The Child Led SLP

12/02/2025

I’m doing something really hard this week and sharing the story of my concussion on my podcast. ⁠

Comment LET THEM LEAD to listen. 💙
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I’ll never forget the moment I realized the system was blaming ME for getting injured—instead of asking what pushed that child to his breaking point.⁠
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That day changed everything for me. Not because I got hurt by a child, but because I realized I was working in a system that was never designed to keep us safe.⁠
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Here’s what I know now after years of reflection:⁠
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🔹 When children hurt us, it’s not willful—it’s a stress response⁠
🔹 Isolation tactics (like dividers) escalate dysregulation⁠
🔹 Unhealed trauma in professionals becomes reactivity in systems⁠
🔹 We deserve environments where both kids and adults work within their window of tolerance⁠
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If you’ve ever gone home feeling not just physically sore, but emotionally depleted... if you’ve ever flinched when a child moved quickly nearby... this is for you.⁠
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You’re not alone. You’re not weak. And you’re NOT the problem.⁠
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The system is. And together, we can change it.

11/30/2025

What are some of the things you do today that would surprise your old self? Let’s talk about how far we’ve come in the comments 🩷

11/20/2025

We punish autistic kids for the exact sensory strategies adults use every day… and honestly, I can’t stop thinking about it.

Why is a child taking their shoes off “noncompliant”…
but me doing it at 35 is “listening to my body”?

Where did this double standard even come from?
And why are we still enforcing it?

Let’s talk about it…
Have you seen a kid get corrected for something that would never be a problem for an adult?

Share your stories below — the examples matter.

11/16/2025

It was giving 8-year-old me in my room “cursing”

Anyway if you want to hang out with me on a regular basis, The Child Led Collective doors close tonight at midnight so come on in 🤪 Comment MYPEOPLE for more info!

Should I have left it in?

If you wanna check out the pod, comment LETTHEMLEAD and I’ll send you the link 🩷

We’re all just doing our best, friends 🫠🫣

11/01/2025

Comment RUBRIC2025 to join my free workshop on 11/12 where I’ll coach you through writing better goals for autistic students so you know exactly what to measure in moments like these!!

Meant to share this during AAC month but here we are!

One of my favorite parts of having a grad student was moments like these, real coaching that really made an impact. My goal was to send my grad student into the field with a neuroaffirming mindset and I loved being a part of her journey.

Sometimes the smallest tweaks are the most powerful!

10/31/2025

Comment RUBRIC2025 and I’ll treat you to a free live workshop 11/12 where you’ll learn how to write better communication goals for autistic kids in half the time!

Happy Halloween!

10/30/2025

If I could do it all again… I wouldn’t spend months reading every book, buying every course, and piecing things together from blogs and podcasts.

I’d go straight to Jessie Ginsburg’s Sensory Certificate Course for SLPs.

Because it gives you exactly what you need as an SLP — not too much, not too little — and it tells you what to actually do so you can make a bigger impact with your autistic students right away.

It bridges that gap we all feel when we start realizing,
“Oh… sensory is communication.”

And the best part is that it’s on sale right now — you can save $300 during the Friends & Family Sale, but only until midnight PST!!!

COMMENT SENSORYSLP to learn more!!

Save your time, your energy, and your sanity.
Start where I wish I had!

10/07/2025

Have you ever been told to "stay positive" when you raised a legitimate safety concern at work?

That's toxic positivity, and it's rampant in schools and therapy settings. It's not about authentic happiness—it's about silencing staff so systems don't have to change.

When I repeatedly asked my supervisor to fix a broken door that left kids exposed to strangers, I was told to "not worry so much." Meanwhile, teachers were propping open doors with sticks because the lock didn't work.

Toxic positivity protects the system, not the people in it. It puts staff, students, and families at risk while maintaining a shiny reputation.

We deserve workplaces where safety concerns are heard, not dismissed with forced smiles.

What's your experience with toxic positivity in your workplace? Share in the comments below.

Want to dive deeper into this topic and more? Listen to Let Them Lead: The Child-Led Autism Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other major platforms.

Education Podcast · Updated Weekly · Hosted by Nicole Casey, speech-language pathologist and founder of The Child-Led SLP, Let Them Lead is the go-to podcast for professionals and caregivers who want to support autistic kids with respect…

09/30/2025

Think you're being child-led with your autistic students? You might be missing a crucial piece.

Here's the truth: You can't truly be child-led without being trauma-informed. These two approaches go hand in hand because letting kids lead means honoring ALL parts of them - even the challenging ones.

Trauma-informed care isn't about becoming a trauma therapist. It's about showing up safely every day so we don't cause more harm. It's about questioning those rigid rules that don't serve our kids, being transparent instead of using toxic positivity, and creating spaces where children feel safe enough to actually lead us.

Remember: We can't control everything that happens to kids outside our sessions, but we can absolutely make sure we're not another source of harm.

What's one rule in your practice that you've questioned lately? Share in the comments - let's support each other in doing better for our kids.

Want to learn more? Check out this week's episode of Let Them Lead: The Child-Led Autism Podcast (available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other major platforms)

Education Podcast · Updated Weekly · Hosted by Nicole Casey, speech-language pathologist and founder of The Child-Led SLP, Let Them Lead is the go-to podcast for professionals and caregivers who want to support autistic kids with respect…