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Why multimodal communication isn’t optional

Why...

5 Reasons Why Multimodal Communication is Essential for Autistic Children

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

Out with the old, in with the neurodiversity affirming!

Out with...

Old way/New way – Upgrading to Neurodiversity Affirming Strategies for Autistic Children

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

Your assessments need to zoom out to be more neurodiversity affirming

Your...

Ingredients for a Neurodiversity Affirming Speech Therapy Assessment

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

What ‘all communication is valid’ actually looks like – supporting AAC

What...

More than 80 appointements later… My experiences with the health & allied health systems as a pregnant, Autistic ADHDer

More...

Experiencing the Health & Allied Health Systems as a Pregnant Autistic ADHDer

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

I’m deeply auditory-sensitive – here’s why coffee-related noises are OK

I'm...

How I Experience My Auditory World as an Auditory-Sensitive Autistic Person

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

When miscommunications are misconstrued as misbehaviour…

When...

Here’s why neurodivergent kids aren’t lazy or naughty

Here's...

Why Neurodivergent Kids aren’t ‘Lazy’ or ‘Naughty’

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

Is it Neuroaffirming to Work on Pretend Play Skills with Autistic Children?

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

The Role of ‘Play’ in Speech Therapy

The Role...

“Stop trying so hard to fit in”

"Stop...

Being a Part-time AAC user, Internalised Ableism & Mental Health – Chat with Harriet Richardson

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

How and why we should change the world around neurodivergent kids, NOT ask them to change

How and...

Crafting a Genuinely Supportive World for Neurodivergent Children – A Remedy to the Double Empathy Problem!

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

Should I use a Neurodiversity Affirming approach when I don’t know if a child is neurodivergent?

Should I...

You don’t have to do it alone – on Radical Acceptance & Building Trusting Relationships with Chrissie Davies

You...

Radical Acceptance & Building Trusting Relationships with Kids with Chrissie Davies

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

My Cycle of Neurodiversity Affirming Support (a.k.a. the Hexagon of Helpful Support…)

I wanted to share with you my Cycle of Neurodiversity Affirming Support – specifically thinking about therapists and our process when we support neurodivergent kids.⁠
I’m teaching all around this hexagon in the Affirming Communication for Autistic Children Course, but I thought I’d share this with you here to give you an idea of how I see it all connecting up.⁠

Power of Silence, Valuing Relationship-Building Time & Growing into Advocacy – Strategies for Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy for Autistic Children

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

3 Ways to Teach Neurodivergent Kids Self-Advocacy

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

Should PLAY be a goal? Or an activity?

Should...

The Role of ‘Play’ in Speech Therapy for Autistic Children

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

8 Ways to Do Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

The core of self-advocacy – your needs are VALID!

The core...

NeuroAccessibilty & being a Neurodivergent Parent with Annie Crowe

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

3 Practical Ways to Kickstart your Neurodiversity Affirming Practice Journey

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

Neurodivergent Acceptance & Finding Personal Joy – Chat with Stephanie Roberston – Neurodivergent OT

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

Things not to say to kids: “Don’t be silly”

Things...

When others aren’t aligned with your Neurodiversity Affirming approach to supporting Neurodivergent Kids…

When...

Collaboration & Advocacy: When others aren’t aligned with your Neurodiversity Affirming approach to supporting Neurodivergent Kids

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

My journey to identification as an Autistic ADHDer⁠

My...

Teaching through connection not trauma: How to set tiny goals for children’s participation in any activity

Teaching...

Don’t Teach Kids through Trauma – Teach through Connection

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

Wait… can I ask for support for a child and still be Neurodiversity Affirming?

Wait…...

All Communication is Valid: Why it Might be Hard for an Autistic Child to Speak

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

How to be an Excellent Ally this Autism Acceptance Month

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

How you can be an excellent ally during Autism Acceptance Month

How you...

An Alternative, Affirming Approach to Behaviour Support – Understand the Deep Why

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

What drives children’s behaviors? Exploring the ‘Deep Why’

What...

What do Neurodiversity Affirming Goals look like for Autistic children?

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

5 things to include in Neurodiversity Affirming Goals for neurodivergent kids

5 things...

Neurodiversity Affirming ‘Social Skills’ Support for Autistic Children – Part 2: What Is and What Isn’t Affirming

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

The problem with teaching kids to ‘fit in’

The...

Neurodiversity Affirming ‘Social Skills’ Support for Autistic Children – Part 1: The Big Ideas

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

Words Matter: Exploring Neurodiversity Affirming Language – Exploring Neurodiversity Podcast Episode 1

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

8 ideas for supports you can ask for at childcare, for your neurodivergent child

8 ideas...

But I won’t fit in the tent

But I...

A story about rocks, and saying YES

A story...

A time for reflecting on your practice – How Neurodiversity Affirming are YOU?

A time...

Ideas for types of support your child needs at childcare, preschool or school

Ideas...

Ideas for types of support your child needs at childcare, preschool or school

Ideas...

Why questions aren’t the way

Why...

Speech is not better

Speech...

Sometimes…

Sometimes...

There are no rules for conversations

There...

The Problem with Theory of Mind (ToM) as it Relates to Autistic People

The...

Here’s what I’ve learned about travelling with a toddler

I’ve so missed big travel and adventures! We’re a few days in to a Perth 🚐 ➡️ 🚐 Adelaide van trip (around 3,000km!) with my 3 year old, and having a great time!

Reasons why your child might not use speech (mouthwords) to communicate⁠ sometimes, or always

Here are some reasons why your child might not use speech (mouthwords) to communicate⁠ ⁠sometimes, or all the time…

Stop waiting! Why speech therapy waitlists don’t mean you should ‘just wait’

I’m so so so passionate about helping families get started, get guidance, reliable information, and strategies that can help your child develop their communication skills right now. Like RIGHT now.

3 key ideas to help your autistic child if they’re a ‘fussy eater’

I wanted to share 3 key ideas that I believe can make a huge impact on your child’s relationship to food, and your family’s calm at mealtimes.

Coping With Uncertainty And Change

How can I help my child deal with uncertainty and changes to plans? Even for a lot of grown-ups, coping with uncertainty and change can be really tricky.

Connection not compliance

Parenting is always about finding a balance between letting your child do things their way, and setting boundaries and rules for your child to follow.

How 1 simple activity can build so many communication skills

Once you have a few ideas of skills you want your child to be working on, you’ll see these opportunities to embed ‘real life practice’ into real life activities and every day play moments.

The deep WHY behind your child’s behaviour

There is a reason behind any behaviour, any action, that someone does. I call this the ‘deep why’. People also talk about the reason being an ‘unmet need’.

PLAY is the absolute best way to help your autistic child learn & connect

I love play. Play is the best. All learning for kids really happens through play the best learning for everyone happens in play and playful moments.

3 Key Ideas to Help you and Your Autistic Child Communicate and Connect

3 things to keep in mind when you share books with your young child. Let your child explore books in the way that suits their sensory preferences and interests.

BOOKS! What should I do when I read to my toddler?

3 things to keep in mind when you share books with your young child. Let your child explore books in the way that suits their sensory preferences and interests.

Using books and TV to help your child understand social dynamics

When you have these chats with your child, remember to make them a balanced conversation – not a test!

How small routines can lead to BIG communication

One of the strategies that I share with families often is using ‘verbal routines’ with kids – this is things like “ready, set, GO!”. My personal favourite.

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast!

Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat – Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we’re going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your autistic or neurodivergent child.

What is ‘Self-Advocacy’ and how do we teach this to kids?

If you’ve heard the term ‘self-advocacy’ you might be wondering what exactly it means and how this relates to speech therapy. Self-advocacy is all about speaking up or standing up for yourself.

“How much should I play with my kids?”

There’s that amazing moment when you ask your child to do something… and they DO it! If this feels rare for your family, a big part of the challenge is often how well children undertand what you’ve said to them.

4 tips to help your child understand you better

There’s that amazing moment when you ask your child to do something… and they DO it! If this feels rare for your family, a big part of the challenge is often how well children undertand what you’ve said to them.

The power of WAITING… for your child (or partner, parent, friend…) to talk

As parents, we can sometimes struggle to WAIT. We often bombard our kids with words, comments, questions… Find out why waiting is so powerful and how to do it!

Why your child might need to use non-verbal ways of communicating

When we support people to communicate in ANY way, and respond to their communication, we open up so many more opportunities to connect and understand each other.

What a Neurodiversity Affirming approach looks like

All brains are unique, beautiful, and wonderful. We don’t need or want to make people have a different type of brain, because we ALL benefit from sharing the world with a diverse range of neurotypes.

3 ideas to help your fussy eater

Here are 3 ways you can support your child if they have limited food range, understand their challenges better, and aim for a more calm and connected mealtime for the whole family.

Add PLAYFULNESS to the every-day. Add joy, connection and ease.

I’m going to give you a little challenge. This will help you and your child add a bit of 🎉fun🌟 to a mundane every-day activity.

How to help your child deal with big feelings (good or challenging ones!)

Your child might need some help navigating emotions… their own, others, and how to deal with big feelings (good or challenging ones!)

The Power of a Simple Snack to Help your Child Communicate More

Here’s how you can build in a bit of fun and give your child more opportunities to communicate with you when you’re having a snack or a meal. Give the food or drink bit-by-bit!

The only Play Dough Recipe you’ll Ever Need & How it can Help your Child Talk, Play & Listen!

Let’s talk about play-dough! I love it and can lose hours squishing the stuff, and my daughter loves it too.

3 things to do when you don’t understand what your kid is saying

There are so many reasons why we sometimes miss what kids are telling us. Learn about 3 ways to respond when you don’t understand what your child tells you.

Coping with BIG changes: A recipe to help your kid cope with change

For many of you in Sydney and Melbourne, you’re heading out of lockdowns and kids are going back to school! This can bring with it so many feelings for kids and parents alike.

Building Resilience in Kids: What Bluey can Teach Us

We ALL learn new things by trying, trying and trying again. Resilience is when you can cope with the set-backs, and keep at it, and then you GROW🌷

Helping your child talk more and learn new words… at Bathtime!

Language learning happens everywhere! Many parents want their kids to learn new words, and it’s common to think that we need to set aside ‘special learning time’ or ‘therapy practice time’ to meet this goal… MYTHBUSTER MOMENT!

3 Ways to Help your Child have Better Conversations

Lots of parents tell me that they want their kids to have better conversations, whether that’s a more detailed chat at the end of the school day, sharing over the dinner table, or better conversations with their friends.
In this post I’m sharing my 3 top tips for helping your children have better conversations with you, and with other kids.

Using ‘People Games’ to Boost your Child’s Language Development

Many parents ask me to recommend games and toys that will help encourage their child’s communication development. One of my favourite categories of games is ‘people games’ – that is, activities, songs and play where YOU are the toy! ‘People games’ are a great way to improve your child’s attention, social interaction, and communication skills – and the best thing is, they’re free!

Giving Kids a Choice: Create more calm and empower your child

When we have no choices, we don’t have ‘buy-in’. We’re not engaged in the activities we’re have to do.

It might feel hard to give your child choices when you’re in the middle of a whirlwind of trying to get out of the house in the morning, but adding a few moments of choice can actually make things easier, calmer and smoother for the whole family!

Why is Pretend Play so Important for Kids?

Pretend play is an essential play skill for children to develop, and it helps kids learn language, tune in to other people and develop social skills.

Whether your child likes playing with dolls, trucks, dress-ups, characters from movies, or animals, pretend play is a wonderful and important type of play… And it just happens to be limitless fun!

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