Neurodiversity and the NeuroAllies Program at Kean University (Presented by NJACE)
As faculty in Kean University’s speech-language pathology program, we noticed a trend among our incoming students: Many were working as behavior therapy aides and had little knowledge about other approaches to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We wanted to explore ASD and alternative treatment approaches more deeply with our students. We applied for and received a faculty scholarship, funded by the New Jersey Center for Excellence in Autism (NJACE), to develop a model graduate-level training program for students who want to work with autistic people. Our 12-credit, optional, interprofessional specialization follows the neurodiversity paradigm, which is not typical for university programs. We were able to embed it into our graduate program without sacrificing required course content.
In this webinar, we will share the terminology, core tenets, and components of the Neurodiversity Framework that future SLPs in our program are learning. We will also share our students’ reflections on their own learning.
Speakers: Mahchid Namazi, PhD, CCC-SLP and JoAnne Cascia, EdD, CCC-SLP
To join this webinar, please visit the NJACE YouTube Channel.
This webinar is presented by NJ Autism Center of Excellence.