Unpacking and Addressing Discrimination and Internalised Ableism towards Autistic Individuals: A Collaborative Self-Reflective Session for Therapists

Format: Workshop or Interactive Learning Session – 1 hour

Liam Spicer & Monique Mitchelson

Lead by two Autistic, ADHD Psychologists, Liam Spicer, and Monique Mitchelson, this session will bring greater awareness to the prevalence, impact, and challenges associated with discrimination and internalised ableism towards Autistic individuals. Substantial research has demonstrated that autistic individuals are at substantially increased risk of discrimination and prejudice in various forms (Cleary et al., 2023). Recent studies (Jones et al., 2020) underscore the need for a holistic approach to examining discrimination, moving beyond the conventional focus on social challenges to delve into the intricate web of mental and physical health factors and acknowledging the diverse identities within the autistic community. Discrimination is in part caused by implicit bias (Greenwald & Banaji, 1995) which argues that social behaviour is influenced by unconscious associations and judgments that can bias our beliefs in an unconscious ways leading to sexism, racism, ageism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism which is an implicit bias in the population towards abled bodied and non-disabled people as normative and ideal.

As therapists, being aware of any implicit biases is significantly important in clinical practice, as not doing so can interfere on connection, attunement, and the way we engage in the delivery of interventions and support. This needs to be an urgent priority amongst our profession and in all health settings, especially considering recent research demonstrating autistic individuals rating acceptance and understanding from health professionals as critical in supporting their current challenges (Mazurek et al., 2023). This session will bring awareness to the current research on discrimination and ableism towards Autistic individuals and provide an overview of the significant advancements in the field of Autism to give up to date knowledge on how Autism is viewed in line with the Neurodiversity Affirming Paradigm. The second half of the session will involve various self-reflective, and group-based exercises, aiming to bring awareness for all clinicians on internalised biases they may hold, how they may have developed, and through practical strategies both included in the session, and encouraged afterwards how they can be dismantled. Overall, the session aims to provide clinicians with knowledge on how they can more effectively support Autistic individuals, through becoming more aware of themselves, and the factors that may impact on the therapy relationship, and the delivery of interventions.