Understanding and Affirming Autistic Clients

This book is an accessible primer focused on the provision of neuro-affirming clinical care for autistic clients, written from the perspective of autistic clinicians. In eight chapters, this book provides actionable steps without the assumption of expert autism knowledge. It first builds foundational knowledge for understanding what autism is and how to talk about it using current language practices. This book then explains how to recognize and assess for autism, alongside overviewing co-occurring mental health concerns among this population. This book also includes strategies for effective communication and interventions with autistic individuals, supporting autistic individuals day-to-day, and maintaining ethical clinical practices. Broadening beyond individual clients, this book additionally outlines strategies for supporting families and caregivers of autistic individuals, with an emphasis on the importance of understanding the impact that autism may have on family dynamics. This book is the answer for clinicians asking themselves how they can better serve their autistic clients.

Chris Dabbs, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada. He is trained as a clinical mental health counselor and health service psychologist and holds licenses to practice in both the U.S. and Canada. In his research, Dr. Chris primarily focuses on ways in which social bias and stigma impact mental wellness, employment, and life satisfaction in religious minorities and people broadly described as neurodivergent. His research has been published in academic journals, collected volumes, and he has provided clinical training and presentations to national and local audiences. Outside of his academic responsibilities, he contracts with mental health organizations to provide neurodiversity-affirming autism assessments. He is open about his autistic identity to explicitly combat the myth that autistics can't succeed in the mental health fields.

Audrey Scaer, PhD, is autistic and a staff psychologist at Eastern Michigan University's counseling center, with a particular focus on working with college students exploring autistic identity, LGBTQ+ identity, or processing experiences of identity-based trauma. Dr. Scaer attended graduate school in Oklahoma. Dr. Scaer's research focus is autistic wellbeing.

Maggie Savage, MS, CCC-SLP, is a pediatric speech-language pathologist based in Indiana. As a neurodivergent individual herself (ADHD and OCD), she makes it a point in her practice to provide neurodiversity-affirming care to her clients. She specializes in engaging autistic children in play-based language therapy. Her other areas of focus include Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), phonological disorders, and early childhood language development.