Crisis Intervention: Supporting Neurodivergent Youth
A Listening Guide to the Roadmap for Change Podcast, Episode 9
This episode considers the experiences of neurodivergent youth and their families and the way the juvenile justice system should focus on preventing harm, not punishing differences.
Welcome to the Episode 9 Listening Guide!
Many neurodivergent youth get caught up in the juvenile justice system because of a moment of crisis or a difference in behavior. This episode of the Roadmap for Change podcast considers the experiences of neurodivergent youth and their families and the way the juvenile justice system should focus on preventing harm, not punishing differences.
As you listen (Step 1), feel free to take notes, and then take some time with the reflection questions when you’re done (Step 2). This will help you process some of the more complex topics and find the ways that they intersect with your own life experiences, work, and circle of influence. Then, choose one of the possible action items (Step 3) that feels accessible and see if you can put it into practice.
Step 1: Listen to the Episode
Step 2: Consider These Reflection Questions
1
How visible were disabled people and/or children with learning disabilities when you were growing up? If they weren’t visible, where/why might they have been hidden? If they were visible, how were they treated by school systems or other adults out in the world?
2
Think of a time when someone was being “weird” or having a big emotional reaction to something in school, work, church, or another public place. How did the majority of people respond? Was that response helpful to the person or the situation? What might have actually helped?
3
Have you ever felt shamed or punished for being a little different from your peers? What would happen if that difference was treated as suspicious or a sign of criminal activity?
OR if that difference already is treated as suspicious, what is it like trying to explain that kind of profiling or discrimination to someone who hasn’t experienced it before?
Step 3: Take an Action Step
Brainstorm and/or research ways that you can make your own home, organization, or workplace safer for neurodivergent people.
Share one of the clips below with a person in your life who has talked to you about autism, ADHD, dyslexia, bipolar disorder, or a mental health condition and have a conversation about ways that society treats people with those conditions. How could the discrimination be different for people of various races, genders, sexualities, etc.?