to communication, behavioral interventions cause the child to become highly dependent on prompts and cues, which can impede their ability to develop independence and generalize skills across contexts.

  
  

• They rely on extrinsic motivation, which means that they don’t teach kids to understand and develop intrinsic motivation. 

  
  

• They frequently encourage masking, prompting individuals to ignore their internal body cues in order to get a reward. This leads to further challenges related to regulation and understanding what our bodies need.

  
  

• They are often implemented without understanding the “why” behind the behavior they are trying to modify. 

  
  

• They promote compliance as the end goal, rather than understanding what a child needs in the long term to successfully participate or communicate meaningfully. 

At Blume Kids Therapy, we’re committed to providing services that are tailored to your child’s individual needs and meeting your child where they are. Our approach to neurodiversity-affirming care means that we celebrate your child’s differences, focus on their strengths and interests, prioritize safety and connection, and adapt the environment to support their needs. 

References: 

1. Tisi, V. and Dorsey, R. (2023). Learning from autism from autistics: Neurodiversity as the foundation for therapeutic practice [Conference presentation]. Learn Play Thrive OT Neurodiversity Summit, virtual, United States. 

2. Santucci, G. (2023). No One Truly Loves Compliance: Fostering Authentic Connection in OT Practice [Conference presentation]. Learn Play Thrive OT Neurodiversity Summit, virtual, United States. 

3. Googins, J., & Boheler, G. (2022). Neurodiversity Affirming Practice: A Starter Pack of Supporting Terms, Resources, and Evidence [Review of Neurodiversity Affirming Practice: A Starter Pack of Supporting Terms, Resources, and Evidence].