What if AAC feels heavy in your classroom, not because you're doing it wrong — but because you've been carrying pressure that was never meant to be there?

In this episode, we reflect on what unfolded during AAC Bootcamp and explore the invisible weight educators, SLPs, and caregivers often carry when supporting AAC users. From second-guessing modeling to worrying about prompt dependency, progress monitoring, and team hesitation, this conversation gently reframes what AAC is actually meant to be.

AAC is not about performance. It is about exposure.

You'll hear real classroom examples of what modeling without expectation looked like in action, what shifted when adults removed pressure, and how teams began moving from urgency to presence.

This episode centers regulation, access, and sustainability — because support works best when it fits daily life.

In This Episode, You'll Learn

• • Why AAC often feels fragile or intimidating in school settings
• • The hidden performance pressure educators carry around communication
• • The difference between modeling for exposure and modeling for output
• • What modeling without expectation actually looks like in real routines
• • Why slow AAC growth is expected — and meaningful
• • How core boards increase language visibility across the classroom
• • What changes when devices become part of classroom culture
• • How to support paraprofessionals and team members in feeling confident with AAC
• • Why advocacy increases when educators feel clear and grounded
• • How shifting from outcomes to opportunities changes everything

Key Takeaways

• • AAC is not about performance — it is about exposure
• • Modeling without expectation reduces pressure and builds trust
• • Communication grows through consistent, low-pressure modeling
• • Slow progress does not mean ineffective support
• • When nervous systems are supported, learning becomes possible
• • Language should be visible and available across routines
• • Confidence across teams increases access for students
• • Culture shifts happen when adults align around shared understanding
• • Access reduces pressure

Try This

• • Choose one daily routine — snack, art, sensory bins, or transitions — and model one or two core words naturally without pausing for imitation
• • Place one core board in a high-use area to increase visual exposure
• • Share this phrase with your team: "We're modeling for exposure, not performance."
• • Focus on consistency over intensity

Related Resources & Links

Autism Little Learners Membership (includes full AAC Bootcamp replay): www.autismlittlelearners.com/pod

AAC Companion Pack

AAC Strategies: Building Buy-In to Help Teams Embrace AAC as a Child's Voice

Gestalt Language Processing & Music

Communication, Autism & AAC: Why AAC Is Not a Reward

AAC and Dysregulation: Why Kids Can't Use AAC When They're Dysregulated

When adults move from pressure to presence, classrooms feel safer. When we trust exposure, language grows. Connection is the foundation.

For years, autistic play has been misunderstood, redirected, or even discouraged. But what if the very things we've been trying to "fix" are actually authentic expressions of joy, regulation, and connection?

In this replay of my powerful conversation with nationally recognized pediatric SLP, speaker, and neurodiversity-affirming advocate Cari Ebert, we explore why autistic play is real play — and why honoring it changes everything.

Together, we unpack deep interests, regulation-first teaching, expanding play without pressure, and what it truly means to presume competence.

This episode will gently challenge old assumptions and give you practical, relationship-based strategies you can use right away.

• Why autistic children play differently — and why different doesn't mean wrong
• The difference between wide interests and deep interests
• How honoring deep interests builds meaningful connection and communication
• What "regulate, reach, teach" looks like in real classrooms and therapy sessions
• Why compliance-based approaches often lead to dysregulation
• How to expand play schemes without pressure or power struggles
• What it truly means to presume competence
• Why autistic joy deserves to be protected and celebrated

• Autistic play is authentic play
• Different does not mean deficient
• Connection builds communication
• Regulation must come before instruction
• Behavior is communication, especially during dysregulation
• Deep interests are powerful pathways to learning
• Presuming competence can unlock incredible potential
• Honor autistic joy

• Choose one child this week and intentionally shift your lens.
• Observe their deep interest without interrupting or redirecting
• Join their play through parallel play — without an agenda
• Model one small expansion (no pressure, no hand-over-hand)
• Adjust one environmental factor to support regulation
• Reframe one "behavior" by asking: What is the why behind this?
• Small shifts in perspective can create big shifts in connection.

• Cari Ebert's book: The Learning to Learn Program

• Download Cari's free handout: Autistic Play Is Authentic Play at: https://cariebert.com/freebie

• Get Tara's Play Stages Checklist here: https://autismlittlelearners.myflodesk.com/q76ntpgbge

You can find Cari at: www.cariebert.com

When we stop trying to fix autistic play and instead honor it, something powerful happens.

We see regulation increase.
We see connection deepen.
We see communication grow.

And most importantly — we protect autistic joy.

Autistic children become autistic adults. The way we respond to their play today shapes how they experience themselves tomorrow.

Let's honor their joy.

Winter often brings changes in schedules, energy levels, and tolerance — and when the world outside the classroom feels less predictable, nervous systems feel it. This episode focuses on supporting regulation and emotional safety when routines feel harder to maintain.

In this episode, we explore how disrupted routines, stress outside of school, and unpredictable changes can impact regulation for autistic children.

So often, these moments are framed as behavior issues or skill challenges. But when we shift toward regulation, predictability, and connection, we begin to see changes in:

• regulation

• engagement

• communication

• emotional safety

This conversation is grounded in real classrooms and real constraints, with practical strategies educators and caregivers can use right away.

In This Episode, You'll Learn

• Why regulation is the foundation for learning and communication

• How disrupted routines and outside stressors often show up in children's nervous systems first

• What co-regulation really means and why it comes before self-regulation

• How predictable routines reduce cognitive load and support emotional safety

• Practical classroom strategies using visuals, sensory supports, and calming sequences

• Why behavior is often communication rather than defiance or choice

Key Takeaways

• Regulation supports learning

• Predictability creates safety

• Co-regulation happens through presence, not pressure

• Access matters more than performance

• Small, consistent shifts matter more than perfection

• Support works best when it fits real classrooms

Try This

Choose one routine or moment this week to focus on.

• Start the day with connection before demands

• Use a visual schedule or change card to support predictability

• Model calm through your voice, body, and presence

• Try one co-regulation strategy consistently

• Notice regulation and engagement rather than output

You don't need to do everything at once for change to happen.

Related Resources & Links

• Calming Kit (visual regulation supports)

• Visual Schedules for Transitions

• Social Stories for Changes, Taking Breaks, and Sensory Support

• Mindfulness for Neurodivergent Learners (book referenced in the episode)

If supporting regulation during times of change feels challenging, you're not alone.

There are tools and supports designed to help you create predictability, safety, and connection in real classrooms, without adding pressure.