Building Therapeutic Alliance with Children with Autism
Building Therapeutic Alliance with Children with Autism
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Issue Date
2025
Authors
Wong, Michelle
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
In therapy, the therapeutic relationship is at the heart of change. Effective communication and social skills serve as the foundation for building relationships, but what occurs to the relationship when communication and social skills do not align with those of the therapist? This capstone examines the mechanisms that impede the therapeutic alliance between autistic children and neurotypical counsellors. It reviews the literature on deficit-based models of autism and discusses concepts such as the theory of mind and motivation to elucidate the challenges that autistic children face when forming relationships. Additionally, it explores the contemporary strength-based neurodiverse perspective of autism, including concepts like the double empathy program and differences in neurotype. Findings emphasize the importance of adopting a neurodiverse lens to foster stronger therapeutic alliances. The findings from this literature review are important for understanding barriers to creating a therapeutic alliance, focusing on cognitive and social processes.
Description
Keywords
therapeutic alliance , autism , children , neurodiversity
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States , openAccess