Our Approach

At Ookami Kids we take a neurodiversity affirming, strengths-based, child-led and family-centred approach to your child’s therapy.

In practice, this means we always aim to:

• celebrate your child as they are

• focus on differences rather than deficits

• let your child lead and show us the way

• focus on connection over compliance

• adapt the environment to better support your child

• seek to understand the real ‘why’ behind challenges

• presume competence - assume your child can do something and figure out how best to make it happen

• work on what is important and meaningful for your child and family

• share knowledge with the other people around your child to help them know how to best support them

What is ‘Neurodiversity Affirming’?

Neurodiversity literally means ‘brain differences’. It’s a term that encompasses the diverse range of human brains and variations in thinking and functioning. It is used to reflect the many ways that people’s brains can vary from ‘normal’ or ‘typical’. This includes (but is not limited to) diagnoses such as ADHD, Autism, Tourette’s Syndrome and Dyslexia. These variations impact how people experience and process information in their environments- resulting in differences around processing sensory input (being more or less sensitive .to things like light, touch and sound), communication, language, learning, moving and thinking.

Traditionally the ‘medical’ model of therapy and disability support has focused on ‘fixing’ deficits, with achieving ‘normal’ as the desired outcome. Being neurodiversity affirming means looking at this variation through a lens of ‘differences’ rather than ‘deficits’ - celebrating diversity, seeking to validate people’s individual and collective experiences, understand differences and the impacts of living with these differences.

Neurodiversity affirming practice respects individual differences and builds on strengths and existing skills, with a focus on accommodating and adapting rather than ‘fixing’.

Understanding of neurodiversity, disability and specific diagnoses such as Autism is constantly evolving, however one of the key messages of the neurodiversity framework or movement is that people shouldn’t be forced to fit into one mainstream ‘box’ and that many of the challenges neurodivergent people face ‘fitting in’ are due to a lack of understanding.

At Ookami Kids we embrace the concept of neurodiversity and neurodiversity affirming care from a place of both professional and lived experience. We believe that validating people’s experiences and supporting children as they are, to grow to understand themselves and their unique strengths and challenges, is the best way forward in supporting skill development, relationships and physical and mental health.