Why Us

Why Us?

“We view autism as an alternate ability characterized by unique skills and ways of looking at life.”

Holly Burdick, Founder, Autism Solutions Group

We seek to turn percieved deficits into assets—

Though one can argue there are deficits, some of these deficits can actually be assets. Keeping in mind that the variability within an autism diagnosis is tremendous, there are some key features that are particularly useful.

High intellectual capabilities

The ability to see things as

they might be

Abilities to think outside the box

We call this the Asset Mindset where It becomes an asset to “think outside the box,” and indeed sometimes is the way outside the box. With each client we seek to discover and focus upon the unique characteristics of the individual that will enhance their life. We look to find ways to connect this talent with real-world needs.

This asset mindset allows never before ideas and processes to occur and come to fruition through a highly creative process unconcerned with what the outside world thought or said couldn't be done

Accepting our clients just as they are is key to gaining their trust.

So important to the way we work is our primary focus on accepting the client just as they are. Too often autists have been forced to be, do, and act in a way others tell them to without regard to their individual needs. Because we work with the population of the age where little was known about autism in their childhoods, many of our clients weren’t diagnosed until later in middle school, high school and even later.

This disregard for individual needs resulted in parents and teachers unwittingly punishing “autistic” behavior without considering the actual experience of the child. Today we cannot imagine punishing a child for not learning to walk. But our clients often report stories of adults shaming them due to their inability to toilet train “on-time” or ride a bicycle, for example.

We use several techniques to acknowledge and try to heal from traumas of the past in our work. We are happy when we can work with therapists, physicians, physical therapists and other clinicians who work with trauma with our clients.

Listening deeply with a MicroView Process

Deep listening is perhaps our greatest tool. In order to understand where someone is coming from, we must really hear what they tell us. We listen through an emotional lens detecting where there is tension, joy, avoidance, anger and other feelings that tell us our clients' current state, then use our unique MicroView process to analyze their beliefs, and interpretations in "micro-steps," to determine the factors that may be impeding progress.

Deep listening is an essential tool in order to understand someone's current state. We use discerning questioning techniques to determine if we understand the meaning of the what our clients tell us. Autists frequently have a different view point and they may not use words with the definitions we have gotten used to in common language. Sometimes this is due to their lack of experience in the world such that they hold a more literal definition than what is commonly used in day to day language.

We also work with the parents of the clients to ascertain if the client has a clear picture of an event, or situation. Frequently we find the client has a different view from the parents, school, or employer, such that it creates a misunderstanding that interferes with smooth operations at work, or with family and school relationships.

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"Imagine a career when one’s unique skills are valued and appreciated —where quirky ideas might become money-making advantages."

-Holly Burdick