Exploring Occupational Therapists’ Transition to Neurodiversity Affirming Practice: A Discourse Analysis

This study uses discourse analysis to examine the types of services occupational therapy private practice clinics claim to provide for autistic people as well as the roots and impacts of the language that is used on the clinics' websites to describe these services. We conducted a web-based search of relevant websites, using content from 24 sites. We examined the discursive practices contained on the websites and compared them to foundational tenets of neurodiversity affirming practice. We found that the discursive patterns on the sites reflect a complex, mixed, and varied array of language, beliefs, and practices, some of which align with neurodiversity affirming practice, some of which diverge, and some of which inhabit a "grey zone". While many occupational therapists express intentions to provide neuro-affirming care, the services described and language used often reveal underlying tensions or inconsistencies. We discuss these gaps between stated intentions and implicit beliefs. We suggest a need for deeper reflexivity and critical examination of how our communications, interventions, and understanding align with neurodiversity affirming principles. Finally, we offer concrete strategies for changing discursive practices to support occupational therapists in our shift toward neurodiversity affirming practice.