Hi Reader,

A few months ago I had the joy of being interviewed by a wonderful friend, connector and collaborator Laeticia Andrac from Understanding Zoe, on her podcast the Neurodivergent Pulse. We chatted about Rethinking Speech Goals: Communication That Truly Supports Autistic Kids and this week I'm sharing this episode on my podcast too!

While I'd love for you to head over and listen, I wanted to share a key idea with you here that we discussed.
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I have a real distaste for the 'Speech' in the title 'Speech Therapist/Speech Pathologist' and the other variations of our job title. It misleads people to think that 'speech' and 'speaking' is the main thing we help with. In my mind, and in Neurodiversity Affirming practices, what we're really doing is supporting communication, connection and interaction.

Speech is not the goal, and pushing speech when it's not the best, preferred, or ok-in-that-moment way for a child to communicate can do more harm than good.

Prioritising 'speaking' over 'communicating' is a sure-fire way to shut-down, shame and relational rift.

We need to ensure that if somebody has a different preferred or comfortable way of communicating, we are supporting them to find their best way to communicate, in that moment, for that person.

We need to step away from prioritising the comfort or ease of other people around a child who may prefer speech or want the child not to 'act weirdly', where that mode of communication isn't right or comfortable with the child.

If this has sparked something for you, I hope you'll take a listen!

Listen to this fabulous episode of the Neurodivergent Pulse podcast, shared on the Exploring Neurodiversity Podcast now!

Quick thing! For professionals who support neurodivergent kids:

My Neurodiversity Affirming Practice Learning Hub Membership for professionals who support neurodivergent children is open now! I've bundled up all of my supports and my custom Report Writing Chatbot into a flexible monthly membership! Introductory pricing is on until 2nd April, so hop in now and save over 20% every single month you remain a member! ​
​https://playlearnchat.com/learning-hub/​

Have a fab day, and thanks for being here!

Adina

Adina Levy AuDHDer, Speech Therapist & Professional Educator Play. Learn. Chat. hi@playlearnchat.com • www.playlearnchat.com Learn with me Neurodiversity Affirming Practice – Introductory Workshop Neurodiversity Affirming Practice Webinars for Professionals Affirming Communication for Autistic Children Course for Speech Therapists Neurodiversity Affirming Practice PD for Teams (Group discounts) 🙋🏼‍♀️ Hi! I'm Adina, a neurodivergent Speech Therapist and professional educator from Sydney, Australia. I’m so happy you’re here! I’m an AuDHDer, (Autistic ADHDer). My life’s stories and experiences intertwine with my clinical experiences, and the lived experiences and perspectives of diverse neurodivergent people. These perspectives inform everything that I teach and share. I’m dedicated to helping families, therapists, educators, teachers and communities to understand neurodivergent children better, and develop a deeper acceptance of children’s unique interests, passions, individual strengths and support needs. I am an educator, podcaster, speaker, and I send helpful emails around Neurodiversity Affirming practice and support, that I hope will help you support the neurodivergent children in your life with more clarity and confidence! ⚫️🟡🔴​ 🔵⚪️🟢​​ ​I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which I ​live, work and play - the Gadigal and the Bidjigal people. I recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. I pay my respects to Elders past​ and present.​ I acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands where you are reading this from today. GET LESS EMAILS FROM ME: If you want to stop receiving regular weekly emails but you'd like to still get any other emails you've signed up for (e.g. if you've purchased a webinar, course, you're on a waitlist, you're a Community Member) - reply saying "LESS EMAILS"

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