ND
OT
Bec Secombe
(MHlthScOT, BAppScOT, GDipArtTher)
Occupational Therapist
Arts Psychotherapist
External Clinical Supervisor/Mentor
The
Welcome to the forest
Ready to grow?
THE NEURODIVERGENT OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
To be neuro-affirming is to recognise that human beings are all uniquely neurologically wired, and those differences are to be embraced rather than extinguished.
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The entire human race is neurodiverse, and that is what makes us dynamic, creative occupational beings!
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Some human beings are neurologically wired in ways that diverge from the majority - they are known as neurodivergent. Currently the diagnostic labels and criteria for this way of experiencing the world are based in deficits and harmful stereotypes which can create shame, stigma and poor mental health.
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To view neurodivergence from an affirming perspective means that we acknowledge the challenges and difficulties that neurodivergent people face, AND simultaneously understand, accept and embrace differences.
Two things can be true at once!
To be neuro-affirming is to consider how the environment and the occupations we engage in best fit our person, rather than the other way around.
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Glimmers
In 2023 my Autistic Glimmers graphics were spread far and wide on the internet and inspired several articles.
A glimmer is a satisfying sensory delight that fills someone with fervent ecstasy. It is the opposite of a trigger (a stimulus perceived as threatening and unsafe).
Glimmers 1
Glimmers 2
Glimmers 1
These images can be found in full version for purchase here
Neurodivergent people often experience the sensory world with hyper-attunement, creative alliance and whimsy. These glimmers have been collected from a sample of autistic people and do not represent the experience of ALL autistic people.