Diversity. We all know the obvious forms of diversity; race, nationality, gender, socioeconomic status, general background, etc. But, lately I find myself discussing a lesser known type of diversity; neurodiversity. Neurodiversity is the concept that neurological differences (e.g., Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyscalculia, Autistic Spectrum Disorders, etc.) are respected as any other human variation. Therapy Center of Buda has always embraced diversity and we celebrate the diversity of our families. We don’t believe in “cures” and we don’t preach “looking normal.” In fact, suppressing the communicative efforts, including stims and non-verbal forms of communication have long been proven to be counterproductive to overall communicative and daily living success. Rather, listening to each individual and their wants, desires, requests, and rejections is a way to honor their communication styles.
Not long ago I had a conversation with an Autistic adult. I say “Autistic adult” because she requested I use this term versus the politically correct version of “person with Autism” as it is her preferred way to identify. This woman was a breath of fresh air and helped me to see that my therapeutic ways of being accepting and open to exploring different communication methods with my kiddos was justified and the most appropriate therapy I could provide to my families. She told me a story of how she was non-verbal at 2. He parents enrolled her in a type of therapy that was focused on getting her to comply and submit to verbal communication. She insisted she was communicative, but not necessarily verbally. She preferred non-verbal communication and was a rather shy child. Her non-verbal communications (e.g., signs, gestures, stims, pushing/pulling) were not honored, rather only verbal communication was treated as communication. This lead to aggressive behaviors and a labeling as a “behavioral kid.”
Another point she made was that her therapists seemed to be preoccupied with her “stims,” mainly her verbal tics and hand flapping. She expressed a sadness that suppressing these stims were the focus of her treatment for so long as “they didn’t hurt anyone they made my body feel good… they just made the therapists feel uncomfortable.” This broke my heart as a parent and clinician. To me, stims are communicative. They are ways for me to tell that I am exciting or disregulating one of my kiddos. I would never want my kids to “look normal.” I simply want them to be THEMSELVES, whatever that means for them.
My goal for my kiddos is always for them to feel accepted, loved, supported, celebrated, and free to communicate their thoughts and needs in the manner that works best for them. That is what fuels me as a speech-language pathologist. Helping my kiddos find their respective (figurative) voices.
I am a speech-language pathologist. I am a Certified Autism Specialist. I am a clinic owner and director. I embrace neurodiversity. We all are different. Who am I to say that I, neurologically or otherwise, am any better than anyone else? It’s a ridiculous thought, in my opinion. We all have strengths and we all have weaknesses. We are all human and we deserve the same level of respect.
Another point she made was that her therapists seemed to be preoccupied with her “stims,” mainly her verbal tics and hand flapping. She expressed a sadness that suppressing these stims were the focus of her treatment for so long as “they didn’t hurt anyone they made my body feel good… they just made the therapists feel uncomfortable.” This broke my heart as a parent and clinician. To me, stims are communicative. They are ways for me to tell that I am exciting or disregulating one of my kiddos. I would never want my kids to “look normal.” I simply want them to be THEMSELVES, whatever that means for them.
My goal for my kiddos is always for them to feel accepted, loved, supported, celebrated, and free to communicate their thoughts and needs in the manner that works best for them. That is what fuels me as a speech-language pathologist. Helping my kiddos find their respective (figurative) voices.
I am a speech-language pathologist. I am a Certified Autism Specialist. I am a clinic owner and director. I embrace neurodiversity. We all are different. Who am I to say that I, neurologically or otherwise, am any better than anyone else? It’s a ridiculous thought, in my opinion. We all have strengths and we all have weaknesses. We are all human and we deserve the same level of respect.
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