Advanced ABA

Want to learn about autism and neurodiversity but don't know where to start? Here's a great list! This link has a more complete list of books vetted in Tha...t Au-some Book Club: https://notanautismmom.com/2020/07/20/autism-books/ I just updated it TODAY! Happy reading!

Free Neurodiversity Summit! https://mindbrain.ucdavis.edu//ucdavis-neurodiversity-summ

It's important to remember that even if someone sometimes uses vocal speech to communicate, an AAC or assistive communication device can sometimes be beneficial and necessary.

The Double Empathy Problem Autism has been defined as a deficit in ‘theory of mind.’ and ... "when applied to the education of those diagnosed becomes a ‘treat...ment program’ of modifying the ‘autistic person’ as ‘best one can’ to fit in with the mainstream culture of society. The Double Empathy Problem (DEP) refers to a disjuncture in reciprocity between two differently disposed social actors who hold different norms and expectations of each other, such as is common in Autistic to non-Autistic (Allistic) social interactions. There is a tendency... to incorrectly assume that there is a set of definable social norms and rules that exist for people to follow. The ‘theory of mind’ and ‘empathy’... refers to the ability a ‘neurotypical’ (NT) individual has to assume understandings of the mental states and motives of other people. When such ‘empathy’ is applied toward an Autistic person however, it is often wildly inaccurate in its measure." The stigma of being ‘othered’ and the normalisation agenda, and Implications for Service Providers: "it is true that autistic people often lack insight about NT perceptions and culture, yet it is equally the case that NT people lack insight into the minds and culture of ‘autistic people...' One could say that many autistic people have indeed gained a greater level of insight into NT society and mores than vice versa, perhaps due to the need to survive and potentially thrive in a NT culture. Conversely, the NT person has no pertinent personal requirement to understand the mind of the ‘autistic person’ unless closely related socially in some way... Differences in neurology may well produce differences in sociality, but not a ‘social deficit’ as compared to an idealised normative view of social reality. Milton, Damian (2012) On the ontological status of autism: the ‘double empathy problem’. Disability & Society, 27 (6). pp. 883-887. ISSN 0968-7599. "The research data shows that while Autistic people scored lower on the measures of cognitive empathy and theory of mind, Autistic people are no different from controls on one affective empathy scale of the IRI (empathic concern), and scored higher than controls on the other (personal distress)." Therefore, we propose that the issue of empathy in AS (Autistic People) should be revisited. Rogers, Kimberley & Dziobek, Isabel & Hassenstab, Jason & Wolf, Oliver & Convit, Antonio. (2007). Who Cares? Revisiting Empathy in Asperger Syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 37. 709-15. 10.1007/s10803-006-0197-8. For a free pdf copy of this or any of our other infographics, go to the link below and click on the Educational Infographics tab. https://therapistndc.org/education/

Terms Therapists Should Know Neurodiversity Individual differences in brain functioning regarded as normal variations within the human population. The concept t...hat differences in brain functioning within the human population are normal and that brain functioning that is not neurotypical should not be stigmatized. Merrium -Webster Dictionary Neurodivergent/Neurodivergence Differences in mental or neurological function from what is considered typical. (Examples include Autistic, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Acquired neurodivergence, such as TBI) The terms neurodivergent and neurodivergence were coined by Kassiane Asasumasu, a multiply neurodivergent neurodiversity activist. Definition provided by Oxford Dictionary. Double Empathy Problem Theory: When people with very different experiences of the world interact, they will struggle to empathize with each other. Breakdowns in reciprocity and mutual understanding between non-autistics and Autistic people may be due to differences in the ways they experience the world. Damian E.M. Milton (2012) On the ontological status of autism: the ‘double empathy problem’, Disability & Society, 27:6, 883-887, DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2012.710008; Morrison KE, DeBrabander KM, Jones DR, Faso DJ, Ackerman RA, Sasson NJ. Outcomes of real-world social interaction for autistic adults paired with autistic compared to typically developing partners. Autism. 2020;24(5):1067-1080. doi:10.1177/1362361319892701 Diversity in Social Intelligence "... re-conceptualisation of intelligence within a neurodiversity framework, challenging the notion that there is only one legitimate form of human intelligence. ... a hypothesis that autistic social skills may be enhanced in an autism-specific cultural context." The University of Edinburgh: http://dart.ed.ac.uk/research/nd-iq/ Ableism "Ableism is a set of beliefs or practices that devalue and discriminate against people with physical, intellectual, or psychiatric disabilities and often rests on the assumption that disabled people need to be ‘fixed’ in one form or the other." Center for Disability Rights: http://cdrnys.org/blog/uncategorized/ableism/ Masking is about adding layers to Autistic persona and physicality that hides the real person underneath. Examples include: suppressing stimming, eye contact, forcing artificial social interactions, hiding and/or suppressing periods of high anxiety, forcing physical contact in expected ways. Social skills training teaches masking. Masking causes trauma, anxiety, depression and even suicidal ideation. Kieran Rose - The Autistic Advocate: https://theautisticadvocate.com/ For a free pdf copy of this infographic or any of our others, go to this link and click on "Educational Infographics." https://therapistndc.org/education/

Feeding Littles

The Thinking Persons Guide to Autism Resources page now includes TV Series! We aren’t fond of the stereotypes in The Good Doctor, or Atypical. We prefer series with complex and human autistic characters, that include more than one autistic character, that acknowledge the diversity of autistic abilities, disabilities, and traits, and that feature autistic people of color. Some of those series include: Alphas Claws... Everything's Gonna Be OK Little Voice The Outsider She-Ra http://www.thinkingautismguide.com/p/resources.html

A great resource about how to talk to your child about their Autism diagnosis!

If you suddenly find yourself in the role of parent, teacher, janitor, IT support, and emotional support personnel, we have put together a FREE educational seri...es with 5 tips that you can implement to set your child up for success and make your life easier as you embark on distance learning. We have compiled some our favorite tips and accommodations from our years of experience working with children both in our private pediatric occupational therapy clinic as well as in public, private and home schools. In the series we highlight free and low cost ways you can help your child to optimize their learning. This is beneficial information for all children, not just children with additional needs. Included in this series is easy to understand handouts on each tip (I am including the first few pages here) and a video series where we go into more depth on each tip. We talk about the importance of ergonomics for learning and how to set up your child's work station, ways to improve focus, and ideas for decreasing distractions in the environment. Once you sign up you will receive one email a day for five days with the content. You can watch it now or save it to watch at a later time. Sign up here: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/5f31904431568a002649677c