The end of a calendar year seems to bring about reflection of the preceding year’s events and hope for what can be accomplished in the coming year. As an organization, the Foundations for Divergent Minds (FDM) team is utilizing this time to make plans for projects, programs and changes for 2022 that we’re thrilled to share with you, our community. Before we do so, we want to quickly revisit 2021 and highlight several triumphs, disappointments, and lessons learned. Year Review: 2021 FDM: Education Learning on Demand! The start of the year also marked a change in how we offer our courses. In th ..read more

Foundations for Divergent Minds (FDM) is a grassroots organization that was founded in 2018 to advance and educate on the Neurodiversity paradigm using a systemized framework. This impactful framework took several years to develop prior to the inception of the organization. It draws upon decades of Autistic and disability practice and activism by our founding board members and the broader Neurodiversity movement.  As with all movements, we advance on the backs of those who came before us. Whether they are community icons or little-known elders.  Whether we have a sense of personal af ..read more

Equity-and-Justice-for-the-Autistic-Community (pdf)Download As an all Autistic-run organization, Foundations for Divergent Minds recognizes the disparities for autistic people run deep. In education, healthcare, housing, jobs and community, our needs are frequently unmet. When you add in the intersection of race, sexuality, gender, class and other disabilities, these disparities stop being proverbial cracks to fall through and instead are deep chasms that seem impossible to cross. We started with an important purpose. As our board member, Kassiane Asasumasu, has put it, we have a vision that ..read more

CW: Sexual harrassment   For the purposes of this article, we will be using the real names of body parts and discussing sexual behaviors. We will be focusing on autistic children with penes specifically, but obviously this applies to any person.   One commonly asked question from parents, therapists and behavior analysts when talking to Neurodiversity activists turns to the age old question, “How do you stop an autistic teen boy from touching their privates?” This is often equated to a self-stimulatory behavior that a penis-having autistic does to self-regulate.   First, touchin ..read more

Life is full of variety. Through it all, sensory needs are often a constant for neurodivergent people. Being prepared to meet a variety of sensory needs in a variety of settings can increase opportunities to engage in enjoyable activities while preserving energy to actually enjoy the activities!   Auditory stimuli are a constant presence for many people in many situations. Having some control over these stimuli is often important for self-regulation. There are a variety of headphones in many shapes, sizes, colors, and types that can be used to manage sensory needs. Noise canceling headpho ..read more

Professionals have a duty to learn the most current, relevant, and nuanced information to support those they serve. Furthermore, their duty of beneficence implies a responsibility to support parents in acquiring the knowledge needed to better serve their children. Below are some ways to embody that responsibility.   To provide appropriate information to support parents in ethical decision-making, professionals should… …expand their disability knowledge base beyond that which was included in their curriculum. Most educational programs – even very good ones – are significantly lacking in up ..read more

There are, perhaps, few children for whom goals are made and discussed as explicitly as they are for children with disabilities. We have touched on this concept in previous articles in relation to goals that promote empowerment, self-advocacy, and the double standards for compliance between disabled and non-disabled people. These goals also seem to lend themselves to overshadowing a child’s right to provide or withhold consent. Parental consent is often considered to be a substitute for a child’s consent. Legally, it is a valid substitution in many cases. Ethically, however, parental consent s ..read more

  Our last article covered areas of psychological healthcare that can currently be inaccessible to autistic people and other neurodivergent people. This article offers some key indicators of accessibility to look for in psychological healthcare services and professionals. As with all professionals who serve the public, psychological healthcare professionals should approach the professional relationship as a partnership. The professional brings the formal education and clinical experience to the table, but the clients or patients bring the most important thing of all – themselves. In fact ..read more

Trigger warning: mentions of self harm, forced hosptalization, and suicide   It has been said that we don’t know what autism looks like on its own – only what autism plus trauma looks like. As long as we live in a world that is is set up to face forced neurotypical behavior, existing as a neurodivergent person will always be traumatic. Many believe that this truth offers some explanation for the high rates of anxiety and depression that often accompany autism. Even neurodivergent people who have had the fortune of growing up in situations that are intentionally crafted to support them oft ..read more

It’s the week of Thanksgiving, a holiday filled with turkey, family, and joy…  Well, if you were raised by a decent family, have perfectly behaved children, no racist family you’d prefer not to sit near, and absolutely no trauma whatsoever. But for the rest of us, the holiday season coming up can, and will be, hell.  So I’d like to take this moment to remind people of that very real and important saying: do not light yourself (or anyone else you love and cherish) on fire to keep others warm. Family can be toxic, with mine as no exception. I remember when my oldest was little, and we ..read more