Teaching certain ‘social skills’ to Autistic people has a high risk of increasing adaptive morphing (or “masking”) which can be devastating for the mental health of Autistic people. This is in direct contravention of the Speech Pathology code of ethics and our professional duty of benevolence.
Of central importance as practitioners is understanding The Double Empathy Theory, which posits that while Autistic and neurotypical commonly misunderstand each other, each neurotype share a mutually comprehensible communication style with their own neurotype. The presenter seeks to clarify the Double Empathy Theory through explicit explanation of Autistic social skills and communication styles used instinctively by Autistic people with each other.
This presentation also outlines new therapy approaches for Autism which align with the principals of the Neurodiversity Movement. These were developed through a cumulative process of presenting ideas and collaborating with Neurodivergent Allied Health Professionals via social media platforms. The ideas were then discussed and (often heavily) scrutinised and adapted accordingly. This in turn lead to new, Neurodiversity Affirming Practices being applied which aim to minimise risk of harm to Autistic people.
Strategies include teaching explicit differences between Autistic and Neurotypical thinking and communication styles, advocating for needs and rights to be met and to be allowed to be authentic and “unmasked”. Further, we look at how to shift the emphasis from Autistic people adjusting communication styles (or “masking”) to suit Neurotypical people, and explicitly teaching perspective taking to children of all neurotypes to foster meaningful connections between neurotypes; or, “meeting halfway” when it comes to social communication and misunderstandings.
This work represents a small but significant contribution to the practice of speech pathology. Speech pathologists have a significant role in treatment for Autism, and this role is currently changing as a result of the Neurodiversity Movement. It is therefore critical that we reflect on our practice in light of new knowledge and evidence from listening to the lived experiences of Autistic people.
The work demonstrates the presenter’s active, deep and critical reflection on practice, and lessons learned from listening to the lived experience and views of the Neurodivergent Community.
Keywords: neurodiversity, autism, authenticity, identity

The neurodiversity movement has brought about a paradigm shift in how neurological differences such as autism and ADHD are conceptualised. By reconceptualising social deficits as social differences, the priorities of group social programs require a rebalancing from cultural homogenisation to bi-directional cultural translation and support. While advocacy from neurodivergent communities has led many individuals to reflect on current practices, many educators and allied health professionals are unsure of how to respond in shifting their practices to better respect the differences of their students and clients.

Next Level Collaboration provides an example of a research-informed, neurodivergent-led program that uses strengths and interests in video games as a space for developing collaborative skills while celebrating neurodiversity. This presentation shares key findings from a doctoral design research project which developed the prototype of this program in partnership with a group of autistic students. Qualitative data from the subsequent commercial piloting of the program over a 15 month period is also shared, including insights from the largely neurodivergent staff. Determining which skills to teach, the respectful use of video modelling and video review as tools for teaching and focus skill review, and the role of gameplay in practising these skills are explored.

Examining this project provides a concrete example for practitioners demonstrating how the theory of ‘strength and interest-based’ can be translated into a practical program responding to concerns and respecting the human rights of the neurodivergent community. Consideration of these findings supports a broader shift towards strength-based approaches in partnership with neurodivergent communities.

Neurodiversity, strength-based, video games, social capacity

Professional reflection has led to increasing awareness in the fields of Speech Pathology and Education on the importance of respecting the views and values of neurodivergent communities when teaching ‘social skills’. Practitioners want to know how to respond to common critiques, and are looking for to hear from neurodivergent colleagues.

Children with Language Disorder can have difficulty navigating social situations (Forrest et al., 2020). To respond to need in our private practice, we looked to the literature. Recently Parsons and colleagues (2017; 2019) designed a pragmatic language intervention. Key elements were: parent/peer involvement and goal-oriented practice. This research guided our group therapy. Here we share two cases.

Two children with pragmatic language difficulties aged 7 and 9 attended with similar-aged peers. They engaged in play and key elements from the Parsons et al. protocol were implemented. Two outcome measures were used pre- and post- therapy:
• The Pragmatics Observational Measurement-2 (POM-2) (Cordier et al., 2014). We rated non-verbal and verbal pragmatic language skills on a 1-4 scale while observing peer-to-peer interaction.
• Parent/teacher surveys of pragmatic language skills at home/classroom.

Case 1: Kenny (7 years-old). Kenny improved from 2 to 3 on the POM-2 for ‘conflict resolution’ and ‘self-regulation’. Parent and teacher feedback post-therapy indicated greater independence for these skills.
Case 2: Abby (9 year-old). Abby improved from 1 to 2 on the POM-2 for ‘engagement/interaction’ and from 2 to 3 for ‘adapting to environmental demands’. Parent feedback post-therapy indicated Abby continued to have difficulties at home.

We found promising outcomes for a pragmatic language group therapy. However, we recognise the current paradigm shift regarding how to best support neurodiverse populations. We are reflecting on our group to ensure that it is neuro-affirming. This has involved consultation with neurodiverse adults, and a stage 2 focused on self-advocacy, communication-partner roles, and real-life environments.


Key words: Neurodiversity, pragmatic language, Autism, Language Disorder, friendships, outcomes


We developed a pragmatic language group guided by recent research incorporating neuro-typical peers and video-feedback. We evaluated our current group and reflected on the landscape of the neuro-affirming movement. We are continuing to respond to the neuro-diverse community in developing this intervention.

Background and context

The neurodiversity movement has helped the world see that autism and other neurodivergent conditions are no longer considered disorders, instead variations in brain function and wiring. The social model of disability places responsibility on both the communicator and communication partner to learn how to best get messages across for both neurodivergent and neurotypical people. Speech pathologists are experts in communication and are well-placed to help spread this message. Speech Pathology Australia’s new position statement on Working with Autistic People encourages adopting neurodiversity affirming practices, as well as the Autism CRC’s NHMRC-endorsed National Guideline for Supporting Autistic Children and their Families.

This panel will share perspectives and discuss topics relating to neurodiversity, including the neurodiversity movement and neurodiversity affirming practices. There will be a Q & A opportunity at the end of the panel discussion.

Learning outcomes
• Increased awareness of the history of the neurodiversity movement
• Increased knowledge of neurodiversity affirming practices
• Increased awareness of service provision for neurodivergent people in a way that is neurodiversity affirming.

Assumed knowledge or experience
Suitable for all students and speech pathologists.

Implications for practice
• This panel discussion may prompt participants to reflect on their current practice and how this aligns with neurodiversity affirming practices.

Keywords
Neurodivergent
Autism
Adhd
Codesign
Disability
Ethics

Submission Statement:
Autism and other neurodivergent conditions are no longer considered disorders. Speech pathologists have a key role in helping communicators and communication partners learn to how get their messages across clearly for both neurodivergent and neurotypical people in neurodiversity affirming ways.