While there is debate about the actual prevalence, people with disabilities are more likely to be abused than their nondisabled peers. There are a few reasons why and this is by no means an exhaustive list: In the minor reading I have done, I have found abuse prevention programs that focus on using behavioral skills…
These were the amazing graduate students that I got to work with from Mahidol University in Thailand. In my last post I talked about doing some ACT exercises with the Thai staff at rural orphanage in Kanchanaburi. In this post I want to talk about buffers to trauma and how absolutely amazing the Thai people…
I recently came back from a trip to Thailand where I was providing information to staff at an orphanage/school on how to be trauma informed. I have done international volunteer work in the past and have learned what to do and what not to do. Volunteer trips where you are focused on just hanging out…
Photo Credit: letstalk.mentalhealth I have mentioned that I use principles of Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) when teaching social media safety skills. There are six core principles of ACT- present moment, values, committed action, defusion, self as context and acceptance. This blog post is going to focus on defusion. References: If your are looking for…
For almost a year now, I have been teaching Social Media Safety classes to Neurodivergent individuals. I have learned some things on the way that I want to share in these next couple posts. The first, and perhaps most important thing, is that it is so important to be trauma informed when you are teaching…
How the need for social belonging can cause teens to engage in unsafe behaviors. I have been leading some groups that teach social media safety skills to neurodivergent teens. (If you are interested in these groups go to the “Online Groups” page). At the beginning of groups individuals did not know what types of red…
How online interactions can be easier for people with Executive Functioning Deficits In a previous blog post I talked about how executive functioning skills are extremely important when interacting with others. Interacting online with people is one way to help mitigate some of these deficits. The Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research published an interesting paper…
I’ve been doing a lot of reading about teaching social media safety skills. I have some online groups coming up and I want to make sure I am addressing the real issue. I hate to say this cause I think it speaks to my age, but I need to educate myself in the CURRENT research…
I recently conducted a training about how to teach online safety skills to individuals with disabilities. Before I went there I looked into the pros and cons of online relationships. It is pretty easy to identify the risks (i.e. potential exploitation, bullying, etc). But as I did some research I thought it was interesting what…
Sexual Ableism- have you heard this term before? It was a new one for me. I know what “ableism” is. FYI- ableism is “discrimination and prejudice against disabled people based on the belief that typical abilities are superior”. I think that when we aren’t directly impacted by things, it is easy to dismiss them and…