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PODCAST

Two Sides of the Spectrum

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/

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All Episodes

00:04:08

How to Support Autonomy in Regulation and Reduce...

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2025/11/24

This conversation with Autistic OT Sorcha Rice covers regulation for Autistic PDAers from absolutely every angle. The theme Sorcha kept bringing us back to is how we can provide more autonomy for our clients in how they identify their regulation needs and how they access their regulation tools. Sorcha walks us through a case study detailing how she supported a client who was deeply in burnout to help them access regulation, communication, connection, and safety. And at the end of the conversation,

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00:56:24

Practices that Deeply Respect Children with Mick Olds

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2025/11/19

Have you ever thought about what it would look like to put respect for the Autistic children who are your clients – respect for them as full human beings – front and center in your work? This episode goes deep into what that looks like in practice. Mick Olds (The OccuPLAYtional Therapist) helps us learn how to translate therapy goals into kids’ native language: play. They also share with us what exactly it looks like to put child-affirming values into practice, how they support PDAers, and what they

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00:41:16

Your New Favorite Authentically Autistic Characters...

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2025/11/13

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

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00:10:16

How to Reduce Aggressive Behaviors by Centering a...

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2025/11/12

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

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00:48:40

Practices that Center Regulation, Cultural Identity,...

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2025/11/05

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

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01:00:12

Startled, Trapped, & Shamed: How to Stop Accidentally...

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2025/10/15

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

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00:46:14

Safety As The Foundation of Everything with Dr....

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2025/10/01

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

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00:35:12

Beyond The "Green Zone" & Beyond Labeling Feelings:...

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2025/09/17

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

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00:22:04

Supporting Autistic Kids During Meltdowns with Amanda...

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2025/09/10

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

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00:35:48

How to Infuse Your Practice with Creativity,...

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2025/09/03

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

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00:51:51

Episode 100 - How to Change Everything: A Story from...

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2025/03/19

In a complicated time when so many of us are feeling disempowered, this interview is a guiding light. Nessa Hill from Neurodiversity Ireland shares her story of how she used what she learned on the podcast to change the way Autistic kids are supported in Ireland on a national scale. Her story and her message are empowering for providers everywhere. Plus, listeners from all over the world share the creative, impactful ways they have applied what they’ve learned on the podcast to their communities and

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00:01:28

Updates from Learn Play Thrive

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2025/01/08

We miss you! Get the updates on what's happening at Learn Play Thrive. And download our free packet of parent handouts at learnplaythrive.comView show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

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00:02:58

Learn Play Thrive Updates

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2024/08/21

Coming soon: The Neurodiversity Affirming Treatment Planning Party (FREE!): learnplaythrive.com/partyThe Learn Play Thrive Podcast Study Group: learnplaythrive.com/groupTrainings for Parents and Paraprofessionals: instagram.com/learnplaythriveparents (website launches next week!)View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

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00:52:07

Unmasking Autism in Action with Dr. Devon Price

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2024/08/07

This episode dives deep into some of the more foundational questions around being Autistic and neurodiversity, tying this into the larger systems we are embedded in. Our guest, Dr. Devon Price, helps us explore the concepts of masking and authenticity and how we, as professionals supporting Autistic people, can push back against these pressures. Dr. Devon Price is a social psychologist, professor, author, and proudly Autistic person. He has written 'Unmasking Autism' and 'Laziness Doesn't

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00:49:20

Part-Time AAC Use with Dr. Alyssa Hillary Zisk

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2024/07/17

In this episode, we talk about why and how part-time AAC use can support authentic participation for many autistic people. We also explore Dr. Alyssa Hillary Zisk’s insights on teaching AAC from their perspective as an engineer, as a researcher, and as an AAC user.Dr. Alyssa Hillary Zisk is an Autistic part-time AAC user, using a variety of text-based tools. They are the AAC research team lead at AssistiveWare. Their doctoral dissertation was on brain computer interfaces for people with ALS.View

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00:22:47

Nigh Functioning Autism: From Shame to Empowerment...

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2024/07/03

In this episode with autistic AAC user Tiffany Joseph (they/them, she/her), we cover functioning labels, AAC access, how race intersects with disability in the Autistic community, aggressive behaviors, and so much more. But the thread that runs throughout the conversation is empowering our clients to participate more authentically in their daily life. Tiffany Joseph, or TJ, is an Autistic educational consultant, and runs the Instagram and Facebook pages 'Nigh Functioning Autism', where they post

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00:47:11

Strengths-Based Approaches: How to Deeply Center...

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2024/06/19

In this episode (a repeat of one of our earliest episodes, episode 4), Dr. Kristie Patten takes us to the foundations of what it means to be strengths-based and the impact that it has on the lives of our Autistic clients. Dr. Kristie Patten is Counselor to the President and professor of occupational therapy at NYU and the Principal Investigator of NYU Steinhardt's NEST Project, supporting New York City Public Schools’ largest inclusion program in the United States for Autistic students. In this

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00:34:17

Autism & Interoception with Kelly Mahler

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2024/06/05

In this episode (a repeat of episode 44) we dive into interoception, our ability to understand the messages we are getting from inside our bodies. Our guest, Kelly Mahler, makes the connection between interoception and truly neurodiversity-affirming therapy practices. Kelly Mahler presents internationally on interoception and has authored 12 resources, including The Interoception Curriculum. This episode covers how a deeper understanding interoception can help us support authentic self-regulation

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00:40:59

Cultivating Freedom and Authenticity in Daily Life...

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2024/05/15

How can we center the needs of our Black Autistic clients? And how can we create spaces that allow for joyful, authentic participation for all kids? Heather Clarke has a deep analysis of the barriers that exist - especially for Black Autistic youth - and a vision for how we can move towards making our spaces safer, more inclusive, and more joyful.View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

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00:35:36

Strengths-Based Goal Writing in Action with Rachel...

Two Sides of the Spectrum ·

2024/05/01

Many of us have never seen strengths-based, neurodiversity affirming goal writing in practice. In this episode, Autistic SLP Rachel Dorsey walks us through the ins and outs of how to write truly affirming goals for our Autistic clients that contribute to their well-being, not to burnout. Check out the newest version of Rachel’s CE course, Goal Writing for Autistic Students, (co-taught with an incredible team of OTs and SLPs) at learnplaythrive.com/goals.View show notes and transcript at

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112 results

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