Ditching the Deficit Model: Neurodiversity-Affirming OT Practice in Action

Neurodiversity is a biological fact. You can disagree with neurodiversity-affirming practices, but you can't deny that neurodiversity exists. In this conversation, Bryden Carlson-Giving unpacks what the neurodiversity paradigm actually means and introduces the Empower Model, the first neurodiversity-affirming occupational therapy framework designed to help practitioners move beyond the medical model of disability.

Bryden challenges common assumptions about who counts as neurodivergent and explores why most of us will become neurodivergent at some point in our lives. Through candid OT-to-OT dialogue, he examines how ableism is embedded in our training, assessment tools, and even how we conceptualize "ideal" participation in activities like play and recess.

This session offers practical strategies for practitioners ready to shift their approach: conducting strengths-based student interviews, reframing how we write evaluations and goals, infiltrating the FBA process to minimize harm, and questioning whose definition of success we're actually measuring. For therapists navigating systems that weren't built for neurodivergent kids, Bryden provides a roadmap for advocacy that starts with small, sustainable actions rather than burnout-inducing battles.