201: Neurodiversity-affirming Social Supports

This professional development session explores how occupational therapists and allied health professionals can deliver truly neurodiversity-affirming social supports that honour individual needs, preferences, and identities. Rather than pushing for "normalised" social functioning, we shift the focus to supporting authentic connection, personal agency, and meaningful participation. Participants will reflect on how their own lived and professional experiences influence the way they approach social supports, including unconscious biases and value systems. We will unpack how neurodivergent culture often challenges dominant social norms, and how pathologising differences in communication and connection can be harmful. Through practical examples and client-centred strategies, this session will equip participants to embed neurodiversity-affirming principles in their sessions — supporting clients to explore social opportunities that align with their values, capacity, and definitions of safety. We will also explore how co-regulation, autonomy, and sensory regulation intersect with social engagement, and why respecting social withdrawal or solitude can be just as important as encouraging connection. Learning Objectives: - Reflect on how our own experiences and values shape our perceptions of "appropriate" social skills and engagement - Understand and affirm the diverse ways neurodivergent individuals seek, avoid, or redefine social connection - Learn practical strategies for supporting social participation in a way that prioritises authenticity, agency, and consent - Recognise the role of psychological and sensory safety in shaping social preferences and capacities - Move away from deficit-based models of social skills training and towards culturally respectful, strengths-based support - This session is ideal for therapists, educators, support workers, and professionals seeking to support social wellbeing in a way that is inclusive, affirming, and evidence-based