Autism-Inclusive Therapy Book
Sam is very excited to share his book on Autism-Inclusive Therapy!
The goal of this book is to not only provide the reader with a solid understanding of neurodiversity and autism-inclusive therapy practices, but also to leave the reader better equipped to continue their own future learning.
Each chapter comes with discussion questions designed to help the reader process and reflect on the material, and a final chapter with various case studies provides further opportunities to apply one’s understanding.
On one hand, we hope to keep this guide concise and gentle. Concise because we recognise most people are short on time and (no matter how endlessly fascinating neurodiversity is!) a 1000 page report might be tedious to get through. And gentle because we genuinely believe almost all clinicians are doing their absolute best with the training and information they’ve received. Our goal is not to shame clinicians for making mistakes: rather, we view autism-inclusion as an ongoing journey of continually learning inclusive practices and unlearning traditional, ableist practices.
On the other hand, we hope that the guide imparts a certain amount of urgency, as there truly is an urgent need for quality mental health services for autistic people. Many autistic adults report feeling misunderstood, stereotyped, or invalidated in therapy– and autistic adults with higher support needs or co-occurring intellectual disabilities often are unable to access therapy at all. Autistic adults are also disproportionately likely to have experienced various traumatic events, and (as with all people) we deserve safe, supportive healing environments where we are treated as human beings.
The majority of autistic patients will have experienced prolonged trauma throughout their life related to the stigma against autism. Many people have dealt with isolation, bullying, feeling intense pressure to “mask”, and/or feeling like they are “too much”. Autistic patients with an intellectual disability or with higher support needs may have been placed in segregated classrooms or disqualified from “regular” groups throughout their lives.
It is crucial for therapists to be aware of this and sensitive to this, and to also be aware that trauma can sometimes look different for autistic people.
-Sam Brandsen
Topics included in this guide are:
How to better understand the experiences of all autistic individuals – including multiply marginalised autistic individuals and autistic individuals with higher support needs
Strategies to create a therapeutic environment where patients can feel safe discussing experiences with ableism
Concrete suggestions for creating a sensory-friendly office, adapting to different communication styles, and creating predictability and structure
Advice for using natural autistic strengths (stimming, sensory soothing techniques, special interests, etc) for healing and relaxation.
Guidance for extending autism-inclusive therapy to patients who are currently unidentified as autistic (given that many autistic patients may not yet realise they are autistic) or who are currently exploring an autistic identity.
Something that will come up throughout the rest of the book is the benefit and importance of taking an active approach to anti-ableism. If you strive to be neurodiversity-affirming and are always open to feedback from your patients– awesome!
But it is even better if you are able to convey your desire to be neurodiversity-affirming to patients beforehand.
-Sam Brandsen
Cost:
We want this book to be as financially accessible as possible, and so we are providing it for free. With that said, a lot of time and effort went into this book! If this is your first time downloading the book and if it is financially accessible for you to do so, we would greatly appreciate a donation of $5 (or whatever feels affordable) to help offset some of the cost and time that went into creating this book.
An Evolving Book
We welcome feedback on the book and may periodically update the book based on any new feedback or contributions. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns about the book please feel free to contact us.
We particularly welcome any brief quotations from autistic individuals about their experience with therapy, as well feedback from therapists or clinicians.
