tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14384311242908976812024-03-12T17:20:05.257-07:00Erika Shira's Blogeekahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08263491847297435157noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-4567957564580887782024-01-15T08:18:00.000-08:002024-01-15T08:18:19.881-08:00White autistic people engaging in racist behavior aren't doing this "because they're autistic"<p>I keep seeing posts from white non-disabled clinicians about some variation of "a neurodivergent child used slurs, got punished, and punishment for something they don't understand is wrong."</p><p>The posts usually focus on how punishment isn't effective (true, in general), consequences for not exhibiting a skill someone really doesn't have are pointless and demeaning (yep), but basically ending there (hmmm...). There is no talk about impact vs. intent, or why the child doesn't have the skill to understand the impact of slurs.</p><p>Well, there is discussion about why the child doesn't understand not to use slurs, except the posts and ensuing comments always tend to say that the child doesn't understand the impact of slurs because they are autistic or otherwise neurodivergent.</p><p>Wow. OK, if this were true, then Black and brown autistic folks would be going around using slurs and having no idea what they mean. As someone who is frequently around many Black and brown autistic adults and youths, I can tell you that this isn't occurring.</p><p><b>White autistic people who are engaging in racist behavior are not doing this "because they are autistic." They are doing this because of white privilege. </b></p><p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifnpc6UIevyG5dqgoPhWCtY3N3hkU-0XNw-PPZvLlnv8bWb5eeClPRhftXu0IoG4bQC1fvNwDJZj13oGH-k9fUvPwXg0ConkFQdKXyohj1wBNtiAXCyLM298uXfePL1At0s8uuFB2zRAA4KVhawrXWJqA0qwucVLc1caaIoV9Wc4lyxY8CHEgBJqMiM90" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img data-original-height="800" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifnpc6UIevyG5dqgoPhWCtY3N3hkU-0XNw-PPZvLlnv8bWb5eeClPRhftXu0IoG4bQC1fvNwDJZj13oGH-k9fUvPwXg0ConkFQdKXyohj1wBNtiAXCyLM298uXfePL1At0s8uuFB2zRAA4KVhawrXWJqA0qwucVLc1caaIoV9Wc4lyxY8CHEgBJqMiM90=w320-h400" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[Image description: Photo of a Black toddler or preschooler in tattered overalls in a field next to a photo of a white toddler or preschooler in a KKK robe in front of a group of adults in KKK robes. Text reads "If the child on the left was old enough to pick cotton and the child on the right was old enough to attend Klan rallies, then today's children are old enough to learn about both of these and how they've led us to where we are today." The instagram account AfricanArchives is credited.] </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />The reason that a number of white autistic youth are using slurs with no idea of their impact is because of white privilege, not because they are autistic. And sure, non-autistic white youth may be quicker to intuitively pick up on the meaning and impact of slurs than autistic white youth. But the overall dynamic is still due to white privilege, not that they are autistic. <a href="https://www.parents.com/kindred/black-children-experience-racism-before-white-children-learn-about-race/" target="_blank">Black children experience racism, thus have to talk about it, much earlier than white children are typically taught about it</a>. </p><p>Black or brown autistic children (with sufficient verbal or spelled language) are no different in this regard. Their families are talking about racism essentially from the time they are born. They know the impact of slurs, because their families are talking about themselves or people in their communities being on the receiving end of these. Black children of all neurotypes are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_talk_(racism_in_the_United_States)#:~:text=Black%20youth%20in%20the%20United,slavery%20and%20has%20lasted%20centuries%22." target="_blank">given The Talk starting at an early age</a>, in which they are taught the importance of things such as always getting a receipt and not touching things in stores. Particularly given <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2661453/" target="_blank">the rates at which Black and Latine autistic people are undiagnosed</a>, parents aren't holding off on discussing these things with autistic children -- they often don't officially know they have autistic children! In my experience, Black and brown parents who notice that their children struggle with impulse control or language (with a diagnosis or not) are particularly focused on working with their children on being cautious about what they say to whom and how they say it -- because they have to, for safety reasons. </p><p>Similarly, parents of white children who notice they may have differences in how they pick up on and use social information need to be particularly focused on educating their children from an early age as to the meaning and impact of slurs, along with other anti-racism skills such as recognizing microaggressions and responding to these. All parents of white children should be teaching their children to be anti-racist from birth, and autistic or otherwise neurodivergent children may not intuitively pick up on all of this teaching and may need to have the meanings of slurs spelled out. Rote rules around slurs are actually easier to teach than a lot of universal social skills*:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>these words are violent and hurt people</li><li>white people may never use them</li><li>any white person using them is committing a harmful act</li><li>they might occur in media, and the choice to include them is a separate discussion</li><li>if you are reading from a text or quoting something and are white, you need to use the censored forms of them</li></ul><div>This is probably one of the easiest social skills among those we teach, honestly. There isn't a lot of nuance. If a parent has neglected to teach their white child about slurs, there should be some reflection here. It isn't because it's a hard topic to teach in an education sense; there is clearly something going on where the parent hasn't fully accepted that it is their role as parents of white children to actively teach their children how not to perpetuate racism. </div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, low expectations are a form of ableism. We really don't want to perpetuate "they don't know any better because they're autistic," especially around a dynamic where this is objectively not the case. <a href="https://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/articles/what-those-not-on-the-autism-spectrum-should-know.html#:~:text=Many%20on%20the%20autism%20spectrum,when%20some%20restraint%20is%20needed." target="_blank">Autistic folks typically have a strong sense of social justice</a>. If they are raised in a way that includes all different perspectives and teaches them about the existence of different types of oppression, they are typically amazing allies for marginalized groups to which they do not belong.</div><div><br /></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p>*Universal social skills are the skills that all people of all neurotypes need to learn (consent, boundaries, self-advocacy, negotiation, etc.), which is distinguished from the flawed idea of teaching autistic people "social skills" that really mean to engage in masking or changing their behavior to appear neurotypical with no real functional benefit. </p>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-49260060990932800202023-10-10T09:55:00.004-07:002023-10-10T09:55:43.261-07:00Free online DC 0-5 training with 16 MA LMHC/LICSW/NBCC/NASW CEUs<p>For Massachusetts providers only. Get half of your biannual CEU requirement completed for free. It's this October, which is unfortunate for those of us who already have 2022-2023 completed, but fortunate for those who have waited until the last minute. (Or social workers; I think y'all renew in even years?)</p><p>I've taken the training in the past and it's actually quite good. I definitely encourage people to sign up if you can, especially if just to let folks know there is demand for online/accessible options for these types of trainings. </p><p><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dc-0-5-virtual-clinical-training-w-reflective-case-consultation-oct-tickets-699902927497?aff=oddtdtcreator" target="_blank">Information here</a>.</p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">[Usual disclaimer that I have no affiliation with this training or organization and just am passing along free/low-cost CEUs.]</span></p>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-24417017148986835152023-09-15T07:27:00.000-07:002024-01-15T08:27:53.125-08:00Found in the wild: A textbook example of well-meaning adults jumping to conclusions<p>This Reddit forum, r/foundpaper, is a place where people post, well, found paper – basically any sort of note, doodle, list, etc. that someone found and thought was interesting. The commenters then chat freely about who the author might have been, what they might have intended, and so forth.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwIlLI1uO38EBIYptIkjZyeqzjdyE40o650Ihf3oT36z1kMm4faLSXjsX824yM8DNEpvt0x7Av4oS64ZWWIAjttNuv9B2eCbWGtl34kO_aMdrsfAsa_qdtRv92kUsUxeHVYLUYkxUOvLChHmpvUMC9_0LOWmVQ6tAvKMCvrgFfAUEURy7yUWselBlVVA/s676/Screen%20Shot%202023-09-15%20at%2010.09.13%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="584" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwIlLI1uO38EBIYptIkjZyeqzjdyE40o650Ihf3oT36z1kMm4faLSXjsX824yM8DNEpvt0x7Av4oS64ZWWIAjttNuv9B2eCbWGtl34kO_aMdrsfAsa_qdtRv92kUsUxeHVYLUYkxUOvLChHmpvUMC9_0LOWmVQ6tAvKMCvrgFfAUEURy7yUWselBlVVA/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202023-09-15%20at%2010.09.13%20AM.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Page from a lined composition notebook, in pencil, in what looks like a child's handwriting, and says "I have every right to feel sad. I'm allowed to make mistakes. I can be kind to myself. I'm doing the best I can. My best is good enough. Calm place: Grandma's house."</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>So, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/FoundPaper/comments/16hxqip/found_on_the_classroom_floor/?share_id=jtlrW2F66ZCed2YChlSzg">this post and the ensuing comments</a> particularly spoke to me as a child welfare clinician, advocate, and reformer. </p><p>The comments on the original post are largely along the lines of people expressing concern, stating things assuming the child has a very hard life, and expressing that this is extremely sad as an elementary-schooler shouldn't have any reason to have these kinds of thoughts. A number of commenters state that they hope the child is able to go to grandma's regularly, and even a few stating they hope grandma can get custody. (Note: We have no way of knowing who <i>is</i> the primary caregiver.)</p><p>I also noticed the post has been reposted to a C-PTSD subreddit, with the headline, "can’t help but think that kid might end up using this subreddit in a few years."</p><p>For those who are unfamiliar with Reddit, let me mention that compared to the general population, Reddit's demographics skew very heavily toward young (teens and 20s), male, white, highly educated, and higher income. Reddit also skews sociopolitically toward those who vote democratic, but at the same time aren't particularly who I would call progressive, as they don't have a lot of direct experience with marginalized folks, don't really believe in systemic oppression, and tend toward some savioristic attitudes. </p><p>Those of us who are experienced parents and/or who have worked in schools of course recognize that this journal entry is most likely from a student participating in a standard elementary school social-emotional curriculum. In these groups, students do exercises to teach coping skills for stressful situations and learn about healthy ways of framing things. The students might do something like look through a list of affirmations or a "child's bill of rights"-type document and write down some items that are particularly important to them. They might be given an assignment such as visualizing somewhere where they feel particularly calm, so that they can visualize this place when they are feeling stressed. Those who are only familiar with wealthier, whiter schools may not have encountered this type of learning, which is unfortunate, as students can benefit from this learning without it needing to be a reaction to community trauma. </p><p>Students before late adolescence are not typically authoring these kinds of statements independently nor seeking them out, regardless of stressors in their lives. This wouldn't be language that children would have outside of having learned it from social-emotional media – or from engaged caregivers who are actively teaching their children social-emotional skills at home! </p><p>The attitudes in the thread mirror many of those that I see from well-intentioned adults who make inappropriate reports to the child welfare system or display similarly poor savioristic boundaries with families: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Assumptions that a child using mental health language is traumatized (come on -- are people really not familiar with the current trend of all the pop-psych content on TikTok, some good and some questionable, that gets filtered down to younger kids?)</li><li>Assumptions that the presence of positive coping skills indicates that these were developed in response to severe issues rather than taught proactively by caring adults</li><li>Lack of familiarity with child development and failure to recognize that this language is being parroted from somewhere appropriate, likely school, or could be from a scouting program or the OWL health education curriculum</li><li>Lack of familiarity with what is routinely taught in schools at various ages</li><li>Projecting adult experiences onto pre-adolescent children ("As a 26-year-old, I only find myself needing to reminding myself that everyone makes mistakes in pretty extreme situations, so this must be the same for someone with only 8 years life experience who is just starting to learn how to tolerate distress")</li><li>Assumptions that preferring to seek out Grandma or a friend's parent suggests a serious deficiency in the primary caregiver(s) rather than understanding that this is not unusual in healthy children (or recognizing that a child who is prompted to visualize a calm place is not likely to choose home or school, as these places are by definition not a calm respite from routine life stressors)</li><li>Overidentification with the child, especially involving the logical fallacy of affirming the consequent ("I am an adult with C-PTSD and I use these coping skills, thus a child who knows these skills is experiencing trauma")</li><li>A "divide and conquer" conceptualization of the primary caregiving unit in which someone believes a child has been through some hard things, therefore this means the child is alone without adequate support ("kids from good families don't have these issues"), rather than the more common scenario in which parents are adequately supportive but this doesn't magically stop the child from experiencing difficult things</li><li>A lack of familiarity with the experiences of marginalized people, thus not having mental models of communities and families who have experienced difficulty through no fault of their own and have used resources to get through it adequately </li></ul><p></p><p>For those who want to support children (and adults!) in a non-alarmist way, you need to be familiar with what constitutes the wide range of normal for kids of all different backgrounds. This requires curiosity, listening, and cultivating a mindset in which the practices of all different races and income levels are seen as valid. </p><p>If your daily interactions with friends and family don't put you in contact with a sufficient degree of exposure to different experiences, social media is free. Follow, but don't engage, in spaces where parents are discussing what's being learned in urban public schools. </p><p>Practice your own mindfulness skills and notice when you are jumping to conclusions or filling in information that isn't there. Use something like the THINK skill from DBT to consider several possible explanations for something that is observed. As clinicians, we should strike a balance between Ockham's Razor (when you hear hoofbeats, it's probably a horse, not a zebra) and Hickam's Dictum (though it could be a zebra, or one of each). We don't want to rule out the possibility that a child writing about coping skills is doing so because of a concerning situation, but it's also most likely that everything we are seeing is pointing to this not being the case based just on what the child has written and what we know about child development and social-emotional curricula. </p>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-91830634017248698422023-09-07T10:27:00.000-07:002023-12-11T11:16:27.905-08:00How to put feelers out for a referral without sharing client information<h2 style="text-align: left;">No:</h2><p><b><i>Looking for a therapist for an English-speaking 12-year-old Latino trans boy with a diagnosis of ADHD, taking a stimulant medication, currently attending Lepidoptera therapeutic school in West Batman via public school IEP process, school is appropriate and uses wraparound model where they will want to consult frequently. Has mentor and support group through Esperanza Community. Child witnessed the severe assault of his cousin who he is close to. Child lives in Old Poptart Village with parents and maternal grandparents, family doesn't have a car, able to travel by subway, can get rides if it's on Wednesday evenings when the aunt watches him. Plays Dungeons & Dragons, interested in anime, Minecraft, Roblox, likes to draw, likes 3D printing, likes reading. Has Purple Shield HMO plan and able to private pay on a sliding scale.</i></b></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Yes:</h2><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b><i>Looking for a therapist for a middle-schooler (sharing with family's permission)</i></b></li><li><b><i>Telehealth or transit accessible in Metro area, some potential for further out areas</i></b></li><li><b><i>English-speaking</i></b></li><li><b><i>Trauma-informed</i></b></li><li><b><i>Willing to collaborate with wraparound providers</i></b></li><li><b><i>Competent with multi-generational Latino families</i></b></li><li><b><i>Competent with trans/queer/gender-diverse folks</i></b></li><li><b><i>Neurodiversity-affirming</i></b></li><li><b><i>Arts-based approach and/or approach incorporating gaming/geek culture a plus</i></b></li><li><b><i>Purple Shield HMO or sliding scale</i></b></li></ul><div><br /></div><div>See what I did there? When sending referrals to one person, a forum, a listserv, or absolutely anywhere, just state what qualifications the clinician needs. Don't share any information about the client or family. Even when you have permission, don't share personal information. Note that when we focus on the therapist's qualifications, it is easier to focus on broader demographic or clinical needs, rather than specifying exactly what the issues are or to which family member(s) they apply.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, don't do this:</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Looking for therapist for an 8-year-old.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div>Even if the person is of the dominant culture in most every regard, there are still cultural considerations, as well as considerations for an appropriate fit for a particular individual and family. Get out of the habit of dominant-as-default. These postings also suggest that the person making the referral isn't trusting that the client/family are the experts on themselves and get to decide what approaches and knowledge are needed, as well as imply a dismissive and saviorlike view of the person in which any therapist is surely an improvement over what is currently happening. Asking someone to engage in therapy is asking them to take extensive risks and do hard work; surely we owe them a little more care than this sort of "any therapist will do" approach. </div><p></p>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-53176390926816919902023-06-02T07:26:00.000-07:002023-06-02T07:26:50.291-07:00The two kinds of pet people on Zoom meetings<p>I know, I usually write posts that are more directly related to clinical or social justice advocacy topics, but I'm feeling compelled to share this semi-adjacent observation.</p><p>So, I've determined there are exactly two types of people when their pet makes an appearance on a work-from-home meeting and someone greets the pet or compliments them.</p><p>1) Ignores the remark, seems vaguely annoyed it has been made. May explicitly tell the animal enthusiast they are wrong to have noted the animal*. May express annoyance at the pet for existing. </p><p>2) "Oh, thank you! This is Boots, and he'll be 3 years old next Monday, and his favorite food is cheese, and I just bought him a sweater which I can show you next time."</p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">*I once accompanied a court-involved family on an initial intake meeting with a mental health provider, in which their struggling teen was polite but pretty reserved, the provider's dog appeared, and the teen appropriately complimented the dog and guessed the breed. The provider, apparently deciding not to take the opportunity to build rapport in a moment when a high-needs adolescent was easy to engage, told the kid we were discussing school performance, not the dog. OK then.</span></p>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-563683285440425492023-04-10T07:58:00.002-07:002023-04-17T09:27:21.004-07:00Join me on April 18 for a training for feeding professionals on supporting families affected by the child welfare system<p>I will be presenting a <a href="https://rfpro.teachable.com/p/supporting-children-and-families" target="_blank">live webinar hosted by esteemed feeding expert Katja Rowell</a>. CEUs are available for OTs and SLPs, and other disciplines can likely submit the training for one-time approval. We will be discussing how this is a system that has been demonstrated to err in both directions as well as dispelling several myths providers typically believe regarding this system.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiLQ4wKP-wnVggvw5LfzJ76KTTZgZMgcBBn7vvdjSPcIb61CmebNEdSa8xZlDEjQLUnSiBYel4BaN6UPGEj97zZ0HHwQP9OIkERSGgt4Vri4QSmuzHMv_QS0wXbtVKGPpspKJkueHHcNHoakyutVitZ17ZAQYoRZO3p1uqY0eaD8tnEWCYZIbrXoo/s833/Screen%20Shot%202023-04-10%20at%2010.15.04%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="833" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiLQ4wKP-wnVggvw5LfzJ76KTTZgZMgcBBn7vvdjSPcIb61CmebNEdSa8xZlDEjQLUnSiBYel4BaN6UPGEj97zZ0HHwQP9OIkERSGgt4Vri4QSmuzHMv_QS0wXbtVKGPpspKJkueHHcNHoakyutVitZ17ZAQYoRZO3p1uqY0eaD8tnEWCYZIbrXoo/w640-h130/Screen%20Shot%202023-04-10%20at%2010.15.04%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I have worked with Dr. Rowell on some other projects related to the child welfare system, such as <a href="https://nacac.org/resource/healing-from-food-insecurity/" target="_blank">this guide on the NACAC website in which we dispelled an often-repeated myth in child welfare regarding food preoccupation</a> in addition to giving other tips on trauma-informed feeding practices. Clinicians and foster parents are typically taught to view food issues in children as a sign of having not received consistent food or care in previous homes. While this can be one cause, if we set aside biases we are taught regarding families involved in the system, it should be obvious to clinicians with a solid understanding of attachment that experiencing a sudden change in caregivers (such as being removed from home...) will often also cause children to behave in ways indicating they question whether their needs will be met consistently. Children who act unsure as if there will be enough food have not necessarily experienced a shortage of food, but probably have had some sort of caregiving or security abruptly lost – or may have sensory differences, short-term memory difficulties, or other issues that may or may not be related to attachment or loss.</p><p>While our upcoming training is geared toward those who encounter children with feeding or eating concerns in their work, it points to a bigger approach I am looking to take these days: <i style="font-weight: bold;">rather than continuing to present to communities already engaged in changing/improving/abolishing the child welfare system, who tend to be quite aware of the harms done, I am taking my writing and training to other provider communities that interface with this system but don't have much of an understanding of what goes on in it. </i>My aim is to educate and guide providers to practice in a way in which we fulfill our legal and professional obligations while prevented demonstrated harm done by overreporting and/or carelessness in documenting and sharing information. </p><p>As I will discuss in more depth during the training, I have come to believe that much of the unnecessary child welfare involvement and overreporting results from providers who erroneously assume that 1) the system affords families due process and that 2) investigations involve evaluation by experts in the matter at hand. </p><p>For instance, when I complete <a href="https://www.publiccounsel.net/soc/" target="_blank">clinical child/family evaluations for attorneys through the public defender's office</a>, I typically interview the person who made the initial abuse/neglect report, among other relevant parties. I might have a situation such as a toddler who was removed from home due to a broken arm, and I will ask the provider who made the report to tell me why they believe there was abuse or neglect. They often respond by telling me they don't have any reason to believe this, but they generally report certain injuries in young children so that the CPS agency can determine what happened. When I ask further questions regarding what would need to be done to appropriately determine this, it becomes clear that the provider assumes CPS investigators enlist radiologists with forensic expertise and folks such as accident reconstruction experts – the same sort of things I assumed before I began working closely with this type of case and learned that the decisions are made solely by CPS investigators with a bachelor's or sometimes a master's degree and no specialized training. Providers working in an ongoing fashion with families involved in the system also speak to me using language indicating that they believe a judge determined the child to have been abused with a high degree of certainty – in reality, what happens is the CPS agency petitions the court to take custody of the child based on the CPS agency's determinations, the family is given no opportunity to respond, and the court typically enters the CPS agency's testimony as fact.</p><p>It is vitally important for providers to understand this dynamic: When we see children and families in our specific professional roles – in this case, as experts in pediatric feeding and eating concerns – those of us with independent professional licenses and the clinical and research experience that go along with it possess a much higher level of expertise in assessing feeding and eating dynamics than nearly anyone employed by a CPS agency. When we have concerns, our job is, well, to do our job. It is not to pass the buck to someone who does not possess sufficient skills to assess the situation and who has legitimate reasons to err on the side of harming families. The law requires us to report "reason to believe a child has been abused or neglected;" we should not be reporting "concerns" or "referrals for additional services." In order to prevent harm, we need to be employing our own expertise and consulting with and referring to other experts, and only reporting if our expert assessment has in fact revealed abuse or neglect. </p><p>Please note that none of my trainings or writings are intended as criticism of individual workers, many of whom are trusted colleagues doing some pretty remarkable work in a very broken system. Rather, I am working to bring awareness to providers of a system which, by design, affords families considerably fewer rights than the criminal system – and which is frequently argued by experts to be blatantly unconstitutional in its current form. Without a thorough understanding of this system, most clinicians overreport abuse and neglect well beyond what is legally required, as well as defer to biased and perfunctory abuse/neglect determinations as fact. In order to uphold our ethical obligations to refrain from harming our clients, clinicians need to be informed about the workings of this system.</p><p>To register for the April 18 training, <a href="https://rfpro.teachable.com/p/supporting-children-and-families" target="_blank">click here</a>. Please e-mail me as well if you are interested in a similar training either in-person or virtually.</p>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-1501820726357307342022-10-21T08:18:00.002-07:002023-07-13T12:14:52.031-07:002 free CEUs for LMHC (NBCC), Psychologist, Nursing, Social Work, Educators<p>I just received an e-mail advertising <a href="https://web.cvent.com/event/c77ba024-d767-4ccf-8305-abd3422bf9f2/summary?i=TNxfwz7fLECgxv-Kyi2MkQ&locale=en-US" target="_blank">this course, group therapy via telehealth at William James College</a>. The course is completely free.</p><p>I will mention that I have taken it before, and honestly, it's kind of eh. But it is free. </p><p>There was a lot of ableism, such as insistence that group therapists should always have the zoom chat turned off and ignoring of comments by a few of us that using chat is an accommodation for neurodivergent folks, as well as citing neurodivergent presentations as screen-out criteria for appropriateness for group therapy.*</p><p>Also, just, why would you not leave chat on? Why would you not want people to be able to type "be right back" if they need to use the restroom rather than interrupting? Why would you not want someone to be able to drop a helpful link in the chat if they're mentioning a resource? If for some reason you find people are saying off-topic or disruptive things in the chat, then you use your group leadership skills and remind people that we need to maintain one conversation at a time, and chat comments need to be on the same topic as the out loud conversation aside from quick "be right back"-type comments. </p><p><br /></p><p>*I will die on this hill: The "I don't work with the autistic 'population' though" talk from so many providers is incorrect and damaging. You do work with autistic people. If you work with people at all, about 2-5% of them are autistic. If you work in mental health or medical settings, you might be seeing 10-20% autistic folks, but if you are insisting you don't, you probably are relying on stereotypes of young white boys and don't actually recognize autism. Also, along those lines, some colleagues and I are working on a project about completely abandoning the idea of "populations" and recognizing that cultural competence is primarily a mindset, while at the same time we should all have basic familiarity with experiences that occur fairly frequently. </p><p>Further reading: </p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/PerinatalBirder/status/1568649392110075904" target="_blank">1 in 5 adults presenting to outpatient psychiatry are autistic</a></p><p><a href="https://healthcity.bmc.org/population-health/autistic-traits-found-20-young-adults-seeking-addiction-treatment">Autistic traits found in 20% of young adults seeking addiction treatment</a></p><p>I don't know of any studies on rates of autistic and other neurodivergent presentations in parents involved in the child welfare system, but anecdotally it's very very high, with no acknowledgement whatsoever that it's an area of needed cultural competence.</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>I have no affiliation with Williams James College other than minimally as someone who periodically supervises interns for them. I post free/low-cost CEUs I find in order to promote equity and representation in the field, and sometimes share my own personal thoughts about the trainings and/or the trainer. </b></i></span></p>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-45060230439851002192022-05-17T08:41:00.002-07:002022-05-27T12:55:36.358-07:00Use accurate language for developmental stages to ensure equity and optimal development<p>I'm noticing a trend, particularly among the attachment parenting/gentle parenting/peaceful parenting folks, of referring to children using developmental-stage terms that have a pretty clear definition among child development professionals, yet are being used to refer to much older children than intended. To be clear, I endorse the general philosophies of these movements, but I have some concerns regarding 1) these communities' tendency to be very steeped in privilege and 2) the tendency to conflate letting children have a childhood with infantilizing children (and often harshly judging schools or families for perfectly appropriate expectations).</p><p>Much has been said in the media regarding the stark differences in age perception of youth depending on their race and class. We see poorer and browner teens referred to as "men" and "women," while richer and whiter adults in their 20s are referred to as misguided little boys and girls.</p><p>As a clinician with a background in development psychology, as well as personal and professional interest in how youth of color and youth with disabilities are perceived, I am noticing this trend actually starts much earlier than this. I am regularly seeing parents referring to preschool-aged or school-age children as "toddlers," elementary-aged youths or even teens as "young children," and young adults as "children." While some of this may just be related to general trends toward longer childhoods in industrialized nations, I do see problems arising with the application of many of these terms to older children than they in fact refer to.</p><p>The media tends to use infantilizing terms to portray innocence and garner sympathy. A 3- or 4- or 5-year-old child may be referred to as a "toddler" when reporting on a story in which such a child was mistreated. This may not be as problematic when the context of the story is something such as a stranger assault or other crime we can all agree is inexcusable, but it may be problematic when there is debate as to what constitutes appropriate parenting or appropriate levels of independence for a child. A news item stating a parent had a toddler walking to school alone sounds shocking, as toddlers are 1 or 2 years old and certainly should not be alone, but it may be inappropriately sensationalizing the story (thus casting blame on the parent) if the child is 5 or 6 and walks a short distance to school or to a bus stop as many children do at this age. If the child were appropriately referred to as a Kindergartener or a school-aged child, the story would no longer sound as if it depicts a problem. (And it is very likely there is no problem, depending of course on community norms, community safety, and the child's own skill level.) </p><p>Similarly, using "young child" to refer to an 11-year-old can also be extremely misleading. I have something separate in the works regarding the number of bogus child welfare reports I see regarding "inappropriate sexual knowledge" when it is in fact age-appropriate, but sticking to the language issue, an 11-year-old is an adolescent, a school-aged child, and depending on the community is often a middle-schooler. Is it concerning if an adolescent is familiar with basics of sex and drugs? It shouldn't be, and the World Health Organization standards state that they should know these things in the 9-12 range and should be learning them in their middle school health classes, so this knowledge should actually be solid upon entering adolescence. Is it concerning if a young child has extensive knowledge of these things? Depending on context, it may well be. An 11-year-old is twice the age of a young child though, so no one should be referring to an 11-year-old adolescent as a young child.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b><b>Correctly applied terms, along with definitions and sources:</b></h2><p><b>Infant</b>: A child from birth up to 12 months of age, or sometimes the age the child starts walking and talking (in a developmentally typical child)</p><p><b>Toddler</b>: <a href="https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">A child from the 12 months and/or the walking/talking stage through 2 years 9 months, or through 3rd birthday</a>. May begin anywhere between 12 and 16 months if basing age ranges on child care regulations, thus when the child moves from "the infant classes" to "the toddler classes." </p><p><b>Young child</b>: <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/uscode.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=20-USC-920218900-1675627098&term_occur=999&term_src=" target="_blank">A child under the age of 4/5/6 depending on the context. Generally understood to mean a child who has not reached local school age</a>. When referring to a developmental stage or a classroom grouping, this usually means children from about 2nd birthday to 6th birthday. This may sometimes be used to refer to pre-pubescent children (see information regarding puberty below) but "child" or "school-age child" is a better designation. </p><p><b>Preschooler</b>: This might mean any child who has not yet reached the local Kindergarten age, but as a developmental stage, refers to children from about <a href="https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/Pages/default.aspx">3rd birthday to 5th birthday</a>.</p><p><b>School-age child</b>: Depending on local norms, this might refer to children four and older, five and older, or six and older, and also might continue through high school or may end at the end of elementary or middle school. This may include Pre-Kindergarten age or Kindergarten age, or might start at first grade or equivalent.</p><p><b>Child</b>: Generally anyone under the age of 18. May be anyone under the age of 13, if differentiating between children and teens. An organization might have "child" grouping/pricing/rules for those under 10/11/12 and might consider those past the cutoff to be teens or older children. </p><p><b>Youth</b>: Might be synonymous with "child," particularly in public health contexts. May also be used in programs that divide children into child/youth or child/youth/teen, perhaps making the switch between child and youth anywhere between 6 and 12.</p><p><b>Teen</b>: Anyone 13 to 19. Some organizations may categorize youth as "teens" starting as early as 11 or at late as 15, or based on attending either middle school or high school, and may consider a high-school graduate to no longer be a teen, but the term "teenager" literally refers to an individual whose age has "teen" in the number. </p><p><b>Adolescent</b>: <a href="https://www.who.int/health-topics/adolescent-health#tab=tab_1" target="_blank">Anyone 10 to 19</a>. This one is quite clear and doesn't have much leeway. </p><p><b>Tween</b>: This tends to be a less-formal designation, and refers to youth who are not yet teens, but typically would be independently reading, writing, using technology, and able to spend some time in the community alone (i.e. "in be-tween"). This range may encompass around 8-12.</p><p><b>Older child</b>: This may refer to any child who is not a "young child," i.e., anyone over about 4-6, or might refer to older elementary students, similar to "tween." In specific contexts, it may just refer to children who are older than the typical age for a particular issue or program, for instance, an article on tantrums in the older child or bedwetting in the older child.</p><p><br /></p><h2><b>Regarding stages of puberty:</b></h2><p>It is also worth discussing the stages of puberty, as terms relating to puberty are 1) frequently incorrectly used, with many believing children are "prepubescent" until mid- or late adolescence when puberty is complete, or believing "puberty" refers to one specific event during puberty and 2) incorrectly believed to correlate with emotional or intellectual maturity. Similar to the developmental age ranges, there is a trend toward using "prepubescent" to refer to adolescents or middle-schoolers, who typically will have begun puberty.</p><p>Terms relating to puberty should only be used when directly relevant, when physical/sexual maturity are what is being discussed.</p><p>It should be noted that these stages can vary based on race/ethnicity and genetic/hereditary factors. Black children assigned female at birth typically reach the stages of puberty a year earlier than white children. </p><p><b>Prepubescent</b>: This refers to the stage when no signs of puberty have occurred, typically under 8-9 in those assigned female at birth and under 10-11 in those assigned male at birth. The first signs of puberty are referred to as Tanner Stage II, and a child is no longer "prepubescent" once this stage has been observed. </p><p><b>Puberty</b>: Occurs in stages over a span lasting around five to seven years, which roughly coincides with adolescence for those assigned male at birth. In those assigned female at birth, may begin a year or two before adolescence and be complete by mid-adolescence. </p><p><b>Pubescent</b>: This term is not clearly defined. Medical dictionaries typically state this term refers to a child who is approaching or has just begun puberty. It is often colloquially used to refer to an adolescent who has completed puberty or reached an arbitrary stage of puberty. Usage varies in different non-medical dictionaries, with some stating it refers to an adolescent with an adult body; probably best to avoid the term as it is not clearly defined. </p><p><br /></p><h2><b>A note on youths with disabilities/neurodivergence:</b></h2><p>Overall developmental stages are assigned by age, not abilities or interests. The disability community repeatedly informs us that referring to a child or adult as functioning like a younger person is problematic and offensive. A 13-year-old who has minimal language and whose overall skills best match Piaget's sensorimotor stage of development is an adolescent, not a toddler. </p><p>A youth with disabilities may lack skills that prevent them from safely engaging in certain tasks, such as being home alone as long as peers, or driving a motor vehicle. Other youths with disabilities may do these things safely. Barring acute safety risks, it is appropriate for youths to do things in accordance with their developmental stage. It is appropriate for any adolescent to date, watch horror or romance films, hear and use profanity (and be informed that it is not appreciated in certain settings!) Some adolescents with disabilities may not have interest in age-normative tasks, and it is also not appropriate to tell them they are "too old" for hobbies or interests that are not harming anyone. Other adolescents without disabilities may also have no interest in age-normative pursuits for various reasons (for instance: asexuality, focus on religious or cultural pursuits, focus on academics or hobbies, or simply different preferences). </p><p>When assessing whether the level of freedom or exposure to information is appropriate for a given youth, we want to simply look at the age and whether there is an acute safety issue present. Take, for instance, a middle-schooler with Down syndrome who speaks about alcohol and drugs being fashionable. Is this normal behavior in early adolescence? Yes, certainly; professionals working with youth are intimately familiar with all of the substance references present in popular music and films. Is the youth abusing substances? If not, there is no issue. The youth may need reminders as to when discussing substances is appropriate, just as many middle-schoolers do. Should we jump to the conclusion that there is abuse/neglect occurring, based on the fact that many parents of disabled youths shelter their youth? No; this knowledge is normal for the age, and the experts on health education recommend that disabled youths not be excluded from these teachings. There is generally no reason to assume that disabled youths obtained such information from anywhere other than health education materials, peers, or age-appropriate* media. (*Age-appropriate in the sense that it is culturally normal, not necessarily that it is entirely positive for adolescent development.) </p><p>Similarly, when disabled youth report dating, or having a gender identity or sexual orientation, professionals need to be aware of when these things are normal. It is normal for youths to state what their gender is at around 2-3. It is normal to discuss wanting to date or marry a same-gender or different-gender peer around 5-6. (Many LGBTQ+ folks are not aware of their identities until adolescence or adulthood, but a good many are aware during the preschool stage if provided with role-modeling and language to be aware of this.) </p><p>Youths may express that they are "dating" during the pre-adolescent years, and this typically consists of nothing other than stating they are together. This is completely normal behavior for disabled, nondisabled, LGBTQ+, and cisgender/heterosexual youth. During adolescence, dating may progress into spending time together and might involve a physical relationship. Unless there is a reason to believe coercion is occurring, this is normal behavior. A relationship between a disabled and nondisabled person does not necessarily indicate coercion, and consultation should be sought from disabled experts. </p><style id="boom-extension-css-block">.boom-extension-active{cursor: crosshair !important}
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</style>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-88544561584409802922022-03-28T08:12:00.003-07:002022-03-28T08:12:46.125-07:00Another free CEU for Massachusetts LMHCs, psychologists, social workers, nurses, educators<p>Another free one from William James College, <a href="https://web.cvent.com/event/36676e7c-af17-4609-bc06-d712d7a14a5c/summary?locale=en-US&i=MruikkZe-EGVzzZr3WHm_g" target="_blank">April 8 from noon-1pm, on suicide prevention</a>. </p><p>Offers one CEU for Massachusetts LMHC (or any state that accepts NBCC), psychologists, social workers, nurses, educators.</p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>[Usual caveat that I have no affiliation with the training or WJC other than being a field training supervisor at times. I generally post any CEUs I encounter that are free or low-cost regardless of topic or quality, unless they appear seriously problematic, in which case I may post them anyway and encourage people to attend and engage in advocacy as appropriate. I also at times post trainings with trainers or organizations I do personally endorse, and will specify when this is the case.]</i></span></p><style id="boom-extension-css-block">.boom-extension-active{cursor: crosshair !important}
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</style>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-43379573958104458322022-03-18T08:59:00.001-07:002022-03-18T08:59:41.119-07:00Article about food insecurity in those aging out from care<p>I am quoted <a href="https://civileats.com/2022/03/14/a-new-approach-to-keep-former-foster-youth-from-facing-food-insecurity/">in this piece about aging-out youth</a>, which is overall quite well done. The author and I had some interesting conversations, and she seems to have a good handle overall on social justice constructs.</p><p>My approach to this problem, which the author alluded to in quoting me but which wouldn't really be a relevant focus for a food policy publication, would of course be that no youth should be aging out of foster care. Research shows that most youth in care do not need to be there, and whatever "neglect" resulted in their removal can usually be remedied with just money. I unfortunately cannot remember whom (please leave a comment if you know), but a presenter at the Columbia Journal of Race and Law Strengthened Bonds conference last year pointed out that middle-class families experience the same issues that result in foster care for poor families (health issues, substance misuse), but solve these by hiring caregivers and homemakers. The reason we don't just use public funds to do the same thing and keep families together is that federal laws provide huge amounts of money for foster care and adoption but incredibly little for family stabilization. This is largely because the primary lobbying group for child welfare policy is connected to a private evangelical adoption agency.</p><p>The few children who are truly not safe at home can generally be placed safely with a relative or friend, but usually are not due to the dynamics illustrated in The New Jim Crow and Shattered Bonds, in which an overwhelming number of poor and/or Black adults have criminal records or child welfare records, not because of anything truly unsafe, but because communities are disproportionately policed. The policies that Richard Wexler calls "Better Safe than Sorry" approaches mean that child welfare agencies are typically opposed to placing a child with a perfectly safe relative who has a child welfare history involving school attendance or disagreeing with a medical provider over a minor issue. Children who are with people they know have much better outcomes, grow up knowing their family of origin, and generally go home faster. They also are much less likely to "age out" of care and have nowhere to live even if they turn 18 still living with a relative.</p><p>This brings me to my next issue, which is that the children placed in foster care with strangers shouldn't be "aging out" either. We need massive reform in terms of the attitudes and expectations of the child care system. I cannot imagine having the attitude that any child who has ever stayed in home would not be welcome indefinitely. Most people do not kick biological children out of their homes at 18 (and those who do are viewed as harsh and heartless), so I do not know why this is considered acceptable for children in foster care. Children in care are viewed as expendable though, even (especially?) by the system. The system allows parents to "give their notice" in stating that they no longer want a particular child in their home, and then are permitted to continue fostering as if they did not just abandon a child. There is slightly more scrutiny when parents do this with children for whom an adoption has been finalized, but I also see that occur (and have seen it encouraged by clinicians) and again, it is not treated the same way as parents who abandon a biological child. The harm to the child is obviously the same in all cases. </p><style id="boom-extension-css-block">.boom-extension-active{cursor: crosshair !important}
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</style>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-61155467249087234972022-03-14T10:48:00.004-07:002022-03-28T08:15:24.950-07:00Free 2 CEU course for LMHC, SW, psychologists, nurses, educators<p><a href="https://web.cvent.com/event/676b42cf-dd92-4385-8378-cc23fb1a6823/summary?locale=en-US&i=i1WbQsELMkiyyV9VOgMIFw">William James College is offering this free course</a> on group therapy via telehealth. The list of pending and approved CEUs is <a href="https://web.cvent.com/event/676b42cf-dd92-4385-8378-cc23fb1a6823/websitePage:1a90af58-bb8a-40fd-a8e3-57c230459ed6?locale=en-US&i=i1WbQsELMkiyyV9VOgMIFw">here</a>.</p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>[Usual disclaimer that I have no affiliation with the presenter or organization other than having been a fieldwork supervisor for the college. I post pretty much any free/low-cost CEUs I find unless they seem highly problematic, and even then I sometimes post them and encourage people to attend and provide healthy pushback.]</i></span></p><style id="boom-extension-css-block">.boom-extension-active{cursor: crosshair !important}
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</style>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-14350049440516689782021-07-13T08:11:00.015-07:002023-01-23T15:06:47.239-08:00Roundup of autistic-led resources for support, training, supervision, etc.<p>This will likely eventually merge with a project I have in progress about the importance of lived experience and intersectional resources, but for now, this is a repository of neurodiversity resources. I am adding to it over time, usually as I remember a resource that I forgot to include.</p><p>Resources here are led by autistic or otherwise neurodivergent folks, with a few exceptions in which I will clarify that the individual is someone very much immersed in neurodiversity culture and highly recommended by autistic folks I trust. It should be mentioned that these are resources I personally feel are sufficiently acknowledging of diversity of experiences thus applicable to a good amount of folks. Resources that I have found to be problematic in terms of lacking intersectionality are intentionally omitted (for these types of resources, this usually means the content is based heavily on assumptions of privilege to easily change schools or providers, freely disagree with mandated reporters and freely decline recommended services – or is written with a general sanctimoniousness that all rules and expectations of the broader society are oppressive).</p><p>Note: At some point I will create a searchable document so folks can find speakers who satisfy more than one intersection (autistic + adopted person, autistic + trans, autistic + Black + queer + immigrant, etc.) This will take some additional work as many folks do not highlight these identities on their websites and I will want to make sure I have consent to share their various identities. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Autistic healthcare/education professionals </span><br /></b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">and some professionals I see frequently recommended by autistic folks<br /></span></b><span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: normal;">(Note: Professionals are separated out not because I believe they have more to offer than those without this background, but to assist folks seeking someone who can potentially be hired for CEU trainings, university credit, etc.)</span></h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://morenikego.com/about/">Morénike Giwa Onaiwu</a> (Autistic educator, speaker, disability advocate, foster/adoptive parent)</li><li><a href="https://www.autisminblack.org/" target="_blank">Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC</a> (CEO of Autism in Black, recommended frequently by autistic folks)</li><li><a href="https://autistichoya.net/bio/" target="_blank">Lydia X. Z. Brown</a> (Autistic attorney, advocate, speaker, educator)</li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/theautisticOT" target="_blank">Sarah Selvaggi-Hernandez, OTR/L</a> (Autistic OT, speaker, trainer, advocate)</li><li><a href="https://dorseyslp.com/">Rachel Dorsey, CCC-SLP</a> (Autistic SLP, speaker, trainer, extensive blogger)</li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/megproctorOT" target="_blank">Meg Proctor, OTR/L</a> (Founder of Learn, Play, Thrive, recommended frequently by autistic folks)</li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/kellymahler" target="_blank">Kelly Mahler, OTR/L</a> (trauma and interoception work, recommended frequently by autistic folks)</li><li><a href="http://www.kimclairy.com/">Kimberly Clairy, OTR/L</a> (Autistic OT, writer, speaker, eating disorder educator)</li><li><a href="https://schwartzneurodiversity.com/" target="_blank">Joel Schwartz, PsyD</a> (clinician, speaker, trainer, recommended frequently by autistic folks)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/haleymossart">Haley Moss</a> (Autistic attorney, advocate, accessibility expert)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/phineasfrogg">Finn Gardiner</a> (Disabled/neurodivergent researcher, writer)</li><li><a href="https://livedexperiencecounsellor.com/">Sonny Jane Wise</a> (Autistic peer counselor, trainer, advocate) </li><li><a href="https://www.grattonpsychotherapy.com/">Finn V. Gratton, LMFT</a> (Autistic genderqueer therapist, provides consultation and training on working with autistic transgender youth, has very graciously posted a video of a training with Nathan Dorcey A. Johnson on their website accessible free of charge)</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/child-adolescent-psychological-evaluations-llc-saint-matthews-ky/414074">Matt Lowry, LPP</a> (Autistic psychological practitioner, <a href="https://www.lacpa.org/index.php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat.detail&evid=254&Itemid=115&year=2021&month=04&day=26&title=virtual-assessment-special-interest-group&uid=7d84830ac165c495aa3d631c88bcd904">provides trainings</a>, evaluations, therapy)</li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/asiatu">Asiatu Lawoyin</a> (Autistic coach)</li></ul><div>Also:</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/2219847184963504/">Neurodiversity Affirmative Therapists</a> group on Facebook (led by neurodivergent clinicians and open to all clinicians/educators/support staff; I will provide the caveat that the group does permit members to use the group for personal support and troubleshooting, so there tend to be a lot of these type of posts that aren't everyone's cup of tea)</li></ul><div></div><p></p><h4><span style="font-size: large;">Autistic-led support and advocacy organizations</span></h4><h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://autismandrace.com/autistic-people-of-color-fund/" target="_blank">Autistic People of Color Fund</a></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://autismcareerpathways.org/" target="_blank">Autism Career Pathways</a></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://autisticadvocacy.org/">Autistic Self-Advocacy Network</a></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://awnnetwork.org/" target="_blank">Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network</a></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://neuroclastic.com/" target="_blank">NeuroClastic</a> (this site in particular has a lot of downloadable ready-to-use resources)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AutisticDoctors/">Autistic Doctors International</a></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://autismandrace.com/">Autism and Race</a></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Aucademy/">Aucademy</a></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.divergentminds.org/">Foundations for Divergent Minds</a><br /></span></li><li><a href="https://www.autismlevelup.com/" style="font-weight: normal;">Autism Level Up</a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> (this site in particular has a lot of downloadable ready-to-use resources)</span></li></ul><div></div><p></p></h4><h4><span style="font-size: large;">Autistic online spaces</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">(less-formal spaces without clear leadership) </span></h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://wrongplanet.net/">Wrong Planet</a> (owned by autistic person Alex Plank, but is largely an unmoderated open forum)</li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Twitter hashtags <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ActuallyAutistic">#ActuallyAutistic</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AskingAutistics">#AskingAutistics</a></span></li><li>Reddit: <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/aspiememes/">r/aspiememes</a>, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/aspergirls/">r/aspergirls</a>, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/neurodiversity/">r/neurodiversity</a>, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AutismTranslated/">r/autismtranslated</a></li></ul></div><div><h4><b><span style="font-size: large;">Autistic bloggers, tweeters, social-media-ers</span><br /></b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">and some non-autistic folks I see frequently recommended by autistic folks</span></b></h4><div><ul><li><a href="https://stopabasupportautistics.home.blog/" target="_blank">Stop ABA, Support Autistics</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/NeuroRebel" target="_blank">Neurodivergent Rebel</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/AutSciPerson">Autistic Science Person</a></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/adiaryofamom">Diary of a Mom</a> (non-autistic parent, highly recommended in autistic communities)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/BlackAutist">The Black Autist</a> </li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/SupernovaMomma">Supernova Momma</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/UnstrangeMind" target="_blank">Maxfield Sparrow</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/lilririah">Riah Person</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/notanautismmom">Not an Autism Mom</a> (non-autistic parent, highly recommended in autistic communities)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/tinygracenotes">Ibby Grace</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/thinkingautism">Thinking Person's Guide to Autism</a> (non-autistic parent, frequent autistic guest writers)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/neurowonderful">Amythest/NeuroWonderful</a></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/fidgetsandfries">Fidgets and Fries</a></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/autisticamentemarcela">Autisticamente Marcela</a></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Neuromess.blog">Neuromess</a></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/angryasianandautistic">Angry, Asian, and Autistic</a></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/tmkearns/">The Autistic Author</a></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AutisticTyping">Autistic, Typing</a></li></ul><div>Additionally, check out this amazing roundup of <a href="https://livedexperiencecounsellor.com/blog/actuallyautisticigaccounts">#ActuallyAutistic Instagram accounts</a> from Sonny Jane. I have not vetted these, but I have found Sonny Jane's own content to be intersectional and high quality. They also are the author of a great book on <a href="https://amzn.to/3D0Rn1l" target="_blank">DBT skills for neurodivergent folks</a> that many of my friends and family find very helpful.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>If you like books, <a href="https://notanautismmom.com/2020/07/20/autism-books/">this list of 100 autism-affirmative books by mostly autistic authors</a> from Not an Autism Mom is wonderful as well.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Also! Folks looking to better understand autistic culture will want to: </h3><div><br /></div><div>1) Follow trans/nonbinary/queer/LGBTQ social media topics as well, as there is a massive overlap between <a href="https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/largest-study-to-date-confirms-overlap-between-autism-and-gender-diversity/" target="_blank">gender-diverse folks and neurodiverse folks</a>. A queer resource roundup is in the works as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) Learn about geek culture and observe these social media spaces. Obviously not all autistic folks share these interests (and we need to be mindful of stereotyping in this way and especially to avoid the diagnostic pitfall of viewing "normative" social interests as incompatible with autism), but many autistic and otherwise neurodivergent folks socialize around "geek" hobbies like Dungeons & Dragons and other roleplay, anime/manga, fandoms, fanfic/fanart, programming/coding, digital art, Minecraft, Roblox, Star Wars, Magic the Gathering/Yu-Gi-Oh/Pokémon, fursuits and furry fandoms, video games of all sorts, Harry Potter (though be aware many fans have dropped this fandom due to the author's transphobia), She-Ra, Steven Universe, Hello Kitty, My Little Pony, Dr. Who, Monty Python. It is not uncommon to encounter autistic youth communities socializing around '60s and '70s fads, while at the same time finding autistic adult communities socializing around current or vintage media typically aimed toward children. A common mantra in geek culture and autistic spaces is "let people like things," as unusual or anachronistic hobbies are not harming anyone and are a means of making connections and accessing joy. </div><div><br /></div><div>3) <b>Listen to autistic folks. Really listen. Learn that the autistic community prefers identity-first language. Learn that the community at large opposes ABA. Learn that the community in general doesn't appreciate functioning labels or "disorder" labels. </b></div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">For those in a workplace setting that requires information in the format of either a book or a training rather than a catalog of social media links, my favorite recommendations are:</span></h4><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Being an Inclusive and Supportive Parent, Provider, and Teacher for Neurodivergent Children / Understanding Autism and ADHD Under the Neurodiversity Paradigm by Haley S. Wens</i></b>, <a href="https://payhip.com/b/2iLZv">available for purchase here</a>. This book is a great "cheat sheet" summarizing the main points made by the neurodiversity community -- what language is preferred by most of the community, what services are and aren't appreciated by most of the community, and so forth.</div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div><b><i>Neurodiversity Affirming Practice live CEU by Neurodiverse Counseling Services</i></b>, offered on June 25 2022, <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/neurodiversity-affirming-practice-tickets-326008619557?fbclid=IwAR1N01ADys9oGbVIjDWST3x98ISgApy5BNWokTUSstE-lf_HIVsfbtMvkMw">at this link</a>. In the future or if that date doesn't work, you can find them <a href="https://www.neurodiversecounseling.com/">here</a>.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Various Trainings with Joel Schwartz, who doesn't have anything autism-related up right now, but you can find him <a href="https://schwartzneurodiversity.com/">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>LearnPlayThrive, Rachel Dorsey, and Kelly Mahler (all linked above) also frequently have formal CEU trainings. </div><style id="boom-extension-css-block">.boom-extension-active{cursor: crosshair !important}
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</style>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-32280876439184967192021-06-06T21:00:00.006-07:002021-06-13T11:16:21.486-07:00The ABA autism industry needs to be abolished, but please stop with the "abuse and neglect" language<p>I recently wrote about how the ABA autism industry needs to be abolished, while at the same time we need to take care to keep an intersectional view and recognize that many families do not have the privilege to decline recommended services.</p><p>Another pattern I am seeing in ABA abolition advocacy that lacks intersectionality is the practice of referring to ABA as "abuse and neglect." Now, I absolutely understand from a clinical standpoint why someone would view these practices this way. There are very much practices in the ABA autism industry that are demonstrated to cause long-lasting harm. There is much documentation of therapists engaging in the same practices that have in other separate instances resulted in an abuse/neglect finding when carried out by various parents unrelated to ABA (force-feeding, extended seclusion/ignoring, withholding of food/restroom, etc.) There is no question that this industry engages in harmful practices.</p><p>The problem comes when we refer to the entire industry as abusive while failing to understand the child welfare system and the very real and serious risks it poses to poorer families, browner families, and disabled parents. </p><p>As a clinician, I recognize that there exists a wide range of parenting and caregiving practices that could make sense to call abusive or neglectful from a clinical standpoint, but which do not rise to the level of abuse or neglect in which legal intervention would be warranted. (For the purposes of this discussion, I am not currently going to discuss CPS overreach and the widespread problems with non-abusive families being involved with CPS for reasons of racism and poverty, nor will I discuss movements to abolish the current system in favor of proactive and collaborative community-led programming. I am referring here to situations in which legal intervention is truly needed in order to ensure safety of a child.) </p><p>When I am in the role of working with someone 18 or over who discusses having been abused or neglected as a child, my response is to listen and allow the individual to control this narrative. It does not generally matter at this point what language the person is using; it matters what their experience was.</p><p>However, when I am working in a role involving minor children, or in policy or other discussions involving minor children, this language absolutely does matter. It is highly problematic to refer to ineffective or questionable parenting as abuse and neglect when there is currently a minor child involved, as this can result in unnecessary and traumatic child welfare involvement. It has been well demonstrated that the child welfare system is rife with patterns of racism and classism at every level (reporting, screening, investigating, supporting, removal, and reunification), and is has been well demonstrated that any contact with this system is highly traumatic and destabilizing for children and parents. It has also been well demonstrated that "better safe than sorry" practices are harmful both to the non-abusive families as well as to victimized children who are not able to receive help because resources are misallocated in a system in which only a single-digit percentage of reports turn out to be abuse (and even fewer of those would hold up in court as such). </p><p>Another thing to understand about the child welfare system is how allegations are documented and screened. In order to screen in a situation for investigation, an "alleged perpetrator" must be named. For anyone who is still on the fence about "better safe than sorry" or "just to make sure services are in place" usage of this system, what this means is that in order to contact the child welfare system with a concern that a child/family "might be in need of further services," a reporter needs to list an alleged perpetrator, who must be someone considered a caregiver for the child. If the reporter states they are not alleging abuse or neglect, or states they are not blaming anyone, the screener nonetheless takes the report, alleging (usually) neglect, and lists the child's parent as the alleged perpetrator. If anyone still thinks this is a system "to make sure services are in place," please know there is no such option for doing this, because that is not what the system is legally tasked with doing. There are ample voluntary community-led programs that put services in place. </p><p>I have sat in meetings as a clinician in which a DCF investigator explains to the family "no one is accusing you of anything; we are just wanting to make sure appropriate services are in place." In the meetings in which the family was fortunate enough to have an attorney (unless the family can private-pay an attorney, in Massachusetts this generally means only families where a child in the family already is in DCF custody), the attorney has informed the investigator that it is problematic if that is how they are viewing the situation, as the legal role of the investigator is to determine whether a caregiver has abused or neglected the child, not "whether appropriate services are in place." (A family has the legal right to have their child involved in considerably fewer services than most of us would agree are ideal, as long as their inaction is not causing or highly likely to cause the child significant lifelong harm.) Also, the report having been screened in requires that DCF has alleged abuse or neglect with the caregiver listed as alleged perpetrator, so someone is being accused of something. </p><p>So, back to how this relates to ABA. More and more, I am seeing well-meaning folks in their ABA abolition advocacy stating that things like behavior charts, time-outs, rewards, withholding any preferred item or activity, first-work-then-fun practices, and general participation in ABA are "abuse and neglect." Again, I get the sentiment. I am right with y'all in knowing why primarily behavioral systems of teaching and parenting are not trauma-informed and not the best choice. </p><p>Language matters though. In the presence of a child welfare system that can do so much harm if misused or carelessly employed, we as clinicians and as members of the public need to be very cautious to not refer to anything occurring in a family (with or without the encouragement of an ABA program) as abuse or neglect, unless we truly feel legal intervention is needed for the safety of the child. I have a real problem with sentiments such as that "withholding any preferred item or activity is abuse." While I fully agree it shouldn't be done by a therapist unless done in a really supportive/collaborative "hey let's see if you can get through this hard thing" type of way, I am not comfortable with a view that means a parent who takes away TV privileges until chores are done or takes away a child's electronics for whatever reason should have the legal system intervene in their family. </p><p>For anyone who thinks this is hyperbole, and of course this isn't what is being discussed, this shows immense privilege. As someone living and working in a mixed-income, primarily Black and brown community, I can tell you it's disturbingly common for young childless white "professionals" to call in reports for anything that isn't "gentle parenting" enough for them. (FWIW, I think gentle parenting itself is great; the sanctimony around it and lack of recognizing that some families have much higher stakes than others is the issue.) A lot of these reports are supported, even though most wouldn't hold up if families could afford private attorneys to appeal them. </p><p>The other side of this is that part of a child welfare investigation is to assess how the family disciplines their children. They are not only looking for overly harsh discipline, but also will note if a family does not seem to have a structured-enough model for discipline. While this is legally massive overreach unless a lack of limit-setting is resulting in injuries or similar, it is absolutely something that I do see occur. Families are indicated for neglect due to "lack of structure" and "lack of limit-setting" if they practice gentle/constructive discipline but lack the white social worker language and mannerisms to explain this in the way that I can. With this kind of reality hanging over the heads of poorer and browner families, I honestly would encourage families to have some sort of gentle structure for discipline that they can mention when their pediatrician asks and that their children can discuss if the topic comes up during a school discussion. White middle-class families might have the luxury of their children answering "I don't" when asked "what happens when you get in trouble?," but other families do not. Most poorer and browner families have many reasons in favor of having a protocol of infrequently asking their child to take a break in their room. </p><p>What about viewing participation in ABA itself as abuse/neglect? Remember the "alleged perpetrator" construct? If someone reports a family for participating in ABA, and they cite the problems as things like coercion and manipulation, the parent is going to be listed as the alleged perpetrator, particularly if the therapist is never with the child without the parent in the home. The parent is still the caregiver, and the parent has authorized the services. The therapist would usually not be implicated, unless something like sexual abuse or felony-level physical abuse is alleged. And even if the therapist is listed as the alleged perpetrator (i.e., was deemed to be the caregiver in charge at the time), the parent would likely also be added as an alleged perpetrator due to "choosing unsuitable caregiver."</p><p>The bottom line here is that Black and brown parents, poorer parents, and disabled parents just do not need anything said or documented anywhere that suggests abuse or neglect is going on on their watch or via a caregiver they have selected. The stakes are just too high. </p><p>There are a number of other constructs we can use that only apply to healthcare providers' behavior that can address this. The methods being used are often unethical, ineffective, not trauma-informed, and not-evidence-based (to my knowledge, there has been no large-scale research of ABA that compares it to the same number of hours of other types of teaching or therapy, nor that looks at acquisition of a full range of healthy and useful life skills rather than effectiveness at teaching autistics to mask autistic traits). There is emerging research that ABA causes anxiety and a poor self-concept. These are things to bring up when advocating that insurance companies stop funding it and fund better alternatives, that other professionals stop recommending it, and that the industry be shut down. But stating or suggesting that there is abuse and neglect going on in the homes of parents who might lack the privilege to decline ABA is not the way to go about this. We need to do better with our intersectionality. </p><style id="boom-extension-css-block">.boom-extension-active{cursor: crosshair !important}
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</style>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-20572352420382293442021-06-05T21:00:00.005-07:002022-03-14T11:05:28.298-07:00The ABA autism industry needs to be abolished, but the discussions about it need to be intersectional<p>I don't need to reiterate here how the ABA autism industry has a primary aim of getting autistic folks to act neurotypical, relies on manipulation and coercion, and is harmful to autistic folks. If this is unfamiliar to you, please do a quick google search and listen to the many autistic voices who tell us this, rather than relying on a neurotypical clinician's take on it. Or check out <a href="https://stopabasupportautistics.home.blog/2019/08/11/the-great-big-aba-opposition-resource-list/" target="_blank">The Great Big ABA Opposition List</a>, which is includes all variety of peer-reviewed articles, clinicians' personal blogs and independent pieces, firsthand accounts of autistic teens and adults, and more. </p><p>With that aside, I do want to discuss how most of the discussions I see about "never ABA" by clinicians, autistic folks, and autistic clinicians are almost entirely taking place among white, middle-class-passing, non-disabled-passing folks. These are people who have the privilege to decline a service recommended by medical teams with little risk that their children will be taken from them. These are people who largely are not relying on subsidized housing or subsidized child care that they can easily lose if their child cannot follow certain expectations or is seen to be "not participating in services." I should clarify that I know plenty of Black and brown visibly disabled autistic and otherwise neurodivergent folks who speak out about the ABA industry and the harms it does, but I have not witnessed these folks promoting the idea that all families are free to decline services recommended to them. </p><p>There is currently a huge systemic problem in the US in that private and public insurance providers will cover hours upon hours of ABA for minors with an autism diagnosis, while often covering very little else. This is the problem that needs to be addressed.</p><p>But while this is still the case, we have situations such as these (all of these are types of situations I have witnessed in my work or from friends and family, with details changed and some composites formed in order to not be personally identifiable):</p><p><b><i>Tamara is a Black autistic two-year-old who attends a subsidized child care program while her single mother Angie works. Tamara sometimes becomes overwhelmed during transition times and runs out of the classroom. The teachers cannot legally leave the classroom with her and remain in their prescribed/funded student:teacher ratio. With a 1:1 aide who can help her clean up and get her things ready a few minutes before her peers, take some breaths and squeeze a preferred toy to feel regulated, and go with her to step out of the classroom before her peers transition, she is content and successful and has no instances of running off or otherwise presenting a safety or supervision concern. The child care center does not have the funding to provide her with a 1:1 aide, nor is it legally obligated to do so. Her state does not provide any type of insurance or other funding for 1:1 aides. Her state does provide up to 40 hours per week of ABA services. Angie has enlisted an ABA therapist to remain with Tamara at child care so she can continue to attend. The ABA therapist also helps throughout the day with breaks, visual schedules, and so forth to accommodate Tamara.</i></b></p><p>Before anyone tells me that this program is billing something as ABA that is not in fact ABA, what the therapist is doing is actually a textbook ABA intervention. Chaotic transitions are an antecedent to the behavior of running off. Removing the antecedent results in the behavior no longer being necessary for the individual. While I don't see this type of ABA approach much by the ABA autism industry, it is textbook ABA and appropriate to be billed as such (as are things like task analysis, scaffolding, prompting, that all good teachers and therapists are using when needed). Again, while the ABA industry and its culture of ableism absolutely needs to be shut down, behaviorism itself just is a way to describe human behavior that we all engage in. All clinicians work based on an understanding of behavior; hopefully most of us are doing this in affirming ways that would not jump out as "behaviorism."</p><p><b><i>Braeden is a white autistic 9-year-old. His mother, Rain, received an autism diagnosis in her 40s after Braeden was diagnosed and she recognized their similarities. Rain is a self-employed graphic artist who works from home in an upper-middle-class community. Braeden was recommended a number of therapies as a young child. Rain tried some of these briefly, but found them rigid and found that Braeden was often frustrated by them. Rain now proudly describes their life as "therapy-free" and describes Braeden as a "radical unschooler" who participates in homeschooling using no curriculum, few structured classes or activities, and spends his days involved in exploring his own interests. Rain writes a popular blog promoting unschooling and rejection of all therapies. She belongs to several online radical unschooling groups made up of nearly all upper-middle-class white parents. The family's pediatrician has at a few points mentioned available therapies and suggested resources such as testing to monitor academic progress, but Rain has provided her with unschooling literature and articles about neurodiversity, and the pediatrician has been satisfied with this.</i></b></p><p><b><i>Joshua is a Black autistic 4-year-old. His mother, Tania, suspects she is probably also autistic. She mentioned this to her family physician and was immediately diagnosed with a personality disorder and denied a referral for an evaluation. Tania works from home doing electronic insurance billing for a local community health center and maintains the family right above the poverty level. </i></b><b><i>Joshua has been recommended a number of therapies and placement in special education preschool. Tania has tried some of these therapies briefly, but found them rigid and found that Joshua was often frustrated by them. She has rejected the IEP and preschool placement as it was heavily behaviorally based and she could not imagine sending Joshua there. Tania has joined online homeschooling groups and is currently homeschooling Joshua using a commercial homeschooling curriculum she is able to adapt and use flexibly. He participates in music lessons, martial arts, and some online and in-person homeschool classes. The family physician asked Tania about Joshua's schooling. She talked about Joshua's routines and explained all the information she has found out about homeschooling and neurodiversity. The family physician reported the family to child services for neglect. The family was investigated and their report indicated that Joshua attends no schooling, the family is refusing recommended therapeutic services, and Tania makes off-topic remarks and appears to have mental illness. The neglect report was substantiated and the family was given a service plan requiring that Joshua attend public school and participate in home-based ABA services, and she participate in psychiatric services. Tania lost her job due to the CPS case showing on her background check and has had to take a lower-paying job at an employer that does not work with children. </i></b></p><p>The similarities in these stories are not a coincidence; I have worked with a number of homeschooling families in various roles, and have seen these exact patterns, including a neglect finding for homeschooling a child below compulsory school age as well as investigation reports that do not mention homeschooling whatsoever and just say the child does not attend school. The patterns around professionals recognizing wealthy white folks as autistic or similarly neurodivergent while failing to recognize this in poorer and browner folks also plays out frequently in situations I see that are so similar to each other aside from demographics. The first vignette is not made of any families I have seen clinically, for what should be obvious reasons, but rather of several families I have encountered in the broader homeschooling and neurodiversity communities (who often are the ones who loudly proclaim everyone can just refuse all services). </p><p><b><i>Alex is an autistic 10-year-old. They live in a subsidized high-rise building with their Central American immigrant parents who both have an elementary-level education. Alex will sometimes yell if something loud and unexpected happens, such as a siren or loud car radio going by. They are not distressed for long, are easily comforted by their parents, and have a healthy attitude in which they make jokes about how they startle easily and that's just how they are. When other children get into their space on the building's playground, Alex will scream at them. Alex's family has been written up by building management for Alex yelling during "quiet hours" and screaming at other children. Alex's parents have explained that Alex would be fine on the playground if peers respected their requests for space and have explained that the shouting at night is no different from other inevitable noises in a housing development, but the management does not listen, is afraid Alex will be aggressive or cause problems, and has referred them to the housing authority social worker. The social worker is requiring that Alex and his family receive therapeutic services in order to maintain their housing. Alex's parents also know the housing authority will also report them to child services for not complying. Alex's parents call the community agencies that take Medicaid to ask about psychotherapy, but the agency states the only program they have that works with autistic children is an ABA program. Alex's parents seek an evaluation from this program, which recommends the same things the family is already doing (sensory and coping strategies for re-regulating after sudden noises, practicing telling peers they do not like people to be too close) and states Alex shows no concerns for aggressive behavior. A person with letters after her name has now written an evaluation stating the same things that Alex's parents have told the housing authority, and they have listened to this person and eased up. However, the social worker verifies with Alex's parents that they will of course be doing the recommended therapy. Alex's parents don't really have much of a choice, so they agree to it. The ABA therapist comes three afternoons per week for two hours and mainly just reassures Alex and helps break down tasks as they do their homework and chores – really the exact same things Alex's parents have always done, but they now have professional reports in formal language stating that Alex is getting therapeutic support. The program they have found doesn't have any particularly new insights or really much to offer, and Alex's parents aren't crazy about the sticker charts, but they do defer to the family about goals to work on and do not insist they work with Alex out of their parents' view.</i></b></p><p>We can see the myriad systemic injustices here. There are so many things wrong with what leads us to the family being in this situation. Still, they make the choice most families would make given this set of circumstances. Because of racism and classism, the family needs someone with professional credentials to state their child is fine and harmless, which was not respected when the family stated this. Because of the intersection of ableism with racism and classism, the family is constantly under the watch of systems, where people generally have a viewpoint that anyone who is atypical in any way needs to be in formal services and that any "unusual" behavior needs to be cured even though it is not particularly limiting or distressing the person. <a href="https://pandemicoffear.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">There is also the widely held racist and classist view that poorer and browner folks need to be under the supervision of largely white professionals in order for their children to be properly cared for</a>. We need to recognize that many families just do not have the privilege to decline recommended services. Rather than focusing advocacy on a position that families should be the ones responsible for declining problematic services, we need to focus on getting the problematic industries themselves shut down, as well as focusing on the larger systemic issues that leave families without a real option to decline.</p><style id="boom-extension-css-block">.boom-extension-active{cursor: crosshair !important}
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</style>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-81713665315202990752021-06-04T09:09:00.001-07:002021-06-04T09:09:20.068-07:00BCBS waiving cost-share during pandemic, but this is actually a disservice to people with Masshealth as a secondary<p>From <a href="https://www.bluecrossma.org/myblue/coronavirus-resource-center" target="_blank">BCBS website</a>: </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MaDmUfNvYcY/YLpMBm7ZOQI/AAAAAAAA17o/wzyvRMk8JI8c9_5pJ-CcFdxNjQhRMsxdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1105/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-06-04%2Bat%2B11.50.41%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Out-of-pocket COVID-19 costs are waived Telehealth costs for all covered services are waived All members can talk to a licensed doctor or provider from the comfort and safety of home, limiting the potential exposure to, and spread of, the virus. For the duration of the Massachusetts Public health emergency, we’ve waived member cost share* (copayments, co-insurance and deductibles) for all covered medically necessary medical and mental health services, provided via phone or video (telehealth) with in-network providers. Call your provider to request remote visits by phone or video, and your claims will be processed to reflect these waived costs.* Members with our telehealth benefit are encouraged to use our Well Connection platform. For Medicare HMO Blue and Medicare PPO Blue members: For Medicare HMO Blue and Medicare PPO Blue members: Until further notice, telehealth cost share will be waived for primary care visits, urgently needed visits, health risk assessments and outpatient mental health visits. In addition, cost share will be waived for telehealth visits by a specialist if the visit is related to COVID-19. *Benefits may vary by plan" border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="1105" height="210" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MaDmUfNvYcY/YLpMBm7ZOQI/AAAAAAAA17o/wzyvRMk8JI8c9_5pJ-CcFdxNjQhRMsxdQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h210/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-06-04%2Bat%2B11.50.41%2BAM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I spoke to someone in customer service, and what this means is that they are not charging any copays or 80/20 split for any telehealth services through July 1.</p><p>For people who have Masshealth as a secondary insurance, which is most children of low/moderate income, and many people with disabilities, what usually happens is that for services performed by providers who take both BCBS and Masshealth, the copay is billed to Masshealth. The BCBS deductible is then met through payments that come from Masshealth rather than the family. A sizable number of folks in my circle who have minor children with extensive needs purchase a child-only PPO plan from BCBS, which will reimburse at 80% pretty much any service for which the provider provides a proper bill regardless of whether they participate in insurance plans. I also know adults who purchase an individual BCBS plan in addition to their Masshealth plan. Child-only PPO plans are around $400 per month and adult individual plans are around $700. This allows people to get speech therapy, neuropsych evals, trauma treatment, occupational therapy, etc. from providers who do not directly bill insurance. </p><p>What most of us do is schedule hospital-based visits (and especially the expensive ones...) like neurology and genetics as early as we can during the year. We don't pay anything out of pocket for the visits because Masshealth covers the out-of-pocket charges and the deductible gets largely met by these in-network visits. We then start getting reimbursed at 80% for private therapy services for the rest of the year. </p><p>This year, BCBS is doing us a "favor" by not charging any co-pays or cost sharing. But what this means is that nothing is getting charged to Masshealth thus not going toward the deductible. So it's helping the families who make enough to not have a connector plan and who don't have disabilities and extensive costs, but is actually making it so the rest of us have an extra $5000 or so in out-of-pocket health costs this year. I asked and there is no way to opt out of this "favor." This is yet another example of why these decisions need to be made with people around the table who are low income, people with disabilities, etc. </p><p>Of course, this was less annoying before <a href="https://www.mass.gov/info-details/masshealth-premium-assistance-pa" target="_blank">Masshealth premium assistance</a> stopped allowing members to use premium assistance for privately purchased plans a few years ago. I still don't understand the logic behind that; Masshealth was able to get out of paying most of a member's costs for only $300 a month or whatever it was that they reimbursed us for having the private plan. They now only offer this for people who have access to employer-sponsored plans (which are rarely PPO plans). </p><style id="boom-extension-css-block">.boom-extension-active{cursor: crosshair !important}
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</style>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-91219813505143310512021-04-27T15:21:00.001-07:002021-04-27T15:21:36.548-07:00I highly recommend this CEU training on neurodiversity coming up on May 7<p>This training from Joel Schwartz looks very good:</p><p><b><a href="https://schwartzneurodiversity.com/?fbclid=IwAR1M0MwXpwpHDEkdo3uQVCNqrDlOyfT26_CTspJYuV--8_-AeGtYGrtYFkI" target="_blank">Challenging Myths about Autism – What Assessors and Therapists Need to Know: Lessons from the Neurodiversity Movement</a></b></p><p>It's moderately priced at $250 for 6 CEUs, with group discounts available. I am in a professional networking group with Joel and have experienced him as quite impressive. I feel like he has a good balance of affirming ADHD and autism as valid neurotypes that don't need "curing," while also recognizing that neurodivergent folks can have maladaptive patterns or skills deficits just like neurotypical people can. I definitely recommend this training for everyone who works with autistic folks. (Hint: That's anyone who works with people. Autistic people are likely somewhere between 1 and 5% of the population, and this includes an increasing number of adults who live independently and receive an initial diagnosis in adulthood.) The training covers a lot of information relevant for clinicians who "don't work with autistic people," but who should be providing neurodiversity affirmative care in our settings. </p><p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">This one is a personal recommendation. My only affiliation with this training is being impressed with it and wanting to share so we can have more clinicians who are trained in neurodiversity-affirmative practices. </span></i></p><style id="boom-extension-css-block">.boom-extension-active{cursor: crosshair !important}
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</style>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-91364421318648138122021-04-27T14:49:00.002-07:002021-04-27T14:57:25.069-07:00William James College has more free CEUs<p>This looks pretty good, especially for child welfare/court folks:</p><p><b><a href="https://web.cvent.com/event/60d293f7-f93f-4a65-ab2b-04956b64aa45/summary?locale=en-US&i=7PKarFVyLEaRp_ouQ5PjFw" target="_blank">Parenting and Substance Use Disorder: A Bi-Generational Approach</a><br />May 19, 2021, 9am - 10:30am<br />1.5 NBCC CEUs</b></p><p><i style="font-size: small;">Usual disclaimer: I am just passing this along. I have no particular affiliation with this training other than extremely minimal affiliation with the school. </i></p><style id="boom-extension-css-block">.boom-extension-active{cursor: crosshair !important}
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</style>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-87106165589816176202021-03-07T11:22:00.000-08:002021-03-07T11:22:09.101-08:00Low-cost Logo Design by Autistic Designers<p>NeuroClastic is connecting providers who are using puzzle-piece logos with autistic designers to rebrand into something neurodiversity affirming. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NeuroClastic/posts/2506034549704761" target="_blank">Check out their post here for pricing and how-to.</a></p><p>(I have no affiliation with NeuroClastic, but I personally and professionally support branding, language, and practices that are neurodiversity affirming.)</p>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-41373632130132837372021-01-24T10:02:00.003-08:002021-01-24T10:02:23.377-08:00Free NBCC/LMHC/social work CEUs via Lesley University<p><a href="https://lesley.edu/events/the-pandemic-and-mental-health-trauma-relationship-and-resilience">Irle Goldman will be giving this talk</a>. I have no direct affiliation with this specific talk, but I took a course from Dr. Goldman at Lesley when I was in graduate school 20 years ago (can that be right?) and he was one of my most memorable instructors -- incredibly smart and insightful, very person-centered and social justice oriented, very no-nonsense, very outspoken about the harm caused by systems. Unless he has somehow drastically changed, I very highly recommend him.</p><p>FYI: Social workers can use NBCC CEUs as well. Check out the Board of Registration website for the exact details on what is accepted. </p>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-22762385661989776772020-11-23T14:28:00.001-08:002020-11-29T12:06:18.106-08:00On the DCF/DOJ settlement on parents with disabilities<p><a href="https://www.wbur.org/news/2020/11/20/department-children-families-massachusetts-parents-disabilities?utm_source=News+Clip+Subscribers&utm_campaign=822bce2404-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_11_23_08_46&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9e19710dfa-822bce2404-150755021" target="_blank">The backstory and coming changes are outlined in this WBUR article</a>. </p><p>I do think there's a big piece missing here, which is that while there are certainly problems with folks at DCF relying on stereotypes of disabilities rather than objective facts (as the story discusses), there's also a problem with DCF not even usually recognizing objective behavior as part of a disability and not being able to appropriately assess what the objective behavior does or doesn't mean. </p><p>I have evaluated a large number of DCF-involved parents who I perceive to have undiagnosed neurodevelopmental or psychiatric disabilities, but who never had access to educators or healthcare professionals who recognized this and provided appropriate support. These folks don't have the privilege that wealthier and whiter disabled folks often have in which they have a diagnosis, have done the work on self-awareness, and can tell anyone who is concerned that they have a diagnosis of X and struggle with Y, but have no major trouble with daily parenting tasks or safety. They instead just present as unusual to the non-clinicians at DCF who are evaluating them, and aren't able to explain why or ask for appropriate accommodations. </p><p>Depending on my role with the family, I may be able to provide a full psych eval and appropriate diagnosis if hired privately or through CPCS, or I may be more limited and only able to attest to observed/reported skills and deficits if hired by DCF to evaluate parenting.</p><p>What I often find is patterns of folks at DCF who use particular buzzwords describing a parent and insinuating their child(ren) are at risk because of this. Common ones are "flat affect," "off-topic," "mental health issues," "cognitive issues," and "personality traits." DCF workers are rarely independently licensed clinicians and do not use empirically validated clinical tools to complete full assessments of parents. They do, however, submit affidavits to the court stating that a child should be placed in their custody due to these buzzwords. They are not generally required to substantiate how they determined that these terms apply or to give more specific information as to what exactly they mean. These buzzwords are usually sufficient to seek custody of a child. </p><p>(There are of course plenty of ethical DCF workers who do provide concrete examples of observable behaviors, seek out extensive consultation with collaterals, and only seek custody when they have grounds to do so and a child is truly at risk. I am specifically discussing the instances when alarmist workers take custody unnecessarily and put up barriers to reunification, which is why they ended up with the DOJ civil rights division investigation.) </p><p>This DOJ order doesn't seem like it will alter those situations in which DCF is implying a disability (and often the wrong disability). It seems that alarmist workers are already listing observable behaviors rather than referring to a known or suspected disability; the behaviors are just usually vague, often inaccurately perceived, and don't necessarily have anything to do with a child's safety. The workers know that while "cognitive issues" correctly refers to anything from mild AD/HD through profound intellectual disability, writing it in an affidavit implies significant intellectual disability. While "off-topic" can describe either any anxious parent making sure they cover everything important or a parent who is actively psychotic, most people are going to assume it must have been the latter if someone bothered to mention it as an alleged safety concern. While "personality traits" are something every single person has, anyone working adjacent to clinical settings knows it implies someone has active narcissism/antisocial/related behaviors. </p><p>The hiring of a disability coordinator is not likely going to do much when most of the disability discrimination I observe is toward parents who don't have a diagnosed disability. (The ADA does offer protections to those wrongly perceived to have a disability, but I don't see this working in practice even if DCF does extend disability coordinator services to anyone who wants them. The workers don't generally recognize disability in the sense of being able to be competent when given appropriate accommodations, and parents facing DCF who do not identify as disabled are not likely to want to see a disability coordinator.)</p><p>What we need is reforms to the whole way the system operates. The agency is in massive need of anti-bias training. The employees need to look like the communities in which they work. Evaluation by licensed clinicians needs to happen from the start, rather than be something that has to be insisted upon once a family is risking termination of rights. The agency needs to be required to accept evaluations from families' own providers as just as valid as their assessments (and likely more valid, for reasons that should be obvious). They need a major culture shift, in which every person employed there believes the research that all contact with that system is traumatic and destabilizing, and the research that children do better with their families in all except the most extreme circumstances. </p>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-60253875778338575782020-11-06T11:03:00.002-08:002020-12-01T13:06:08.868-08:00Rounding up free/inexpensive MA LMHC CEUs<p>To follow up on my previous post wondering about this, the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions has <a href="https://www.mass.gov/doc/emergency-policy-on-home-study-and-online-programming/download" target="_blank">issued an emergency policy for 2020-2021</a> allowing all 30 CEUs to be earned via online or home study programs.</p><p>It also appears that they <a href="https://www.mass.gov/policy-advisory/board-policies-and-guidelines-allied-mental-health#policy-on-proration-of-continuing-education-requirements-policy-no-09-01" target="_blank">updated their policy in 2011</a> to clarify that "The Board has determined that LIVE tele-seminars and LIVE webinars would be accepted by the Board as "live" CEUs. Re-broadcasts are not be accepted as "live" CEUs." This is of course buried on their page in a board policy section, rather than mentioned in any of the several sections about licensure renewal or CEU requirements that are easily navigable from their front page. (Calling anything "easily navigable" on these new Mass.gov pages is giving them entirely too much credit, of course; the page layouts and navigation are terrible.)</p><p>Anyway, this does seem that they have in fact caught up with the times and recognized that live online events are quite different from asynchronous online courses. I am pleased to find this, even if it took some serious digging to find.</p><p>On that note, since this is a good time to get some CEUs completed, I'm rounding up free/low-cost CEUs (both "regular" online and live online). I'm going to post pretty much anything I find that has NBCC credits, and will post ones offering other credit if the content looks particularly good. (For those who are unaware, the LMHC board accepts credits approved by NBCC or MaMHCA, and <a href="https://www.mamhca.org/continuingeducation/lmhc-ce-guidelines/" target="_blank">MaMHCA will "convert" CEUs from APA/NASW/other state boards etc. for a small fee</a>, which is just really some ridiculous bureaucracy, but it is what it is.)</p><p>Without further ado...</p><p><b><a href="http://www.cvent.com/events/cultivating-post-traumatic-growth-in-kids-and-families-through-mindfulness-during-covid/event-summary-e735bf8b091f49d8a589b07033f74ea8.aspx?Refid=Online%20Calendar" target="_blank">Cultivating Post Traumatic Growth in Kids and Families through Mindfulness during COVID</a><br />4 NBCC CEUs, Free<br />William James College <br />Self-study online, available through December 31</b></p><p><b><a href="https://ce4less.com/Ethics-And-Boundary-Issues-Psychologist-Ceu" target="_blank">Ethics and Boundary Issues</a><br />5 NBCC CEUs, Free<br />CE4Less<br />Self-study online, appears to be available pretty indefinitely</b><br /><i>(And since it's a topic on which I teach a lot of trainings and know the research quite well, I want to mention that I assume this course follows the status quo and suggests "better safe than sorry" mandated reporting practices, which have been shown to cause harm and not increase safety, and which laws and ethics codes absolutely do not require. Take the course to get your free CEUs, then educate yourself elsewhere as to how to ensure safety and satisfy liability without excessive reporting.)</i></p><p><b><a href="https://courses.clearlyclinical.com/courses/free-ceu-transgender-nonbinary-clients?fbclid=IwAR0SvN6RVDUNcw48w5eJ2GNlGs0wO8vi6UXtXcOzcjXnN3ZIkjCKnN9Q1Zo" target="_blank">Providing Inclusive, Respectful Care to Your Gender Questioning, Transgender, & Nonbinary Clients</a><br />1 CEU (NBCC and others), Free<br />Clearly Clinical<br /></b><b>Self-study online, appears to be available pretty indefinitely</b><b><br /><br /></b></p><p><i style="background-color: white; color: #535353; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Note: Unless stated otherwise, I have no affiliation with courses, presenters, or organizations, posts are not any type of endorsement. I am committed to publicizing low-cost CEU opportunities to assist fellow clinicians in locating these, and will generally publish any I encounter.</i></p>Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-25851126712849093952020-05-24T11:33:00.000-07:002020-05-24T11:33:01.131-07:00Will the COVID-19 situation finally convince the MA LMHC board to update guidelines for online CEUs?Since I became licensed in 2005, the policy of the Massachusetts Board of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professionals has always been that no more than 50% of LMHC CEUs can be earned "on line or via home study." (Interestingly, this is stated in <a href="https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2017/09/zw/mh-ceu-info.pdf">various documents of theirs such as this one</a>, but the <a href="https://www.mass.gov/doc/262-cmr-7-continuing-education/download">actual law regulating the continuing education requirements</a>, 262 CMR 7.00, doesn't specify anything about online vs. in-person.)<br />
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When I was first licensed, the only type of online education available was largely text-based and did not generally occur in real time. Most people were using dialup internet at this time. Streaming media existed, but wasn't something most people's home setups could handle. College courses taught online from about 1995-2010 or so were generally something like a text-based discussion forum with papers submitted by e-mail or upload. There were maybe a few pre-recorded YouTube videos of lectures if the instructor was savvy. Similarly, the only "online" professional continuing education available at the time they made this regulation was the type (still widely in use today) in which the learner reads through some array of articles or slides, maybe a few short video clips, then takes a multiple-choice quiz, with no interaction with the instructor at any point. There were also home study courses that could be purchased that were similar –– read some stuff, take a quiz, get some credits.<br />
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For the past five years or so, I have been thinking the "no more than 50% online" regulation seemed a bit outdated. So many organizations are now offering trainings and conferences online using interactive Zoom sessions limited to a classroom-sized group. Actually, if we want to get into whether interaction is a necessary component of a training worthy of credits, a number of conferences I've attended do give one CEU for attending a keynote speech with hundreds of people present and no discussion or interaction. How is that any different from watching a video at home?<br />
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We should also be considering that best practices in the field mean we have plenty of providers of all different socioeconomic backgrounds and those living with disabilities, among other folks who make our field look more like the folks we serve. Many of the people we should be encouraging to work in our field are more comfortable with courses that can be taken at home, as these are generally less expensive and are often much more accessible to people with psychiatric or other disabilities who may have a hard time with travel and/or being in a conference setting all day.<br />
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This year, a number of well-established conferences that typically meet in person (thus usually awarding what would be considered in-person CEUs by the licensing board) have moved their conferences online. Sessions are taking place over Zoom or similar. Attendees are able to have discussions with presenters and break into small groups to do activities, just like at in-person conferences.<br />
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Based on what is still listed on the licensing board web site, these conferences will no longer count as in-person CEUs, despite being the same conference as the one that usually occurs in person, and despite having a similar level of face-to-face interaction. Many conferences for early 2021 have already made the decision to cancel the in-person event. I am surmising that a large percentage of LMHCs renewing licenses in December of 2021 will be in the position in which more than 50% of our CEUs were taken online, despite being high-quality offerings through universities, medical centers, established conferences, and so forth. My hope is that rather than just issuing an emergency waiver allowing for 100% online CEUs, the board will actually take this as an opportunity to review what constitutes an acceptable course. I hope that they will move into modern times and recognize that the "distance learning" of pre-2005 is not the distance learning of 2020, and change the policy to reflect the high-quality interactive offerings that now take place online.Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-68269589867052930032020-03-16T10:48:00.003-07:002023-07-12T15:29:25.020-07:00Online trans/queer/LGBTQ+ youth support groups offered free or at a steep discountE-mail me for details.Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-83511089844960470012020-03-16T10:45:00.001-07:002020-03-16T10:45:32.837-07:00Black-owned yoga website offering free online classes until April 11From an e-mail I received and wanted to pass along:<br />
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
To support the community during these times, the 11 online classes below are free to everyone until April 11. These classes are focused on relaxation and restoration which may be useful during these increasingly stressful times. Share this email with your family and friends so they have access too. Class descriptions are on <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://yogagreenbook.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D41cd4e1bca46432fd07797d55%26id%3D8cbf3d7fc9%26e%3D86c514399f&source=gmail&ust=1584466890618000&usg=AFQjCNGW0BrqXVqrodTgAxRFjtVJrDHA3Q" href="https://yogagreenbook.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=41cd4e1bca46432fd07797d55&id=8cbf3d7fc9&e=86c514399f" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">our website</a>.</div>
<ol style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><em>15-Minute Midday Yoga</em> with Chanel Sledge</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><em>Breathing Techniques to Relieve Stress & Anxiety</em> with Nikki Dixon-Ewing</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><em>Grounding Practice for Vata</em> with Jo-Jo Jackson</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><em>Chair Yoga</em> - Erica Rascon</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><em>Family Yoga</em> - Jerrell Simpson</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><em>Meditation for Calmness and Centeredness</em> - Jessica Young</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><em>Meditation for Healers </em>- Tenci Campbell</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><em>Yoga for Healing and Restoring</em> - Raikeis Timm</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><em>Gentle Faith & Flow</em> - Sherrell Moore-Tucker</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><em>Yoga for Neck & Shoulders</em> with Biola Akanni</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><em>Yoga Nidra</em> - Jessica Young</li>
</ol>
<div>
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I have no affiliation with Yoga Green Book, other than having done some of the classes with my own family.Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438431124290897681.post-23212960005482539812019-06-10T08:16:00.000-07:002019-06-20T14:08:41.414-07:00A couple of good articles on racism and other marginalization in helping professionsThis Vice article about not posing with Black children in Africa has been making the rounds, and it's good advice for people to be aware of, but not really a topic I have particular background to speak on. I do want to share <a href="https://www.facebook.com/allyhennypage/posts/1245462452270729">Ally Henny's commentary on it though</a>, because she relates it to people doing the same thing in the United States, often in connection with community organizations and helping professions:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Here, it is usually cops eating ice cream or playing basketball with black kids. Or it could be a church group visiting a Reservation to hand out shoeboxes of plastic trinkets to Indigenous kids at Christmas. Or the teacher in the “hard neighborhood” who shared classroom photos with sappy captions. Or the weekend warrior who paints over graffiti in the “bad part of town.”</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>It should go without saying, but black, brown, and indigenous folks are not props for your latest feel good activity. Unhoused people are not props. Poor people are not props. Disabled people are not props. Older adults are not props. Queer people are not props.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Do you detect a theme?</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>That’s right. People are not props.</i></blockquote>
These messages are very important for people working in helping professions in the U.S. to hear and to recognize.<br />
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Jarell Skinner-Roy <a href="http://www.ynpntwincities.org/dismantling_white_supremacy_in_nonprofits_a_starting_point?fbclid=IwAR1CSvBoOQmdtdzZRV-FwR4KfMzp_X76EhEY4AyHSNi9mn__vfoW9Wb5sbI">gives some similar advice in his article</a>, specifically giving tips for nonprofits to stop referring to people as "at-risk" and avoid savior narratives in pleas for donations and other support:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>And can we please eradicate all language about giving a voice to the voiceless? We can certainly help by providing a platform or a megaphone, but communities already have a voice. As Arundhati Roy eloquently put, “There’s really no such thing as the ‘voiceless’. There are only the deliberately silenced, or the preferably unheard”. This is beyond semantics; Language reflects our values and has real life consequences.</i></blockquote>
I often refer to this dynamic as "us and them" when labeling it in healthcare and community contexts. One personal example I noticed was a religious congregation consisting of mainly wealthy families that published in its bulletin how to donate to various food and other assistance programs, but not how to access them. When I pointed this out, I was told "we don't exactly have that population here." I can see why, when you aren't willing to welcome "those people." (For what it's worth, that congregation did have members who received various forms of assistance, but folks are of course careful about sharing this kind of information with people who do not come across as safe people.)<br />
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The way we use language can help make sure we are truly treating people the way we want to be treated. When we as professionals speak about a program or service, we can use language indicating that we might just as easily be the ones using it as providing it. We don't want to claim to have had experiences we have not had or to minimize our privilege if we are not someone who receives or has received a particular service, but those of us with financial and/or nondisabled privilege should constantly be considering and acknowledging that these things are temporary. We can speak about how a food bank is available for any of us wishing to use it or donate to it. When we explain a service to community members or refer to it when giving trainings, we can give examples in which we ourselves might be calling to enroll in a service for ourselves or a family member. Again, we want to make sure we are simultaneously minimizing us-and-them while also not ignoring our privilege. We can send a message that I do not currently know what it is like to be a recipient of a particular service thus I need to defer to the expertise of people who do, but I also can envision myself or my family some day needing the service, since things can change.Erika Shirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217732804308595112noreply@blogger.com0