Questions for the Mental Health Community
FYI - one does not “treat autism”
Neurotypes are more operating systems than flaws/bugs to be fixed.
This feels critical to the continued conversation.
Below I will share several discussion questions that have been hot topics in several therapist circles I frequent.
Treatment plans/service plans with autistic clients may focus on the symptoms that manifest as a result of being autistic in a neurotypical focused world, such as managing anxiety symptoms, sensory overwhelm symptoms, social difficulties from inconsistent or inauthentic social cues from others, etc. but the focus (when being affirming) is on improving health, not on “becoming less autistic”.
I’ve received a few messages regarding fear of speaking up about this due to the acceptance of interventions that are commonly included in ABA (applied behavioral analysis) treatment protocols.
Autistic people don’t need to become less autistic.
We may need to learn that we need to gain some linguistic and interaction focused scripts in order to exist in the world, but … that’s not about “treating autism”, it’s about gaining skills to navigate social situations with others who are different from us.
In the same way that others need to gain skills to interact with our brains’ operating systems.
Research links that back this up … escape me at the moment but I welcome anyone who has the spoons to share below.
I will share my favorite giant resource list from a therapist in Florida for those looking to learn more about autism and share resources with clients : https://therapyforpetpeople.com/neurodivergence-acceptance
