Part 1: Counseling Neurodiverse Children and Youth

Presenters: Emily C. Goodman-Scott, PhD, LPC, NCC, NCSC, ACS and Amanda M. Evans, PhD, LPC, NCC, BC-TMH, ACS

Children and adolescents with disabilities (i.e., mental health disorders) can be disfranchised by behavioral health and healthcare systems as their therapeutic needs may be confused with developmental delays and medical disorders preventing access to developmentally appropriate expectations. This is especially true for children and adolescents who are neurodiverse and may be unresponsive to traditional counseling approaches. Approximately 20% of the world’s population is neurodiverse and in 2024, 1 in 36 children were diagnosed as neurodiverse in the United States (Maenner, et al., 2020).

A term first coined in 1998 by Judy Singer, neurodiversity is conceptualized as differences in learning, behaving, relating, and processing information in comparison to atypical peers. A strengths-oriented term, neurodiversity is intended to be inclusive of differences in brain processing and relating to others. Some diagnoses that may be included under the umbrella of neurodiversity include autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyspraxia, dyslexia, intellectual disabilities, giftedness, and learning disorders (Koifman, 2022; Mitran, 2022).

Counselors can be instrumental in supporting neurodiverse youth and their families in the home, school, and community by incorporating strengths-based approaches to treatment. One approach to serving neurodiverse clients and their families is through applying culturally responsive, trauma-aware, and neurobiologically informed (CTN) approaches to assist with the behavioral, cognitive, and emotional needs of neurodiverse youth to achieve health outcomes.

Learning Objectives

Learners will initiate dialogue within the counseling community that examines working with neurodiverse youth in an inclusive and affirming way.
Learners will discuss current research trends on counseling neurodiverse youth, with a focus on strengths-based approaches in school and clinical mental health settings.
Learners will demonstrate how to incorporate neuro-affirming, strengths-based interventions and adapt existing counseling approaches for neurodiverse youth.

CE Credit: 1 NBCC Hours; 0 CRCC Hours; 1 WA Hours; 0 APT Hours; 0 NAADAC Hours; 1 NY Hours; 1 Ethics Hours

Amanda M. Evans, PhD, LPC, NCC, BC-TMH, ACS

Dr. Amanda M. Evans is a Professor of Counseling Programs at James Madison University. Amanda is a licensed professional counselor, nationally certified counselor, board-certified tele-mental health provider, and approved clinical supervisor. Her research interests include race-based trauma, health disparities, and ally development. Amanda has secured over 4.5 million dollars in grant funding to support initiatives that support the behavioral health of children, adolescents, and transitional-age youth. She is a member of the ACA Governing Council and a leader within the Association for Humanistic Counseling. Within ACA, Amanda has served on the Ethics, Graduate Student, and Human Rights Committees.

Emily C. Goodman-Scott, PhD, LPC, NCC, NCSC, ACS

Dr. Emily Goodman-Scott is a Professor of Counselor Education and the School Counseling Coordinator at Old Dominion University. She has previous experience as a special education teacher, school counselor, and LPC serving youth and families; her goals include: working toward more equitable and just education systems. Dr. Goodman-Scott studies school counseling, including Multi-tiered Systems of Support, youth with diverse abilities, and current school counseling topics. She enjoys working with school counselors and educators around the country, providing trainings, keynotes, and coaching. Over the years, she has served as a leader for the Association for Child and Adolescent Counseling (president 2020-2021); the Virginia School Counselor Association (Chair, 2019-2020) and ACA Governing Council (2022-2025), as well as a 2023 ACA Fellow.