As a therapist and a researcher who has spent years learning about Neurodiversity, I felt compelled to do something about the profound lack of autism resources in certain areas across our country and across the world. I felt myself becoming saddened and frustrated that I could only do so much by offering autism therapy in California and this blog. Ultimately, I wanted everyone to have easy access to convenient autism support.
So after much thought, careful contemplation, and feedback from the autistic and neurodivergent communities, I created Neurodiversity School, LLC. It is an online learning platform designed to meet the needs of specific subsets within the neurodivergent community. Today, I wanted to explain why I am branching out and creating an e-Learning community for neurodivergent individuals. I hope that this will inspire you to check it out and see what Neurodiversity School is all about!
My Why…
I frequently get inquiries from autistic individuals wondering where I offer autism therapy. When I share that I can only see clients in the state of California due to my license, I can feel their sense of defeat. Many have told me that there’s no one who specializes in autism therapy where they live. Some have shared that they feel like they’re autistic but whenever they bring it up they’re told they’re wrong. This makes them feel invalidated and/or helpless. They struggle to navigate the challenges of being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world without help. So, some even shut down or stop trying.
The autism parents and autism families who reach out to me for support often share the same feelings. They’re overwhelmed and burnt out from constantly trying to figure out how to best support their neurodivergent child. Especially, when they are also sometimes fighting their child’s school system for services. Another common issue faced by parents is that they suffer from a lack of support for themselves. Parenting books and common parenting strategies often do not work well for a child on the autism spectrum.
Parents are faced with a lack of resources and a lack of emotional support from family. Many of the autism parents I work with share that their family members or friends don’t understand what it’s like parenting a neurodivergent child. Their loved ones are all too quick to offer advice or criticize or blame them. This criticism and lack of emotional support often makes autism parents feel isolated and question themself or be hard on themself. Parents crave support from other parents who can truly understand and empathize with their journey.
Bridging the gaps in autism support
After years of hearing the struggles of autistic individuals and their loved ones, I realized that I can help more people in the autism community even if I am not able to offer them 1-1 or group therapy. A lot of what we do at Open Doors Therapy is educating our clients and their caregivers on topics pertaining to neurodiversity. This education can be done outside of a clinical setting, much like we do in these blog posts. So, I took this education and poured it into the content I created for Neurodiversity School.
So, What is Neurodiversity School?
The goal of Neurodivesity School is to help neurodivergent individuals live their best possible lives. The kind of life they deep down hope for and want. This looks unique for each individual. To help them carve out their own unique life path, I help them address some of the common struggles that accompany being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world. In particular, the material focuses on teaching social-communication processes that lead to improved communication and fewer misunderstandings, and help build relationships. At Neurodivesity School we are starting with courses for neurodivergent adults with autism traits and autism caregivers, including neurodiverse working professionals, neurodiverse women, individuals who identify as both LGBTQ and autistic, autism parents.
What do you get when you join Neurodiversity School?
Our courses will include a variety of content and enrichment opportunities. The courses are designed to help you learn important information and skills and apply them in your life. When you enroll in a course you will get video content, interactive learning materials, worksheets, podcasts, ebooks, and resource recommendations. In addition, you are given an opportunity to join a chat group with other Neurodiversity School members. You will be grouped with other members who identify as belonging to a similar subgroup. You will have the opportunity to explore and practice what you’ve learned with people who can relate to what you’re going through. This offers you a powerful and supportive community to help you grow and thrive.
Check out Neurodiversity School today!
Now that you’ve read about Neurodiversity School, I would be honored if you would check out the content on that website. The full website has not been officially launched yet. But, you can check out the coming soon webpage for Neurodiversity School. On the coming soon page, you can join our email list so you’ll be the first to know when the eCourses launch and you can even receive a discount code!
e-Learning not your thing, that’s okay! Contact us to begin autism therapy in California today!
If you’re looking for more autism therapy and live in the state of California, please reach out to our autism therapy clinic. We would love to tell you about our individual and group therapy options. Currently, we’re only offering online autism therapy. To get started, follow these steps:
- Contact us for a free phone consult.
- Like us on Facebook. We update helpful info regarding our practice
- Sign up for our newsletter.
Autism Therapy Services Offered at Open Doors Therapy:
Our autism therapy clinic located in the South Bay Area serves teens and adults on the autism spectrum. We help high functioning individuals who identify as having Aspergers, high functioning autism, undiagnosed ASD traits, and their families.
Our autism therapists offer a variety of counseling services including individual counseling for autistic teens and adults, parent counseling, and group therapy. Also, we run several different social skills groups for neurodiverse working professionals, college students with autistic traits, gifted youth & caregivers, neurodiverse adults, women who identify as neurodiverse, a summer social skills college transition training program for youth transitioning to college, teens & caregivers, and a mothers group. Contact our autism therapy office for more information on our services or to schedule a consultation.
About the Author
Dr. Tasha Oswald is a trained developmental and clinical psychologist. She is also is the founder and director of Open Doors Therapy, a private practice specializing in autism therapy services in the South Bay Area, near San Francisco, CA. Dr. Oswald specializes in helping neurodiverse teens and adults and facilitating social skills groups.
