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Frees Speech & Language Therapy, LLC utilizes evidenced-based neuro-diversity affirming social skills support practices working to build on an individual's strengths, self-advocacy skills, social communication education, emotional regulation, and perspective-taking.
Neuro-diversity affirming social skills support is a therapy approach that focuses on building on an individual's strengths, interests, and way of communicating rather than "fixing" or "correcting." It recognizes one's neurodivergence and communication preferences. The aim is to help build self-advocacy, autonomy, perspective-taking, understanding of emotions, social communication education, and functional communication.
This is an evidenced-based approach that shows improved outcomes in mental health for neurodivergent individuals. It works to reduce the demand for "masking" (suppressing behaviors associated with neurodivergence), use a total-communication approach (AAC, non-speaking, verbal, etc.), honor sensory differences, teach interoception awareness for self-regulation, self-awareness, and problem-solving, and educate one to understand different perspectives in social communication.
This approach can incorporate naturalistic interactions, sensory-based activities, hands-on activities, interest-based activities, communication-focused activities, activities analyzing various social scenarios through multi-media forms (videos, written, verbal, etc.), modeling, implementation of a variety of supportive strategies, and caregiver/peer education regarding acceptance and understanding of neurodiversity.