This week on the Autism Little Learners Podcast, I’m resharing one of my favorite episodes with Destiny Huff — and trust me, if you missed it the first time, now’s your chance to tune in!

We dive into all things IEPs — with a focus on accommodations and modifications that are truly neurodiversity-affirming. I know so many of us are working hard to write IEPs that are strengths-based and aligned with our values. This conversation will leave you inspired and more confident in doing just that.

Destiny also shares such powerful insight about partnering with advocates. Instead of viewing them as adversaries, how can we team up and work toward shared goals? 🙌 This replay is full of real talk and practical takeaways.

Topics We Cover: • Accommodations vs modifications on IEPs
• Examples of ND-affirming accommodations
• Challenging behavior: FBA’s vs. accommodations
• How to find out what a child responds to best at home
• Viewing advocates as allies, not adversaries

Bio:

Destiny Huff, MS, LPC, CPCS is a late-diagnosed Autistic-ADHD military spouse, doctoral candidate, and mother of two neurodivergent boys. She runs a private practice as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapist (TF-CBT) in the Mental Health field. She also runs Destiny Huff Consulting and is a Neuroaffirming Special Education Parent Advocate and IEP Coach who helps parents advocate for their neurodivergent learners at the IEP table and provides training on Autism, ADHD, and neuroaffirming practices to organizations.

Links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/destinyhuff_iep_advocate/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086179467473

Website: https://www.destinyhuffconsulting.com/

Watch this interview on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/EY9oWxtVcLo?si=mL-topZos_vy_Vep

You may also be interested in these supports:

1. Visual Support Starter Set

2. Visual Supports Facebook Group

3. Autism Little Learners on Instagram

4. Autism Little Learners on Facebook

Do you need some ideas for morning meeting or circle time? I have special educator Jenn Adams here to share some awesome tips for an engaging morning meeting! Jenn talks about the significance of building routines, differentiating instruction, and using creative strategies to enhance communication and engagement among students with diverse needs. We also chat about the significance of teamwork, problem-solving activities, and the need to adapt morning meetings to engage diverse learners.

Bio

Jenn Adams is a seasoned special education teacher and the creative force behind Teach Love Autism. With 17 years of teaching experience, Jenn has dedicated her career to supporting students with autism and other special needs. Her passion for creating engaging, functional, and age-appropriate resources led her to develop a wealth of materials that empower educators and enrich the learning experiences of diverse learners.

Throughout her career, Jenn has emphasized the importance of incorporating communication into daily routines, utilizing visual aids, and providing positive reinforcement to support speech and language development. She also advocates for the use of errorless learning strategies to build student confidence and minimize errors during skill acquisition. Her commitment to sharing effective teaching strategies and resources has made Teach Love Autism a valuable platform for educators seeking innovative approaches to special education.

Links

Teach Love Autism website: https://teachloveautism.com/

Teach Love Autism Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachloveautism/?hl=en

Teach Love Autism Teachers Pay Teachers Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/teach-love-autism

Takeaways

• Morning meetings set the tone for the day

• Predictability in routines helps reduce anxiety for students

• Differentiation is crucial in teaching diverse learners

• Creative greetings can enhance student engagement

• Modeling communication without pressure is effective

• Incorporating academic skills into morning meetings is beneficial

• Building stamina in students is essential for longer group activities

• Modeling is crucial for helping students grasp new ideas

• Non-speaking students require tailored communication strategies

• Refining morning meetings can improve student engagement

• Differentiate instruction based on students' diverse needs

• Incorporating core vocabulary benefits all students, not just those with communication devices

• It's important to take a step back and reassess teaching strategies

• Creating a supportive environment fosters better communication among students

You may also be interested in these supports:

1. Visual Support Starter Set

2. Visual Supports Facebook Group

3. Autism Little Learners on Instagram

4. Autism Little Learners on Facebook

This week on the Autism Little Learners Podcast, I'm bringing back a powerful and important conversation with Emily Byers Chaney, SLP — and it felt like the perfect time to revisit it during Autism Acceptance Month. 💛

Have you ever found yourself wondering things like:
• What does it mean to be neurodiversity-affirming?
• Why do many autistic children have pronoun reversals?
• What is gestalt language processing?
• Why should we honor protests from autistic children?
• Why aren’t WH-question goals always appropriate for young autistic students?

If these questions spark your curiosity, this episode is for YOU. Emily shares so many invaluable insights that every educator, therapist, and caregiver of young autistic children should hear.

Emily is the Speech and Language Program Director at the Pediatric Therapy Playhouse in LA, has been published in ASHA’s national magazine, and specializes in gestalt language processing and neurodiversity-affirming therapy. She’s trained in Floortime, PROMPT, Hanen’s It Takes Two to Talk and More Than Words, Natural Language Acquisition, and more!

Topics Discussed:

•What it means to be neurodiversity-affirming

•Pronoun reversals and autism

•What is gestalt language processing?

•Why WH question goals aren’t always appropriate for gestalt language processors

•Modeling AAC without expectation

•Learning through play-based approaches vs. compliance-based approaches

•Building connections with autistic students

•Why planned ignoring doesn’t work

•Honoring protesting

Where You Can Find Emily:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/ndaffirming.slp/

Watch this interview on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/cBTM0Y7aonQ?si=oOyRgo0ZVrdkrbHr

You may also be interested in these supports:

1. Visual Support Starter Set

2. Visual Supports Facebook Group

3. Autism Little Learners on Instagram

4. Autism Little Learners on Facebook