By now, most of us know what autism is, but do we know what neurodiversity is? With 40% of the total population suspected of being neurodivergent, we should! In this talk, Speech Language Pathologist Cynthia Coupe, MA, CCCSLP describes what neurodiversity is, and what happens when neurodivergent individuals are not supported by society. Cynthia is a selfidentified neurodivergent and mother of a daughter who has ADHD and is autistic. This talk will shift the paradigm bringing lasting change through education, identification, and support. A selfdiagnosed neurodivergent, Cynthia is a Speech Language Pathologist committed to transforming traditional systems to better serve people with special needs. She has spent the past 20 years generating a strengthsbased approach used with her clients and with teens and young adults on the autism spectrum.
With her diverse background of serving individuals in the clinical, hospital, home, and school settings, Cynthia has developed a unique perspective. Influenced by her background in Recreation Therapy and her own experience of raising a daughter with autism and ADHD, she aspires to be a lasting agent of change for this demographic in the next stage of her career.
Cynthia is the coowner and CEO of Outreach Advocacy Resources and Services (OARS), Inc.
Cynthia has a double BA from San Francisco State University and an MA from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She graduated the top of class with the high honor being chosen as Outstanding Graduate Student by her professors. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx