What Does Neuroaffirming Care Look Like at Little Leaps?
Author: Kirsty Lawrenson
In the same way that we acknowledge that every person we do physiotherapy with has a unique body, skills they can ace and skills they’re still learning, we know our brains function in varying ways and this shapes our experience of the world. We know that amongst our team, amongst our families and friends, our neighbours and our little leapers, our brains will experience all of the wonderful sensory inputs our bodies give us, differently. As a big group, we have neurodiversity (brain - differences). Within our neurodiversity, there is also neurodivergence from the neurotypical (those who are different from the average/norm). There are so many wonderful ways we can reimagine these complex words so they make sense.
A favourite analogy is that neurodiversity is like having a massive bunch of pink roses. At a glance, you can see that there are lots of different pink roses of different sizes and in various stages of bloom. But when you look more closely you see that there seem to be two different types of roses. A quick google tells you that in fact, most are lisianthus and there are only a few true roses in there. Neurodiversity is the whole bunch, a neurotypical brain is a lisianthus (majority) and a neurodivergent brain is the rose. All beautiful, all flowers, all making up the bunch. Of course, neurodivergence itself is another umbrella term which includes so many wonderful brains like autistic brains, ADHDer brains, anxious brains, brains with dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, gifted brains and many others!
Providing neuroaffirming care at Little Leaps means that firstly we acknowledge that we are all, together, neurodiverse and that some of us are neurodivergent. That may mean that our brains need specific things to help us thrive in physiotherapy. Often, it means that first, our neurodivergent superstars need time to parallel play with us when they first meet us, build trust and security up slowly by doing things that are interest-based and familiar, before they can be challenged to do hard things. This might mean that instead of jumping straight into assessment and goal-setting with high demands on our little leaper, we split these activities over a few breaks and pace to conserve emotional and mental energy as well as physical. However, there is no ‘one size fits all’ therapy session or approach of any of the kids we see, whether neurodivergent or neurotypical.
Our aim is to always meet your child where they are at and tailor their sessions to their unique needs. Having said that, here are some fun ways we’ve made our sessions neuroaffirming in the last year:
Handstand competitions with us, in between harder activities
Aquatic therapy in a quieter section of the pool
Breaks between activities to share fun dinosaur facts
Less hands-on contact for kids who don’t like light touch
Scoring points, in the hundreds, for our number-lovers
Swinging around really fast after a tough activity, for that dopamine hit
Using songs to practice skills in the pool, following a predictable activity and song order
Using more jargon that we usually would, for our anatomy-loving, physios-to-be
Simplifying questions to a yes/no answer, using non-verbal options to communicate and encouraging self-advocacy of needs by validating that it’s ok to stop or have a break
Using a chart or pictures to give predictable order to our sessions
Our team loves the challenge of walking alongside our neurospicy little leapers to help them build confidence and control in their bodies as they work towards their goals. We all have lived experience of neurodivergence within our inner circles of loved family or friends. As a team we are constantly striving to understand more about what neuroaffirming care looks like for those currently in our care, and to learn from other professionals as this field of knowledge evolves and changes.
Neurodiversity is an umbrella term, like saying “I play sport”. Neurodivergence is like saying “everyone at my school plays soccer but I compete in downhill skiing”. Both are sports, but they are very different. Most people understand the basics of what soccer looks like, or even some of the rules. Downhill skiing is lesser known and more unique, in Australia at least! Neurodivergent brains are wonderful, often quirky, excellent at taking in many senses all at once (though processing all this information can sometimes be a challenge) and often see the world with unique perspectives.