Infantilization, baby-talk and beyond
Neuroaffirming care is support that embraces and respects the incredible diversity of neurotypes, or types of brains. This approach highlights the uniqueness of how our brains work and crafts customized plans to support individuals rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach. Autism BC
Scouts Canada views neurodivergent youth as capable and deserving of the same opportunities as neurotypical youth. We believe offering equal opportunity is only possible when we remove judgement and dismantle stereotypes.
In contrast to a deficits-based approach that focuses on “fixing”, a neuroaffirming approach acknowledges that all neurotypes have unique strengths, interests, and support needs.
Antiquated approaches have focused on encouraging individuals to mask neurodivergent traits such as reducing stimming behaviours and mimicking neurotypical styles of communication. However, emerging evidence suggests that these practices can lead to shame, anxiety, depression, and reduced self-worth.
Rather than perpetuating the idea that neurodivergent individuals need to mask certain characteristics, neurodiversity-affirming care seeks to understand and inform individuals about differences and provide adaptations and supports that affirm neurodivergent identities. Subsequently, this can lead to self-advocacy regarding accommodations that can help cultivate self-esteem. YourMindMatters
This guide serves to help Scouters support neurodivergent youth in their sections.
It references various neurodevelopmental differences throughout but is not rooted in diagnosis. The reason for this is to encourage viewing each young person as a distinctive individual with exceptionalities and opportunities for development.
Offering lists of diagnosis with their presentations is great information but also implies that Scouts Canada has the expectation that Scouters should focus on diagnosis when this isn’t the case.
Instead, it focuses on the challenges of having a neurodivergent brain, and methods for how to demonstrate care, understanding, and a willingness to help each young person succeed on their unique path.
At the same time, knowledge is power, and we don’t discourage learning. If you want to understand conditions specifically, feel free to fill your boots.
Infantilization of youth is using baby talk or over simplistic (for their age) language, ignoring their opinions, controlling their choices, and making assumptions / decisions on their behalf because it is assumed that they lack understanding or are not competent or capable.
Why is infantilization harmful?
When youth are infantilized it sends the message that they aren’t as capable as their peers who aren’t being spoken to in the same way. This is why we shouldn’t assume that a youth isn’t competent because they are neurodiverse.
Infantilization strips youth of their personal agency and autonomy.
Consistently infantilizing a child throughout their childhood has been associated with anxiety, decreased self-esteem, and hindered social skills.
By not allowing children to experience failure and navigate challenges independently you can inadvertently prevent youth from developing resilience and problem-solving abilities.
Alternative ways to engage
- Use age-appropriate language and speech, rather than baby-talk. Send the message that they are as capable as their peers who are spoken to in the same way.
- Support self-advocacy by actively listening / adapting by offering accommodations supports the youth’s ability to think and behave independently.
BetterHelp
Executive functioning skills, sensory and motor differences and social disconnect are key areas where neurotypical and neurodivergent brains differ.
Struggling in these areas is shared across the spectrum of neurodivergence ADHD /ASD/OOD and mental health challenges such as CPTSD / PTSD.
Autism BC encourages us to think to Executive Function as the CEO of your brain.
The executive responsible for making decisions, managing time, setting goals, and executing plans.
Specifically,
- Flexible Thinking: Ability to shift your thoughts/change direction if a plan isn’t working.
- Emotional Regulation: Manage and respond with control during a difficult moment.
- Working Memory: Keeping information in mind for a few seconds and then using it, temporary storage of information for cognitive tasks.
- Focus: Staying focused on a task and resisting distractions (also impulse control)
- Planning + Prioritizing: Setting goals, breaking them down
- Impulse Control: Thinking ahead before acting. Considering the consequences on self and others. Inhibiting inappropriate responses. Paying attention/ignoring distractions.
- Task Initiation: Starting a task independently and in a timely manner. Avoiding excessive procrastination. Beginning the task whether interested or not.
- Self-Monitoring: Reviewing our own performance actions, behaviours and making adjustments when needed. Evaluating ourselves toward meeting a specific goal.
- Organization + Time: Organization of spaces, tasks, information etc. Keeping track of time.
Improving Executive Functioning
- Communicate: Clearly and directly communicating about needs and preferences enhances mutual understanding.
- Establish routines: Creating and maintaining routines provides structure and predictability.
- Manage tasks carefully: Breaking larger tasks into smaller steps makes them more manageable.
- Use visual supports: Charts, schedules, and reminders offer tangible references for daily activities.
- Adapt to changes: Understanding that EF challenges may lead to unexpected changes requires patience and flexibility.
- Collaborate on decision-making: Involving someone trusted in decision-making fosters autonomy and empowerment.
- Clear instructions: Providing clear and concise instructions aids in better understanding.
- Support self-advocacy: Encouraging youth to express needs and preferences builds self-advocacy skills.
- Make a safe space: Fostering an environment where partners feel comfortable expressing thoughts and feelings strengthens the relationship.
Keep Learning! Understanding an affirming approach to neurodiversity, autism, ADHD, and how to support executive functioning skills and other challenges neurodiverse youth face. Understanding will help deepen empathy and support.
Autism BC
Sensory Processing Differences
We know the Five Senses – Smell, Taste, Touch, Hearing, and Vision.
Youth with sensory processing issues experience too much or too little stimulation through these senses. They may also have difficulty integrating sensory information – for example things that they see and hear simultaneously, like a person speaking – might seem out of sync for them.
Sensory processing problems tend to come in two types, under- and over-sensitivity, although it’s common for one child to experience both kinds.
Hypersensitive kids are extremely reactive to sensory stimulation and can find it overwhelming.
They may:
- Be unable to tolerate bright lights and loud noises like ambulance sirens
- Refuse to wear clothing because it feels scratchy or irritating—even after cutting out all the tags and labels-or shoes because they feel “too tight.”
- Be distracted by background noises that others don’t seem to hear
- Be overly fearful of swings and playground equipment
- Often have trouble understanding where their body is in relation to other objects or people
- Bump into things and appear clumsy
- Have trouble sensing the amount of force they’re applying; for example, they may rip the paper when erasing, pinch too hard or slam objects down.
Hyposensitive kids are under-sensitive, which makes them want to seek out more sensory stimulation.
They may:
- Have a constant need to touch people or textures, even when it’s not socially acceptable
- Not understand personal space even when kids the same age are old enough to understand it
- Have an extremely high tolerance for pain
- Not understand their own strength
- Be very fidgety and unable to sit still
- Love jumping, bumping and crashing activities
- Crave fast, spinning and/or intense movement
Sensory Overload
- Tantrums
- Fight: Aggressive physical actions
- Flight: Fleeing, dashing out oblivious to the danger this may cause.
- Freeze: Shutting down, unresponsive, withdrawn.
These reactions, whether caused by sensory overload or not, are difficult to handle. After all, each circumstance and every youth are unique.
“Freeze”, managing withdrawn / unresponsive youth
Step 1: Demonstrate composure and patience. Speak to them at their level using an even calm walm tone.
Body language: Approach calmly, arms down and palms slightly forward, get down to their level.
Step 2: Ask questions.
Choice-based Questions
Asking a choice-based question shifts the youth from a dysregulated mindset to a rational mindset by driving them to make a decision that requires rational thought.
ie. “Do you want to go for a walk and talk? or take a break and get a drink of water?”
Offering them the option to re-gain composure by drinking water, going to the restroom, taking a walk in the hall (or another nearby safe area) tells the youth your priority is how they’re feeling, and you’re on their side, and want them to feel better. If your section has a designated space to calm down, you can utilize this.
Or
Directive Questions
These should be chosen carefully to avoid escalating the situation.
Regardless of age, everyone has the intrinsic need to be seen and heard, especially during difficult moments.
- “What’s happening right now?" Helps them focus on the immediate situation.
- "Where are you feeling this in your body?" This gets them in touch with the sensations they’re experiencing.
- “What do you need right now?” Gets them to think about their immediate needs
Go on a case-by-case basis when choosing a directive or choice-based approach.
Ie. if the group needs to move along and you’re seeking an immediate action from the youth a directive question would likely move the situation forward more quickly.
Step 3: Resolution
Show understanding and care
In the same way you would approach a young person demonstrates challenging behaviours, approach the young person experiencing a “freeze response” with warmth and understanding.
Show patience, if it’s a time sensitive situation and you need the youth to move express the need clearly and calmly, do your best to make eye contact or receive an indication that they hear you.
Doing your best to make eye contact doesn’t mean forcing eye contact by demanding it, don’t do this as eye contact can be difficult for neurodivergent youth but at the same time don’t shy away from it. AutismSpeaks
Instead,
- Get to their eye level to get their attention.
Try to make eye contact, tell them you’d like them to look at you because it tells you they’re listening.
- If they don’t respond to this offer them an option, repeat your goal calmly and explain that you need to know if they can hear you and are listening. Options could include, nodding their head or waving their hand in the air.
- Confirm you have their attention by seeking an understanding of how they’re doing.
If they’re still not ready to talk try asking another question, this time try a choice-based question.
Remember, that choice-based questions can shift the youth from a dysregulated mindset to a rational mindset by driving them to make a decision that requires rational thought.
If your section has access to a designated space to calm down using sensory tools, perhaps a quiet tent, encourage the youth to utilize it.
Step 4: Always discuss with their parent/guardian at the earliest opportunity.
‘Internal Senses’ work together to achieve coordinated movements and balance.
- Body Awareness (proprioception): Coordination, balance, overall body awareness. The proprioceptors receptors are throughout the body in muscles & joints.
- Movement (vestibular): Balance, orientation & head-movement. The vestibular receptors are in the inner ear.
Sensory processing difficulties were first identified by occupational therapist A. Jean Ayres, PhD. In the 1970s, Dr. Ayres introduced the idea that certain people’s brains can’t do what most people take for granted: process all the information coming in through seven — not the traditional five — senses to provide a clear picture of what’s happening both internally and externally. Along with touch, hearing, taste, smell and sight, Dr. Ayres added the “internal” senses of body awareness.
Motor Skills Differences
Motor Skills differences can be trouble coordinating, uncoordinated gait, poor balance or/and posture, hand-eye coordination, struggles with strength and endurance.
Gross Motor Skills
Involving major muscle groups, low muscle tone and core body strength i.e. can impede the ability to sit-up straight and can struggle with participating in sports or / and recess which can in turn affect socializing and self-esteem.
Fine Motor Skills
Involving small hand muscles. When there’s a lack of strength, motor control, and dexterity, kids will have difficulty drawing, using scissors and stringing beads. Such delays, if not addressed, will make academics — turning pages, writing, using a computer — that much harder. They also come into play with regard to self-help skills including buttoning, zipping, and using utensils
Scouting at it’s core serves to foster often lifelong friendships.
Building- up social skills directly support outcomes like happiness and friendships – an important dimension of success in the world.
Social skills are the rules, customs, and abilities that guide our interactions with other people and the world around us. In general, people tend to “pick up” social skills in the same way they learn language skills: naturally and easily. Over time they build a social “map” of how to in act in situations and with others.
For people with autism, it can be harder to learn and build up these skills, forcing them to guess what the social "map" should look like. AutismSpeaks
Key principles and strategies for designing and implementing successful social skills
- Provide structure and predictability
- Break down abstract social concepts into concrete actions
- Simplify language
- Work in pairs or groups with cooperation and partnership encouraged
- Provide multiple and varied learning opportunities
- Foster self-awareness and self-esteem
- Provide opportunities for practice so that skills are used beyond the group in real life settings
ChildMindInsitute
AutismSpeaks