Neurodiversity affirming practices in speech therapy!
For years, in various different capacities, I’ve preached that we should view colleagues, clients, caregivers, etc. as humans first, and their role(s) in the world as second.
You’re a human before you’re a teacher, an aunt, a foster parent, a grandfather, a parent, a friend. It’s important to me to recognize that we each have individual, human needs that impact and affect our sensory systems, our work, our level of focus, and our emotions daily.
Providing neurodiversity affirming speech therapy to kids fits a similar vibe. If you don’t know what the neurodiversity-affirming paradigm, I encourage you to do a little google search and find out more about it. For the purposes of this blog article, I’m going to share a few things I DO and DON’T do as a therapist to ensure I’m providing therapy in a way that is neurodiversity affirming.
…standardized testing…only if I have to!
First and foremost, I don’t set goals based solely on what I discover during standardized testing. I complete standardized testing in order to meet the eligibility requirements of insurance, as necessary. However, my goals are selected based on play-based activities and observation, parent input, input from other clinician’s on the child’s team, and other valued members of that child’s team. These goals must be functional and individualized.
We don’t “work for” sensory breaks.
My kids don’t work for their sensory breaks. We can take a sensory break at any point in our session and I will happily get our work done within the context of a gross motor activity, a sensory activity, or other activities that support that client’s learning.
I prioritize having fun and connection!
I value connection. I want my kids to know that I value who they are as humans, and I do this by putting having fun and connecting as a priority in all of my sessions.
When I’ve had graduate SLP students in the past who were having a hard time planning sessions and feeling like they were getting to their goals in speech therapy sessions, I told them to go play with their client and have fun. When you’re having fun, think about how much language you’re utilizing, how much more engaged your client is, and how much more you’re getting out of therapy.
Focus on fun.
What do you like…let’s talk about it!!
I incorporate my client’s interests and typically as a large part of our session.
For one of my kids, he typically came to session with his Bluey plush toys and a couple of Bluey books. We could do so much while engaging in these preferred activities. On one of my favorite days with this client, we ended up acting out aspects of the story - pretending to do what Bluey and Bingo were doing in the book. He was so engaged and just beaming!
Fun story: I made Bluey and Bingo costumes for Halloween one year so that me and this child’s OT dressed up as his favorite characters for his sessions!
Communication is individualized.
Communication is unique to each of my clients. Some of them are verbal, others utilize AAC systems! There are so many options! As adults, we don’t typically utilize only one modality to communicate and I expect my kids to be no different. Gestures, miming, typing, writing, talking, babbling, signing, using an AAC system, laughing, etc.
They’re all valid in my sessions.
In summary…
There are so many ways that I incorporate neurodiversity-affirming practices into my sessions and is certainly why I value a play-based, child-led approach to therapy.
In addition to these, my daily sessions require reflection - reflection of my motives, if what I’m asking is appropriate, functional, and meaningful for that client & their family.
It requires collaboration with other healthcare providers, as well as parents, to ensure we’re creating a well-rounded, individualized treatment plan that best supports the needs of our client and their family.
