Why Is Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy So Important?

As a parent or guardian of a neurodivergent child, you likely know there are several misconceptions around them.

One of the most prevalent misconceptions concerns therapeutic interventions for neurodivergent individuals.

Many people mistakenly view these conditions as medical problems in need of a fix.

Unfortunately, this rhetoric commonly influences all types of therapeutic practices, including speech therapy.

At Forte Speech & Language Therapy, our LA speech therapists are committed to providing a neurodiversity affirming approach to our clients.

But what exactly does that mean?

We provide speech therapy for neurodivergent people that centers on each client’s unique differences rather than focusing on their so called “deficits”.

This blog article will explore this idea in more detail.

First, we’ll explain the concept of neurodiversity and neurodiversity affirming therapy.

Then, we’ll highlight some of the benefits of a neurodiversity affirming approach to speech therapy, and why our therapy team takes this approach.

Read on to find out more.

What Does Neurodiversity Mean?

Neurodivergent people have always existed; however, the concept is relatively new.

A sociologist named Judy Singer coined the term in the late 1990s.

Since then, it has popped up in all types of discussions.

Neurodiversity is a concept that encompasses a wide range of developmental, neurological, and mental health disorders and differences, including:

• Autism
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Dyslexia and hyperlexia
• Learning disabilities, such as language or auditory processing disorders
• Tourette’s syndrome
• Dyspraxia
• Dysgraphia
• Down syndrome
• Oppositional defiance disorder (ODD)
• Schizophrenia
• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Personality disorders, such as borderline personality disorder
• Dissociative disorder
• Bipolar disorder
• And much more

RELATED: Speech Therapy for Developmental Disorders

The concept of neurodiversity steers away from the medical model of disability, which views the above disorders and differences as abnormal and problematic.

In contrast, neurodiversity recognizes and embraces the wide spectrum of human nature.

It rejects the idea of a universal human experience.

Instead, neurodiversity allows for a broader acceptance of the various ways people with developmental and mental health differences view the world.

In short, neurodivergent people are people who interact with the world differently than neurotypical people.

However, that doesn’t make them “abnormal”.

Rather, neurodiversity casts a wider net for human behavior.

Neurodivergent people aren’t “wrong” for being neurodivergent.

The problem is the societal practices which exclude and “other” them.

For instance, consider traditional schooling.

Schools typically evaluate competency based on a restrictive set of criteria, such as reading, memorization, and time management.

Therefore, it only rewards students who learn in those specific ways.

It doesn’t account for the wide range of learning styles common amongst neurodivergent students.

Ultimately, neurodivergent students are at risk for falling through the cracks.

This makes them less likely to achieve good grades, pursue postsecondary education, and obtain the same life goals as their neurotypical peers.

But aside from those with intellectual disabilities, there’s no evidence neurodivergent people are, on average, any more or less intelligent than their neurotypical peers.

This quote, often mistakenly attributed to Albert Einstein, applies here:

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid

What Is An Affirming Approach To Speech Therapy For Neurodivergent People?

A neurodiversity affirming approach to speech therapy takes all the above information into consideration when working with clients.

It doesn’t try to “fix” neurodivergent clients or force them to speak or behave in neurotypical ways.

Rather, a neurodiversity affirming approach seeks to discover the unique strengths of each client.

This approach recognizes the potential in human differences.

At Forte Speech & Language Therapy, our staff understands the role that societal barriers play in the lives of our neurodivergent clients.

Thus, we help our clients overcome these barriers and thrive in all types of environments.

We can help you develop strategies aimed at improving your speech and language skills and building on your strengths.

For instance, in some cases, nonspeaking autistic children may be able to learn to speak.

But if that’s unlikely to happen, pediatric speech therapy services can still help.

Speech therapy for nonspeaking autistic children, in that case, will focus on helping them access and use augmentative and alternative communication.

We also recognize the negative effects of masking.

Neurodivergent people often “mask” or hide their neurodivergent tendencies so that they present as neurotypical.

This practice results in a lot of negative effects, such as:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Lack of self identity
• Delayed diagnosis

Rather, we celebrate each client’s unique differences.

By exploring techniques that centers on their strengths, we can help foster a greater sense of self worth.

In short, an affirming approach to speech therapy helps boost communication skills without compromising individual uniqueness.

How Does A Neurodiversity Affirming Approach To Therapy Help?

An affirming approach to speech therapy comes with an endless list of benefits.

Next, we’ll highlight a few of these benefits.

1. It Meets Neurodivergent People Where They Are

In the past, therapeutic techniques surrounding neurodivergent people have focused on “fixing” their clients.

At best, these types of strategies produce poor results.

At worst, they run the risk of harming neurodivergent clients.

Instead, we prefer to meet our clients where they are.

What does this mean?

For starters, we center our clients’ strengths and create strategies that further develop those strengths.

We also see the potential in our client’s unique differences.

For instance, a common trait of dyslexia is great problem solving skills.

Dyslexic people often have an easier time thinking outside of the box than most.

But because the medical model focuses on deficits, it’s easy to miss these strengths.

Additionally, an affirming approach to speech therapy is heavily trauma informed.

We understand that our clients call upon their life experiences and past traumas while interacting with the world.

To that end, we recognize the role that racism, homophobia, transphobia, and other sources of discrimination play in our clients’ lives.

2. It Improves Self Esteem

A neurodiversity affirming approach to speech therapy can also greatly improve your self esteem.

At Forte Speech & Language Therapy, we recognize that each and every one of our clients is trying their best with the skills and resources they have.

But because there’s always been so much focus on the deficits involved in neurodivergent people, it’s easy to lose sight of one’s strengths.

And we’re here to help foster those skills and resources so that our clients thrive in their various environments.

Part of this work involves encouraging our clients to consider their neurodivergence as a source of strength and individuality rather than weakness.

Ultimately, our goal is to improve self esteem by developing strategies for success in school, work, and beyond.

3. It Takes A Strength Based Approach To Therapy

We’ve referred to a strength based approach in this article several times already, but it bears repeating.

Neurodivergent people may have communication deficits in some areas, but they also have unique strengths and abilities they can use to excel in life.

Instead of focusing on deficits, we focus on these strengths, both known and hidden.

We start by brainstorming a list of areas that each client excels in.

For instance, autistic people are often great at focusing on tasks that interest them.

Then, we focus on creating a therapy plan that uses these strengths.

For example, we can create a therapy plan for our autistic clients that incorporates their interests and utilizes their hyper focus.

Finally, we constantly provide affirmations to our neurodivergent clients.

We genuinely celebrate our clients’ progress, however small, to encourage positive self worth and future success.

Book Your Appointment With Forte Speech & Language Therapy Today

Are you the parent or guardian of a neurodivergent child?

Are you looking for a speech therapy program that provides neurodiversity affirming care?

At Forte Speech & Language Therapy, we can help.

Our staff has plenty of experience working with children and adults with all types of diagnoses.

Book your appointment with Forte Speech & Language Therapy today to find out more about our programs and how they can help you.