Neurodiversity-affirming autism content

For OT, PT and speech practices serving autistic children, adults or both: call your service neurodiversity-affirming only when you can show how you set goals with the person, support their communication, adapt the setting and respond when someone says no. Then ask how each person describes autism, keep child and adult pages apart, and promise no outcome.

This guide covers what a practice publishes: its service pages, its intake wording and its directory listing. The family side of the same question is in DrSensory’s guide to finding a neurodiversity-affirming adult OT, which tells autistic adults what to ask a clinic before they book.

What does neurodiversity-affirming mean on a therapy practice’s website?

It means the practice treats autism as part of who a person is, works toward goals the person chooses, and adapts its setting and communication; on a website it is a claim about that conduct, so it belongs there only when the practice can describe and deliver it. ASHA’s autism practice portal says neurodiversity-affirming clinicians consider the social model of disability, and that lived experience shapes how care is given, through strengths-based approaches, accommodations and person-centered care.⁠²

No definition is settled. A 2025 study of services for neurodivergent adults notes that definitions of neuro-affirming practice "are still contested and in development".⁠¹ ASHA’s terminology resource describes two views, autism as a neurological difference and part of identity, or autism’s traits as signs of a developmental disorder to treat, calls both "valid and important", and places neurodiversity-affirming services in the identity-centered approach.⁠⁶

A 2026 discourse analysis of the websites of 24 OT private practices serving autistic people found language that sometimes fit neurodiversity-affirming practice, sometimes diverged from it and sometimes sat in between, with services and wording that often revealed tensions with the intentions therapists stated.⁠³

Is neurodiversity-affirming a credential or a certification?

No. It names an approach, and a page should not present it as a qualification. A clinician’s license comes from the state: AOTA calls state licensure law "the final authority on the scope of occupational therapy practice" and tells practitioners to make sure they are competent to deliver a service.⁠¹² ASHA’s Code of Ethics requires the speech-language pathologists it covers to provide all clinical services competently.⁠¹³

Name a completed course as a course, and a certification only if it is one. DrSensory’s listing editor keeps tick-only credential tags apart from the optional tags that describe how a clinic works.⁠¹⁰

What should a practice confirm before it uses the label?

Written answers to six questions from the clinicians who provide the service. If an answer is "it depends on who you see", the label belongs on that clinician’s page, not the practice’s.

In a practice with OT, PT and speech-language pathology, each discipline answers for its own service, because a shared value statement does not make the scopes interchangeable: an OT’s goals rest on the occupational profile, a PT’s on movement skills and physical activity, and an SLP’s on communication, which ASHA’s affirming guidance ties to autonomy and autistic identity.⁠^2,7,14

What language should a practice use when writing about autism?

The words each person uses about themselves, which the practice asks for, with a sensible default for pages written to everyone. ASHA describes identity-first language, such as "autistic person", chosen because autism is seen as intrinsic to identity, and person-first language, such as "person with autism", chosen to put the person before the condition, and advises discussing preferences directly because they "change over time and across settings".⁠⁶

Surveys find a split rather than a winner. A UK survey of 3,470 people found no universally accepted way of describing autism, with "autistic" endorsed far more by autistic adults and families than by professionals.⁠⁵ In a US survey, 299 autistic adults overwhelmingly preferred identity-first terms, while 207 professionals were more likely to use person-first language.⁠⁴ The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) publishes an article explaining that many self-advocates prefer "Autistic person" because autism is an inherent part of identity, and ASHA adds that families may prefer person-first language, particularly when their child has high support needs.⁠^6,16

Should a page say autistic person or person with autism?

Use the person’s own term wherever you know it, and on general pages choose a default and invite correction. ASHA’s own portal uses several terms side by side and advises clinicians to use the terminology their client identifies with best.⁠² A page for autistic adults has the clearest signal, toward identity-first wording; a pediatric page read mostly by parents can use both, since parents’ preferences vary.⁠^4,5,6 One sentence near the contact route does the rest: "Tell us the words you use for yourself or your child, and we use them too."

Which autism terms do current guides suggest replacing?

Functioning labels, risk language, labels for how a person speaks, and terms many autistic people find patronizing.

For any phrase the table misses, use the same commentary’s test: ableist language assumes disabled people are inferior to nondisabled people.⁠¹⁷

The clinical record can use different words. ASHA notes that reimbursement requires documenting areas of deficit and that payers "expect to see widely accepted terms for diagnosis and evidence of intervention/treatment", so a page can say plainly that insurance paperwork uses diagnostic language and that the practice explains what its reports say.⁠⁶

How should intake record language and communication preferences?

On a short note completed by the person, or with them, before the first visit, kept in the record system rather than a public form. HHS lets providers email patients with reasonable safeguards, lets a patient ask for contact by reasonable alternative means, and says a provider can generally assume email is acceptable to a patient who writes by email first.⁠¹⁸ See also the accessible inquiry forms and reply standards guides.

How should pediatric and adult autism pages differ?

They are written to different readers: a pediatric page speaks to a parent while keeping the child’s experience in view, and an adult page speaks to the autistic adult and treats any support person as the adult’s choice. Privacy law draws the same line: under HIPAA a parent is in most cases the personal representative of a minor child, while an adult’s personal representative is someone with legal authority to make health care decisions, such as under a health care power of attorney.⁠¹⁹

Two outlines keep them apart; each opens with an editable paragraph to adapt, deleting any sentence that is not true of the practice.

The pediatric and adult service page guides cover each section in full, serving children and adults covers running both pathways, and the transition guide covers the move to adult care.

Pages can send readers to DrSensory’s autism hub, its adult therapy section or, for parents, DrParenting for background. Such a link does not mean every clinician listed on DrSensory practices this way: a listing is not an endorsement and DrSensory does not check clinical quality, so the practice’s own page still shows its approach.⁠¹¹

How does a pediatric page keep the child’s perspective present?

By saying how the clinician learns what the child enjoys and how the child communicates, and what happens when the child signals no. APTA’s consumer guide lists "Interests and motivators" among what a PT assesses in an autistic child, and ASHA asks that goals embrace the priorities and preferences of the individual as well as the family.⁠^2,14

A child’s refusal is information. ASAN counts saying "No!" with words or actions as a kind of self-advocacy, so a pediatric page says in one sentence what the clinician does when a child resists an activity, for example pausing, changing it or trying another way, then talking it over with the parent.⁠¹⁵ For teenagers, describe how the teen takes part in setting goals; who may consent and see records follows HIPAA’s personal-representative rules, whose exceptions for minors track state law.⁠¹⁹

How should an adult autism page speak to the person reading it?

Directly, as "you", with contact routes that do not depend on a phone call and with family involved only when the adult asks. HIPAA does not require a provider to share an adult’s information with family or friends who are not personal representatives, and allows it when the adult agrees or does not object.⁠²⁰ ASAN’s position is that some doctors "talk to our families or helpers instead of talking to us", and that people should make their own choices however much help they need.⁠¹⁵

Adults arrive by different routes. ASHA notes that some autistic people do not wish to pursue diagnosis or treatment while others seek support, and ASAN counts autistic people without a formal diagnosis as part of the autistic community.⁠^2,15 An adult page therefore says whether the service needs a diagnosis, and that a health plan may ask for one before it pays, a point ASHA makes about reimbursement.⁠⁶

Speech is not the test of communication: ASHA notes that autistic adults with functional speech may still need AAC to meet all their communication needs, so the page welcomes AAC users in writing.⁠² DrSensory’s neurodivergent adults section is a model of that voice.

How should a service page describe goals without prescribing them?

By describing how goals are chosen, not which goals every autistic person needs: from the evaluation and the person’s own priorities, asking what they want to do, what keeps them safe, how they communicate, where they want to take part and what makes them comfortable. ASAN puts it from the autistic side: good therapies help people work out their own goals and work with them to reach those goals.⁠¹⁵

• Occupational therapy. AOTA advises against starting OT before the occupational profile is complete and goals are set collaboratively, and asks practitioners to help clients and families co-create their care.⁠⁷
• Physical therapy. APTA’s consumer guide has the PT partner with the family to set goals, notes that each child’s goals differ, and says PT can help from early childhood into adulthood.⁠¹⁴
• Speech-language pathology. ASHA describes neurodiversity-affirming SLP work as building autonomy, self-regulation and independence while considering the person’s autistic identity.⁠²

The clinical team owns the answer. Whoever writes the page describes the process; only the clinicians who evaluate decide what a given person works on, and a headline should not decide it for them.

Can a page mention eye contact, masking or social skills goals?

Only as examples of goals the practice sets for no one, which a person may still choose. ASHA describes masking as a learned coping strategy for hiding autistic behavior or performing neurotypical social behavior, such as hiding stimming or keeping up the appearance of eye contact, notes that higher camouflaging has been associated with stress, anxiety and depression, and points out that whether eye contact is respectful depends on culture.⁠²

ASHA’s terminology resource records both sides: some families want a focus on eye contact or fewer self-stimulatory behaviors, while many autistic people want communication strategies and training for their communication partners.⁠⁶ AOTA advises against reducing autistic repetitive behavior without first understanding what it means to the person, and ASAN objects to therapies that focus on making autistic people seem "normal" or appear "less autistic".⁠^7,15

So an affirming page does not headline eye contact, sitting still or reducing behaviors. If a person asks to work on a social skill, that is their goal; ASHA describes SLPs working on social skills that affect education and quality of life "not as a way to change autism".⁠⁶

What access details belong on an autism service page?

Concrete ones: the sensory setting, communication supports and session structure, each stated as something the practice does now. ASHA notes that skilled care may need environmental adaptations and accommodations that make activities accessible.⁠²

• The sensory setting. Which rooms are quieter, whether lights can be dimmed, and whether a person can wait outside and be texted when the room is ready; name only what exists.
• Communication supports. Whether AAC users are welcome in sessions and messages, whether booking works without speaking, and whether extra time and written summaries are offered. ASAN’s position is that people should never have to "earn" the right to communication supports.⁠¹⁵
• Predictable sessions. APTA’s consumer guide lists consistent session structures, visual schedules and managing sensory input among the principles a PT may use with autistic children; say which the practice offers.⁠¹⁴
• Payment. How benefits are checked; the insurance and fees guide and the guide to autism insurance mandates cover the wording.

If the practice provides AAC services, describe the evaluation and follow-up support, not a device or a spoken-language result; see the guide to building an AAC specialty.

What does the ADA ask of a therapy practice’s communication?

To communicate effectively with people who have vision, hearing or speech disabilities, and to change policies when a disability makes that necessary, within limits. ADA.gov lists doctors’ and dentists’ offices among the public accommodations the ADA covers, says nearly all businesses that serve the public fall within its categories, and says they must make reasonable modifications to their usual ways of doing things, though not changes that would alter the essential nature of the business; most are minor adjustments in policy.⁠^9,21

For communication, ADA.gov notes that simply allowing more time with someone who uses a communication board or device may provide effective communication, that a business cannot require a person to bring someone to interpret, and that businesses are encouraged to consult the person about which aid works.⁠⁹ Whether a given request is required depends on the facts; the page says how to ask.

What can an autism service page claim about evidence and outcomes?

Only what the practice can support, at the strength the evidence has, and never an outcome. The FTC’s guide for small businesses says ads must be truthful, that advertisers need proof for express and implied claims, and that health claims usually need competent and reliable scientific evidence, which satisfied customers’ statements usually do not provide.⁠²² For the SLPs it covers, ASHA’s Code of Ethics allows a reasonable statement of prognosis but forbids promising the results of treatment, directly or by implication.⁠¹³

State the evidence with its scope. The 2024 Occupational Therapy Practice Guidelines for Autistic People Across the Lifespan, built on systematic reviews that included 98 articles, found strong to moderate evidence for multidisciplinary, goal-oriented interventions, only emerging evidence for using autistic people’s strengths, interests and perspectives to guide OT, and a sparse literature on neurodiversity-affirming practice for autistic youths.⁠⁸

No single approach owns the label. ASHA states that neurodiversity-affirming services "cannot be reduced to a single fad or trend" and that no current empirical studies on gestalt language processing are available, so selling one method as the affirming one claims too much.⁠² ASAN supports no single kind of therapy either, saying different things work better for different autistic people.⁠¹⁵

Leave out:

• Cure language. "Recovery from autism" or "indistinguishable from peers"; in ASAN’s words, most self-advocates agree autism does not need to be cured.⁠¹⁵
• Fear. Copy about a closing window or autism as a threat to the family; ASAN’s position is that awareness campaigns can make people afraid of autism.⁠¹⁵
• Unscoped findings and promises. Any statistic or "research shows" without the study and its population, and any promise of speech, independence, a school placement or a number of sessions.

Can a family’s story or a before-and-after be used on the page?

A story, only with written authorization and never as proof that someone became less autistic; a before-and-after of that kind has no place on an affirming page. For a practice covered by HIPAA, using a patient’s information for marketing needs written authorization, with limited exceptions, and the Privacy Rule bars uses and disclosures it does not otherwise permit without a valid authorization.⁠²³ For a child, the parent usually acts as personal representative; an adult decides unless someone holds legal authority for their health care decisions.⁠¹⁹

The FTC’s endorsement guides cover services, treat a customer’s account of a central result as a claim that others can generally expect the same, and bar an endorsement from carrying a claim the business could not make directly.⁠²⁴ A story that a child "stopped seeming autistic" fails both tests and contradicts the label. The review guide and the FTC review rule guide cover reviews.

Which page statements are affirming in conduct and which only in words?

Statements backed by described practice are conduct; statements that stand alone are words.

The table is a writing aid, not a certification or a clinical audit of any practice.

How do you review an autism service page before it goes live?

With the checklist below, signed by the clinician of each discipline named and by the page’s owner. Each clinician answers for their own discipline’s lines: ASHA’s Code of Ethics bars SLPs from misrepresenting services, and AOTA asks occupational therapists to confirm competence before delivering one.⁠^12,13 ASAN’s motto, "Nothing About Us Without Us", asks that autistic people be involved whenever autism is discussed; a practice can ask autistic adults to read a draft, pay them for their time, and credit them only with their agreement.⁠¹⁵

How can a practice tell whether its autism page helps the right readers?

By the inquiries it brings and the questions people still ask, read beside Search Console’s figures. Its Performance report shows which queries bring visitors and counts clicks and impressions, and Google notes that results depend on the searcher’s time, place, device and recent history.⁠²⁵ In the inquiry log, look for the wrong age group or discipline, and for questions the page should have answered.

Keep diagnoses out of advertising tools. HHS’s guidance on tracking technologies, part of which a federal court vacated in June 2024, says trackers on a public page where people schedule appointments may have access to protected health information, such as a person’s email address or reason for seeking care.⁠²⁶ Check what any pixel on the contact page collects; more inquiries are not evidence of clinical quality.

How should an autism page fit with your DrSensory listing?

By saying the same things in fewer words: the listing’s description, tags and ages should match the service page, because a family may read the listing first. DrSensory is a directory families search without charge for OT, PT and speech therapy clinics, including clinics that see adults, and each listing stands for one clinic at one address rather than an individual therapist.⁠^11,27 A paid listing carries the clinic’s own description of up to 1,200 characters, the ages and conditions it treats, and tags it picks; before a clinic claims its listing, its tags come from words the directory already holds about it.⁠^10,11,27

The tag groups include Autism (ASD) among conditions, AAC among services and, among the optional how-we-work tags, Neurodiversity-affirming practice. DrSensory’s advice is to pick only what a clinic treats or offers routinely; for this tag, that means the conduct above, true of every clinician a family might see at that address. The tag is the clinic’s own statement, as the page is; DrSensory does not check clinical quality.⁠^10,11

On a paid listing, a family’s inquiry is read by clinic staff in the DrSensory portal and answered from the clinic’s own address; on a listing without a paid plan, the DrSensory team tries to reach the clinic by forwarding it on the family’s behalf and cannot promise that the clinic receives or answers it.⁠²⁷ The claim and optimize guide covers the editor, and the directory profile guide covers the description.

What does this look like for a pediatric OT and an adult SLP practice?

Both start by checking conduct and end with fewer, more specific claims.

Sources

1. Gray A, Maciver D, Curnow E, Johnston L, Rutherford M. Contextual factors influencing neuro-affirming practice: Identifying what helps or hinders implementation in health and social care. Autism. 2025;29(12):3111-3123. doi:10.1177/13623613251360275. PMID: 40926307 (full text on PubMed Central). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “Views on current practice were sought through structured interviews with 32 senior professionals in leadership roles within Health and Social Care services in Scotland”; “definitions of neuro-affirming practice are still contested and in development”; “Neuro-affirming practice is an emerging and complex concept”.
2. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASHA Practice Portal, clinical topic). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “In support of critical considerations for neurodiversity and neurodiversity-affirming care, ASHA encourages providers to be familiar with Communication About Autism: Terminology Considerations”; “This Practice Portal page will use the terms “person with autism,” “person with ASD,” “autistic person,” and “person on the autism spectrum,” reflecting diverse identities within the autism community”; “Clinicians are advised to use the terminology that their client identifies with best”; “This lived experience informs clinical practice and how it is carried out—such as using strengths-based approaches, providing accommodations, and providing person-centered care. Neurodiversity-affirming clinicians consider the social model of disability in their practice”; “Some autistic people may not wish to pursue diagnosis and/or treatment, whereas some seek support”; “Skilled interventions may require adaptations to the environment, accommodations to make activities accessible, and/or the development of treatment goals”; “sensory modality difficulties, including over-responsiveness, under-responsiveness, or mixed responsiveness patterns to environmental sounds, smells, light, tactile stimulation, movement, visual clutter, and social stimuli”; “The combination of (a) evidence-based, peer-reviewed research, (b) clinical experience, and (c) autistic voices can help clinicians determine how to develop and implement culturally responsive and neurodiversity-affirming treatment plans”; “Camouflaging, including masking, is a learned coping strategy that autistic people use to (a) hide their autistic behavior that might be deemed socially unacceptable or (b) “perform” neurotypical social behavior”; its examples include “reducing or hiding stimming hand movements” and “maintaining the appearance of eye contact (e.g., looking at the communication partner’s forehead)”; “Higher camouflaging has been associated with excessive stress, anxiety, and depression”; “For example, direct eye contact with an adult may be considered respectful or disrespectful—depending on one’s culture”; “More than one mode of communication can be used, such as part-time use of AAC systems”; “Multimodal communication systems are individualized according to the person’s preferences and abilities and according to the context of communication”; “Neurodiversity-affirming care, integrated with skilled services, develops skills that support the autistic child’s identity while helping them learn and develop”; “It ensures that identified goals embrace the priorities and preferences of the individual and family”; “SLPs who engage in neurodiversity-affirming behavioral interventions work on identifying environmental impacts that may affect the autistic person’s successful communication”; “SLPs create skilled, therapeutic opportunities for meaningful engagement with the autistic person to develop autonomy, teach self-regulation strategies, promote independence, and consider the person’s autistic identity”; “Although people with autism, especially autistic adults, may have functional speech, they may also need AAC to fully meet their communication needs”; “No current empirical studies on gestalt language processing are available”; “Neurodiversity-affirming skilled services and supports cannot be reduced to a single fad or trend”.
3. Welch C, Shanmugarajah K, Li M. Exploring Occupational Therapists’ Transition to Neurodiversity Affirming Practice: A Discourse Analysis. Occup Ther Health Care. 2026 Feb 1:1-23, online ahead of print. doi:10.1080/07380577.2026.2623234. PMID: 41621051 (abstract). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “This study uses discourse analysis to examine the types of services occupational therapy private practice clinics claim to provide for autistic people as well as the roots and impacts of the language that is used on the clinics’ websites to describe these services”; “We conducted a web-based search of relevant websites, using content from 24 sites”; “some of which align with neurodiversity affirming practice, some of which diverge, and some of which inhabit a "grey zone"”; “While many occupational therapists express intentions to provide neuro-affirming care, the services described and language used often reveal underlying tensions or inconsistencies”.
4. Taboas A, Doepke K, Zimmerman C. Preferences for identity-first versus person-first language in a US sample of autism stakeholders. Autism. 2023;27(2):565-570. doi:10.1177/13623613221130845. PMID: 36237135 (abstract). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “Overwhelmingly, autistic adults (n = 299) preferred identity-first language terms to refer to themselves or others with autism”; “Professionals who work in the autism community (n = 207) were more likely to support and use person-first language”; “Language is dynamic and our findings support the need for open communication among autism professionals about how we communicate with and about autistic individuals and their families”.
5. Kenny L, Hattersley C, Molins B, Buckley C, Povey C, Pellicano E. Which terms should be used to describe autism? Perspectives from the UK autism community. Autism. 2016;20(4):442-62. doi:10.1177/1362361315588200. PMID: 26134030 (abstract). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “In all, 3470 UK residents responded to an online survey on their preferred ways of describing autism and their rationale for such preferences”; “The term ’autistic’ was endorsed by a large percentage of autistic adults, family members/friends and parents but by considerably fewer professionals; ’person with autism’ was endorsed by almost half of professionals but by fewer autistic adults and parents”; “These findings demonstrate that there is no single way of describing autism that is universally accepted and preferred by the UK’s autism community”.
6. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Communication About Autism: Terminology Considerations (ASHA Practice Portal resource linked from its autism page). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “Some people view autism as a neurological difference and a fundamental part of a person’s identity”; “Both perspectives are valid and important”; “Other ASHA resources emphasize an identity-centered approach, including neurodiversity-affirming services”; “Some people choose identity-first language, such as autistic person, because they consider autism an intrinsic part of a person’s identity”; “Others choose to use person-first language, such as person with autism, which emphasizes the person rather than the condition”; “Families and caregivers may prefer person-first language—particularly when their child has high support needs”; “Treatment focuses on building strengths by providing supports, strategies, and/or accommodations rather than correcting a disorder or seeking a cure. SLPs may work on social skills that may be (or are) impacting education and quality of life—not as a way to change autism”; “A disorder-based perspective, which some people may consider ableist, establishes the ideal standard to be someone without a disability, and treatment may focus on helping a person appear to look or act in a more “typical” way”; “Sometimes, a diagnosis is needed so that a person can access services or so that SLPs can be reimbursed”; “In order to qualify for reimbursement, the service provider needs to document areas of deficit in order to demonstrate that (a) the client requires skilled services that only a licensed professional can provide and (b) the service is medically necessary”; “The terms services/supports are alternatives to the terms intervention/treatment”; “Some people prefer the terms services/supports and address severity by using the term low support needs or high support needs”; “Payers and disability service agencies, however, expect to see widely accepted terms for diagnosis and evidence of intervention/treatment”; “Discuss terminology preferences directly with students/clients/patients and family members/care partners. Preferences change over time and across settings”; in its table headed “Examples of Ableist Terminology to Avoid” and “Examples of Alternative Terminology That MAY Be Preferred”, the pairs ““at risk for having autism”” and ““may be autistic””; ““high or low functioning”” and ““high or low support needs””; ““nonverbal person,” “nonspeaking person,” or “minimally verbal person”” and “Describe the communication status and modalities of an individual (e.g., “person who uses gesture and picture symbols”)”; ““person with neurodiversity”” and ““neurodivergent person” or “person who is neurodivergent””; “Some families may want their child to appear “normal” and will want a focus on increasing eye contact, modifying facial expressions, or reducing self-stimulatory behaviors. Others, including many autistic people, may use identity-first language and want to learn about communication effectiveness strategies and training programs to help their communication partners (who may not be neurodivergent) better understand individual differences”.
7. American Occupational Therapy Association. Practice Smart! (AOTA's best-practice recommendations, formerly its Choosing Wisely list). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “educate clients and families so they can actively participate in choosing and co-creating the types of care that are best for them”; recommendation 6: “Don’t initiate occupational therapy interventions without completion of the client’s occupational profile and setting collaborative goals”; recommendation 7: “Don’t provide interventions for autistic persons to reduce or eliminate “restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, activities, or interests” without evaluating and understanding the meaning of the behavior to the person, as well as personal and environmental factors”.
8. Patten KK, Murthi K, Onwumere DD, Skaletski EC, Little LM, Tomchek SD. Occupational Therapy Practice Guidelines for Autistic People Across the Lifespan. Am J Occup Ther. 2024;78(3):7803397010. doi:10.5014/ajot.2024.078301. PMID: 38758762 (practice guidelines in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy; abstract, read from the PubMed record). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “A total of 98 articles were included in the systematic reviews”; “Strong to moderate evidence indicates the need for multidisciplinary, goal-oriented interventions to support autistic people in different contexts”; “Although there is only emerging evidence in the inclusion of autistic people’s strengths, interests, and perspectives to guide occupational therapy interventions, such practices can enhance the delivery of neurodiversity-affirming and trauma-informed practices”; “We recommend the use of strengths-based language to describe autistic people and the use of environmental adaptations, care partner education, and coaching to enhance occupational therapy service delivery”; “The literature is sparse regarding neurodiversity-affirming and trauma-informed practices for autistic youths”.
9. U.S. Department of Justice, ADA.gov. ADA Requirements: Effective Communication (guidance). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “People who have vision, hearing, or speech disabilities (“communication disabilities”) use different ways to communicate”; “The ADA requires that title II entities (State and local governments) and title III entities (businesses and nonprofit organizations that serve the public) communicate effectively with people who have communication disabilities”; “In some situations, keeping paper and pencil on hand so the person can write out words that staff cannot understand or simply allowing more time to communicate with someone who uses a communication board or device may provide effective communication”; “They cannot require a person to bring someone to interpret for him or her”; “Title III entities are encouraged to consult with the person with a disability to discuss what aid or service is appropriate”.
10. DrSensory. How to claim and optimize your DrSensory profile (For Therapists guide). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Your description can run to 1,200 characters and is shown in your own words; DrSensory adds paragraph breaks and changes nothing else”; on which tags to pick: “The ones you treat or offer routinely, and no others”; in its table of tag groups, “Conditions we treat” includes “Autism (ASD)”, “Services we offer” includes “AAC”, and “How we work (optional)” includes “Neurodiversity-affirming practice”; “Credentials are tick-only.”; “Before you claim, your tags were matched from the words the directory held about you. Once you publish, the ones you tick replace them.”.
11. DrSensory. Therapy Clinic Directory Pricing (the listing pricing page). in its free and claimed comparison, “A description in your own words” and “Ages and conditions treated” are marked for the claimed listing only, and “Specialties” are “Basic, from our data” on a free listing and “Full, and you edit them” on a claimed one; “We do not verify clinical quality.”; “Listing is not an endorsement, and we say so publicly on every results page.”; “We do not guarantee rankings.”; “The directory lists clinics rather than individual therapists, so one listing covers your whole practice”. Checked October 26, 2026.
12. American Occupational Therapy Association. Scope of occupational therapy practice (decision guide). “State law defines occupational therapy practice. Therefore, state licensure law is the final authority on the scope of occupational therapy practice”; “Once the practice area or intervention has been determined to be within the OT scope of practice, ensure competency to deliver the service”. Checked October 26, 2026.
13. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Code of Ethics (effective March 1, 2023). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Individuals shall provide all clinical services and scientific activities competently”; “Individuals who hold the Certificate of Clinical Competence shall evaluate the effectiveness of services provided, technology employed, and products dispensed, and they shall provide services or dispense products only when benefit can reasonably be expected”; “Individuals may make a reasonable statement of prognosis, but they shall not guarantee—directly or by implication—the results of any treatment or procedure”; “shall not misrepresent services provided, products dispensed, or research and scholarly activities conducted”.
14. American Physical Therapy Association, ChoosePT. Physical Therapy Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder (APTA's consumer guide, revised January 16, 2024). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Physical therapists help people with ASD develop movement skills to promote physical activity and improve their physical and mental well-being”; “Physical therapy can provide benefits from early childhood through the school years and into adulthood”; among what the physical therapist assesses: “Interests and motivators”; “Your physical therapist will partner with you to set goals and create a treatment plan for your child’s and family’s needs”; among the principles a physical therapist may use: “Providing consistent session structures (spaces, people, and routines)”, “Using a visual schedule of pictures or icons to represent their day or the steps to an activity” and “Managing sensory input”; “Each child’s challenges and goals are different”.
15. Autistic Self Advocacy Network. What We Believe (ASAN's statement of its positions). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    ““Nothing About Us Without Us” means that autistic people need to be involved whenever autism is discussed”; “Even saying “No!” with your words or your actions is a kind of self-advocacy”; “No matter how much help we need, we should be able to make our own choices”; “Instead, we believe in supported decision-making”; “People should never have to “earn” the right to communication supports”; “ASAN doesn’t use labels like “high-functioning” and “low-functioning””; “Whether an autistic person has an autism diagnosis from a doctor or not, they are still a part of the autistic community”; “Autism awareness campaigns can make people afraid of autism”; “They may try to talk to our families or helpers instead of talking to us”; “Many therapies can be helpful for autistic people, like physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and AAC”; “there are some therapies that focus on making autistic people seem “normal” or appear “less autistic””; “ASAN does not support any one kind of therapy for autistic people. Different things will work better for different autistic people”; “Good therapies focus on helping us figure out our goals, and work with us to achieve them”; “Most self-advocates agree that autism doesn’t need to be cured”.
16. Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Identity-First Language (an article ASAN publishes under its About pages). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “ASAN intern Lydia Brown originally published this article on their blog Autistic Hoya”; “In the autism community, many self-advocates and their allies prefer terminology such as “Autistic,” “Autistic person,” or “Autistic individual” because we understand autism as an inherent part of an individual’s identity”; “many parents of Autistic people and professionals who work with Autistic people prefer terminology such as “person with autism,” “people with autism,” or “individual with ASD””.
17. Bottema-Beutel K, Kapp SK, Lester JN, Sasson NJ, Hand BN. Avoiding Ableist Language: Suggestions for Autism Researchers. Autism Adulthood. 2021;3(1):18-29. doi:10.1089/aut.2020.0014. PMID: 36601265 (a commentary addressed to researchers; abstract and lay summary). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Ableist language refers to language that assumes disabled people are inferior to nondisabled people”; “many autistic people find terms such as "special interests" and "special needs" patronizing; these terms could be replaced with "focused interests" and descriptions of autistic people’s specific needs”.
18. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. Does HIPAA permit health care providers to use e-mail to discuss health issues and treatment with their patients? (HIPAA FAQ, content last reviewed July 26, 2013). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “The Privacy Rule allows covered health care providers to communicate electronically, such as through e-mail, with their patients, provided they apply reasonable safeguards when doing so”; “an individual has the right under the Privacy Rule to request and have a covered health care provider communicate with him or her by alternative means or at alternative locations, if reasonable”; “Patients may initiate communications with a provider using e-mail. If this situation occurs, the health care provider can assume (unless the patient has explicitly stated otherwise) that e-mail communications are acceptable to the individual”.
19. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. Personal Representatives (HIPAA Privacy Rule guidance, content last reviewed January 5, 2024). for an adult, the personal representative is “A person with legal authority to make health care decisions on behalf of the individual”, for example a “Health care power of attorney”; “In most cases under the Rule, a parent, guardian, or other person acting in loco parentis (collectively, “parent”) is the personal representative of the minor child and can exercise the minor’s rights with respect to protected health information”; “These exceptions generally track the ability of certain minors to obtain specified health care without parental consent under State or other laws, or standards of professional practice”. Checked October 26, 2026.
20. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. Family Members and Friends (HIPAA for Individuals, content last reviewed December 23, 2022). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “The Privacy Rule does not require a health care provider or health plan to share information with your family or friends, unless they are your personal representatives”; the provider may share it if, among other conditions, “You tell the provider or plan that it can do so” or “You do not object to sharing of the information”.
21. U.S. Department of Justice, ADA.gov. ADA Update: A Primer for Small Business (guidance). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “The ADA establishes requirements for 12 categories of public accommodations, which include stores, restaurants, bars, service establishments, theaters, hotels, recreational facilities, private museums and schools, doctors’ and dentists’ offices, shopping malls, and other businesses”; “Nearly all types of businesses that serve the public are included in the 12 categories, regardless of the size of the business or the age of their buildings”; “the ADA requires businesses to make “reasonable modifications” to their usual ways of doing things when serving people with disabilities”; “Most modifications involve only minor adjustments in policies”; “Anything that would result in a fundamental alteration – a change in the essential nature of your business – is not required”.
22. Federal Trade Commission. Advertising FAQ’s: A Guide for Small Business (business guidance). under the FTC Act: “Advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive;” “Advertisers must have evidence to back up their claims; and” “Advertisements cannot be unfair.”; “Under the law, advertisers must have proof to back up express and implied claims that consumers take from an ad”; “In most cases, ads that make health or safety claims must be supported by "competent and reliable scientific evidence" - tests, studies, or other scientific evidence that has been evaluated by people qualified to review it”; “Statements from satisfied customers usually are not sufficient to support a health or safety claim or any other claim that requires objective evaluation”. Checked October 26, 2026.
23. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. Marketing (HIPAA Privacy Rule guidance, content last reviewed July 26, 2013). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “With limited exceptions, the Rule requires an individual’s written authorization before a use or disclosure of his or her protected health information can be made for marketing”; “The Privacy Rule defines “marketing” as making “a communication about a product or service that encourages recipients of the communication to purchase or use the product or service.””. The rule itself, 45 CFR 164.508(a)(1) (eCFR, current text, up to date as of October 23, 2026): “Except as otherwise permitted or required by this subchapter, a covered entity may not use or disclose protected health information without an authorization that is valid under this section”.
24. Federal Trade Commission. Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, 16 CFR Part 255 (eCFR, current text, up to date as of October 23, 2026; sections 255.0(d), 255.1(a) and 255.2(b)). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “For purposes of this part, the term “product” includes any product, service, brand, company, or industry”; “Endorsements must reflect the honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experience of the endorser. Furthermore, an endorsement may not convey any express or implied representation that would be deceptive if made directly by the advertiser”; “An advertisement containing an endorsement relating the experience of one or more consumers on a central or key attribute of the product will likely be interpreted as representing that the endorser’s experience is representative of what consumers will generally achieve with the advertised product in actual, albeit variable, conditions of use”.
25. Google. Performance report (Search results): Overview and basic setup (Search Console Help). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Learn which queries are bringing traffic to your site, and use this to improve your SEO efforts”; “Clicks: The number of times a user clicked your site from Google Search results”; “Impressions: How many times your site appeared in Search results”; “Search results are specific to the time, place, device, and recent history of the person searching”.
26. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. Use of Online Tracking Technologies by HIPAA Covered Entities and Business Associates (guidance, content last reviewed June 26, 2024). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “On June 20, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued an order declaring unlawful and vacating a portion of this guidance document”; “Tracking technologies on a regulated entity’s unauthenticated webpage that permits individuals to schedule appointments or use a symptom-checker tool without entering credentials may have access to PHI in certain circumstances”; “For example, tracking technologies might collect an individual’s email address, or reason for seeking health care typed or selected by an individual, when the individual visits a regulated entity’s webpage and makes an appointment with a health care provider”.
27. DrSensory. DrSensory for Therapists (the For Therapists hub). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “DrSensory is a directory families use free to find occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy clinics”; “The directory lists clinics rather than individual therapists, so one listing covers a whole practice at one address”; “A paid listing adds your own description, logo, up to five photos, hours, reviews with your replies, and inquiries that come to you instead of to the DrSensory team”; “DrSensory does not sell placement in its clinical content. Nor is a listing an endorsement. DrSensory does not verify clinical quality, and says so on every results page”; in its free and paid comparison, the row “Service and condition tags” reads “Matched from the words we hold about you” for a free listing and “The ones you tick in the portal” for a paid one; “On a paid listing, your team does, in the portal; the email you receive only says a message is waiting. On a listing without a paid plan, the message comes to the DrSensory team, who try to reach the clinic by forwarding it on the family’s behalf; DrSensory cannot guarantee that the clinic receives or answers it”; “You reply from your own address”; “The editor has age bands for 18 and over and 65 and over, and ticking them adds the adult conditions”.

Medical disclaimer. This page is for general educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is general guidance on running a therapy practice, not legal, compliance, billing or financial advice. It sets no clinical goal for anyone: goals come from the evaluation and the person’s own priorities.