I don't provide interventions based on behaviourism and the social-deficit theory of Autism; these practices are rooted in flawed theories and outdated research. As a Neurodivergent-Affirming SLT I do not provide Social Skills Training. We know that these interventions are designed to teach Autistic children to mask and perform a set of socially expected behaviours built upon neuronormative norms of attention and communication. As a Neurodivergent-Affirming SLT I focus on helping the Autistic person to advocate for themselves through their chosen method(s) of communication.

 

I support them to express their choices, views, boundaries, emotions, and decisions. I give the person full autonomy to select their own goals. I help them to identify their communication strengths & needs using non-pathologising language. I use a trauma-informed approach which takes into context the historic marginalisation and exclusion of Autistic people, I consider the accumulation of sensory, interpersonal, and emotional trauma, and the intersections between other struggles e.g., gender dysphoria, eating disorders, ethnicity.