Maddy Dever (they/them) is a non-binary, wheelchair user with a spinal cord injury and an Autistic adult and parent of four children who are all also Autistic, living in rural Eastern Ontario in Canada.
Maddy advocates with both provincial and federal governments for the inclusion and acceptance of Autistic individuals and for Autistic people and all people with disabilities to have their own voice in policy decisions.
Maddy is a writer, speaker, podcaster and former member of the Ontario Autism Program Advisory Panel and the Ontario Autism Program Implementation Working Group. Maddy is the President and founder of Autistic Bridge Inc., and is the Co-Vice Chair of Autism Alliance of Canada (formerly known as CASDA), is on the Expert Hub Team for ECHO Ontario Autism, ECHO Ontario Brain Health and Family ECHO US, is an Autistic advocate and executive team member of Autism Care Network in the US and is the Director of Policy for the Ontario Disability Coalition. Maddy writes and shares their speaking engagements at autisticrambler.com
Sessions
Supporting Autistic Flourishing: Individual and Contextual Considerations
Wednesday October 30th, 2024 @ 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
There has been considerable work on addressing mental health challenges in autistic people, and far less in considering what is required so that autistic people can flourish, which is not simply the absence of challenges. Flourishing involves the experience of emotional, psychological and social well-being. We all deserve the thrive, and it is important to explicitly identify positive outcomes as targets for autistic supports. The current talk will define flourishing, provide examples of ways of measuring it, and highlight the kinds of supports that should be considered to move autistic young people and adults from languishing to this positive outcome.
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