I have heard loud and clear that many autistic and neurodivergent individuals, especially those who identify with a PDA profile, do not like indirect declarative statements.

Although some people may feel this is a polite or softer way to ask for something, the intention behind these types of statements is not always clear...

I was recently invited to chime in on a question about speech therapy goals around flexibility for a young child with a PDA* profile. Crafting social communication goals, such as those related to flexibility, is always a nuanced and thoughtful process for me, no matter the individual’s profile or age...

I created these guiding principles to help us all stay on track as we strive to create learning environments that support growth and positive engagement for individuals of all ages.

The message I most want to communicate is this: When we use declarative language and co-regulation, it should never just be about the words that we use, or the actions we take in isolation.

So thrilled to join Barry and Dave as we talk about facilitative styles of language that have been shown to support language development and trusting relationships, and laugh a little too!

I want to explore the concepts of “cognitive rigidity” and “processing time”, and show you how to reframe our thinking around both…