Masquerade Macabre: The Horrifying & Deadly Effects of Masking on Neurodivergent Populations
Discover the hidden struggles faced by autistic and neurodivergent individuals as they navigate a suffocating mask. Explore behavior analysis and neuroscience perspectives to understand the roots of masking and learn solutions for addressing this.
Learning Objectives:
- Use behavior analytic language to identify what neurodivergent or autistic masking is and how the environment impacts it.
- Identify a phylogenetic characteristic of autistic neurology that impacts how autistics experience stimuli and engage with their environment.
- Identify how understanding neurodivergent masking can improve their practice through cultural competence towards more ethical outcomes.
- Identify the major models of disability as well as which are more closely aligned with radical behaviorism.
- Engage in self-reflection about their power, privilege, and biases in relation to how this impacts their practice and perceptions of neurodivergent populations.
About Instructor
Brian is a human. He believes that this view is essential to increase prosocial engagement. Brian is also neurodivergent. He is AuDHD (autistic & ADHD) and has a reading disability and has hearing impairments. Brian worked as a special education teacher for 7 years, 5 of which was as a middle school behavior specialist, before transitioning to being a full-time behavior analyst. He has a dual Bachelor's degree in social science composite and special education and a Masters of Education with administrative endorsement from Southern Utah University, and a post-master's certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from University of Cincinnati. He presently works as a BCBA in disability services and he specializes in assent-based, neurodivergent centered services, and in behavior analytic applications of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Relational Frame Theory (RFT).
Brian started the Bearded Behaviorist social media profile in 2018 in response to some frustrating experiences that occurred during his post-graduate schooling. He encountered consistent indicators that the education being provided was not consistently applying principles of behavior to learning, including ignoring the need for individualization and providing support for disabled populations in the program. Bearded Behaviorist has since become known for creating engaging learning, exploration, and advocacy for diversity, equity, and inclusion through applying a prohuman and prosocial approach to behavior analysis. Brian is an active advocate for changing our culture to be one where everyone can thrive. In addition to serving as a member-at-large, he is the president of the Open Educational Resources (OER) Special Interest Group (SIG). Brian is also the the recipient of the 2022 Diversity Award from the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) for his advocacy work and efforts to bring to light and ending of unethical practices and relationships within the field such as the use of Contingent Electric Shock (CESS) in disabled people and other human rights violations perpetrated by the Judge Rottenberg Center and supported by ABAI.
Brian believes that in order for there to be a future for autistics and other neurodivergent populations that future must include all neurotypes. That neurodiversity, like biodiversity, creates healthy environments where individuals and cultures can thrive.
Three of his favorite things to say are, "we learn, grow, and build together", "reinforce the change you want to see in the world", and "human first, human always".
