A practical resource collectively written by nearly 50 co-authors representing an anthology of diverse identities, experiences, and perspectives for a more equitable profession.

Pre-Order the First Neurodiversity-Focused Occupational Therapy Book!

If you had told me three years ago just after completing my doctorate that I would be an editor for a neurodiversity-affirming occupational therapy book, I would have: 1) cackled monstrously, 2) looked at you and said “what, like for real?” and 3) thanked you for thinking I was capable of such a project. I’d be lying if I said I never wondered if I was the best person to lead this project…to be honest, I think about it nearly every day. But, what I have learned along the way is that this book was never about a single person being the editor and more about the fabulous and brilliant co-authors coming together to create something so special. I cannot believe that Neurodiversity-Affirming Occupational Therapy: Empowering Approaches to Foster Neurodivergent Participation will be out next month on April 21st.

The first half of the book explores essential foundations such as neurodiversity, ableism, disability justice, trauma-informed care, antiracism, and strengths-based approaches. The second half offers practical strategies for embedding affirming principles throughout the OT process, including critical reflexivity, evaluation, intervention, and how to advocate outside of our clinical roles. Because we have so much content to share, the book comes with over 100 pages of additional content including a bonus chapter of case studies, a bonus chapter on how to support Neurodivergent students in higher education, and so much more. My goodness, what a labor of love this book has been…Additionally, any income made from this book will be donated in part to organizations led by those from historically excluded communities. Consider purchasing a copy for a friend or loved one, and thank you for coming along this journey with us.

With love and in solidarity,

Bryden

Neurodiversity-Affirming Occupational Therapy: Empowering Approaches to Foster Neurodivergent Participation

You can purchase our book from most places wherever books are sold. Please consider purchasing a copy from your neighborhood bookseller prior to considering major retailers.

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Jessica Kingsley Publishers
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The Book’s Vault

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Testimonials

  • “This book reconnects the work of occupational therapy to its foundations of embodied social justice, human rights, and resistance to oppression. Rigorous and courageous, this collection interrogates the structural and cultural forces that shape practice, grounding its analysis in disability justice, and inviting practitioners to think critically, challenge themselves, and be bold. For anyone seeking to shift their practice from affirming to transformative, this is an essential resource.”

    - Kieran Rose, Consultant, Researcher, Author. www.theautisticadvocate.com

  • “This gloriously radical book teaches OT practitioners that neurodiversity is not just a buzzword, but a biological reality. The authors of this book, each in their unique way, provide a clear roadmap to improving neurodiversity-affirming practice, while inspiring the reader to level up their commitment to helping individuals be their true authentic self while pursuing meaningful occupations.”

    - Greg Santucci, MS, OTR Founder of ClimbRx and Executive Director of Power Play Pediatric Therapy

  • “Neurodiversity-Affirming Occupational Therapy is a groundbreaking contribution to occupational therapy and occupational justice. It offers a bold, compassionate, and practical guide for enacting anti-ableist, antiracist, strengths-based, and trauma-informed practices. It accomplishes this by blending theory, research, and personal narratives while integrating diverse voices from neurodivergent authors, activists, and scholars.”

    - Antoine L. Bailliard, Ph.D., M.S., OTR/L, FAOTA, Professor of Occupational Therapy at Duke University School of Medicine

  • “This is one of the best pieces of current activism I have seen in the profession! Dr. Bryden Carlson-Giving and the book's co-authors skillfully outline the relationship between concepts such as disability justice, anti-racism, trauma-informed care, strengths-based practice and more to give the reader tangible actions points to implement into their practice. This book will enable everyone no matter where they are in their journey to allyship to take direct action and critically challenge systems.”

    - Georgia Vine, Occupational Therapist, Disability Activist, and Author of Occupational Therapy, Disability Activism, and Me

  • “This is a remarkable book that provides an accessible, yet scholarly introduction to neurodiversity-affirming occupational therapy. Centered both on disability justice and on the enhancement of meaningful occupational engagement, the various contributors contest ableism, and challenge personal and professional assumptions. This book has provided me with knowledge from which I am both learning and reflecting, and I unreservedly recommend it to my international occupational therapy colleagues.”

    - Karen Whalley Hammell PhD., Honorary Professor, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of British Columbia

  • “Neurodiversity-Affirming Occupational Therapy invites us to envision our work, our relationships, and ourselves through the lens of radical inclusion. In reading this incredible text, I laughed, I cried, I wondered, I felt pangs in my heart that may be something like hope. This text offers us a path forward, one that insists occupational therapy be rooted in justice and demands accountability. At the same time, this book is like a loving mentor, pulling up a seat beside us and gently guiding us toward something better.”

    - Rachel Ashcraft, OTR/L, FAOTA, TBRI® Practitioner and Program Director for the University of Alabama in Multitiered Approach to Trauma Graduate Certificate. Co-editor of Trauma, Occupation, and Participation

  • “This text is full of practical guidance for OT practitioners to embrace anti-ableist approaches to practice. It takes a refreshingly intersectional anti-oppressive approach that moves our profession in the right direction. For those curious about neurodiversity and related paradigms, this book can serve as an inspiring introduction. For the social justice-minded OTPs working to rebuild OT from its very foundations, this text provides concrete tools and a precious reminder that we are not alone.”

    - Aster Harrison, PhD., OTD, OTR/L, Post-Doctoral Scholar at Aix-Marseille Université

About the Editor

Bryden Carlson-Giving is a Neurodivergent occupational therapist and activist who combines clinical expertise with lived experience to champion inclusive, anti-ableist practice. He earned his post-professional doctorate from Boston University, where he developed a toolkit to help OTPs challenge ableism in pediatric settings-work that led to the creation of the EMPOWER model, the first neurodiversity-focused occupational therapy framework. Bryden is the founder of Neurodivergent Nexus, an online resource hub for supporting anti-ableist OT practice and is the recipient of Boston University's Emerging Leader Award. Based in Minnesota, he works in the public schools to foster equitable practices that affirm the identities of all students.