We've taken this past month to listen to Autistic and LGBTQ2S+ communities, and wanted to share some of the things we have learned. 

It is so important to understand that we cannot be neurodiversity-affirming without also being LGBTQ2S+ allies.

We hope you celebrated this month with lots of love and pride!

Real talk: I used to always use person-first language (e.g., person with Autism). I even had a disagreement in my grad school class with a prof who stated that identity-first was better since it made the disability "less memorable" if it was near the start of the sentence versus the end of the sentence. Cue a bunch of random research that didn't have anything to do with what each individual community preferred...

Since that time, I've committed to learning and listening to Autistic voices, and something that has been expressed by the majority of Autistic individuals is the preference towards identity-first language, but not for the reason my prof said (actually quite the opposite!).

Identify-first language reflects the belief that being Autistic is an inherent part of a person's identity, while person-first language reflects the belief that Autism can be separated from an individual. We know that Autism is a neurodiversity that results in a different way of seeing and interacting with the world, so it makes sense that many Autistic individuals would prefer language that is validating to their experiences and is not pathologizing. 

While speech-language *pathologists* do treat communication concerns, being Autistic is not - and should not be considered - one of them.

This is going to be a vulnerable post, because part of reducing stigmatization involves being vocal and encouraging healthy discussion! 

I've struggled with anxiety and intrusive thoughts my whole life. While the earliest memories that I have are from age 7, my mom remembers my symptoms appearing as early as age 2. I had periods of time that were "easy" and periods of time that were… really hard.

I didn't understand that this was obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) until I was 23, and it was even later that I identified as neurodivergent.

The larger neurodiversity movement helped me identify my own neurodivergence (i.e., being on the obsessive compulsive spectrum), and this has brought me more inner peace than I can articulate (but if I were to try, I'd say I finally started to feel seen, validated, affirmed, reassured, and understood).

I never thought I could (or would!) share this information with the public. Over the years, I've felt a lot of shame and masked a lot of my feelings and symptoms because I wanted to appear "normal." At other times, I felt like I wasn’t neurodivergent *enough* to seek the supports/information that would help me thrive. But understanding that my brain is just wired differently, that my caudate nucleus (along with other areas in my orbital cortex) is hyperactive — and that other people experience the same thing!?! — has been life-changing.

I now view my OCD as information (about me and about my brain) and it is something (neutral, neither good nor bad) that I simply have to manage as I move through life. Since it is a part of me, though, it also contributes to who I am as a clinician.

I feel like I can better relate to my clients who have anxiety and sensory preferences. My attention to detail is a strength. I can use my own neurodiversity to help my clients feel empowered by theirs. I can demonstrate how to focus on one's strengths, and to give grace to areas that may need more support. Most importantly, I can create a therapeutic environment that will prevent the internalization of shame.

Because there is nothing shameful about it.