It's Not About the Nail

When I think of mistakes I've made as an administrator, it's often related to communication--me focusing too much on a situation and wanting to fix it vs. taking time to listen and validate the other person's perspective while including them in the process. I hear similar thoughts from parents who've been able to make a shift to a more gentle, easy-mannered way in listening to their autistic child in distress. This video shows how us guys do this often, in this case with a partner, and yet it relates to many situations!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4EDhdAHrOg

Check out the link below. It offers strategies we find helpful for communication especially when working with autistic teenagers. We feel their mnemonic of LOVE: Listening, Offering, Validating, Empathizing is critical to effective communication:

https://the20minuteguide.com/partners/helping-with-words/communicating-love-listening/