Exploring Neurodiversity with Adina Levy from Play. Learn. Chat Adina Levy

In today's episode, I'm going to run you through five simple shifts that you can make to take your practices from what we might call old ways towards a truly neurodiversity affirming approach. We're going to cover interest based learning, accepting old play as valid, understanding and honoring sensory challenges or differences, whether we should be teaching children to learn flexibility or not, and what we should do instead of saying "use your words" to children, which is probably one of my most hated phrases.
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Speech Therapists - Here's how I can help you get there, make the shifts and gain confidence that you're doing Neurodiversity Affirming Practices when you support Autistic children!
My course Affirming Communication for Autistic Children is open for enrolment right now! Doors are only open until 5th July. You’ll get 12 months access so you can register now and participate in the course anytime you’re ready in the next year! More info here ➝ https://playlearnchat.com/acac-course/
Podcast Link: https://pod.link/1625478932
Website: www.playlearnchat.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/play.learn.chat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/play.learn.chat

In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down for a wonderful chat with Stephanie Robertson, who is a great friend colleague and really wise autistic ADHD. She's an occupational therapist and has many other identities as well. This chat that we're going to have is about the intersection between being an autistic ADHD and how it's sometimes work for us or works against us. 
 
Keep learning with me!
Speech Therapists! Affirming Communication for Autistic Children course opening very soon, join the waitlist early June if you're listening when this comes out live for the best deals! Doors open 2x a year only so check it out here ➝ playlearnchat.com/speechie-course
 
Connect with Steph - SGR Occupational Therapy:
www.sgroccupationaltherapy.com 
Instagram: @sgroccupationaltherapy
Facebook: SGR Holistic and Family Focused Occupational Therapy - https://www.facebook.com/SGROccupationalTherapy 
Facebook group: The Neurodiversity Empowerment Movement - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1258437025035170 
YouTube: The Spiritual OT - https://www.youtube.com/@TheSpiritualOT 
 
Podcast Link: https://pod.link/1625478932
Website: www.playlearnchat.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/play.learn.chat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/play.learn.chat
 

In this episode, I wanted to share with you a brief section from my recent webinar, Collaborative Connections, where I talked all about how you can actually get children involved in their collaborative teams.
 
I'm going to share practical suggestions about how you can actually involve children in these situations so that they can be a core part of their own journey. Their self advocacy ability can increase when you support and guide them and you're including them in their whole process. You're supporting self determination, choice making, and honouring them as a whole human by showing them the value of their own perspectives.
 
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Register for the Communicate and Connect Webinar Series for Professionals who support Neurodivergent Children: https://playlearnchat.com/c-and-c using discount code BUNDLE25 for 25% off until midnight 12th June 2024!
 
Register here: https://courses.playlearnchat.com/offers/8BDd2eoH/checkout?coupon_code=BUNDLE25
 
The 3 webinars in the series are:
Responsive Relationships: Communication Strategies for Professionals to Connect with Neurodivergent Children Collaborative Connections: Coach and Communicate with Carers & Teams of Neurodivergent Children Supportive Spaces: Creating Inclusive and Accessible Environments to Support Neurodivergent Children in their Communities Speech Therapists - get on waitlist for my Affirming Communication for Autistic Children course! Doors are opening in June and those on the waitlist get the best offers! - https://playlearnchat.com/speechie-course
 
Podcast Link: https://pod.link/1625478932
Website: www.playlearnchat.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/play.learn.chat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/play.learn.chat

In this episode, I'll share my journey to identification as an Autistic ADHDer. I recently got an email from another speech therapist who is in the neuro questioning phase. And she asked me this "As I understand you were late diagnosed. I wanted to ask you about your experience getting diagnosed and what you feel have been the benefits and drawbacks of it" and I really, really thank you for this email.
 
And interestingly, I think within a day I got a message on Instagram from somebody else with a very similar question. So I thought it is probably high time for me to share a bit more about my journey through AuDHD identification and diagnosis here on the podcast, because the bits that I do share always get interesting. I had a long time of questioning before I decided I wanted to seek formal identification (a.k.a. diagnosis). Here's how my journey went...
 
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Register for the Communicate and Connect Webinar Series for Professionals who support Neurodivergent Children: https://playlearnchat.com/c-and-c using discount code POD10 for 10% off!
 
The 3 webinars in the series are:
Responsive Relationships: Communication Strategies for Professionals to Connect with Neurodivergent Children Collaborative Connections: Coach and Communicate with Carers & Teams of Neurodivergent Children Supportive Spaces: Creating Inclusive and Accessible Environments to Support Neurodivergent Children in their Communities Born on a blue day book - Daniel Tammet: https://a.co/d/5PJefFj
Yellow Ladybugs conference: https://ylbconference2024.vfairs.com/
 
Podcast Link: https://pod.link/1625478932
Website: www.playlearnchat.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/play.learn.chat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/play.learn.chat

In this episode, I'm going to be sharing some practical ideas about how you can tackle a challenge that a lot of us experience. Whether you're a therapist, a teacher, a parent, or a carer of a neurodivergent child. At some point when supporting this child, you're going to be interacting with a team around them. And at some point you're going to be experiencing different approaches to how you will support that title, how you believe that child should be supported. It can be incredibly hard to navigate these different perspectives and to find that common ground and come to a productive point in how you work together to achieve solid support for this child.
I'm going to share the following five strategies that can be very useful for conflict resolution, but also give you an example of what that might sound like, exactly what you might say, depending on the situation of course:
1. Build Empathy
2. Ask open-ended questions with curiosity
3. Take time to reflect and process in private
4. Assess possible outcomes
5. Collaborate to come to solutions together
Keep learning with me!
Episode 9 of the Exploring Neurodiversity Podcast: Collaboration & Advocacy: When others aren't aligned with your Neurodiversity Affirming approach to supporting Neurodivergent Kids: https://pod.link/1625478932/episode/248b03be6c287bbadb09dd2264a0933d
Register for the Communicate and Connect Webinar Series for Professionals who support Neurodivergent Children: https://playlearnchat.com/c-and-c using discount code POD10 for 10% off!
 
The 3 webinars in the series are:
Responsive Relationships: Communication Strategies for Professionals to Connect with Neurodivergent Children Collaborative Connections: Coach and Communicate with Carers & Teams of Neurodivergent Children Supportive Spaces: Creating Inclusive and Accessible Environments to Support Neurodivergent Children in their Communities  
Podcast Link: https://pod.link/1625478932
Website: www.playlearnchat.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/play.learn.chat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/play.learn.chat

In this episode, I'm super excited to be talking about a topic that is just deeply embedded in my clinical practice, in my worldview and in how I support autistic children in my whole life. And that topic is Responsive relationship strategies for building connection with the autistic children in your life. We'll be outlining some of the ideas behind what forms responsive relationships. And the opposite, what forms directive relationships and why that can be quite damaging or challenging for your relationship with the autistic kids in your world. 
Register for the Communicate and Connect Webinar Series for Professionals who support Neurodivergent Children: https://playlearnchat.com/c-and-c using discount code POD10 for 10% off!
 
The 3 webinars in the series are:
Responsive Relationships: Communication Strategies for Professionals to Connect with Neurodivergent Children Collaborative Connections: Coach and Communicate with Carers & Teams of Neurodivergent Children Supportive Spaces: Creating Inclusive and Accessible Environments to Support Neurodivergent Children in their Communities  
Podcast Link: https://pod.link/1625478932
Website: www.playlearnchat.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/play.learn.chat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/play.learn.chat