A Clinician’s Guide to Supporting Autistic Clients: Over 100 Treatment Recommendations and Interventions for Creating a Neurodiversity-Affirming Practice

How can I best support the needs of my neurodivergent clients in therapy?

Creating a more supportive environment for autistic clients can be a confusing process. With so much information, and so many different perspectives, it can be difficult to know where to start. Further, the mental health field has only recently begun moving away from “treating autism” to working with autistic and neurodivergent individuals in a more affirming way.

That’s why Dr. Amy Marschall created A Clinician’s Guide to Supporting Autistic Clients. As an expert psychologist and a member of the autism community herself, she recognized the need to move away from treatments that pathologize differences and toward a neurodiversity-affirming approach that meets clients where they are.

Inside this new and invaluable resource, you’ll find over 100 affirming tips, tools, and interventions that will allow you to:

• Honor the language preferences, goals, and priorities of the autistic community
• Create a foundation for assessment and treatment that best supports autistic clients
• Correct unintentional harms caused by historical “best practices” in autism treatment
• Address sensory stimulation and food-based sensitivities in session
• Facilitate communication among semispeaking or nonspeaking clients
• Request accommodations when appropriate
• And more!

You’ll also find a bonus list of resources about autism written by and for autistic individuals.

Neurodiversity-affirming care is not a set of specific behaviors or interventions but an underlying philosophy of honoring each client’s needs today and every day. Let this resource be your guide!

Amy Marschall, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist in South Dakota, working primarily with children and adolescents. She is trained in trauma-informed care as well as cognitive behavioral therapy, and in 2017 became certified in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. In her clinical practice, Dr. Marschall works with survivors of abuse, families in the foster care system, children with incarcerated parents, clients dealing with high-conflict divorce or separation, and those growing up with other chronic stressors and traumas.