Autism Interventions – The Other Autism

What Can Occupational Therapy Do for Autistic Adults? An Interview With Courtney Benner

July 28, 2023

Adult Autism, Autism Interventions, Executive Function

Season 3, episode 3 is here: What Can Occupational Therapy Do for Autistic Adults? An Interview With Courtney Benner

Courtney Benner, a neurodivergent occupational therapist based in Utah, shares how occupational therapy can help autistic adults. She also talks about her neurodivergent identities and the ways these help her relate to her clients.

Courtney shares the lead-up to her diagnoses and how much of an impact they had on her life. Additionally, she shares some very interesting statistics about autistic sleep patterns, explains the zones of regulation and how these can be used or adapted for adults with alexithymia, talks about the hurdles to becoming an autism assessor, and more.

If you’d like to know more about topics discussed in this episode, check out:

Check out “10 Surprising Ways OT Can Help Adults With Autism and ADHD” by Courtney Benner

“Take the ACE [Adverse Childhood Experiences] Quiz” via NPR

Transcript

Kristen Hovet: 1:06

Please say hello to my guest for today, Courtney Benner, an occupational therapist based in Utah.

(more…)

Kim Gallo: Autism Ally, Author, and Former ABA Therapist

April 19, 2023

Autism Interventions, History of Autism Knowledge

Season two, episode 11 is here: Kim Gallo: Autism Ally, Author, and Former ABA Therapist

Kim Gallo is the author of the new book, The Pivot: For Parents and Educators – Looking at Autism and ADHD Through a Different Lens. She is a speech language pathologist in south Florida and has experience as a former applied behaviour analysis (ABA) practitioner.

Kristen and Kim discuss Kim’s changing views on ABA (thanks in large part to TikTok!), the changing landscape of what it means to be autistic in today’s world, stigma experienced by autistic individuals, masking and its impact on identity and sense of self, Kim’s perspectives on having a neurodivergent young adult daughter, and more.

Check out Kim’s website: Kim Gallo SLP: Sensory Smart & Neurodiversity Friendly

Buy The Pivot: For Parents and Educators — Looking at Autism and ADHD Through a Different Lens by Kim Gallo

If you’d like to know more about this topic, check out:

“Individual Differences, ADHD, Adult Pathological Demand Avoidance, and Delinquency” by Vincent Egan et al.

“After Your Child’s Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Quick Start Guide for Ages 6-12” —Government of British Columbia [showing prominence of ABA in British Columbia, Canada]

“Pathological Demand Avoidance: What and Who Are Being Pathologised and in Whose Interests?” by Allison Moore

Why Johnny Doesn’t Flap: NT Is OK! by Clay Morton and Gail Morton

“Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)” —National Autistic Society

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Exposing Violence in ABA: An Interview With Ciara Harte

February 14, 2023

Autism Interventions, Deficit Model of Autism, History of Autism Knowledge

Season two, episode five is here: Exposing Violence in ABA: An Interview With Ciara Harte

Ciara Harte is a neurodivergent counsellor based in Victoria, British Columbia. In this episode, Kristen and Ciara chat about Ciara’s critical discourse analysis of ABA. Ciara has firsthand experience working with applied behaviour analysis principles and practices, and was heavily involved in ABA for a few years.

Topics discussed also include:

A brief history of ABA
The interactional and discursive view of violence and resistance + response-based practice
The problem of informed consent and ABA
The ways autistic children enact resistance during applied behaviour analysis

If you’d like to know more about this topic, check out:

“Reframing Compliance: Exposing Violence Within Applied Behaviour Analysis” by Ciara Harte

Ciara Harte Counselling website

“Autistic Experiences of Applied Behaviour Analysis” by Laura Anderson

“Quiet Hands” by Julia Bascom

Handbook of Applied Behavior Analysis: History, Philosophy, Principles, and Basic Methods by Wayne W. Fisher et al.

“The Line Between Intervention and Abuse: Autism and Applied Behaviour Analysis” by Patrick Kirkham

“Evidence of Increased PTSD Symptoms in Autistics Exposed to Applied Behavior Analysis” by Henny Kupferstein

“Invisible Abuse: ABA and the Things Only Autistic People Can See” by C. L. Lynch

“I Am a Disillusioned BCBA: Autistics Are Right About ABA” by Jo Ram

“Publication Bias in Studies of an Applied Behavior-Analytic Intervention: An Initial Analysis” by Elyssa Sham and Tristram Smith

Category: Autism Interventions

What Can Occupational Therapy Do for Autistic Adults? An Interview With Courtney Benner

Transcript

Kim Gallo: Autism Ally, Author, and Former ABA Therapist

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Exposing Violence in ABA: An Interview With Ciara Harte

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