I had an amazing conversation with Dr. Nancy Marshall, a therapist and researcher, who previously worked as Child and Youth Counselor in Toronto public schools. We discussed her new, qualitative research on autistic people’s experiences with and perception of ABA. We also talked about the impact of the neurodiversity movement on autism services, and the evolution of new supports and educational practices that are neuro-affirming.
Listen to the podcast by playing the audio file below, or on streaming sites like Spotify, ApplePodcasts, Pandora, etc
Bio
Nancy Marshall is a registered social worker and youth worker who holds a PhD in Education from York University, Toronto. She has close to 20 years experience as a Child and Youth Worker (CYW) supporting autistic children, youth, and families with neuro-affirming and relational approaches in a variety of settings, mainly in special education settings and one-on-one counselling settings. Currently, she works as a child therapist at Ripple Effect Children’s Services in Toronto, Ontario and as a Course Director at York University teaching Inclusion, Disabilities, and Education to preservice K to 12 teacher candidates. Her mixed methods doctoral research examined the impact of ABA on the wellbeing of autistic people using survey analyses and stories from lived experiences.
I was so excited to speak with Dr. Ryan, a trailblazer in Canadian autism research! Her work was the first participatory autism research in Canada and it has inspired more. We talk about inclusion, autonomy, research methods, our collaborative work and how to improve services for intellectually disabled people in Canada’s west and throughout the world.