Neuroaffirming Terminology in Clinical Practice

Presentation Title: Neuroaffirming Terminology in Clinical Practice 


Target Audience : Clinicians who wish to serve Neurodivergent clients


Objectives: 

• Review clinical applications of language vs. cultural
• Understand important terms like Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity
• Compare people first-language vs. identity-first
• Self-identification of "being Autistic" vs. "Self-diagnosis" of autism spectrum disorder

Aslynn J. Romano PMHNP-BC (she/her/they/them) is an AuDHD psychiatric nurse practitioner who works with Neurodivergent clients to evaluate and treat mental health conditions as well as provide neuro-affirming diagnostic services to those who suspect they may be Autistic. Her solo private practice is Neurospace: Affirming Psychiatry & Counseling located in Concord, NH (NeurospaceAPC.com). She also provides independent psychiatric evaluations for individuals with "severe and persistent mental illness" and those who may be incompetent to stand trial. Aslynn enjoys sharing research, personal anecdotes, political commentary, mutual aid, and stories about autism spectrum disorder vs Autistic culture on her social media pages. She feels lucky to be part of an international collaboration of Autistic autism diagnosticians and has been featured as a speaker in multiple settings