During a playdate, your child has a strong response to the other child taking their toy - maybe even responding physically. Your child’s teachers might report that your child is struggling to establish friendships or to play and connect with their peers. The smallest things seem to ‘set off’ your child while that doesn’t seem to be the case for other children. Differences in social communication and emotional regulation can result in challenges communicating and engaging with others.
how can speech-Language therapy help?
Many of these situations arise due to miscommunication and misunderstanding. We believe that children do the best that they can with the skills and resources they have available to them. We work closely with your child to consider and understand your child’s perspective and intentions. It is only once we understand your child’s perspective, can we work to identify what went wrong or what information was missing.
Pragmatic Language: Pragmatic language is the language that we use to interact with others in social situations. By increasing a child’s understanding of the social rules and expectations, we can decrease the amount of miscommunication that occurs. For example, many preschoolers are not aware of the rule about ‘toys having hands’. Once this rule is taught, children know that in order to communicate a toy is theirs, it needs to be attached to their body. Even more important, now the parents and teachers know too! Now, when a child is upset because the toy they were using is being used by someone else, adults can understand the child’s perspective and point of view - allowing the adult to respond with empathy and understanding.
Advocacy: Advocacy forms the cornerstone of all of our work - empowering children to advocate for their individual needs. Neurodivergent children interact with the world in a different way. Because the world is created for the neuromajority, often times neurodivergent needs go misunderstood and unmet. In individual therapy, we support, encourage, and celebrate self-advocacy. We help children understand how their brain works and to consider what they need to experience success.
Emotional Regulation: The ability to regulate our emotions is a critical life skill. Emotional regulation does not mean that we’re never upset or frustrated or excited. However, it means that someone is able to manage their emotional state based on the situation and their individual needs. Check out our emotional regulation blogs for more information on emotional regulation and how we integrate work with sensations into our emotional regulation teachings. What your Lessons on Emotions are Missing - Why it Matters and How to Fix it. What you need to know about Emotional Regulation.
Articulation and General Language Needs: Some children have delays in how they produce some speech sounds (articulation) or in the understanding or use of certain language concepts (ex: prepositions, compound sentences). If needed, these skills are worked towards while still respecting the child’s perspective and autonomy.
“The most important ‘social skill’ a child needs is : to know how to self advocate. This includes saying ‘no’. ”
How is neurodiversity-affirming speech therapy different?
Neurodiversity-affirming speech-language therapy focuses on empowering your child while respecting their unique differences and needs. The goal of therapy isn't to change who they are as a person or how they perceive the world.
You won't see us writing goals promoting eye contact or sitting quietly while listening to lessons. Why? Because research and neurodivergent individuals suggests those goals aren't helpful and instead can be harmful to the child. Children can listen while rocking, using a fidget, or moving around the classroom. Children can hear and respond to a message without making eye contact.
We also don’t work to make your child ‘indistinguishable from his/her peers’ or ‘look like everyone else’. Why? Because when neurodivergent children are taught and encouraged to act like someone else, it’s called masking. Masking is used to hide an individual’s true self. Masking is incredibly exhausting and takes a toll on mental health. Neurodiversity-affirming therapy discourages masking while encouraging acceptance.
It also means that the way of the neuromajority isn't the only way things can be done. Just because everyone else views a situation one way doesn't mean your child's viewpoint is wrong. We always consider the child's perspective.
we provide
Comprehensive evaluations
Individualized therapy plans
One-on-one sessions
Quarterly Progress Updates
work with us
Interested in exploring if services are right for you and your family? We’d love to hear from you! Contact us using the form below and we’ll be in touch :-)