Written By: Kelly Vess, MA, CCC-SLP
June 18th is Autistic Pride Day. This international holiday focuses on individuals with autism taking pride and appreciation for their unique characteristics.
How can we foster an appreciation of their unique attributes in our interventions? Before all else, we need to move away from using the traditional, “developmentally appropriate,” yardstick when it comes to our interventions for children with Autism.
The traditional way of thinking is that “developmental appropriateness” should guide selecting goals and activities. Additionally, the “developmental appropriateness” metric has been used to indicate behavior expectations and how children should express themselves. This is based on the ablest philosophy that there is a “normal” (or better way of being) for which all children should strive. Instead, we need to take a neuro-divergent approach to intervention.
Below are four steps you can take today in the intervention process to create interventions that encourage diversity, self-advocacy, and self-esteem.
Step 1. Individualize Goals. Create intervention goals based on the child’s unique needs, strengths, weaknesses, and interests. Do this instead of relying on developmental charts with normative data based on the performances of ‘neurotypical’ peers.
Step 2. Modify Activities. Incorporate their unique interests (which may not be what most children are interested in) to foster a love of learning, active engagement, and maximize gains.
Step 3. Respect Unique Learning Styles. Respect that neurodivergent minds process information differently. Don’t require children to maintain eye contact with a speaker or sit silently in a chair if that’s not how the child processes information.
Step 4. Encourage Unique Expression. Respect that children with autism may express themselves creatively and non-traditionally. Make attempts to interpret and respond to their diverse bids at communication. For instance, a child may sing their favorite song or script from their favorite movie to communicate enjoyment while participating in a seemingly unrelated activity with you.
Want to learn more about taking a neurodiverse approach to treating children with autism spectrum disorder? Take my On-Demand CE course, Improving Communication Skills for Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder, where we explore pivotal evidence-based strategies that work. These include selecting optimal treatment targets, multimodally cueing, and creating educationally rich activities that globally strengthen skills.
About this author: Kelly Vess, MA, CCC-SLP has over 20 years of experience specializing in the treatment of Autism. Kelly is an instructor of the Summit course “Improving Communication Skills for Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder.” Her latest book, “32 Lessons That Create Life-Long Change In Autism Intervention,” is available at Amazon.
Note: This author opted to use person-first language in accordance with current American Psychological Association recommendations with respectful deference to individuals who opt to use autism-first terminology.
Visit summit-education.com for more information.