Neuroaffirming practice (also known as neurodivergent affirming practice) has been gaining momentum in recent years in healthcare in terms of working with neurodivergent individuals. It’s the idea that individuals have differences in their abilities and how they interact with the world around them – differences that are not considered deficits that need to be “fixed”. Rather, those who view individuals in this light consider neurodiversity natural.

In this talk, Bryden and Katherine will share ideas and examples of how neurodivergent affirming practice can work.

Bryden Carlson-Giving is a neurodivergent doctoral student at Boston University and a pediatric occupational therapy practitioner with experience in pediatric outpatient and inpatient rehabilitation settings. Bryden’s work includes encouraging a shift from an impairment-based perspective and returning to strengths-based, occupation-centered practices. He seeks to promote neurodivergent affirming practices, amplify the voices of the disabled community, and challenge ableism within healthcare and research. From helping individuals discover and embrace their sensory processing differences to collaborating with their family and education team to improve their ability to be neurodivergent affirming, Bryden aims to maximize his client’s quality of life and well-being to support authentic neurodivergent development.

Katherine is currently an occupational therapy student passionate about disability justice. She is currently conducting qualitative research to assist practitioners in understanding how to utilize a neurodivergent affirming approach when working with autistic individuals who exhibit self-harm and aggressive behaviours. She has previously worked with adults and children with developmental disabilities. Her main goals are to improve the quality of life for autistic and other disabled people. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.