Mental Health Panel 6: Co-creating Connection: The Importance of the Neurodiversity Affirming Paradigm in Strengths-Based Therapy for Autistic Romantic Relationships
Event Details:
Location
Co-creating Connection: The Importance of the Neurodiversity Affirming Paradigm in Strengths-Based Therapy for Autistic Romantic Relationships
Moderator: Alicia Cho, D.O.
Objectives:
- List at least four considerations when evaluating neurodivergent romantic relationships
By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to describe the process of co-creating relationship expectations."
Skylar Ibarra, LCSW, PMH-C, Founder and Clinician, Lenarra Therapy
Skylar Ibarra is an Autistic and ADHD Clinical Social Worker in private practice, specializing in working with neurodivergent individuals and couples, utilizing evidenced-based interventions including EMDR, Inference-Based CBT for OCD, and Emotionally Focused Therapy. She has presented on neurodiversity at conferences such as Postpartum Support International and the Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) Conference, on podcasts, and has written for prominent blogs. Skylar and co-presenter Mady Snyder presented a 3-hour continuing education course on neurodivergent couples, approved by the American Psychology Association in May 2025 based on their years-long collaboration. Skylar has dedicated her career to creating a world that embraces neurodiversity and promoting the necessary supports and accommodations each person needs to thrive.
Misty Schmidt, LMFT, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Schmidt Family Counseling
Misty Schmidt, LMFT, PhD(c) is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and PhD candidate at Texas Woman’s University, where her research centers neurodivergent relationships, autistic-ADHD identity development, and medical family therapy. She is the founder of Schmidt Family Counseling, a private practice that specializes in neuroaffirming care for individuals, couples, and families across the lifespan. Misty is a passionate educator and speaker, offering trainings on neurodivergence, clinical supervision, and relational ethics in both academic and professional settings. She has presented locally, statewide, and nationally on topics related to autistic communication, neurodivergent supervision, and supporting neurodivergent students and systems within schools. Misty’s dissertation explores how autistic and ADHD partners experience communication and connection in their intimate relationships. As an AuDHD clinician and parent herself, she brings both lived experience and clinical insight to her work. Misty is committed to reshaping therapy, education, and supervision to be more inclusive, relational, and aligned with the neurodiversity paradigm.
Madylynn Snyder, LMFT, Founder, Mady Snyder Marriage and Family Therapy Inc
Mady Snyder, LMFT, is passionate about transforming the way we approach relationships involving neurodivergent individuals. As a late-identified neurodivergent adult and a clinician specializing in autism, ADHD, AuDHD, PDA profiles, and neurodiverse couples, Mady has witnessed how traditional models of relationship therapy often pathologize differences rather than honoring them. Through her clinical work, Mady has supported countless couples in navigating communication, connection, unmasking, sensory and executive functioning differences, and the impact of trauma and ableism on relational dynamics. She helps couples move away from neuronormative expectations, instead fostering attunement, alignment, and relationship structures that honor each partner’s authentic self. In addition to her clinical practice, Mady has trained therapists and community groups on shifting from deficit-based frameworks to neuroaffirming relationship care. She draws from research in neurobiology, psychology, lived experience, and social justice to equip audiences with practical strategies for building truly inclusive, supportive relationship spaces. Mady’s work is rooted in a deep commitment to dismantling ableist narratives and creating a world where neurodivergent ways of connecting are recognized, valued, and celebrated.