The NeuroAffirm Podcast

Are we expecting kids to “tough it out”… when they really need support? If you’ve ever wondered whether you should help a child adjust to sensory challenges or adjust the environment to support them, you’re not alone. Sensory overwhelm, meltdowns, and shutdowns aren’t random—they’re a direct response to an environment that isn’t working for a neurodivergent brain. But how do we actually create spa...

"But they seem so high-functioning…" That one phrase has left countless Autistic individuals without the support they desperately need. Meanwhile, those labeled “low-functioning” often have their autonomy dismissed before they even get a chance to show what they’re capable of. These labels? They don’t help—they harm. They misrepresent abilities, erase real struggles, and hold back progress in educ...

Have you ever wondered why some kids struggle to understand their own emotions? The answer might be in their interoception—the body’s hidden sense that helps us recognize hunger, thirst, pain, and even emotions. On this episode of Making the Shift, we’re diving into how interoception affects emotional awareness and expression. Whether you’re a parent, therapist, or educator, this episode will help...

Big emotions can feel overwhelming—for kids and adults. Here’s the thing: emotional regulation isn’t just about the child—it starts with YOU. On this episode, we're diving into: ✔️ Why your emotional state impacts theirs—and how regulating yourself first helps kids regulate, too. ✔️ The secret to helping kids feel safe before addressing behavior with simple co-regulation techniques that work in to...

Join us for the upcoming free live week long event full of neurodiversity affirming strategies for SLPs: https://www.sensoryslp.com/the-speech-shift On this episode of Making the Shift, we’re tackling something BIG: eye contact. We’ve all seen goals like: ✔️ Look for three seconds ✔️ Make eye contact 5 times in a 3-minute period ✔️ Display appropriate social skills, like eye contact, during conver...

On this week's episode of Making the Shift, we’re talking about common Autistic characteristics—and we’re not calling them red flags! No doom-and-gloom, no labels—just real, relatable traits we see every day in our clinic. Whether you're a parent or a therapist, this show will help you understand those early signs of autism. On this episode, we're diving into: ✔️ Communication differences in Autis...

What if you could create the ultimate sensory gym for your clinic—one that’s fun, functional, and tailored to your space?  On this episode of Making the Shift, we’re taking you behind the scenes of our brand-new sensory gym. You’ll hear all about the process, the tools we used, and the vision that brought it all together! We're diving into: ✔️  The planning and challenges we faced, like...

Want to kick off your speech sessions on the right foot? On this episode, I’m sharing my go-to strategy for getting your clients regulated in the first few minutes—so the rest of your session can be a total win! This is the game-changing routine you’ve been waiting for. We're diving into... ✔ The number one thing I start every session with... ✔ The perfect sensory input to calm “Tiggers” or e...

What does it mean to be a neurodiversity affirming social worker? Social workers are a crucial part of any team supporting neurodivergent individuals. With two primary paths—supporting nonprofits that serve the community or running a clinical practice providing direct care—social work is deeply rooted in social justice, advocating for equity and access for all individuals. On this episode of Makin...

On this episode, we’re diving deep into child-led therapy with none other than Nicole Casey, known as The Child Led SLP on Instagram. Nicole has built a reputation for championing this transformative approach and helping SLPs make the shift to empowering, child-centered practices with their gestalt language processors. Join us for this must-watch conversation and learn how to transform your sessio...

Keep or Cancel: Are These Goals ND Affirming? This week on our live show, we’re diving into therapy goals for Autistic kids. I'm going to read real therapy goals and decide in real time whether to keep them or cancel them. If you’re ready to level up your goal-writing game and make sure your goals truly support the kids you work with, you won’t want to miss this. On this episode, we're discussing....

Today we are talking about what to do when video games are very overstimulating for kids. Do we let them play or not? How do we make it fair for the rest of the family? Here are a few things to consider about planning for video game use, helping in the moment of dysregulation, and setting kids up for success in the future.

Every week, we're flooded with DMs from SLPs and therapists asking the same thing, “how can I pull off sensory-based sessions if I don’t have a fancy gym?” And here’s the kicker—you don’t need one! Yes, sensory gyms are amazing, but when you know why each tool works, you can get creative and recreate that magic with stuff you already have. So even if you an SLP at a school, you can have succesful...

As therapists we give and we give and we give! But as the famous saying goes, you can't pour from an empty cup. Here are some boundaries I have personally put into place over the years, and that we have adopted into our clinic, to help us work meaningfully with parents and other professionals...while also keeping our cups full!

A few weeks ago I saw my friend Alex Zachos (meaingfulspeech) post a video on how to program TD Snap for gestalt language processors. We use many different programs in our clinic, but we had never actually purchased the monthly subscription for TD Snap! But after that video, I was sold. Here's how we set up our clinic device with TD Snap for our GLPs.

Today I am giving you a sneak peek inside my best selling book! To grab the book & the free bonuses that come along with it, go to: https://www.sensoryslp.com/ready-set-connect-book or to leave an Amazon review, go to: https://www.amazon.com/shop/sensory.slp/photo/amzn1.shoppablemedia.v1.2c470e70-8257-4ae7-bf01-47efaaa2851e?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsfphoto_34PE2SAV5NEY6Q5PZX1P

Today I'm sharing the two biggest mistakes we make when trying to get others on board with neurodiversity affirming practices...and the ONE strategy I recommend that is extremely effective! To get access to more NeuroAffirming resources for training teams, make sure to join us in the NeuroAffirm Therapy Academy: https://www.sensoryslp.com/neuroaffirm-therapy-academy

Getting started with a sensory gym doesn't have to be as hard or expensive as you think. Here are some easy ways I created mine - with options for every budget! We're using Summit Sensory Gym to build out our new gym - and you can find more information about them here: https://www.summitsensory.com/ Find my Amazon storefront with fun toys and tools here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/sensory.slp?ref...

Phone rings...I pick up...it's one of the producers of the Real Housewives. Yes - true story! Let me tell you what happened here (after the panic subsided...) If you are wanting to specialize in neurodiversity affirming practices, then sensory regulation is one of the core pillars you have to master! Let's knock that pillar out together in just 2 days at our upcoming event, the Inside Out Sensory...

This episode idea came from a text I received from a colleague who was asking if there was a more affirming word for scripting. The good news is that we can continue to use the word scripting - however, it's not just WHAT we're saying but HOW we're saying it. And sometimes that makes all the difference. Let's talk about it.

It's not uncommon we meet kids who have compliance-based approaches ingrained into them. They come into our sessions and automatically feel dysregulated because so much of their therapy has felt like "work" in the past...and in many cases, have actually been traumatic for them. How can we help our kids understand that we're not that type of therapist? And they don't have to be on guard when they c...

Today we're talking about the core pillars of being the most effective, neurodiversity affirming SLP. There's so much to know...where should we start?! I'm sharing exactly what accelerated my transformation as a therapist, and what propelled the progress in my clients. If you are ready to become the most effective, affirming SLP then we would love to see you at our upcoming event: Inside Out Senso...

Recently someone ask a question in an online group to help one of her students who was coming off "aggressive" or "rude" because of the way he was talking to others. She wanted to know if it was neurodiversity affirming to help this child use more "positive" language. There are a few ways you can support the child here in ND affirming ways...let's talk about them! P.s. If you want to learn more ab...

PECS is often an AAC system that's recommended for Autistic kids. But is it neurodiversity affirming? On this episode of Making the Shift, we talk about what PECS is, how it works, and what we need to consider when determining if it's a good option for AAC. If you are a therapist in need of training on how to implement AAC in your sessions, we have a special emphasis on using AAC in our last free...

So often, kids are shut down when talking about their special interests. But what if we embraced them instead? Here's a heartwarming story about a 7 year old I worked with and how I embraced his passion, which led to more communication and conversation than I had ever seen from him.