strength based therapy
In our field of speech therapy, many of the approaches we have used are focused on a medical model of disability. This model operates under the premise that the "issue" lies within the disabled individual and therefore aims to "fix" them. This sort of mentality forces autistic kids to learn/perform neurotypical play skills under the premise that neurotypical play is ‘normal’ or ‘better’. During college, I worked at an ABA preschool where we were trained to discourage ‘atypical’ play- such as lining up toys or spinning the wheels on cars. 😳 Yikes!
However, the neurodiversity paradigm aligns more closely with the social model of disability, which teaches that individuals are not disabled by their differences or impairments, but by societal barriers and normative assumptions. The solution is accommodating disabled individuals to enable them to live authentically. Historically, we would rather ‘fix’ a person than ‘fix’ the environment to help them be successful, but that narrative has started to shift in recent years.
Many Autistic individuals say that therapy that is based on compliance and neurotypical play skills are harmful. They feel like are treated as if they require "fixing" to conform to neurotypical standards. Since we don’t want autistic individuals to mask themselves or feel like they cannot be authentic in order to be successful, guiding principles of strengths-based support have been developed. These principles include cultivating a positive autistic identity, fostering connections among autistic individuals to nurture solidarity, providing autistic individuals with choices for their social interactions, and encouraging authentic autistic behaviors, such as socializing and play.
Adopting a strengths-based approach to play means you follow an autistic child’s lead with play, thereby affirming that their play is valid and acceptable, purely because it’s how they want to play. As play is inherently fun, initiated by the child, and intrinsically motivating, the interests of autistic children can vary based on factors including neurotype. Autistic children may engage in play characterized by activities like gathering, sorting, organizing, and inspecting, and they may display a stronger interest in specific objects rather than conventional toys. These differences in interests and enjoyment are a normal, beautiful part of autistic play.
When we make assumptions, we limit our ability to recognize a child’s strengths and cultivate curiosity. While autistic play often centers more on objects and involves less joint engagement with others, it's crucial to understand that not all autistic children will exhibit the same play profile or follow the same developmental trajectory. By presuming that autistic children are less inclined toward symbolic or imaginative play, we risk overlooking strengths in these areas. For instance, research by Davis et al. revealed that nearly half of parents of school-age autistic children reported their child having an imaginary friend. This is actually advanced symbolic play.
So before we presume a child’s play is less developed or meaningful, we should take a step back and look for what strengths we might be missing. Often times if we assess with an open, curious mind, we’ll find strengths to use as a base for therapy.
Sources:
Penrod, Emily. Teach, join in, play, or get out of the way? Informed SLP. https://www.theinformedslp.com/review/Teach-join-in-play-or-get-out-of-the-way
