5 Reasons Why Multimodal Communication is Essential for Autistic Children Exploring Neurodiversity Podcast – Episode 26 by Adina Levy It’s non-negotiable to be supporting, modelling, using, teaching multimodal communication to autistic kids. And I share...
Out with the old, in with the neurodiversity affirming! by Adina Levy In my podcast episode ‘Old way/New way – Upgrading to Neurodiversity Affirming Strategies for Autistic Children’, I shared 3 of the biggest changes that I had to make, and that so...
Old way/New way – Upgrading to Neurodiversity Affirming Strategies for Autistic Children Exploring Neurodiversity Podcast – Episode 25 by Adina Levy I’m sharing 3 strategies that we need to leave in the past, and 3 strategies that are more...
What ‘all communication is valid’ actually looks like – supporting AAC by Adina Levy I love talking about this inclusive idea of ‘all communication is valid’, decentring speech as the ‘ultimate’ or ‘best’ form of...
The Role of ‘Play’ in Speech Therapy by Adina Levy Ever wondered about the role ‘play’ has in speech therapy, especially for our beautiful autistic children? Well, let’s address the question: Is there a right or wrong way to play? The...
Power of Silence, Valuing Relationship-Building Time & Growing into Advocacy – Strategies for Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy for Autistic Children Exploring Neurodiversity Podcast – Episode 16 by Adina Levy Show Notes: Sharing 3 key strategies for...
3 Ways to Teach Neurodivergent Kids Self-Advocacy Exploring Neurodiversity Podcast – Episode 15 by Adina Levy Show Notes: Today I’m sharing a shortie, practical episode – all about how you can teaching neurodivergent children about self-advocacy in...
Should PLAY be a goal? Or an activity? by Adina Levy What is the role of play in therapy for autistic children? This is a question that comes up time and time again. Many of us have done training over the years to learn about how to “teach play”. In my...
The Role of ‘Play’ in Speech Therapy for Autistic Children Exploring Neurodiversity Podcast – Episode 14 by Adina Levy Show Notes: In this episode I share my perspectives about the role that ‘play’ should take in speech therapy sessions...
All Communication is Valid: Why it Might be Hard for an Autistic Child to Speak Exploring Neurodiversity Podcast – Episode 7 by Adina Levy Show Notes: We’re tucking in to this idea that All Communication is Valid. Busting the ableist bias that speech is...
A story about rocks, and saying YES by Adina Levy Here’s a story about rocks. A couple of months ago we went on a van trip, driving from Perth to Adelaide over 3 weeks. Absolutely rad. One evening, night my daughter picked up some rocks on the way to the shower block....
A time for reflecting on your practice – How Neurodiversity Affirming are YOU? by Adina Levy This is such a wonderful time of year to reflect on… well everything! If you’ve been thinking hard this year about your clinical practice and working to be a...
Ideas for types of support your child needs at childcare, preschool or school by Adina Levy For many of you, you’re supporting your neurodivergent child to transition to a new year of care – a new class, new teacher, new childcare educators, or even...
Why questions aren’t the way by Adina Levy You want to help your child’s language development. I get it! You want them to learn new words and you want them to be able to express themself better. Here’s one of the absolute biggest keys to supporting...
Speech is not better by Adina Levy All communication is OK, and valid. Speech (a.k.a mouth words, a.k.a ‘verbal’ communication but this terminology should be phased out – see below) is not better than non-speech communication. For some people, speech is...
Sometimes by Adina Levy I teach a lot about the idea of SOMETIMES. Sometimes it’s a great idea to narrate what your child is doing so they can hear interesting words and language. Sometimes it’s appropriate to be silent and let your child have quiet space....
There are no rules for conversations by Adina Levy Here’s my thought for today: There are no rules for conversations. No set, specific way that conversations ‘should’ or ‘must’ go. Natural conversations out in the real world don’t...
Here’s what I’ve learned about travelling with a toddler sometimes, or always… by Adina Levy 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...
Reasons why your child might not use speech (mouthwords) to communicate sometimes, or always by Adina Levy Here are some reasons why your child might not use speech (mouthwords) to communicate sometimes, or all the time: 1️⃣ Speech skills are hard for them (motor...
Stop waiting! Why speech therapy waitlists don’t mean you should ‘just wait’ by Adina Levy We have such a massive issue with therapy and medical waitlists in Australia, quite possibly in the world! If you’re one of many, many people waiting for...
3 key ideas to help your autistic child if they’re a ‘fussy eater’ by Adina Levy As a neurodivergent person with a lifetime of sensory challenges, I know deeply how hard eating a range of foods can be sometimes. I also come to you as a speech...
Coping with Uncertainty and Change by Adina Levy Here’s a question I get asked a lot: 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. It’s very...
Connection not compliance by Adina Levy Connection with your child starts with a respect for their perspective. Compliance is about power. If you frequently require that your child does what you say, choose, demand, you’re asking them to comply with your...
How 1 simple activity can build so many communication skills by Adina Levy Every single moment with your child is a chance to help them build communication skills. Once you have a few ideas of skills you want your child to be working on, you’ll see these...
PLAY is the absolute best way to help your autistic child learn & connect with you *Psst play is also amazing for EVERYONE!* by Adina Levy I love play. Play is the best. All learning for kids really happens through play the best learning for everyone happens in...
3 Key Ideas to Help you and Your Autistic Child Communicate and Connect by Adina Levy I had a wonderful chat with Jessica, (@aussieautismfamily on Instagram) about 3 key things for parents to know, if your child is early in an autism diagnosis journey, so you can...
BOOKS! What should I do when I read to my toddler? by Adina Levy 3 things to keep in mind when you share books with your young child 1️⃣ Let your child explore books in the way that suits their sensory preferences and interests. It’s OK to flick pages, tap on...
1..2……..3! How small routines can lead to BIG communication by Adina Levy 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...
“He never listens to me!” 4 tips to help your child understand you better by Adina Levy 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...
The power of WAITING… for your child (or partner, parent, friend…) to talk by Adina Levy Here’s a tip that seems so simple. It’s powerful. It’s also really hard to put into practice! It’s WAITING! 🌟 When you WAIT for your...
Why your child might need to use non-verbal ways of communicating by Adina Levy This week I filmed a 30 min video for my Connect & Grow community called ‘All Communication is Valid! Finding a Place for Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication’. Today I...
The Power of a Simple Snack to Help your Child Communicate More by Adina Levy I wanted to share a simple idea today. 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...
The only playdough recipe you’ll ever need & how it can help your child talk, play & listen! by Adina Levy Let’s talk about play-dough! I love it and can lose hours squishing the stuff, and my daughter loves it too. If play dough is something you...
3 things to do when you don’t understand what your kid is saying by Adina Levy There are so many reasons why we sometimes miss what kids are telling us. Just some of the reasons can be: Unclear speech sounds, like using different sounds in words or missing...
Helping your child talk more and learn new words… at Bathtime! by Adina Levy 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...
Using ‘People Games’ to Boost your Child’s Language Development by Olivia Taylor & Adina Levy 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...
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