Neurodiversity-Affirming Care
Neurodiversity is the diversity that exists in neurotype among humans. Neurodivergent is a term that refers to individuals that diverge from societal constructed concepts of what is “typical” or “normal” in terms of navigating a society’s systems. Neurodivergent identity would include (but is not limited to) Autistic, ADHD, sensory differences, learning differences, intellectual development disorder, etc*
Neuroscience research over the past 20 years has made important discoveries about neurodivergent individuals and it is vital to use these discoveries in practice in neurodiversity-affirming care. This approach, one which we believe in strongly, focuses on understanding and celebrating a person’s unique strengths and abilities, rather than their deficits, to help them thrive in a world designed for neurotypical people.
*Adapted from Robert Jason Grant’s Autplay® Therapy Program
ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental health challenges in children, affecting 18% of the worldwide population under age 18, and the number of diagnoses is rising. ADHD’s criteria focuses on symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity but anyone who knows someone with ADHD knows that struggling to regulate emotions is also a core symptom.
Those who don’t receive proper diagnosis and treatment are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression and relationship challenges. In addition, individuals with ADHD often experience higher levels of substance abuse. And because ADHD brains mature later than neurotypical brains, social-emotional development can be affected.
Even today, ADHD is often misunderstood by teachers and the general population. If your child shows symptoms such as difficulty letting things go, difficulty recognizing interpersonal boundaries, distractibility that is inconsistent and situational, a frequent sense of urgency, high sensitivity, impulsiveness, an intense aversion to boredom, memory lapses, poorly controlled reactions, and procrastination, it may be ADHD.
Contact us to learn more about how we diagnose and treat those with ADHD with a neurodiversity-affirming approach.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex combination of related neurological conditions that typically appears during early childhood and can impact a person’s social skills, communication, relationships, and self-regulation. Although the presentation of Autism is different for everyone, it is defined by a certain set of criteria which includes impaired communication, restrictive and repetitive behaviors, and difficulty reading the emotions or social cues of others. Prior to a diagnosis, an Autistic person may appear to have an intellectual disability, difficulties with sensory processing, rigid thinking, difficulty with transitions, or problems with hearing or vision.
Autism is classified as a spectrum disorder because it is an “uneven profile of abilities,” but this spectrum is not a gradient as some people understand it to be. Similar to a color which cannot be “a little red” or “a lot red,” Autistic individuals cannot be “slightly Autistic” or “severely Autistic.” Autism manifests itself in unique ways in each individual, which is why you may have heard the saying, “if you have met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.”
Several mental health conditions occur alongside Autism and can appear at any time during a child’s development, some possibly not appearing until later adolescence or adulthood. These conditions include anxiety, social anxiety, ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, depression, eating disorders, Intellectual disability and developmental delays, Language delay, speech disorder and developmental language disorder and OCD, among others.