Social Communication Support

1. Empowered Self-Advocacy

   • Guiding individuals how to identify their emotions while using strategies to state their preferences, and boundaries clearly and assertively in personal and professional contexts.

2. Embracing Communication Strengths

   • Identifying and celebrating individual's natural communication style.

3. Navigating Unspoken Social Rules

   • Guiding individuals to decode unspoken norms in environments like workplaces or public spaces, while respecting their authentic selves.

4. Accommodations and Supports

   • Supporting individuals in requesting and implementing accommodations (e.g., written instructions, sensory-friendly environments) to reduce barriers in communication with individuals and institutions.

5. Strengthening Advocacy in Professional Settings

   • Practicing how to discuss neurodiversity-related needs, like requesting flexible deadlines or alternative communication methods, with employers or colleagues.

6. Perspective-Taking and Reciprocity

   • Exploring strategies to balance authentic self-expression with understanding and responding to others’ perspectives when desired or necessary.

7. Building Inclusive Relationships

   • Teaching ways to foster relationships that value and respect neurodiverse communication styles, ensuring mutual understanding and trust.

8. Social Systems Navigation

   • Providing tools for managing interactions with systems that may not prioritize accessibility, such as healthcare, education, or government institutions.

9. Coping with Misunderstandings or Bias

   • Practicing responses for situations where others misunderstand or dismiss neurodiverse communication styles, empowering clients to respond confidently.

10. Resilience in Non-Neurodiverse Spaces

    • Equipping individuals with strategies to manage stress, sensory overload, or fatigue when interacting in environments designed without neurodiverse perspectives in mind.

11. Neurodiversity-Affirming Conflict Resolution

    • Exploring approaches to resolve disagreements or miscommunications while affirming individual needs and preferences.

12. Reframing Communication "Challenges"

    • Shifting the narrative from "fixing deficits" to understanding communication differences and equipping individuals to thrive in diverse interactions.

13. Effective Use of Assistive Tools

    • Supporting the integration of alternative communication methods, such as AAC (augmentative and alternative communication), to enhance clarity and reduce stress.​

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Executive Functioning Support

1. Time Management

   • Teaching strategies to organize daily schedules, meet deadlines, and manage appointments effectively.

2. Task Prioritization

   • Helping clients learn to break down tasks into smaller steps, prioritize them, and focus on the most critical ones.

3. Organization Skills

   • Assisting with systems for managing paperwork, digital files, or personal items to reduce overwhelm.

4. Memory Enhancement

   • Utilizing techniques like chunking, visualization, and mnemonic devices to improve recall.

5. Problem-Solving

   • Guiding clients in identifying problems, analyzing options, and implementing solutions.

6. Impulse Control

   • Practicing strategies for self-regulation to reduce impulsive behaviors or decisions.

7. Goal Setting

   • Supporting the creation of realistic and measurable personal or professional goals.

8. Planning Skills

   • Teaching how to anticipate obstacles and develop contingency plans.

9. Self-Monitoring

   • Encouraging reflection on performance and adjusting strategies as needed.

10. Stress Management

    • Implementing coping mechanisms to handle stress related to executive function challenges.