Occupational Therapy with Autistic Clients: Valuing and Promoting Neurodiversity – October 7, 2022

Therapist Neurodiversity Collective’s Neurodiversity-Affirming Practices Series “Occupational Therapy with Autistic Clients: Valuing and Promoting Neurodiversity” with Normandy Rindahl, OT Normandy Rindahl is an OT working in pediatric clinic and home […]
Alzheimer’s dementia in a bilingual case study: A son’s perspective – September 30, 2022

Therapist Neurodiversity Collective’s Neurodiversity-Affirming Practices Series Dr. Alejandro Brice, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL “Alzheimer’s dementia in a bilingual case study: A son’s perspective” Subject matter: Neurodiversity, acquired neurodivergence, intersectionality, neurodivergent lived […]
Authentic Connection: Maximizing Motivation and Learning for Emergent AAC Learners – September 11, 2022

Therapist Neurodiversity Collective’s Neurodiversity-Affirming Practices Series Authentic Connection: Maximizing Motivation and Learning for Emergent AAC Learners with Kate McLaughlin, M.S., CCC-SLP Kate McLaughlin, M.S., CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist who […]
A Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Case Study in Acquired Neurodivergence – September 9, 2022

Therapist Neurodiversity Collective’s Neurodiversity-Affirming Practices Series Dr. Alejandro Brice, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL “A subarachnoid hemorrhage case study in acquired neurodivergence” Subject matter: Neurodiversity, acquired neurodivergence, intersectionality, neurodivergent lived experiences Dr. […]
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) […]
Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy for Difference in Sensory Integration and Processing

Virginia Spielmann, PhD, OTR/L (she/her) Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy for Difference in Sensory Integration and Processing Sensory Integration Therapy (Ayres SI) – what it really is Sensory Informed Approaches The neurology of […]
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 is NOT Effective: So says the Latest Report from the Department of Defense

With 3,794 participants, this is the largest study ever conducted of ABA effectiveness. The 31-page report entitled, “The Department of Defense Comprehensive Autism Care Demonstration Annual Report 2020” concluded that “ABA services are not working.”
First, Do No Harm: An Open Letter to the Minnesota Department of Human Services and Education

Not only does ABA pose ethical issues that must be considered, but its efficacy is also questionable. The US government conducted outcome measures under the new T2017 TRICARE contracts and found that “76% of TRICARE beneficiaries in the ACD (Autism Care Demonstration) had little to no change in symptom presentation over the course of 12 months of applied behavior analysis services, with an additional 9% demonstrating worsening symptoms” (James N. Stewart, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, 10/25/2019).
TBI in Service Members – Real-life effects & the need for Empathetic, Compassionate & Trauma-informed Care:

Beginning in around the year 2000, the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has included Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) among their ever-increasing scope of practice, claiming that ABA is “one of the most effective treatments for managing mood, behavioral and other mental disorders associated with brain damage”.3 ABA, in its simplest form, treats the behavior associated with TBI, rather than treating the underlying neurological reasons for that behavior.