Developing Therapeutically Attuned Relationships with Autistic Children and Their Caregivers.

Researchers propose a new way for occupational therapists to work with autistic children and families. The approach focuses on building strong, caring relationships that respect the child's strengths and the family's goals. Instead of trying to 'fix' autism, this method celebrates neurodiversity and works collaboratively with families to support the child's development in ways that feel right for them.

This paper proposes the Intentional and Attuned Therapeutic Relationship Model for occupational therapy with autistic children and their caregivers. The model combines elements of the Intentional Relationship Model with attunement principles to align with neurodiversity-affirming practice. The authors advocate for strengths-based, collaborative approaches that are inclusive of autistic children's and caregivers' needs and goals. The paper reviews sensory processing and emotional regulation concepts while discussing how therapeutic relationships can be intentionally developed.

This represents a theoretical framework rather than empirical research, focusing on reframing occupational therapy service delivery to be more neurodiversity-affirming.

The proposed model may guide occupational therapists toward more neurodiversity-affirming practices that prioritize therapeutic relationships and family collaboration. However, empirical research is needed to validate the model's effectiveness and provide implementation guidance for clinical practice.

This is a theoretical paper proposing a new model without empirical validation. No research data, sample size, or outcome measures are provided. The effectiveness of the proposed model has not been tested in clinical practice or research settings.

The purpose of this paper is to propose the Intentional and Attuned Therapeutic Relationship Model as a means to emphasize an intentional and attuned therapeutic relationship among the therapist, autistic child, and their caregiver. Neurodiversity-affirming practice is strengths-based, collaborative, and inclusive of the needs and goals of the autistic child and their caregiver. As this necessitates reevaluating occupational therapy models of care delivered to autistic children, this paper provides a brief review of sensory processing and emotional regulation; discusses the Intentional Relationship Model and the phenomenon of attunement, respectively; and proposes the Intentional and Attuned Therapeutic Relationship Model, which combines elements of the Intentional Relationship Model and attunement to develop the therapeutic relationship in alignment with the neurodiversity-affirming paradigm.