Social skills groups have been widely criticized recently. They’re often labeled as ableist and NOT neurodiversity-affirming. I ALSO take issue with the way social skills interventions are often delivered, but for a different reason. When social skills intervention is done, it’s often delivered via 1:1 therapy, in a “pull-out” model; where the child receives intervention…
Tag: autism
EP 136: Time blindness, anxiety, and behavior management
When kids have a poor sense of time, the common response is to give them a planner or some kind of a timer. While these tools may be a part of your strategy, they don’t address time-blindness. That’s why in episode 136 of De Facto Leaders, I’m answering the question: “Why don’t timers improve my…
EP 125: Time perception, anxiety, and future pacing
When I was younger I was fixated on clocks and the passage of time. It’s accurate to say it was an obsession of mine, to the point that it caused me large amounts of anxiety. It got difficult for me to tell when I was future-planning or when I was catastrophizing. On top of that,…
EP 122: Executive functioning for college students: Beyond checklists and planners (with Jill Fahy)
What if young adults are still prompt-dependent when they go away to college? Or what if they and their parents aren’t aware of how much support they’re actually getting? On top of that, how can professionals navigate the complexity of supporting language and executive functioning (or knowing when to address which skills)? I invited Jill…
EP 111: Supporting self-regulation in K-12 kids (with Lisa Navarra)
“Behavior problems” are an external sign of what’s going on internally. In order to support kids who are being referred for behavioral concerns, we need to address these internal skills proactively. That’s why I invited consultant and educator Lisa Navarra to episode 111 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to talk about self-regulation. Lisa M….
EP 110: Empathy, masking, and situational awareness
Do autistic people experience empathy? Does masking cause trauma? How do we help neurodivergent kids form relationships in a way that’s accepting of their differences? These are questions that I get from clinicians on a regular basis that I’ve also wondered about myself. That’s why when I created The School of Clinical Leadership, I made…
EP 107: How to make social skills intervention evidence-based and neurodiversity-affirming
What’s evidence-based and neurodiversity-affirming shouldn’t be in opposition. Effective interventions that build resilience and help kids build healthy relationships should be “affirming” by definition. Yet many clinicians remain confused about how to apply this to practice; especially when it comes to things like “social skills” or “pragmatic language”. One of the most common complaints I…
EP 60: Traveling with autistic kids (with Dawn Barclay)
When it comes to supporting autistic kids, I’ve come across a lot of resources that help with the home and school environments. But many families aren’t sure how to navigate unexpected and novel situations with their kids; which means travel is often out of the question. That’s why I wanted to interview special needs travel…
EP 037: Building skills for connection (with Miriam Campbell)
How do we hold students accountable for their actions, but acknowledge their unique neurological profiles at the same time? How do we help neurodivergents (e.g., ADHD, Autism) build genuine connections with others and succeed in academic, vocational, and social situations? In this episode, I invited special guest Miriam Campbell, founder of Skills for Connection, to help answer…
EP 032: When “compliance” does more harm than good (with ADHD and Autism)
“Behavior management” approaches are often used with kids who have diagnoses of ADHD, autism. Usually these approaches focus on giving rewards for good behavior and punishing “bad” behavior. They’re prevalent in therapy settings, schools, and home environments across the nation. I’ve even used some of these approaches in my practice. But in recent years, I’ve…