In this episode, I wanted to share with you a brief section from my recent webinar, Collaborative Connections, where I talked all about how you can actually get children involved in their collaborative teams. I'm going to share practical suggestions about how you can actually involve children in these situations so that they can be a core part of their own journey. Their self advocacy ability can increase when you support and guide them and you're including them in their whole process. You're supporting self determination, choice making, and honouring them as a whole human by showing them the value of their own perspectives.

Speech Therapists - get my Affirming Communication for Autistic Children course: https://playlearnchat.com/speechie-course

Podcast Link: https://pod.link/1625478932 Website: www.playlearnchat.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/play.learn.chat Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/play.learn.chat

In this episode, I'll share my journey to identification as an Autistic ADHDer. I recently got an email from another speech therapist who is in the neuro questioning phase. And she asked me this "As I understand you were late diagnosed. I wanted to ask you about your experience getting diagnosed and what you feel have been the benefits and drawbacks of it" and I really, really thank you for this email. And interestingly, I think within a day I got a message on Instagram from somebody else with a very similar question. So I thought it is probably high time for me to share a bit more about my journey through AuDHD identification and diagnosis here on the podcast, because the bits that I do share always get interesting. I had a long time of questioning before I decided I wanted to seek formal identification (a.k.a. diagnosis). Here's how my journey went... Links:

• Born on a blue day book - Daniel Tammet: https://a.co/d/5PJefFj
• Yellow Ladybugs conference: https://ylbconference2024.vfairs.com/

Podcast Link: https://pod.link/1625478932 Website: www.playlearnchat.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/play.learn.chat Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/play.learn.chat

In this episode, I'm going to be sharing some practical ideas about how you can tackle a challenge that a lot of us experience. Whether you're a therapist, a teacher, a parent, or a carer of a neurodivergent child. At some point when supporting this child, you're going to be interacting with a team around them. And at some point you're going to be experiencing different approaches to how you will support that title, how you believe that child should be supported. It can be incredibly hard to navigate these different perspectives and to find that common ground and come to a productive point in how you work together to achieve solid support for this child.

I'm going to share the following five strategies that can be very useful for conflict resolution, but also give you an example of what that might sound like, exactly what you might say, depending on the situation of course:

1. Build Empathy 2. Ask open-ended questions with curiosity 3. Take time to reflect and process in private 4. Assess possible outcomes 5. Collaborate to come to solutions together

Podcast Link: https://pod.link/1625478932 Website: www.playlearnchat.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/play.learn.chat Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/play.learn.chat

In this episode, I'm super excited to be talking about a topic that is just deeply embedded in my clinical practice, in my worldview and in how I support autistic children in my whole life. And that topic is Responsive relationship strategies for building connection with the autistic children in your life. We'll be outlining some of the ideas behind what forms responsive relationships. And the opposite, what forms directive relationships and why that can be quite damaging or challenging for your relationship with the autistic kids in your world.

Podcast Link: https://pod.link/1625478932 Website: www.playlearnchat.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/play.learn.chat Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/play.learn.chat

Self-advocacy is not as simple as just learning one skill or one isolated thing. In the neurodiversity affirming world and in the therapy world, we love talking about self-advocacy, but what is it and how do you get there? I like to think of the components of self-advocacy is being broken up into four main sub parts:

• Supportive Environment & Community - Safe people and spaces that encourage, believe you, facilitate and offer support
• Self-awareness of Needs & Preferences - You need to be aware of what you like, need, and don't like or don't want
• Self-worth & Confidence - You need to believe you're worthy of support, and feel confident and secure enough to ask for what you want/need
• Ability to Communicate - You need to be capable of communicating your preferences, choices and protests in a way that others around you understand

In this episode, I outline what each of those parts are, why they're so important. And some ideas and examples for how this can look in practice. Podcast Link: https://pod.link/1625478932 Website: www.playlearnchat.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/play.learn.chat Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/play.learn.chat

In this episode, I explore the reasons and impacts of masking for high-masking autistic people (who are often, but not always girls, AFAB, or non-binary folks). I talk some ways that high-masking autistic people can appear in the world, and share my hope for the future of Autistic kids and people everywhere to feel freer and more comfortable to know and be themselves!

Yellow Ladybugs Conference that I mention: https://ylbconference2024.vfairs.com/ - If you have ANY Autistic people in your life who are girls/women/AFAB/nonbinary, this is the event of the YEAR. It's 3 days online and the 3rd day is also in person, in Melbourne. I'll be there! I'm also on a panel for the 2nd year and adore this organisation and conference. Want to learn more with me? Register for my free webinar to kickstart your ND Affirming Practice journey: https://playlearnchat.com/free-neurodiversity-webinar/

Podcast Link: https://pod.link/1625478932

Website: www.playlearnchat.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/play.learn.chat

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/play.learn.chat

📺 Watch the video of our chat on YouTube: https://youtu.be/22ZWxDEFtSw?si=V0OqWgrIsYkNenh3 Get in touch with Chelsea Luker: www.connectuspsychology.com @Connectuspsychology (Instagram) - https://www.instagram.com/connectuspsychology/ Connect Us Psychology (FB) - https://www.facebook.com/connectuspsychology Grab her book Square Me Round World https://connectuspsychology.com/product/square-me-round-world-hardcover-book/ - this is the preferred link for the hardcover version. International should be able to find the book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones etc. https://www.amazon.com.au/Square-Me-Round-World-Stories/dp/0648605515 Podcast Link: https://pod.link/1625478932 Website: www.playlearnchat.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/play.learn.chat Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/play.learn.chat

• Complete the 3 minute podcast survey to help me plan 2024! playlearnchat.com/survey
• Neurodivergent business owners, please join me for the Aligned Business Workshop! Through my new business Neurodivergent Business Coaching & Consulting - https://differentlyaligned.com/workbook/

Podcast Link: https://pod.link/1625478932 Website: www.playlearnchat.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/play.learn.chat Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/play.learn.chat

It's non-negotiable to be supporting, modelling, using, teaching multimodal communication to autistic kids. And I share why in this episode. Here are my 5 reasons why multimodal communication is essential for autistic children: 1. We all use multimodal communication 2. It is a human right to be able to access communication in different modes 3. Speech or mouth words can be hard for many reasons. And it's not the ultimate or 'best' way of communicating 4. The most important thing about communication is that it can lead to connection 5. Many autistic children have processing challenges and sensory challenges which can lead to varying communication abilities. Multimodal communication offers a range of ways to take on and share messages to accommodate for fluctuating needs LINKS: My Affirming Communication for Autistic Children is now open - join now and access it any time in the next 12 months: playlearnchat.com/acac-course If you're a speech therapist, I hope you'll join me for my free 3-day challenge 'Evolve Your Affirming Practice'. You can find out all the info and register at playlearnchat.com/challenge. Exploring Neurodiversity Podcast Episode 7: All Communication is Valid - Why it might be hard for an autistic child to speak - https://pod.link/1625478932/episode/55ffb7ac277b9a40deef79b6b984caa4 Podcast Link: https://pod.link/1625478932 Website: www.playlearnchat.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/play.learn.chat Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/play.learn.chat

I'm sharing 3 strategies that we need to leave in the past, and 3 strategies that are more aligned with a Neurodiversity Affirming approach - let's call them 'Old way' and 'new way'! OLD WAY: First do the boring 'work' task, then do the fun activity NEW WAY: Use intrinsic motivation: Ensure that the 'main' activity is motivating for the child OLD WAY: Intrude - Insert yourself into the child's play when they're playing solo NEW WAY: Join in with the child... Sometimes. Let them play solo sometimes. Honour their sensory & social capacity OLD WAY: Shape an Autistic child's play to look more 'normal'... More like neurotypical children's play NEW WAY: Honour & enjoy the child's individual way of playing. And sometimes add small new ideas as an offer, with no pressure LINKS: If you're a speech therapist, you're invited to join my FREE 3-day Challenge 'Evolving your Affirming Practice' - www.playlearnchat.com/challenge Registrations are now open for my Affirming Communication for Autistic Children Course for Speech Therapists! Head over here to check it out: https://playlearnchat.com/acac-course/ Podcast Link: https://pod.link/1625478932 Website: www.playlearnchat.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/play.learn.chat Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/play.learn.chat