Understanding Autism Stimming and Self-Advocacy | Episode 03
Episode 3: From Autism Diagnosis to College Freshman
Understanding stimming and self-advocacy.
In Episode 3, we discuss stimming, a characteristic of autism, and how understanding and honoring individual differences can create opportunities for self-advocacy and self-expression.
Five years ago, when this video was recorded, my son was transitioning from the Sapling stage of development into the Young Tree stage within the Village Engagement Matrix™.
During this phase, I was intentionally teaching him that his experiences, preferences, needs, and perspectives mattered.
I worked to help him understand his differences, communicate his needs, and advocate for himself.
Today, as an Oak Tree, those same lessons show up in his daily university life.
Just yesterday, he walked into his university’s disability access resource center, explained his stimming and sensory needs, described the complex social dynamics of previous roommate situations, and advocated for an on-campus living situation that would support his success as a neurodivergent young adult.
That moment did not begin in a university office.
It began years earlier through intentional conversations, opportunities to practice self-expression, and repeated messages that his voice mattered.
Through the lens of the Village Engagement Matrix™, this is one example of how intentional engagement, developmental support, scaffolding, self-advocacy development, and opportunities to practice independence accumulated over time.🌱🌿🌳
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