We do things a little differently than others in this space…

Our philosophy’s driving force: we’re a team of neurodivergent people! Having seen and experienced the inadequate (and, frankly, often unethical) ways many professionals in this field interact with neurodivergent individuals and their families, we have strong feelings on the best way to go about our work.

A picture of a cat looking very uncomfortable with a piece of lettuce placed onto its head

Here’s what we don’t do:

  • Talk down to you

  • Make goals for you, or force you to do things you don’t want to (or cannot) do

  • Focus on behaving or acting a certain way – who wants to be “indistinguishable from their peers” anyway?! We’ve definitely never described our personal heroes that way… Have you?

Here’s what we are:

  • Neurodiversity-affirming, which includes principles like:

    • Intersectionality

    • Respecting autonomy

    • Validating differences

    • Presuming competence

    • Reframing expectations

    • Promoting self-advocacy

    • Rejecting neuronormativity

    • Prioritizing lived experience

    • Nurturing positive self-identity

    • Adapting systems & environments

    • Honoring all forms of communication

    • (Check out this article by Sonny Jane Wise to learn more)

  • Informed by our own (and our decades-worth of students’ and clients’) lived experiences

  • Up to date on cutting edge research led by neurodivergent researchers

  • Wildly passionate about supporting other neurodivergent folks, so that you don’t have to go through the same things we did

Neurodiversity Affirming Practice: The core principles. Created by Sonny Jane Wise, Lived Experience Educator .com. Intersectionality, respecting autonomy, validating differences, presuming competence, reframing expectations, promoting self-advocacy,

Credit: Sonny Jane Wise, www.livedexperienceeducator.com

Here’s how we do it:

  • We listen! We believe that you are the expert on your own life, experience, and needs

  • Meet you where you’re at

    • Not ready to dive head-first into (for example) exploring your own internalized ableism? No worries! Even if we think something could be beneficial to you, we’re not going to make you engage with something until you’re ready (or maybe not at all -- it’s YOUR choice, dang it!)

  • Operate from a strengths-based perspective. We all have barriers, and we all have unique strengths that can help us to meet or overcome those barriers

  • Support you on a guided journey of self-discovery and personal growth

  • Curate things for you to learn, help you find resources, and have problem-solving conversations with you about your trajectory and current barriers