Neurodiverse-Affirming Practices

In this episode, Clare talks to occupational therapist and Team Teach trainer, Simone Golding, about using neurodiverse-affirming practices. They discuss what is meant by this term, and how involving individuals in goal-setting can help set them up for success.

They also talk about recognising different types of regulating behaviours, and how families can use this knowledge to support their child’s needs.

Simone is an NDIS-registered positive behaviour support practitioner in Queensland, Australia. She has been a Team Teach workplace trainer for the last three years, providing support to neurodivergent people, as well as supporting adults and therapists.

Simone is also a professional practice supervisor in occupational therapy. This entails coaching therapists across the state to apply neurodiverse-affirming practices and positive behaviour support, to positively impact quality of life for National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants.

Simone shares three tips during the episode:

• To be an effective neurodiverse-affirming practitioner. involves truly connecting with and understanding the experiences of the person you are supporting. With a curious and compassionate approach, you can discover what brings them joy, and create environments where all can thrive.
• Establishing a regular goal-setting review process, based around self-reflection and learning, helps to break down barriers to improving quality of life for participants.
• Language has the power to shape our views and understanding of the world, so writing reports and other documents from a strengths-based perspective supports connection, and can transform how we think about individuals.

The Team Teach podcast shares the latest thinking in behaviour, all in handy 15-minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use in your setting.