This SIG 1 forum aims to increase speech-language pathologists’ ability to work with neurodiverse clients from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds in an affirming way. The first article discusses intersectionality in the context of neurodiversity affirming services for Black autistic people, while the fourth provides a case study of the experience of autism and communication in an indigenous Yucatec Maya family. The second article examines self-diagnosis in autism and suggests ethical considerations for speech-language pathologists working with this population. The third article examines comprehension of ambiguous pronouns in autistic and non-autistic populations. Finally, the fifth article rounds out the forum by discussing ways that culture may impact naturalistic communication assessments.

Learning Outcomes
You will be able to:

• describe situations in which neurodiversity affirming care may need cultural adjustment
• describe the SLP’s responsibility to act with professional integrity and cultural humility in interacting with people who are self-diagnosed members of the autistic community
• describe strategies that autistic and nonautistic adults use in interpretation of ambiguous pronouns
• state ethical responsibilities when working with clients at the intersection of autism and ethnicity
• describe ways that cultural dimensions may impact naturalistic communication assessments

Assessment Type
Self-assessment—Think about what you learned and report on the Completion Form how you will use your new knowledge.

Articles in This Course

1. Introduction to the Forum: Intersectional Approaches to Language in Autism by Kelly L. Coburn and Teresa Girolamo, published in SIG 1, Volume 10, Issue 3, June 2025
2. Consideration of Intersectionality in the Context of Neurodiversity-Affirming Services for Black Autistic People by D'Jaris Coles-White, Oluwatobi Abubakare, Shanter H. Alexander, and Danai Kasambira Fannin, published in SIG 1, Volume 10, Issue 3, June 2025
3. Self-Diagnosis of Autism: What Is the Speech-Language Pathologist's Role? by Kelly L. Coburn,published in SIG 1, Volume 10, Issue 3, June 2025
4. Personal Pronoun Comprehension and Theory of Mind in Autistic Adults by Oluwatobi Abubakare and Jesse Snedeker, published in SIG 1, Volume 10, Issue 3, June 2025