Have you ever thought about how your words can change the way someone sees themselves? When Susan Golubock , an autistic retired occupational therapist, said, “If someone had just told me it’s okay to be different, everything could have changed,”  it stopped me in my tracks. Because how many times have we—parents, teachers, or therapists—used words that were never meant to hurt, but did? Words like “obsessed,” “fixated,”  or “perseverates.” We were taught to use them to d

Have you ever watched a child push too hard, crash into things, or seem “too rough,” and thought, “They just need to calm down”? What if I told you they’re trying  to calm down — their body just doesn’t know how? When an autistic child pushes, pulls, jumps, or squeezes, it’s not random. It’s communication. The body is sending a message:👉 “I need input. I need to feel where my body is so I can feel calm.” In this week’s conversation, Susan Golubock, autistic occupational ther

Have you ever looked at a child or client who won’t start  — a task, a conversation, or even a simple request — and wondered, “Why won’t they just do it?” Do you even feel this yourself sometimes? We’ve all been there. As therapists, teachers, and parents, it’s easy to interpret hesitation as defiance, avoidance, or lack of motivation. But what if that pause, that moment of stillness, is actually the brain working hard to connect the dots? In this week’s video, Susan Golubo

What if being praised for following directions and “fitting in” came at the cost of losing who you truly are? For many autistic...