Dr. Lisa Marnell, OTD, MBA

🌱Last month I visited a school where a little boy, Mateo, was working with a behavior technician who had been hired to deliver Autism “therapy.” She was kind, patient, and clearly wanted to help. But as I watched her try to manage his overwhelm with a laminated token board and a series of rehearsed prompts, something became painfully clear. She had never been taught how to understand what his nervous system was trying to communicate. ➡️ No one had taught her about sensory overload. ➡️ No one...

As Thanksgiving approaches, I am thinking about simple meaningful moments in my clinic. They remind me why our work matters and how powerful small, attuned and affirming interactions can be.

The first few weeks of school often go smoothly. Everyone is fresh, polite, and hopeful. But for many Autistic students, that “honeymoon” depends on masking—suppressing natural regulation needs and social communication differences to blend in.