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/

In this week's episode of Making the Shift, we’re breaking down the absolute most powerful ways you can support nonspeaking Autistic children. On this episode, we're discussing: why kids may not be speaking, when to start introducing alternative methods of communication, how we talk about and talk to our nonspeaking kids, how to prioritize what matters most to make the greatest gains, and more!

A few weeks ago we were invited to attend the screening of the movie Ezra. And I’m still pinching myself. I reached out to the associate producer of the movie, Alex Plank, and he agreed to be interviewed on our live show! In this interview we discussed the importance of autistic characters being played by an autistic actors, how autistic actors and consultants were accommodated on set for the movie Ezra, why this movie will change the narrative & help others to better understand Autistic people, and more. You can find Alex at www.alexplank.com or learn more about his projects on his IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2420485/

What if it doesn’t feel right? In this episode, you get to meet Sandy Hughes, parent of an Autistic son who found Jessie on Instagram and then started therapy in her clinic. Join Sandy as she shares her powerful story, starting from when her son had therapists and teachers who were not the right fit, through her self-advocacy journey, and seeing her son progress with an ND affirming approach.

On this episode of Making the Shift, I'm sitting down with my clinic's Speech & Language Program Director Emily Byers Chaney and we are talking about how we've been implementing ND affirming practices over the years. We're sharing what works well for us, and hopefully it works well for you too! You can find Emily on Instagram @ndaffirming.slp To learn more about our clinic visit www.pediatrictherapyplayhouse.com