The Divergent Road: Make All The Difference

⚠ This version is the workshop only with no CEUs.

Introduction

Over the past few years, the field of behavior analysis has undergone intense scrutiny from critics. Generally speaking, the origins of our science, combined with a lack of true understanding of autism, plus the inherent ableism of our society, have shaped ABA into what it is currently. This has led to practices which have come under strong criticism from the autistic community and outside therapeutic professions for being harmful to our dominant recipients, as 72% of clinicians work in the autism sector. The majority of us selected this field in order to help others. We entered this profession with the best of intentions. Learning that our intentions haven’t always made the positive impact we expected can be difficult to process.

While some behavior analysts choose to react with defensiveness and denial to the criticism, there are an ever growing number of clinicians heeding this feedback, working to change their individual approach, and disseminating neurodiversity affirming practices to the field. More practitioners are seeking out content from autistic advocates and outside fields in order to better understand and support our learners. Through radical analysis of supports that allow learners to fully access the communities they choose, more clinicians are shifting away from molding learners to fit societal expectations and are continuing to shape more compassionate and trauma-informed methods.

We want to take a moment to recognize your willingness to grow as clinicians and thank you for choosing the path that leads down the divergent road. To guide us on our path we have an absolutely stellar lineup of speakers. On this journey we will learn why it’s imperative to listen to autistic feedback, how to advocate for disability justice, identify ableist language, and combat this through affirming programming. Then we’ll learn how to navigate trauma-informed approaches, practice with philosophic doubt during our current climate, and lastly, how to listen and uplift the primary population we serve.

Workshop Objectives

• Participants will learn how to identify Neurodiversity Affirming ABA practices to incorporate directly into practice.
• Participants will learn why utilizing a Neurodiversity Affirming lens is critical for the well-being of autistic learners.
• Participants will learn to identify and combat inherent ableism within the field of behavior analysis.
• Participants will learn how to conduct assessments, create treatment plans, and write goals that are trauma-informed and inclusive of client assent.