Making the Shift for Autistic Kids

My clinic, Pediatric Therapy Playhouse, is turning 11 years old!! I seriously can't believe it. One of the biggest lessons I've learned in my 11 years as a clinic owner has been how to make a clinic space that works best for me and my business. I recently moved into a new clinic after being in our previous space for over 5 years. And you may be shocked to hear this, but I actually moved in a smaller space! I have found what works for me, my therapists, and our clients. And I'm here to tell you that bigger isn't always better. So on this episode of Making the Shift, I'm going to be talking about how I designed my new clinic space and why. If you want to see what our space looks like, check out this episode of our live show: https://www.youtube.com/live/-PUZGo-srq8?si=u8weTpfBdgJmSmdB

And to learn more about our clinic visit www.pediatrictherapyplayhouse.com

What does "functional play" really mean? Should we be teaching a child how to play? Is there a right and wrong way to play? These are all questions that come up when talking about Autistic play. I've always said "play = what is fun for the child." But should we be helping kids expand their play skills? What if a child only wants to play alone? We're going to answer these questions and more on this episode of Making the Shift!

To learn more about how you can support Autistic kids in neuroaffirming ways, make sure to check out our brand new NeuroAffirm Therapy Academy: https://www.sensoryslp.com/neuroaffirm-therapy-academy

Recently, a parent of a 9-year old Autistic boy shared with me that her son threatened to take his life multiple times. He was so sad that at 9 years old, he did not want to live anymore. And that got me thinking… How is it that we’ve missed the mark that badly when it comes to supporting Autistic children? How is it, that even though there are loads of options for therapy for neurodivergent kids, that there are still so many kids feeling overwhelmed, hurt, and unsupported…and so many families who feel lost, confused, and also unsupported? Why is it that emotional wellbeing, the MOST important thing, the ONE thing that should take priority above everything else, is so often completely dismissed? We NEED to be prioritizing our autistic kids' mental health. And the good news is that it’s not hard. It’s not time consuming. It’s not impossible. So on this week's episode of Making the Shift, we’re talking about WHY emotional wellbeing needs to take priority, and HOW we can support our kids’ emotional wellbeing on a daily basis.

To order Jessie's best selling book, Ready Set Connect, click here: https://www.sensoryslp.com/ready-set-connect-book

To join Jessie & Chris in the NeuroAffirm Therapy Academy, click here: https://www.sensoryslp.com/neuroaffirm-therapy-academy

We need to talk about behavioral therapy... You may not know this but when I was in grad school, I was hired as a 1:1 behavioral support therapist for a little girl in a private school. ABA is a very common intervention that's recommended for Autistic kids. Some from the field say they're shifting to neurodiversity affirming practices. With extreme views on this controversial subject...and when we feel like everything we say is wrong...where can we go from here? What are the solutions? How can we support our Autistic kids moving forward? That's what we're talking about on this week's episode.

Plus, a special announcement! In order to support our mission of spreading ND affirming practices around the world, we're extending Founding Member pricing for our brand new ND Affirming Therapy Academy. Join now for just $97 for the entire year to receive access to our vault of trainings, monthly calls with our Autistic mentor Chloe Estelle, and access to an incredible group of like-minded professionals: https://www.sensoryslp.com/ndaffirming-therapy-academy

Are you actually neurodiversity affirming? The term "neurodiversity affirming" has become such a buzzword. Therapists are advertising themselves as "ND Affirming Therapists". And maybe that is you. But are you actually ND Affirming? It’s easy to say that you follow a certain belief system, but to actually walk the walk and utilize that approach is completely different. So on this episode of Making the Shift, we're giving you a little pop quiz. Can you pass the test??

Calling all ND Affirming SLPs! Have you heard about the ND Affirming Therapy Academy?? The ND Affirming Therapy Academy is your one-stop-shop for everything you need to know to be the most effective, impactful neurodiversity-affirming therapist. From online trainings, resources, handouts, and more! To learn more about the Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy Academy, and take advantage of Founding Member pricing while it lasts, click here: https://www.sensoryslp.com/ndaffirming-therapy-academy 

Chris's ND Affirming Activity Book is out NOW! Click below to grab it: https://www.speechdude.com/book

The problem with traditional social skills training is that it focuses on teaching autistic individuals to mimic neurotypical behaviors and suppress their autistic traits. And this comes at a significant cost to the autistic individual's self-esteem. By encouraging masking, or hiding one's true self to fit in, these programs can lead to exhaustion, burnout, and a loss of identity. The emphasis on fitting into a conventional mold can increase anxiety, stress, and feelings of inadequacy, as it suggests that an autistic person's natural way of interacting is wrong or insufficient. And I don’t think any of us want that for our students. So on this episode of Making the Shift, we’re going to be diving into the problem with social skills training and we’ll be giving you our best tips on what we should be doing instead.

If you work with kids, you know how hard transitions can be. For some kids, hearing a statement like “In five more minutes, we’re going to line up and go back to class” might not be a big deal. But those of us who work with Autistic children understand that some kids can experience more difficulties transitioning than others. I get asked at least once a week how to handle transitions. So this week on Making the Shift, we're discussing why transitions are so hard, the best (and worst) way to use visuals when transitioning between activities, how to replace the countdown and teach kids to transition themselves, and more... Check out Jessie's ASHA article here: https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/replacing-the-countdown-for-young-kids-with-autism/full/

When you’ve introduced AAC…but you feel like there’s no progress…what should you do? Sometimes just getting a device in a child’s hand feels like a major win. But what do you do when you’ve been trying and trying with little success? AAC can be so overwhelming as it is, and when we aren’t seeing progress, it can feel defeating. Is it worth continuing? Or time for something else? This week on Making the Shift we’re talking all about what to do when kids aren’t picking up on AAC. Are you an SLP and want learn more about how to support a child's regulation? Check out Jessie's brand new free training: https://www.sensoryslp.com/sensory-based-sessions-training And download the eggs in basket analogy for AAC application here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-1wtqBpQwSRaZluLjFbfYvjQ5XITfDge/view

Let’s face it. A lot of goals that are still being written for Autistic kids….well, they suck. This may come across as harsh but some of these goals truly do more harm than good. I genuinely believe that. So why are we talking about goals that suck? Because it’s a big problem. If we don’t talk about goals that suck, the people who are still writing these goals aren’t going to understand WHY it’s such a big problem, and what they can do better. So this week on Making the Shift, we're talking about therapy goals we need to stop writing and what we can do instead. And make sure you download this free handout with my top guidelines for writing speech therapy goals for Autistic kids: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13DYLnvOkRNwlTaOhI-mFqlxaE5SyThrN/view

This week on Making the Shift, we are sitting down with Dr. Karen Wilson, a renowned clinical neuropsychologist and the founder of ChildNEXUS to discuss the importance of differential diagnosis in neurodivergent children. With extensive expertise in neuropsychological assessments and evidence-based interventions, Dr. Wilson has devoted her career to understanding and supporting children with ADHD, Autism, Learning Disorders, and other neurodevelopmental differences. She also hosts a popular podcast called Diverse Thinking, Different Learning. You can find Dr. Karen Wilson at https://westlaneuro.com/