Advocacy

Human Rights Positions

Disability Rights are Civil RightsDisability Rights are Civil Rights!

The Therapist Neurodiversity Collective believes that Disability Rights are Civil Rights. Read our position statement  HERE. 

Performative Neurodiversity 

Learn more about the Neurodiversity Movement HERE.

Restraint and Seclusion are never therapeutic!

Therapy Neurodiversity Collective members do not use Seclusion and Restraint in our Practices. Read our position statement HERE.

Respectful & Empathetic, Trauma-informed, Evidence-based, ABA-free We Advocate for Disability Rights & Civil Rights Advocate for equitable inclusion, & unrestricted access to supports, modifications, and accommodations Are ethical billers in all settings Are ethical sellers of therapy, parent materials, apps, & programs Provide therapy that is respectful of neurodivergence, autistic differences and sensory processing differences Presume competence & respect personal agency Apply a Strength-Based Approach Are unapologetic in our opposition to the use of ABA, including Positive Supports & Positive Reinforcement (PBS and PBIS) Are humane, trauma-informed feeding therapists Believe robust AAC is for everyone, with no gatekeeping, with immediate access to core language, aided language stimulation, & AAC modeling Respect body autonomy Do not engage in Seclusion or Restraint in our Practices Do not act as Social Skills Trainers or Interventionists Practice with cognizance of the potentially harmful effects of social skills programs that promote masking Honor & uphold the dignity & humanity of every client, student & patient we serve Ethics & Values

We advocate for unapologetically ABA-free therapy and are wholly aligned with the Neurodiversity Movement as a Human Rights Campaign. Learn more HERE.

Ongoing Advocacy Projects

Advocacy Project Protest CCC-SLP Board Certified Specialist in ASD (BCS-ASD)

The Therapist Neurodiversity Collective condemns the CCC-SLP Board Certified Specialist in ASD (BCS-ASD).
Competency Requirements: Board Certified ASHA Speech-Language-Pathologists are required to have knowledge of the core features of operant learning theory and application of behavior analysis, including positive and negative reinforcement and positive and negative punishment. 

The American Board of Autism Spectrum Disorders has determined that sensory integration dysfunction (SID) is a controversial and unsubstantiated diagnosis. BCS-ASD CCC-SLPs will be required to “lead and supervise teams of interventionists” (behavior technicians) and supervise “ABA insurance-reimbursed services related to communication.”

The American Board of Autism Spectrum Disorders Executive Board members are Dr. Lynn Kern Koegel and Dr. Stephen M. Camarata. Lynn Koegel and her husband, Robert, are the developers of Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT), a behavior treatment for Autism.  PRT is based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

Currently, this Clinical Specialty petition is in STAGE 2 (“Accepted”) per the American Speech & Hearing Association’s process.  Following Stage 2 acceptance by ASHA, the petitioning group is permitted to move forward with establishing their Specialty Certification Board, by completing additional steps before the board becomes operational and able to accept applications.

Learn More Here.
Over 6000 people have signed our petition.
ABA and the ASHA Agenda

Completed Advocacy Campaigns

ASHA Member Protest against the proposed ABA/SLP SIG

Goal: ASHA Board of Directors DENY the establishment of a Special Interest Group in Applied Behavior Analysis in Speech-Language Pathology Practice. 

Victory: 1/28/2022: Thanks to our grassroots efforts, in a 0-15 unanimous vote, the ASHA Board of Directors denied the establishment of an ABA SIG.