Two Sides of the Spectrum

Episode 67 was one of our most impactful episodes ever, and today we invite you to re-listen. Often as OTs and SLPs we skip right to teaching our Autistic clients new skills. But what about their experiences of felt safety while they are with us? What work do we need to do so that we can show up calm and connected and ready to support our Autistic kids to feel truly safe before they are ready to learn? Psychologist and school psychologist Dr. Gillian Boudreau talks us through this essential and often overlooked first step to supporting our Autistic clients. This is a re-airing of episode 67 in preparation for our next episode, which will be a new conversation with Dr. Gillian Boudreau that builds on this incredibly impactful episode.  Check out Dr. Gillian Boudreau's full course at learnplaythrive.com/calm and her Spring reflective practice group at learnplaythrive.com/practice View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

If you’re anything like me, you learned how masking can harm the mental health of your Autistic clients….and then you never learned anything to put in its place. This leaves a huge gap for our Autistic clients who need us to know how to support their social and emotional well-being in an affirming way.Today’s guest, Katrina Martin, Ph.D., helps us answer questions like:What do I say when a parent is asking for traditional “social skills training”?What do I do when a school is using Zones of Regulation in a way that doesn’t feel affirming?Should I ever have kids match emotion words to faces? When is this helpful, and what is it missing?And so much more.Our guest, Katrina Martin, Ph.D. is a neurodivergent parent to neurodivergent kids, the creator of our online course Bridging Perspectives: Transformative strategies for neurodiversity- affirming social-emotional learning, and the founder of Bridges Learning System. Katrina speaks from her own experience and her extensive work to show us all how we can support social-emotional well-being while respecting authentic Autistic ways of being, connecting, and communicating.And a big update from Learn Play Thrive: All Learn Play Thrive courses will be available for sale only through December 16, 2025, with our final CE summit taking place in February and March of 2026. This is your last chance to take any of our affirming continuing education course. All courses include one year’s on-demand access and various CE board approvals. Visit learnplaythrive.com/trainings before registration closes forever. View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

This bonus episode is just for the parents you support, and it is all about meltdowns. A meltdown is a full body response to feeling overwhelmed. In a meltdown, our kids' nervous systems are in survival mode. They are going to fight for their lives or flee for safety. One way or another, they are physically releasing the energy of their intense emotions. When this happens, what is in our control, and how can we respond to signal safety to their nervous system? How can we turn down the temperature and bring the child back to safety?In this bonus episode, you’ll Amanda Diekman teaches parents a mindset shift and safety planning strategies to help you manage aggressive meltdowns in a way that helps bring your kid back to safety, without overextending your own nervous system.Join our caregiver community and access Amanda’s full on demand course, Supporting Autistic Kids in Distress, by visiting parents.learnplaythrive.com/community View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

We are back with a bright, glittery, colorful, and inclusive dose of hope for your professional practices. Our guest Emily Zimmer is one of the most creative, inclusive speech language therapists you’ll find. And in this episode she teaches us how we can all access more creativity in how we connect with our neurodivergent clients. One of Emily’s projects is a Drag Story Hour MN. (See photos - including an AAC-using phoenix - at learnplaythrive.com/podcast). Here’s what Emily’s spouse Grady had to say about it:"Drag Story Hour is a demonstration that each and every one of us is essential. When I was young, I only knew that [queer]  'people like me' died alone and too soon. I should have known we danced. I should have known we sang, I should have known we can grow and flourish and love and be loved deeply."This episode is beautiful, powerful, and full of hope. View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

In a complicated time when so many of us are feeling disempowered, this interview is a guiding light. Nessa Hill from Neurodiversity Ireland shares her story of how she used what she learned on the podcast to change the way Autistic kids are supported in Ireland on a national scale. Her story and her message are empowering for providers everywhere. Plus, listeners from all over the world share the creative, impactful ways they have applied what they’ve learned on the podcast to their communities and their work. This episode is heavy dose of real-life inspiration. After listening, check out our three newest courses at learnplaythrive.com/new  View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

We miss you! Get the updates on what's happening at Learn Play Thrive. And download our free packet of parent handouts at learnplaythrive.com View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

Dr. Devon Price, a social psychologist and author, offers profound insights into autism and neurodiversity as a proud autistic individual. He explores the complexities of masking and the quest for authenticity, reminding us of the societal pressures faced by autistic people. Dr. Price advocates for celebrating neurodiversity and critiques traditional models that focus solely on pathology. He emphasizes the importance of fostering genuine connections and understanding unique communication styles, encouraging a supportive community that values individuality over conformity.

In this episode, we talk about why and how part-time AAC use can support authentic participation for many autistic people. We also explore Dr. Alyssa Hillary Zisk’s insights on teaching AAC from their perspective as an engineer, as a researcher, and as an AAC user.Dr. Alyssa Hillary Zisk is an Autistic part-time AAC user, using a variety of text-based tools. They are the AAC research team lead at AssistiveWare. Their doctoral dissertation was on brain computer interfaces for people with ALS. View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

In this episode with autistic AAC user Tiffany Joseph (they/them, she/her), we cover functioning labels, AAC access, how race intersects with disability in the Autistic community, aggressive behaviors, and so much more. But the thread that runs throughout the conversation is empowering our clients to participate more authentically in their daily life. Tiffany Joseph, or TJ, is an Autistic educational consultant, and runs the Instagram and Facebook pages 'Nigh Functioning Autism', where they post about AAC, being Black and Autistic, epilepsy, ADHD, OCD, and more. View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

In this episode (a repeat of one of our earliest episodes, episode 4), Dr. Kristie Patten takes us to the foundations of what it means to be strengths-based and the impact that it has on the lives of our Autistic clients. Dr. Kristie Patten is Counselor to the President and professor of occupational therapy at NYU and the Principal Investigator of NYU Steinhardt's NEST Project, supporting New York City Public Schools’ largest inclusion program in the United States for Autistic students. In this episode Dr. Patten shares why it's really easy to be a bad therapist and really hard to be a good one (plus some concrete steps to take to help get us there!) View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast