The SOAR Program for Psychotherapy & Testing at WBMA, LLC

04/18/2024

04/07/2024

04/07/2024

04/04/2024

Just over a decade ago, autism and ADHD were thought to be mutually exclusive. But in recent years, all that has changed

04/02/2024

04/01/2024

04/01/2024

Who’s ready for some awareness? 😃

Autistic April Checklist:

✅ Listen to autistic people

✅ Support autistic-led organizations

✅ Denounce harmful cash-grab organizations and therapies (lookin at you Autism Speaks & ABA)

✅ Amplify autistic voices and expertise

✅ Include the most vulnerable of us and remember that non-speaking =/= non-communicating

✅ Respect the privacy of your loved ones. Do not overshare their personal information for the sake of ‘awareness’. It is unethical and disrespectful to them.

✅ Did I mention listening to autistic people? 😉

Some good organizations and resources to support:

Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network The Autistic Self Advocacy Network Autistics United Yellow Ladybugs, Autistic Girls & Women A4A: Public Page

Add more if you know of any, and share freely!

🧠 ♾ 🌈 ✨

03/26/2024

I see a lot of parents catastophising when it comes to their neurodivergent kid.

I get it. You look at your tiny child and worry about what the future looks like for them. Because right now they don’t have the skills to handle it.

But of course they don’t. They are children.

Your kid will grow each year.
They will learn.
Their brain will develop.
They will build on their current skills and learn new ones.

We can’t know what is going to happen.

But we can give our kids the best shot.
And that means prioritising connection, mental health, safety, and wellbeing. If we keep those things in mind, our kid will have a solid foundation from which to build.

No one learns well when they are overwhelmed, scared, distressed, or unsafe.

We need to accommodate our kids and their needs.
We need to respect their autonomy.
We need to give them space to go at their own speed.
We need to teach them about their brain- they deserve to be proud of it.

And then we get to marvel at their brilliance and beauty.

Yes?

Em 🌈

03/19/2024

New study by the Yale Child Study Center shows that parents can reduce the effects of inevitable conflict with their teens by demonstrating emotional warmth

03/05/2024

A Dozen Ways To Co-Regulate With Your Child:
- Lower your body position
- Lower your voice
- Soften your facial expression
- Model deep breathing
- Do heavy work together
- Walk outside
- Offer deep pressure
- Model a preferred sensory activity
- Move your body together
- Dim the lights
- Stop talking
- Change your proximity
Credit: Coastal Connections OT

03/04/2024

03/03/2024

Respecting fluctuating capacity means accepting inconsistency.

All the text in blue bubbles shows the harmful things that our kids get told when people do not understand or respect their fluctuating capacity.

So what do I mean?

I mean I accept that my kids can’t consistently Do The Things.
Some days they can and other days they don’t have the capacity.

It’s not a question of effort. It’s not them being ‘behavioural’.
It’s a reflection of their sensory systems, emotional systems, fatigue, health, and a ton of other things.

Back in the day I expected consistency.
If I saw my kid do something one day, I would then expect them to do it again the next day.

When they didn’t, I would have a big emotional response.
I would be so unbelievably frustrated. Because surely it was reasonable to expect them to do it again? I mean, they had already shown me they could.

Understanding fluctuating capacity was a game changer.
It was essential to understand that it’s a case of ‘can’t’, not ‘won’t’.

It means I can provide dynamic support to my kids to match their needs. It means I can (usually) do that without the big emotions.

I don’t do it perfectly. Because as you know, I have my own fluctuating capacity to deal with.

I get it wrong some days.
I also get it right some days.

Expecting consistency leads to disappointment, shame, a negative self image. Because many of us can’t perform consistently, despite our best efforts.

Before you come for me, yes, we absolutely still have goals for our kids. We do model the skills, we do scaffold, we do support. We do all that. As our kids mature, we do tend to see all their skills develop- the support they need from us is going to change.

We just do it with empathy. We appreciate the times that they are able to Do The Things, and we don’t presume misbehaviour or noncompliance when they can’t. We meet them where they are at. We support them. And make sure they know they are not alone or a disappointment to their adults.

Does that make sense?
Words are feeling hard right now.

Em

03/02/2024

This single-page summary highlights one of the most impactful autism studies I've encountered so far, led by Dr. Catherine Compton and her team, which empirically examines the Double Empathy Hypothesis.

Briefly, the Double Empathy Problem, conceptualized by Dr. Damian Milton, suggests that communication breakdowns between neurotypes are not due to a deficit in theory of mind or empathy on the part of the autistic individual but due to the cross-neurotype interaction.

Contrary to the deficit model—which would predict decreased communication and rapport between two autistic individuals—this hypothesis posits that the key factor influencing communication effectiveness is whether interactions occur within the same neurotype (Autistic-Autistic) or across different neurotypes (mixed neurotype interactions).

To test this, Compton's study formed three sets of pairings: allistic groups, autistic-autistic groups, and mixed neurotype groups. These groups engaged in three semi-structured activities, after which they assessed their sense of connection (rapport).

The results were revealing: allistic groups self-reported the highest levels of rapport, with autistic groups next, and mixed groups reporting the least. However, when 80 observers (40 autistic and 40 non-autistic) reviewed recordings of these interactions, they rated the autistic dyads as having the strongest rapport, followed by allistic dyads, and then mixed neurotype dyads.

These findings support the view that communication issues stem from cultura/neurological differences rather than deficits. This study provides empirical evidence to support the double empathy hypothesis.

You can find the original study here:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586171/full

I delve into this topic and more in today's blog post, where I present a psychoanalytic framework for understanding autism, mutual recognition, and communication breakdowns. Fair warning, today's exploration marks a significant departure from my usual writing style, venturing into a more academic and philosophical discourse. https://neurodivergentinsights.com/blog/reframing-autism

02/29/2024

Co-regulating helps kids learn how to handle their emotions as they grow up and those kids are more likely to be resilient, psychologist says.