Foster Care Training

The neurodiversity movement, led by autistics, has shed light on the lived experiences of autistic adults, most of which reflect upon their experiences as children within the medical model of autism. This movement has not only begun to challenge the medical model, but the way society thinks about autism, who is considered the “experts,” and reframing our approaches to truly incorporate neurodiversity in our work with youth. Yet, the neurodiversity movement & research continue to leave out and marginalize other oppressed populations, such that, there continues to be significant disparities in the diagnosis of autism among BIPOC youth populations. In this workshop, we explore autism in youth from a neurodiversity and biopsychosocial perspective, current research and challenges to the medical model of autism, racial/ethnic disparities, appropriate support strategies to meet the needs of the youth in our care, and examples based on the lived and clinical experiences of Dr. Leon-Villa, an autistic, first-gen, Indigenous, Xicana, daughter of immigrants, neuropsychologist.