Autism Pseudoscience: How providers can identify, educate and intervene to protect children

Autism Pseudoscience: How providers can identify, educate and intervene to protect children with Anne Borden King, co-founder of Autistics for Autistics When: March 10, 2023 @08:30 pm UTC. Registration Opens […]
Inclusive School Practices for Complex Communicators

Inclusive School Practices for Complex Communicators with Alexandra (Alex) Nelson, M.S., CCC-SLP, SYC in Educational Leadership Registration Cost: $15 USD Topic: Neurodiversity-affirming services for complex communicators in the school setting. […]
Be the Change: An OT’s Experience in Supporting a School to Become Neurodiversity Affirming

Be the Change: An OT’s Experience in Supporting a School to Become Neurodiversity Affirming with Kristin Jones MS, OTR/L Registration Cost: $15 USD Topic: Neurodiversity-affirming and inclusive special education services […]
AAC: Autistic Experience, Research, and Recommendations

AAC: Autistic experience, research, and recommendations with endever* corbin, an Autistic AAC User Registration Cost: $15 USD Topic: Evidence-based best practices for Speaking AAC Users across all environments (schools, post-secondary […]
Flipping the Autism Narrative – Neurodiversity in the Public Schools – Part 2

A Free Facebook Live Public Event – Flipping the Autism Narrative – Neurodiversity in the Public Schools – Part 2 A conversation with a neurodiversity-affirming special education team” – An […]
Flipping the Autism Narrative – Neurodiversity in the Public Schools – Part 3

A Free Facebook Live Public Event – Flipping the Autism Narrative – Neurodiversity in the Public Schools – Part 3 A conversation with a neurodiversity-affirming speech therapy team about their […]
The Process of Change: Evolving the ABA Discussion at the Provider Level – August 5, 2022

Therapist Neurodiversity Collective’s Neurodiversity-Affirming Practices Series Dr. Sarah Zate, MD “The Process of Change: Evolving the ABA Discussion at the Provider Level” Subject Matter: ABA and ethics; MD therapy referrals […]
Providing Ethical, Respectful, and Effective Therapy for Autistic and Other Neurodivergent Clients – May 13, 2022

Therapist Neurodiversity Collective’s Neurodiversity-Affirming Practices Series Donnie Denome – ASAN (Autistic Self Advocacy Network) Providing Ethical, Respectful, and Effective Therapy for Autistic and Other Neurodivergent Clients Donnie TC Denome (they/them) […]
Live Event: Racial Disparities in Autism

Therapist Neurodiversity Collective’s Neurodiversity-Affirming Practices Series Desiree R. Jones Live Event: Racial Disparities in Autism (A DEI event) Desi is a 4th-year doctoral student at the University of Texas at Dallas, […]
Neurodiversity and Autism Intervention (ABA) can’t be reconciled.

And let’s talk about considerable ethical and financial conflicts of interest with this paper and its authors, shall we?
Reader, every single author of this paper is trained in ABA, (three of them are actually BCBAs), so clearly each author has a vested financial interest in duping people into believing that ABA is “Neurodiversity Approved”.
(It’s always about the $$$.)
They refuse to work. So now what? Just let them become unemployed and play Fortnite and eat Cheetos all day?

They refuse to work. So now what? Just let them become unemployed and play Fortnite and eat Cheetos all day?
ABA Call to Action!

Did you know that there is a Congressional Autism Caucus? This 141-member caucus includes members from both parties in the U.S. House of Representatives and in the U.S.
Now is the time to voice your opposition to ABA!
Contact your State Congressional Members of the Congressional Autism Caucus https://doyle.house.gov/issues/autism-caucus/autism-caucus-membership
Confessions of a Previous ABA Technician

Through the guise of play, I often contrived stressful and frustrating situations and placed consistent demands on very small children. For instance, one of my kid’s goals was something like this: The client will engage in 3 turn taking exchanges by relinquishing to their play partner, waiting while their play partner takes a turn, and then requesting a turn with ___ # of prompts.
Nothing about Social Skills Training is Neurodivergence-Affirming – Absolutely Nothing.

But, training the autism out of an autistic person is neither ethical nor accepting of neurodiversity. Deficit-driven clinicians continue to attribute any Autistic social difference as “deficient” but flat out ignore the fact that social communication reciprocity is a two-way street. Nothing about Social Skills Training is neurodivergence-affirming therapy. Absolutely nothing.
Why We Model Language and Honor All Communication, instead of Using PECS®

Today in a virtual Zoom therapy session, the parent asked me why I don’t use PECS® in speech therapy (with non-speaking or minimally speaking Autistic children). After watching her child laugh, dance, and have fun during therapy, after watching them imitate action verbs, and spontaneously communicate a desire, spontaneously point to my assistant and me on the screen, and smile at us all, it became clear to this parent that there are different kinds of therapy sessions. This kind isn’t all about compliance.
On Writing Masking Goals for Autistic Middle School Girls – Stop It!

Our autistic female students are constantly mimicking and copying behaviors of peers so they can hide their autism. We, as clinicians, teach them to do this because we were taught that autism must be hidden and masked through the therapy we provide. We are licensed, credentialed ableists, “therapizing: our autistic students to learn to be in a constant state of making in order to be acceptable, to be worthy, to be liked.
ABA: Modern-Day Brainwashing

Terrifyingly, ABA has infiltrated our healthcare system, schools, military, hospitals, and nursing homes. But you wonder, how can you even tell if someone is brainwashed? Here are common symptoms that you or someone you love has been brainwashed:
“Training” Social Skills is Dehumanizing (Part 1)

Dictating how an autistic person is expected to communicate in specific social situations takes away their self-determination. Training people as one trains animals is appalling. Therapist Neurodiversity Collective believes in respecting the authentic social communication of all people, which includes all Autistic people, rather than compelling compliance for neurotypical expectations through a system of rewards and punishments.
Fundamental Research Problems with the ASHA Board Certified Specialist in Autism Spectrum Disorders (BCS-ASD), by BARRY R. NATHAN, PhD

There are fundamental problems with the Board Certified Specialist in Autism Spectrum Disorders (BCS-ASD). Therefore, it is imperative that ASHA not only sever any relationship with the BCS-ASD, but vociferously work to prevent its adoption by speech-language pathologists.
A Letter from an SLP to a Parent, Immediately After an Autism Diagnosis for a 5-Year-Old

“Please remember what we talked about regarding eye contact, echolalia, sensory needs, picky eating and especially how to choose therapies that will respect his dignity and autonomy, and that won’t crush the joyous and precious little person that he is. I will advocate for him; but because you will need to learn how to become be his biggest champion, I have sent you links to resources for you to begin to educate yourself about Autism. I understand that you were very upset yesterday when they told you the diagnosis. My hope is that you begin to view this diagnosis differently.”