Two Sides of the Spectrum

Dr. Winnie Dunn is a distinguished professor of occupational therapy at the University of Missouri, the author of the Sensory Profile, and a trailblazer in occupational therapy research and practice. Dr. Dunn’s latest research focuses on parent coaching and occupations in everyday life.  Listen in to episode 16 as we explore:How to understand sensory processing differences using a strengths-based lensHow and why to support our clients in their everyday lives - even if we work in contrived settingsDr. Winnie Dunn’s surprising advice on how to use the Sensory Profile that may make your work so much easierDr. Dunn’s advice to OTs that brought us both to tears  View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

Sarah Selvaggi Hernandez is an occupational therapist and educator working to promote an intentional identity-first approach to autism and OT. Listen in to the episode as we dive deep into:- Why we should be focused on the development of positive identity for our autistic clients, and what might be getting in our way- Concrete strategies we can use to help our clients flourish, inspired by the occupational science philosophy of doing, being, belonging, and becoming- Sarah’s powerful message to parents of newly diagnosed autistic children  View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

Dr. Matt Braun is a speech language pathologist who owns a private practice in the Kansas City area. His doctoral thesis examined whether OTs and SLPs write our goals and evaluations from a strengths or deficits-based perspective. This episode is the third in a three-part series. First check out episodes 4 and 12, then join Dr. Braun in this episode we:- Explore what real, strengths-based, in-context intervention looks likes- Answer all of your listener questions about IEPs, reducing paperwork time, working with parents, and more!  View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

Elizabeth is an autistic adult and licensed occupational therapist who specializes in trauma-sensitive practices. Elizabeth is a lifelong learner with an innovative OT practice informed by so many areas of study.  Listen in to this episode as we explore:- Why trauma-sensitive practices are essential for our work with autistic people- What Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive yoga is, and how Elizabeth uses it her work- Concrete, easy-to-apply trauma sensitive practices we can all start implementing right away- How mutual aid and autistic community can (and should!) play into our work with families- Elizabeth’s simple but profound takeaway for OTs (hint: it’s not that we should be doing more in our sessions)   View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

Dr. Evan Dean, PhD, OTR/L, is Assistant Research Professor at the University of Kansas and Associate Director at the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities.  His research focuses on promoting community participation for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through enhancing self-determination, supported decision making and career design.  Dr. Scott Tomchek, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA is Professor of Pediatrics and Assistant Director of the Weisskopf Child Evaluation Center at the University of Louisville.  He co-authored the AOTA practice guidelines on autism. Strengths-based, family-centered care is central to all programs he touches. Listen into this episode as we dive deep into:- The question you’ve all been emailing me to ask: How do we write strengths based evaluations and goals!?- And then the other question on the mind of U.S.-based providers: How do we get insurance to pay when writing strengths-based evaluations?- And most importantly: Why is a strengths-based evaluation process so important, and how does impact everything that follows?This episode is detailed and specific; we talk about everything from early intervention to early adulthood. Including those handwriting goals you may have been writing for your middle-schoolers. Warning: this episode is likely to inspire you to do something totally different in your very next evaluation. Are you ready??  View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

Emily Lees is an autistic speech and language therapist and an advocate for pro-neurodiversity approaches.  Listen to the interview with Emily as we explore:- The unique challenges and strengths that being autistic presents to girls, and Emily’s own journey of being misdiagnosed in her adolescence- Emily’s experience with job interviews and work, and the types of supports we should consider for other autistic adolescents and adults in the job interview process- How Emily teaches self-advocacy to her students, and her unexpected response when a student says “Leave me alone” - The ways that Emily’s autism can be a strength for her as a speech language pathologist and as a role model for girls  View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

Jen Schonger is the Program Manager at the New Jersey Autism Center of Excellence and the mom to two daughters, one of whom is autistic. She is so insightful and is an incredible advocate for parents and for autistic children.  Listen to this episode as we:- Explore the surprising blindspots many OTs have when working with parents- Learn about the concrete things that helped Jen develop a positive, empowering understanding of autism, and how we can help other parents to do the same- Discover the shifts that therapists can make to transform the parent experience starting from the very first session and continuing through their work together- Get Jen's savvy advice about working with parents who want something different than the neurodiversity approach- Dive into Jen’s suggestions for school-based OTs about the most important thing they can be doing to support autistic students  View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

Ido Kedar is an autistic-self advocate and the author of a two books. He is a non-speaking autistic person who uses a voice-output typing device to communicate. Listen to my interview with Ido as we discuss:- His experience with OT, speech, and ABA before he had a way to communicate when no one was presuming his competence- How learning to communicate changed everything, and why learning to spell and type isn’t a simple as it sounds- Why Ido doesn’t like labels like “high functioning” and “low functioning”- What sensory and executive functioning supports Ido found helpful in his journey, and what outdated strategies he wishes therapists would leave behind- Ido’s advice to therapists who write goals to suppress stimming- Ido’s concrete challenge to our listeners who want to better understand the perspective of our non-speaking clients  View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

Deirdre Azzopardi is an occupational therapist with over 25 years of experience who has invested years into continuing education related to social and emotional learning for kids with disabilities. Join into the conversation as we explore:- How we are missing out on a huge opportunity for our autistic clients by overlooking exercise in favor of non-aerobic “sensory processing” activities.- Why the stress and boredom that school-based therapists often bring to our sessions may be negatively impacting our outcomes, and what to do about it. (Spoiler: the answer is super fun).- How and why to teach simple mindfulness activities in our sessions and in our whole-class instruction.- How to love your job more and better connect with your autistic students starting tomorrow. Listening on the way to work? You can even start today.   View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

Jacquelyn Fede is a developmental psychologist and autistic self-advocate and Amy Laurent is a developmental psychologist and pediatric occupational therapist. They are the co-founders of Autism Level Up! where they challenge OTs to listen to autistic voices and level up our work with people on the spectrum. Join in the conversation as we: - Explore why the emotional model of regulation may not connect with many autistic people- Dive deep into how to support autistic clients using three the Autism Level Up tools: the Energy Regulator, the Person in Context, and the Power Plan- Breakthrough the myth that “calm” is the right energy state for every context, and get clear on what we can aim for instead- Move towards a context-driven and empowering model of intervention for self-regulation  View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast