What We Offer

One of our favourite activities is presenting and/or hosting discussion-based seminars related to neurodiversity!

At the bottom of this page are some topics that we have presented on in the past, but we also welcome presentation requests on other topics as well! If a topic is outside of our scope of knowledge or experience, we are happy to try and recommend other presenters who may have more knowledge or expertise.

If you are interested in having us present for your organisation or class, please feel welcome to contact us at sambrandsen7@gmail.com. When possible, our suggested presenting fee is $50-100 per hour, though we are willing to present for free if the fee would not be financially accessible.

Stylistic note: We usually start presentations with the overarching theoretical concepts (e.g. what is autism, why is it important to be neurodiversity-affirming, how we personally conceptualize neurodiversity-affirming care.) However, we try to also include several specific or practical suggestions and case studies as well! Our “default setting” is probably 40% theory, 60% specific ideas or case studies, though we are happy to adjust based on the needs of the audience.

Who We Are

Tisha Shah (she/her) was raised in Durham/Raleigh NC and she graduated from NC State University with a B.A. in Communications with a Concentration in Communication Science and Disorders and a minor in Psychology. She then received her post-graduate degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of South Carolina where she completed a specialization track for neurogenic disorders. Over her 20+ years of practice, she has worked in various settings, including medical, schools, private practice, school-based teletherapy, and as adjunct faculty for North Carolina Central University's Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders as a Clinical Educator. She is currently an independent contractor and is also the co-founder/CEO of TheraFriends Community Partnership. TheraFriends' mission centers on being an accessible, neurodiversity-affirming, and inclusive practice.

Sam Brandsen, Ph.D. (he/him) was initially trained as a theoretical physicist, but has been working in autism research for several years now and, more recently, research on clinical ethics and boundaries. He is autistic himself and the parent of an autistic child with higher support needs, and he is particularly fascinated by envisioning more accessible healthcare systems. He is also a transgender man, which has led to some work on the intersection of autism and gender identity.

Creating a more accessible autism diagnostic process

Brief review of autism with a focused on less frequently discussed autistic traits
Discusses diagnostic disparities faced by autistic individuals and experiences (e.g. masking) that may be overlooked in standard diagnostic processes
Provides examples of ways that autistic traits are typically described in diagnostic reports as well as more neurodiversity-affirming alternatives
Provides specific examples of accommodations and ways to make the diagnostic approach more collaborative
Overviews resources that may be helpful for newly diagnosed autistic adults as well as parents of newly diagnosed young autistic children

Trauma-informed care for Transgender and Autistic Patients

Brief review of autism and autistic strengths
Discussion of the overlap between autism and gender identity (with a specific focus on transgender people or anyone outside of the gender binary more broadly)
Overview of barriers often faced by autistic and transgender people in general as well as in clinical care
Suggestions for removing barriers and increasing the quality of care, as well as helping patients who are trying to understand their gender identity
Discussion of the nuances of flexible boundaries (both benefits and risks) when working with autistic and transgender patients, as well as ideas for implementing regular feedback into one’s practice

Accessibility in the workplace and conflicting access needs

Review of neurodiversity and autism
Domains of accessibility in the workplace (e.g. sensory inclusion, bridging differences in communication styles)
Introduction to conflicting access needs (e.g. what happens if one person in an environment is noise sensitive while another person has a verbal tic that involves noise)
Ideas for ways to proactively identify and work around conflicting access needs, with several case studies

Preventing and Healing Ruptures in Therapy

Introduction to the current state of research on therapy ruptures or harmful experiences in therapy
Specific ideas for minimizing the risk of therapy harm or rupture: proactive feedback approaches (tailored for different communication styles), considerations related to scope of practice, self-reflection practices
Broader issues contributing to adverse experiences in therapy: clinician burnout, high caseloads, and stressors within group practices disproportionately influencing marginalized clinicians and specific ideas for group practices
Restorative justice after therapy ruptures or harm: resources designed to help patients identify and express the impact of the rupture or harm on them, potential restorative actions the clinicians could take, and third party facilitation