Nathan Cornish-Raley (Nate) is a speech pathologist in Naarm | Melbourne, Australia. He is an employee of Speech Pathology Australia where he provides practice-related supports and resources. Previously, Nate managed training and support programs for organisations in the United States, focusing on telepractice and multilingual practice. He has practiced in English and Spanish in a range of settings in Melbourne, Chicago, and Washington, DC. Nate has participated in various ASHA-related roles, including the International Issues Board, SIG 18: Telepractice, Multicultural Issues Board, Conference topic committees, and the Hispanic Caucus.

Financial: Nathan Cornish-Raley is receiving an honorarium for this presentation.

Non-financial – No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.

Language influences perception. It positions us in society. It can perpetuate disempowering systems or foster empowerment. For the purposes of this session, we will describe communication that supports positive perception, positioning and empowerment of people living with disability as “affirming and responsive language.” This can include the words we use to describe what we do, and the communication we use while delivering supports. This session explores affirming and responsive language use as an evidence-based practice and a tool for meeting our enduring professional and ethical standards.

We will review the legal foundations that shape our profession’s responsibilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) affirm the rights of people living with disability to participate and contribute to society. This legislation speaks to the role that affirming and responsive language plays in our work. However, sometimes the language we use in research and practice can undermine the intent of these legal frameworks.

Deficit-based and outsider-centred discourse can perpetuate harmful perceptions, encourage ineffective practices, and influence what evidence is used and how, (Fogarty, Bulloch, McDonnell, & Davis, 2018). For example, the research that guides our practice is based in specialized language. This must be learned to contribute to or even consume research. This often excludes knowledge systems of the community that is “studied” and centres outsider worldviews about those communities, (Laycock et al., 2011). By centering the ways of seeing, knowing, and belonging of the communities we work with, we can learn how to understand and describe strengths through their lenses.

When delivering supports, affirming and responsive language emphasizes capabilities, resources, and potential. For example, the language we use to describe autism (Bury et al., 2020), the way we facilitate autistic communication (Birnschein et al., 2021), and the topics we engage autistic individuals around (Grove et al., 2018), can contribute to better outcomes and wellbeing. Additionally, affirming and responsive language supports can increase an individual’s capacity to communicate in the different languages they need (Larson et al., 2020).

Language is a living, evolving tool. Learning about and using responsive and affirming language is not a fixed formula but a lifelong process. Concepts like identity and subjectivity are central to discourse. They also drive societal and individual linguistic change that challenges us to remain reflective and adaptive.

We will explore tools to support our practice during these shifts. Trauma-informed care frameworks (Yi, 2025), and tools like the SCARF model (Rock, 2009), can help practitioners understand neurobiological responses to language and behaviour, and how our language can promote safety, autonomy, and trust.

Participants will be able to:
• Explain “affirming and responsive language” and how it contributes to effective and efficient practice.
• Compare the roles of “identity” and “subjectivity” in affirming and responsive language.
• Discuss 2 ways that centering a community’s own ways of seeing, knowing, and belonging can support research and outcomes.
• Describe key components of trauma-Informed practice and the SCARF model, and how they can inform affirming and responsive language.

Time-Ordered Agenda
5 min: Introduction and disclosures
5 min: Legal foundations of practice: Constant mandates in a changing landscape.
10 min: Deficit language, linguicism, and their negative impact on evidence and outcomes.
10 min: Affirming and responsive language to describe what we do and who we work with
7 min: Affirming and responsive language in our practice
7 min: Learning from affirming and responsive language in a community’s ways of seeing, knowing, and belonging.
7 min: The changing nature of affirming and responsive language use. Examples: Identity vs Subjectivity
9 min: How Trauma-Informed practice can inform affirming and responsive language
10 min: How the SCARF Model can inform affirming and responsive language
5 min: Closing
15 min: Moderated question and answer session

Practitioners attending live events are required to participate through attendance which is verified by participation time via zoom registration and entry of a code at the end of the session to receive their certificate. They will also be asked to answer a question about what they learned in the course and how they will use it in their practice.

Practitioners attending recorded sessions demonstrate learning and attendance by passing a quiz with a score of 80% or greater. The quiz addresses questions from material presented throughout the course. Practitioners can retake the quiz if they do not initially obtain a score of at least 80%. For events including case studies, participants download, read, and utilize materials in order to participate.