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The Autism Little Learners Podcast

The Autism Little Learners Podcast

Di: Tara Phillips
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A proposito di questo titolo
 You want to help your autistic students or child thrive — but it can feel overwhelming trying to figure out where to start. Whether you're wondering how to build connection, teach communication, navigate sensory needs, or support your paras… you're in the right place. Welcome to The Autism Little Learners Podcast, where compassion meets practical strategy. Host Tara Phillips, a speech-language pathologist with over two decades of experience, brings you neurodiversity-affirming insights, step-by-step tips, and real-world examples that help you feel confident, prepared, and inspired to support young autistic children. This show is relaxed, upbeat, and packed with actionable ideas you can use right away — whether you're a special educator, SLP, general education teacher, paraprofessional, parent, grandparent, or anyone who loves a young autistic child. Each episode explores topics like: Teaching communication and AAC in natural, joyful ways Using visual supports and routines to create predictability Fostering co-regulation and independence Understanding sensory needs and reducing stress Supporting paraprofessionals with clarity and compassion Building strong, trusting relationships with autistic kids Tara's approach is rooted in connection over compliance — helping you see each child's strengths, honor their communication style, and create an inclusive environment where everyone can succeed. Subscribe to The Autism Little Learners Podcast and join the movement toward more compassionate, affirming early childhood education. Connect with Tara: 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/autismlittlelearners 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/autismlittlelearners 🌐 Website: autismlittlelearners.com2025 Genitorialità e famiglie Relazioni
Episodi
  • #199: 10 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Working With Autistic Children

    #199: 10 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Working With Autistic Children
    Nov 3 2026

    Working with autistic children has taught me that some of the most important lessons aren't about finding better teaching strategies. They're about changing how we see children, understand communication, and define what meaningful progress actually looks like.

    When I think about the educator I was more than 25 years ago, there are things I believed, approaches I used, and expectations I had that I see very differently today. Not because I wasn't trying to do what was best for children, but because I've continued learning from autistic people, families, research, and the children themselves.

    In this episode, I'm sharing 10 things I wish I had known when I first started working with autistic children. We're talking about presuming competence, communication beyond speech, behavior as communication, regulation, autonomy, and why connection will always matter more than compliance.

    Whether you're a preschool teacher, SLP, OT, paraprofessional, or parent, I hope this episode gives you permission to keep learning, keep questioning, and sometimes change your mind about what you thought you knew.

    Because experience doesn't mean we have all the answers. Sometimes it means we've learned to ask better questions.

    In This Episode, You'll Learn:

    • What it really means to presume competence when supporting autistic children

    • Why communication is so much bigger than spoken language

    • How to move beyond saying "behavior is communication" and actually respond to what children are telling us

    • Why regulation and connection are essential foundations for learning

    • How connection over compliance changes the way we support children

    • Why participation doesn't have to look the same for every child

    • How following a child's interests can create meaningful learning opportunities

    • The difference between independence and autonomy

    • Why autistic voices and family perspectives should shape our practices

    • Why being an experienced educator doesn't mean we should stop changing our minds

    10 Things I Wish I Knew About Supporting Autistic Children

    1. What Does It Really Mean to Presume Competence?

    2. Is Communication More Than Just Spoken Words?

    3. What Does "Behavior Is Communication" Actually Mean?

    4. Why Should Regulation Come Before Teaching?

    5. Why Is Connection More Important Than Compliance?

    6. What Does Meaningful Participation Look Like for Autistic Children?

    7. How Do I Follow an Autistic Child's Lead When I Have Teaching Goals?

    8. What's the Difference Between Independence and Autonomy for Autistic Children?

    9. Why Is It Important to Listen to Autistic People and Families?

    10. Why Should Experienced Educators Keep Changing Their Minds?

    Try This in Your Classroom or Therapy Setting

    You don't have to change everything about your teaching tomorrow. Instead, choose one of these 10 ideas that made you pause and think about how it shows up in your own classroom or therapy setting. Maybe it's presuming competence and noticing how often we ask children to demonstrate understanding before giving them access. Or maybe it's looking at a behavior you've been trying to stop and asking what the child might be communicating instead.

    You might also think about what meaningful participation looks like for the children you support. Are we recognizing the child who moves during circle time as an active participant? Are we giving children meaningful choices, even when they need assistance? And how often are we creating opportunities for children to say no and have that communication respected?

    Choose one idea to pay attention to this week and notice what happens when you change the question you're asking, the expectation you're holding, or the way you're responding. You don't need to have everything figured out or make a dozen changes at once. Sometimes the most meaningful growth starts with being willing to look at something a little differently.

    Resources & Links

    Episode 200: 20 Conversations That Changed How I Think About Autism: Coming next week! We're celebrating 200 episodes by revisiting 20 past guest conversations and the perspectives that continue to shape how we understand and support autistic children.

    Episode 188: Regulate, Connect, Routines, Teach:The four foundations that guide how I support autistic preschoolers, from regulation and relationships to predictable routines and meaningful teaching.
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    21 min
  • #198: AAC in Real Life: You Don't Have to Do This Perfectly

    #198: AAC in Real Life: You Don't Have to Do This Perfectly
    Oct 27 2026
    AAC modeling in daily routines doesn't have to be perfect to make a meaningful difference. In fact, what if trying to do AAC perfectly is actually getting in the way of doing it consistently? You listen to a podcast, attend a training, and learn all these wonderful strategies for supporting AAC users. You're ready to keep AAC accessible, presume competence, model without expectation, honor all communication, and move beyond requesting. And then Monday morning happens. Someone can't find their backpack, a child needs help opening breakfast, a para calls in sick, and your circle time materials have disappeared. By 10:30, you suddenly realize you haven't modeled AAC once. Sound familiar? Here's the good news. You don't need another thing to add to your day. You need to put AAC into the day you're already having. In this final episode of our AAC Awareness Month series, we're talking about practical ways to build AAC modeling into the routines you're already doing. We'll explore how to make communication accessible during snack, play, circle time, transitions, and all those messy, unpredictable moments that make up real life. Because consistency matters so much more than perfection. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why consistency with AAC modeling can be more challenging than knowing how to model How to build AAC into daily routines without creating another lesson or activity Why starting with one routine and a few words can make AAC modeling more manageable Practical AAC modeling examples for snack, play, circle time, and transitions How to support multiple AAC users with different communication systems in one classroom Ways to use low-tech core boards and high-tech AAC devices together How to help paraprofessionals, substitute teachers, therapists, and families model AAC consistently Why AAC access matters during dysregulation and challenging moments How to move away from perfection and focus on meaningful communication opportunities Making AAC Part of the Day You're Already Having When I recently asked my community what was hardest about AAC modeling, 49% said remembering to model throughout the day. Another 42% shared that they knew what to do but struggled with consistency. That tells us something important. This isn't always a knowledge problem. Sometimes it's an implementation problem. AAC can start to feel like one more intervention, one more lesson, or one more thing to remember. But AAC isn't supposed to be another activity. It's communication, and communication is already happening throughout the day. Instead of asking, "When am I going to fit AAC into my day?" we can start asking, "Where is communication already happening?" And the answer is everywhere! Start With One Routine If you've been struggling to model AAC consistently, please don't leave this episode thinking you need to model AAC all day long starting tomorrow. You'll probably do it beautifully until about 9:17, and then real life will happen. Instead, pick one routine that already happens every day. Maybe it's snack, play, arrival, circle time, bath time, or getting ready to go outside. Then choose a few words you can naturally model during that routine. For example, during snack you might model OPEN, MORE, YUM, HELP, DON'T LIKE, or DONE. If someone drops something, there's an opportunity for UH-OH! And if someone takes the last cracker? Maybe NO! During play with cars, you might model GO, STOP, FAST, CRASH, AGAIN, or MY TURN. You don't need to model every word. Pick one or two, model them naturally, and keep playing. The same approach works during transitions and circle time. A word like GO can be modeled during a song, while turning a page in a book, or later when children are playing outside. Now that word isn't living inside an AAC lesson. It's living inside life. And remember, we're not asking children to copy us or prove they know the word. We're simply showing them another way to communicate about what's happening. Supporting Multiple AAC Users in the Classroom Modeling AAC one-on-one is one thing. Supporting multiple children using different communication systems, with different access needs, while running a busy preschool classroom? That's real life! You don't have to touch every child's individual device every time you model. A classroom core board or shared AAC modeling system can be helpful, even when children use different AAC apps or devices. Individual communication systems still need to remain accessible, but a shared modeling tool can give everyone opportunities to see language being used throughout the day. And what about low-tech versus high-tech AAC? It doesn't have to be either/or. You can model language using a core board, a device, speech, gestures, and pointing. Communication is multimodal, and we're not trying to make every interaction look exactly the same. We're creating an environment where different ways of communicating are recognized, supported, and valued. Helping the Whole Team Build ...
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    15 min
  • #197: Beyond "I Want": Helping AAC Users Say What Matters

    #197: Beyond "I Want": Helping AAC Users Say What Matters
    Oct 20 2026
    Understanding the different communicative functions of AAC means looking beyond "I want" and helping autistic preschoolers communicate what really matters to them. Their family celebrates when Lily says NO. That's what Stefanie, Lily's mom, told me, and this week you'll hear her tell it herself. Including the morning Lily looked at her mom and said, "Words inside." This is week four of our AAC Awareness Month series, and it picks up right where last week's episode on modeling without expectation left off. Once we're modeling AAC, the next question is: modeling what? So much AAC still centers on requesting. I want bubbles. I want cracker. Requesting matters. But it's just one of many communicative functions, and in AAC it often gets most of our attention. In this episode, I'm asking a bigger question. Not "Can this child give me the response I'm looking for?" but "Does this child have a way to express their own thoughts?" You'll hear autistic AAC user Jordyn Zimmerman describe what robust communication lets her do, and we'll talk about choice versus agency, what it really means to honor NO, and why protest is communication too. Because communication isn't really communication if the only messages we're willing to accept are the ones we want the child to say. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why requesting is just one tiny part of communication The words to check for on a child's device, including STOP, I DON'T WANT, DON'T HELP ME, NOT THAT ONE, and THAT'S FUNNY What Jordyn Zimmerman says robust AAC lets her do The difference between choice and agency What honoring NO looks like when something still has to happen How protest shows up beyond a neatly produced "no" A simple one-day AAC modeling audit you can do without changing anything yet Why some vocabulary makes life easier for adults, while other vocabulary makes life richer for the child Key Takeaways Requesting is one small part of communication. Think about your own day. "That's funny." "I'm tired." "Wait." "I changed my mind." Very little of our everyday communication is about asking for something. What's on the device influences what a child can say. If a child can say MORE but not STOP, or I WANT but not I DON'T WANT, we've given them a way to get things, but not the same opportunities to express their agency. Choice isn't the same as agency. Picking the red cup or the blue cup is choice. Agency means you can say "neither," "the green one," or "stop asking me about cups," and the people around you respond. Honoring NO doesn't mean the child always gets what they want. It means we acknowledge their communication. We can say, "I hear you," and then negotiate, offer another option, change the timing, or figure out why something isn't working. Protest is communication. Pushing away, turning away, crying, moving away, or tapping ALL DONE are all ways a child might communicate. Before labeling something as noncompliance, ask yourself what the child might be telling you. Our AAC modeling sends a message. The words we model help show children what they can talk about. Let's make that world big! Robust vocabulary is personal. Dinosaurs, elevators, burping, AGAIN, and maybe even NOT THAT SONG AGAIN. Children deserve access to vocabulary that reflects their interests, personalities, preferences, and experiences. Try This in Your Classroom or at Home You don't need to change everything about how you're modeling AAC. Start with a few small steps. Check the device. Can the child refuse, comment, change their mind, and say how they feel? Honor protests. The next time a child protests, start with "I hear you. You don't want to do this." Notice your modeling. For one day, pay attention to which words you're modeling without trying to change anything yet. Make vocabulary personal. Add words for one thing the child loves and one thing they really don't like. Try this week's challenge. Pick one child and write down five messages they might want to communicate that aren't requests. Then model those messages during one familiar routine. No copying required. We're inviting, not quizzing. Resources Mentioned in This Episode Continue the AAC Awareness Month Series Episodes 194, 195, and 196: Previous episodes in our AAC Awareness Month series, including modeling AAC without expectation Related Podcast Episodes Episode 78: Lilly's Voice: AAC For Everyone! — Hear more from Stefanie and Lily about their AAC journey. Episode 181: What Autistic AAC User Jordyn Zimmerman Wants Every Educator to Know — Learn from Jordyn's experiences and perspective on communication. Free Resource 8 Ways to Honor Protests — A practical guide to recognizing and responding to children's communication with compassion and respect. Coming Up Next Week Next week, we're wrapping up our AAC Awareness Month series by talking about how to fit AAC into the day you already have, and why trying to do everything perfectly might actually be getting in the way.
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    15 min
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