Wild Seeds SLP

You know those moments where a kid’s meltdown leaves you wondering, “What am I missing here?” 👇

It was IEP season again, and I was chatting with a teacher about goals for students in their class.

They told me about one student (bright, curious, autistic) who’d been having more frequent outbursts lately.

Yelling at peers during centers.
Growling and hiding under desks when asked to join the group.
Covering their ears and screaming when things got too loud.

The teacher sighed and said,
“I just want them to be able to tell me what’s wrong instead of yelling. To use their words so I can help.”

I could feel the care behind it — that wish to understand, to connect.

The teacher’s heart was in exactly the right place.
And it’s such a beautiful goal.
To help a child have more ways to express what’s hard.

Now here’s something that I know is going to sound strange, but it’s true:
Communication doesn’t begin with words.

Before words, there’s safety.
Before problem-solving, there’s regulation.
Before expression, there’s connection.

When we start looking for those foundations — the clues beneath the behaviour — everything starts to change.

And with it our approach shifts from a focus on ‘teaching’ communication, to a space of helping a child reach it.

That’s what I’ll be exploring in my upcoming free Masterclass (that I'm hosting again!): “Autistic Communication Supports in the Classroom”

It’s for educators, EAs, and inclusion teachers who want to understand autistic communication at a deeper level.

Happening online next Sunday (Oct 19th).

💛 So if that speaks to you (or someone you know), you can save your (virtual) seat here:

www.wildseedsslp.courses/communicationmasterclass

Would love to have you there!

What happens when we shift our thinking of the role we play as supportive adults in an autistic child's life?
We often place a lot of emphasis on what we need to do to change a child (their actions, behavior, communication). Yet this is really out of our control, even though we tend to give that all our energy. Instead, what if we shifted our focus to "being the gardeners that nourish the soil"? Placing our energy and focus on what we can change and do ourselves to create the most communication-rich environment possible?

We dive into this and much more inside my upcoming FREE masterclass on 'Affirming-Autistic Communication Supports in the Classeoom'. This is a masterclass that every educator needs - because the diversity of the classroom and learning needs keeps shifting and you need to shift with it. Learn how inside this masterclass!

(Replay available for 10 days if you're unable to join the live event!)

Comment 'Masterclass' and I'll directly send you the link to save your spot (easy, peasy, lemon squeezy 🍋)

Or head here: https://www.wildseedsslp.courses/masterclass

Wild Seeds Wednesday Wisdom-Bit:

When we consider the strategies needed to support an autistic child with regulation, we first need to look back at ourselves. Co-regulation plays a key part. Be your own best tool.

What strategies do you use for yourself when you find yourself in challenging moments? Let's support each other with ideas!
.......................................

The REWILD group program is open for enrollment for only a couple more hours!

Don't miss out on your opportunity to shift the way you provide support to autistic kids and create positive impact in their lives!

Designed for parents, educators, support staff, and professionals!

Here's what a previous member, who is both a parent and an educator, had to say:
"Learning from Aryn and Meghan is inspiring and after each session I was able to build my knowledge and incorporate my learning into everyday practice... I truly believe through their workshops and programs I am becoming a better parent, educator, and friend to anyone connected to neurodiversity."

Visit the link in my bio to register.

Today is a day for truths.

A day to face hard truths. Uncomfortable truths. Revealing truths. Truths that ask you to self-examine. Truths urging you to reflect on past actions. Truths insisting on a new way forward. Today I’d like to take a moment to honor the and reflect on the painful wrongs that have been done and are being done to our Indigenous communities, including the most vulnerable- the children.

Today I am personally taking time to listen to Indigenous people’s stories, learn about the painful history of residential schools, and reflect on the deep wounds left by generations of injustice. Today I am holding space for all my Indigenous friends, extended family members, community members, and my own clients, as I look for how I can do better for them moving forward.

I believe this type of reflection and action is so intertwined and woven into the work we do to create inclusive and compassionate spaces for all marginalized communities. In particular, we can acknowledge the amplified hardships and abuse that took place for those who were both Indigenous and neurodivergent. While we also come to terms with the reality that inequity continues to persist in identifying, understanding, and supporting the Indigenous neurodivergent population, even today. So here is an opportunity to think back on past practices, and what may have been deemed the ‘way to do things’ before, and now we realize this is NOT the way forward. Let us extend our efforts to support both Indigenous and neurodivergent children, so that we too can deeply understand the importance of their own culture and ways of being- not seek to change those. Instead, we can embrace them with the true understanding they deserve.

We have a long way to go to ensure equitable treatment, so what actions will you commit to today? It is the time to move onto the path of powerful healing, shifting our practices, and challenging our perspectives as we take steps towards collective growth.