When I say that you are in a for a treat today, I mean it! I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to talk to Abbey Romeo and her mother Christine, both of whom were featured on the Netflix show Love On The Spectrum U.S.

On this special episode, Abbey shares her journey of growing up autistic, discussing the challenges she has faced and how she has learned to navigate them.

Christine offers her perspective as Abbey’s mother, detailing the support she has provided and the unique experiences they have encountered together. They explore the process of receiving Abbey's diagnosis, emphasizing what strategies have been beneficial and what have not. After you listen to this episode, you are going to want to head over to YouTube and watch it there too!

Bio: Abbey was diagnosed with autism at 2.5 years old. Now at 25, she’s thriving and was blessed with great therapists and years of supportive services: Speech, occupational therapy, adaptive PE, and many more programs that have helped her get to where she is today.

She has worked so hard to be able to feel like she has a voice. That’s why she chose a logo with a mermaid.

“In The Little Mermaid when Ariel gets to dry land, she’s no voice. And that’s how I feel. Sometimes I can’t get my words out.” – Abbey

Topics Discussed:

• Autism characteristics that Abbey displayed at 2 years old

• What types of services Abbey received during the early childhood years, elementary years, and secondary years

• Advice from Christine for parents navigating the journey of having an autistic child

• Christine and Abbey discuss the strategies and therapies that helped Abbey over the years

Links:

Website: https://madebyabbey.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hatsbyabbey/?hl=en

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hatsbyabbey?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@AbbeyRomeo

Love On The Spectrum (Netflix): https://www.netflix.com/title/81338328

Watch this episode on YouTube on the Autism Little Learners channel.

Other Links You May Be Interested In:

• Autism Little Learners on Instagram

• Autism Little Learners on Facebook

You can also join my free Visual Supports Facebook Group to “hang out” with like-minded educators and parents who want to take action and implement visuals at home or at school.

Be sure to subscribe to The Autism Little Learners Podcast so you don’t miss future episodes. Plus, leave a rating & review on iTunes….this will help other educators and parents find this podcast!

CLICK HERE to leave a review on iTunes, then scroll down to “ratings and reviews” and click “write a review”. THANK YOU!

Have you been hearing the talk lately about hand-over-hand prompting? Have you heard discussions surrounding this type of physical prompting and how it violates bodily autonomy and is not neurodiversity-affirming?

This week’s podcast guest is occupational therapist Dr. Diamond Rashad and I just had to have her on the show to talk about this topic because she articulates the information so well. This is another must-listen episode if you are working with young autistic kids!

Topics Discussed:

• Bodily autonomy and agency

• Hand-over-hand prompting

• Alternatives to hand-over-hand prompting

• Asking for consent

• What to do when kids aren’t initiating

Links:

Website: www.adimeinot.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/adimeofot

Freebie (discount code: littlepod) :

https://drdime.ck.page/products/hand-over-hand-tip-sheet?promo=LITTLEPOD

Bio:

Dr. Diamond Rashad (she/her), is a neurodivergent pediatric occupational therapist, disability advocate, and doula who resides in Georgia. She has worked as an occupational therapist for eight years and has experience working from a trauma-informed lens with children, adolescents, and young adults with differences in sensory integration, executive function, feeding & mealtime participation, and supporting Autistic clients and their families. She is the founder of Emira’s Mamas & "A Dime of OT"; she is passionate about supporting birthing parents from pregnancy to postpartum, diversity and inclusion in allied health settings, social-emotional support & co-regulation, and advocacy for culturally responsive, equitable care.

Other Links You May Be Interested In:

• Autism Little Learners on Instagram

• Autism Little Learners on Facebook

You can also join my free Visual Supports Facebook Group to “hang out” with like-minded educators and parents who want to take action and implement visuals at home or at school.

Be sure to subscribe to The Autism Little Learners Podcast so you don’t miss future episodes. Plus, leave a rating & review on iTunes….this will help other educators and parents find this podcast!

CLICK HERE to leave a review on iTunes, then scroll down to “ratings and reviews” and click “write a review”. THANK YOU!

Sometimes we need to go back to the basics. Because May is National Speech Language and Hearing Month, I thought it would be the perfect time to do just that. Today I’m talking to Megan Peveto, who is a speech/language pathologist who specializes in toddler language development. Megan is going to bring us back to the basics when it comes to language development for neurotypical children. We will also be chatting a bit about what it means to be an analytic language processor vs a gestalt language processor. Join me for this fun conversation with Megan.

Megan Peveto is a speech/language pathologist and the founder of the SLP Next Door. She is from a very small town in Texas. She is married to the absolutely best man on the planet and they have a little boy and a dog named Charlie. (sounds like a country song, doesn’t it?) She has been in the world of speech therapy ever since 2012 when she graduated with her Bachelor’s degree. She spent a year working as an SLP-A (speech language pathologist-assistant) before going to graduate school. Megan graduated with her Master’s degree in 2015 and has a certificate in Autism/Special Education.

The SLP Next Door was created with SLPs, educators, and anyone in the world of babies and toddlers in mind. Consider Megan your one stop shop for toddler language and communication development!

Megan’s “Toddler Toolbox” will provide you with everything you need to take your sessions from stressful to joyful! You'll understand how play develops, the best books for speech therapy, favorite toys that keep toddlers engaged, and so much more...

You can find Megan on facebook, Instagram, and Tik-Tok: @theslpnextdoor

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

Website: theslpnextdoor.com

The SLP Next Door Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-slp-next-door-podcast/id1701171462

Get on Megan’s e-mail list by going to: theslpnextdoor.com/toolbox

Topics Discussed:

• When do babies start saying their first words?

• When do little ones start combining two words?

• What is analytic language processing?

• When and where to turn if you suspect a language delay

Other Links You May Be Interested In:

• Autism Little Learners on Instagram

• Autism Little Learners on Facebook

You can also join my free Visual Supports Facebook Group to “hang out” with like-minded educators and parents who want to take action and implement visuals at home or at school.

Be sure to subscribe to The Autism Little Learners Podcast so you don’t miss future episodes. Plus, leave a rating & review on iTunes….this will help other educators and parents find this podcast!

CLICK HERE to leave a review on iTunes, then scroll down to “ratings and reviews” and click “write a review”. THANK YOU!