Two Sides of the Spectrum

Meg Ferrell
  • 4.9 (21)
  • COURSES
  • UPDATED TWICE MONTHLY

A place where we explore research, amplify autistic voices, and change the way we think about autism in life and in professional therapy practice. Visit learnplaythrive.com/podcast/

  1. Your New Favorite Authentically Autistic Characters in Kids' Pop Culture - BONUS EPISODE with Britton Payne

    3 DAYS AGO

    Your New Favorite Authentically Autistic Characters in Kids' Pop Culture - BONUS EPISODE with Britton Payne

    This isn't one of our normal podcast release days, and it isn't one of our typical topics, but this conversation is just too good not to share. This bonus episode is all about Autistic representation in media. In this episode, you’ll learn what comic books, TV shows, and more you should be  recommending to your Autistic clients of all ages. Our guest Britton Payne is an entertainment attorney, recently of Warner Brothers Animation and Nickelodeon. On the side, Britton runs The Autism Scene, a non-profit advocating for the inclusion of explicitly, authentically Autistic characters in pop culture. This winter, The Autism Scene is running The AuSPEC AWARDS, which is a script competition…that maybe YOU will win! This episode is incredibly fun and impactful.    Want MORE EPISODES of Two Sides of the Spectrum, recorded Q&As with our guests, and a listener chat forum? We just launched our Patreon and we need at least 100 people to join to keep the podcast running! Patreon.com/learnplaythrive View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

    41 min
  2. How to Reduce Aggressive Behaviors by Centering a Child's Worthiness with Rabecca Hand (NEW PATREON SERIES)

    4 DAYS AGO

    How to Reduce Aggressive Behaviors by Centering a Child's Worthiness with Rabecca Hand (NEW PATREON SERIES)

    So many of us feel unsure how to best support Autistic kids who have aggressive behaviors. But often, what we are missing in the most foundational need for all humans: to feel worthy and to feel loved.   In this powerful interview, Autistic educational consultant Rabecca Hand shows us how to examine the environment and adult interactions - before looking at the child themselves - when a child is struggling.   Then she teaches us how we can use this knowledge and the research behind it to create real change in the schools and the larger culture. Patreon subscribers also get a copy of Rabecca's thoughtful classroom management framework and her extensive resource list.   This is the first episode of our new twice monthly Patreon series where we showcase the people putting neurodiversity-affirming practice into action in their work. We'll explore their guiding principles and their practical strategies through conversation and case studies so that you can translate your values into your own work. Patreon subscribers also get access to recorded Q&A sessions with some of our most impactful podcast guests, and a Discourse forum to connect with other podcast listeners. Visit patreon.com/learnplaythrive to keep learning and support our podcast. View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

    10 min
  3. Practices that Center Regulation, Cultural Identity, Authentic Communication, and Dignity with Christina Schmidt

    5 NOV

    Practices that Center Regulation, Cultural Identity, Authentic Communication, and Dignity with Christina Schmidt

    SLP Christina Schmidt strives to work in a way that centers a client's regulation, their identity, and their dignity. If that resonates with you, you won’t want to miss this conversation. Christina shares in detail how we can best support our clients with communication needs, our AAC users, non-speakers, kids who communicate through delayed echolalia in ways that are both neuro-affirming and culturally responsive. And she shares a model for supporting clients who don’t share our identities, applying it to a real life example of a client she supported who was deeply in burnout from being subjected to compliance-based practices. Christina Schmidt is a Black, African-American Australian, multicultural, and multi-dialectal AuDHD woman who proudly embraces her identity across all facets of her work and advocacy. She's the founder of Free to Be Me Speech Therapy where she provides neuro-affirming support to both kids and adults in a way that honors each person's unique communication needs, strengths, and ways of being. Her work is rooted in justice, joy, and the ongoing commitment to amplifying diverse voices and stories, always with the belief that we deserve to be seen, heard, and free to be.    Want MORE EPISODES of Two Sides of the Spectrum, recorded Q&As with our guests, and a listener chat forum? We just launched our Patreon and we need at least 100 people to join to keep the podcast running! Patreon.com/learnplaythrive View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

    49 min
  4. Startled, Trapped, & Shamed: How to Stop Accidentally Dysregulating Autistic Kids

    15 OCT

    Startled, Trapped, & Shamed: How to Stop Accidentally Dysregulating Autistic Kids

    All behavior makes sense, we just have to make sense of it. In this conversation, psychologist Dr. Gillian Boudreau helps us see that underlying nearly any behavior is fear. And so often, the fear is related to a child being startled, feeling trapped, or being shamed. But if you aren’t looking for it, it’s easy to miss. In this conversation we explore the nuance of each of these - especially for PDAers - and Gillian's exact roadmap for concrete ways to avoid them (complete with clever acronyms for each). This is a must-listen episode to help you understand your clients' experience in their lives and during your sessions. View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

    1 hr
  5. Safety As The Foundation of Everything with Dr. Gillian Boudreau

    1 OCT

    Safety As The Foundation of Everything with Dr. Gillian Boudreau

    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

    46 min
  6. Beyond The "Green Zone" & Beyond Labeling Feelings: Supporting Social Emotional Learning with Katrina Martin

    17 SEPT

    Beyond The "Green Zone" & Beyond Labeling Feelings: Supporting Social Emotional Learning with Katrina Martin

    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

    35 min
  7. Supporting Autistic Kids During Meltdowns with Amanda Diekman

    10 SEPT

    Supporting Autistic Kids During Meltdowns with Amanda Diekman

    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

    22 min
  8. How to Infuse Your Practice with Creativity, Inclusion, and Arts with Emily Zimmer, SLP

    3 SEPT

    How to Infuse Your Practice with Creativity, Inclusion, and Arts with Emily Zimmer, SLP

    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

    36 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
21 Ratings

About

A place where we explore research, amplify autistic voices, and change the way we think about autism in life and in professional therapy practice. Visit learnplaythrive.com/podcast/

Information

  • Creator
    Meg Ferrell
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    109
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2021 Learn Play Thrive, LLC
  • Show Website
    Two Sides of the Spectrum

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