Neurodiversity

A Voice That Feels Like Yours: What Gender-Affirming Voice Therapy Actually Does

A Voice That Feels Like Yours: What Gender-Affirming Voice Therapy Actually Does Imagine being on a desert island — no one around, no one to perform for. Would you still want your voice to match who you are? For many transgender people, the answer is yes. And that insight, shared by one of Yeptain’s clients,

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Can ABA and Neurodiversity-Affirming Speech Therapy Actually Work Together?

Can ABA and Neurodiversity-Affirming Speech Therapy Actually Work Together? That’s exactly what I wanted to dig into with my guest Linda, a bilingual SLP and BCBA and recipient of the SPABA Communicator Award. And her answer might surprise you. What we talked about Linda’s opening move was to separate two things that often get tangled:

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Neurodiversity-Affirming ABA × Speech Therapy: Teaching With Respect, Safety & Connection

BSP 13 從「接納」到「教導」:ABA 其實可以很溫柔——談 ND-Affirming、Stimming、AAC 與 80/20 教學法 在BSP 13的 Bilingual Speech Spot,Chloe 和 Linda(SLP+BCBA;SPABA 傳播獎得主)一起拆解了一個近年很受家長、治療師關注的問題: ABA 可以做到「神經多樣化友善(Neurodiversity-Affirming)」嗎? 答案是:可以,而且應該。 其實很多誤解並非來自科學本身,而是來自「實踐方式」的偏差。真正的 ABA 是一套 學習科學(science of learning)——研究人類如何學習、如何被教導,而不是用來壓抑孩子、要求機械式服從。 以下是我們在 podcast 中提出的幾個重要觀點。 https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2462528.rss 1. Neuro-affirming=尊重 + 同意(assent)+ 安全 真正的 ND-affirming 不是「任由孩子做任何事」。它是: 治療的目的不是把孩子「變正常」,而是 讓孩子能更舒適、更有效地參與生活。 2. Stimming:不是壞習慣,而是一種信息處理方式 孩子的 stimming(如拍手、搖動、敲打物件)通常有功能: 如果沒有危險,我們可以接納。 如果 stimming 會導致受傷(如拍硬桌、撞頭),我們就引導孩子做更安全的替代: 這不是壓抑,而是 用更安全的方式滿足同一個需要。 3. AAC:先探索,再示範,然後等待 對很多家長和初階治療師來說,AAC 可能令人有點緊張:「如果孩子亂按怎麼辦?」 但「亂按」其實是探索的一部分。 有效的

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Reflecting on Neuroaffirming Practice: Learning, Growing, and Moving Forward

At Blackburn Speech & Paediatric Therapy, we believe that ongoing reflection is what drives our profession forward. We recognise that some of our past reports and documents contained deficit-based language and non-neurodiversity-affirming themes. While these documents were often written within the framework of existing medical and educational systems, we acknowledge that this language may not have

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The benefits of using Visual Activity Schedules (VAS)

In today’s fast-paced world, many of us rely on schedules and planners to keep our lives organised. Sometimes when a child doesn’t understand their expected actions, we can use visual tools like photographs, images, diagrams, to prevent young children from challenging behaviour. This need for structure is also critical for individuals with autism spectrum disorders

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