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MAKING SENSE OF AUTISM®

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Unlocking Potential with Making Sense if Autism's Virtual Autism Coaching Services

Navigating the world of autism support can feel overwhelming. You want the best guidance, tailored to unique needs, but accessibility and convenience often stand in the way. What if there was a way to receive expert coaching without leaving your home or office? That’s where Making Sense if Autism's virtual autism coaching services come in. They offer a flexible, personalized, and effective approach to support autistic individuals and those who care for them. Let’s explore how

2 days ago3 min read

Text in purple When they shut down. Two circles, on black and white with a middle age blonde woman, the 2nd circle with an older white haired woman

Text in purple When they shut down. Two circles, on black and white with a middle age blonde woman, the 2nd circle with an older white haired woman

Autistic Student Won't Engage in Therapy? What to Try

What do you do when an autistic child shuts down, walks away, or says no as soon as you introduce a therapy goal? You can be child-led and still work toward meaningful goals. In this conversation, we explore how sensory needs, regulation, processing, and the expectation itself can make participation harder—and why leading with invitation instead of expectation can change what happens in your therapy session.

Sep 193 min read

an older woman with white hair on the left, a middle age woman on the right with her finger to her mouth as if saying "shhh" text: Were they listening?

an older woman with white hair on the left, a middle age woman on the right with her finger to her mouth as if saying "shhh" text: Were they listening?

Why Your Autistic Student's Answer Doesn't Match Your Question

An autistic student can understand something and still have difficulty accessing it when they need it. So what are comprehension scores actually telling us—and what might they be missing? We look at what may be happening when a student’s response doesn’t seem to match the question.

Sep 105 min read

Faded background picture of 6 pegs, one in a square box. Text:What's the real barrier

Faded background picture of 6 pegs, one in a square box. Text:What's the real barrier

How Do I Make a Social Communication Assessment More Neuro-Affirming?

You know how to assess autistic students—but how do you make the assessment process more neuro-affirming without overlooking real support needs? Learn how getting curious about strengths, barriers, and access to skills can change what you notice during an assessment—and the goals you write next.

Aug 313 min read

How Do I Teach Social Skills Without Teaching Autistic Masking?

How Do I Teach Social Skills Without Teaching Autistic Masking?

How Do I Teach Social Skills Without Teaching Autistic Masking?

How do you teach social skills without teaching autistic masking? For SLPs trying to provide neuro-affirming social communication therapy, the line isn’t always clear. Explore how we can support communication differences, self-awareness, and self-advocacy without teaching autistic clients to simply perform expected social behaviors—and watch the conversation for what to consider instead.

Aug 203 min read

What Do I Teach Instead of Social Skills? A Neuro-Affirming Approach for SLPs

What Do I Teach Instead of Social Skills? A Neuro-Affirming Approach for SLPs

What Do I Teach Instead of Social Skills? A Neuro-Affirming Approach for SLPs

If you're an SLP moving toward neuro-affirming practice, you may have found yourself asking: If I'm not teaching traditional social skills anymore…what DO I teach? Maybe goals around eye contact, staying on a non-preferred topic, or performing the “expected” social behavior don't sit right with you anymore. But that doesn't mean social communication therapy is ableist—or that we stop supporting social communication altogether. We change what we're working toward. Instead of t

Aug 143 min read

Speech bubble with text "I don't want friends." inside it

Speech bubble with text "I don't want friends." inside it

My Autistic Student Says They Don't Want Friends. Should I Still Teach Social Skills?

What should you do when an autistic student says, "I don't want friends"? Many speech-language pathologists wonder whether they should stop teaching social skills. The answer isn't as simple as yes or no. Learn what that statement may really mean, the hidden barriers behind it, and watch the 12-minute conversation below to rethink social communication through a neuro-affirming lens.

Aug 62 min read

A girl facing away from a parent and is upset, a child and adult working together smiling. Text "Regulation before goal"

A girl facing away from a parent and is upset, a child and adult working together smiling. Text "Regulation before goal"

How to Support Autism Regulation in Therapy: 3 Neuro-Affirming Strategies

What if autism regulation starts before therapy even begins? In this week's vlog, Staci Neustadt, SLP, and autistic OT Susan Golubock share three neuro-affirming strategies you can use every session to help autistic clients stay regulated, engaged, and ready to learn—without relying on rewards or behavior management.

Jul 162 min read

image of hands typing on a computer, text "stop writing deficit reports"

image of hands typing on a computer, text "stop writing deficit reports"

How Do I Write an Autism Report That Actually Celebrates Strengths?

Most clinicians were trained to document deficits. Here's how to write autism reports that are clinically rigorous, affirming, and still qualify clients for services.

Jun 196 min read

How do I assess social communication in autistic students?

Your autistic student scored low on the CELF Pragmatics Checklist. Now what? Many SLPs want to avoid writing goals that teach masking, compliance, or neurotypical social behaviors. In this conversation, we explore what pragmatic language assessments may be measuring, what they may be missing, and how to create more neuro-affirming supports and goals for autistic students.

Jun 113 min read

Wood top desk with glasses, pencil and two assessment documents on it "I know the score"

Wood top desk with glasses, pencil and two assessment documents on it "I know the score"

What Standardized Autism Assessments Don't Tell You (And Why Your Goals May Not Be Working)

Many autism assessments tell us what an autistic student can or cannot do—but not why. Learn how a neuro-affirming assessment approach helps therapists identify strengths, barriers, triggers, and emerging skills that lead to better goals and more meaningful support. Watch the full conversation with an autistic OT and Neurodivergent SLP.

Jun 53 min read

Image of a girl looking sad an an adul. Text "NOT SOCIAL SKILLS"

Image of a girl looking sad an an adul. Text "NOT SOCIAL SKILLS"

Are Social Communication Struggles Really About Social Skills?

Many autistic individuals struggle with social communication, but what if the real challenge isn't social skills? Discover how body awareness, sensory processing, regulation, and safety impact communication, eye contact, and connection. Learn why therapists, teachers, and parents may need to look beyond traditional social skills approaches.

May 283 min read

Why Self-Awareness Changes Everything for Autistic Individuals

Why Self-Awareness Changes Everything for Autistic Individuals

Why Self-Awareness Changes Everything for Autistic Individuals

One of the biggest things autistic individuals need from you, from me, from parents, from therapists isn’t more correction or teaching. It’s someone truly noticing them. This week on Making Sense of Autism, Susan Golubock and I had one of the most emotional conversations we’ve had in a long time about self-awareness, people pleasing, connection, and what actually helps autistic individuals want to communicate and connect. Hearing Sue describe these experiences in her own word

May 145 min read

We Got This Wrong: Rethinking Autistic Social Communication

We Got This Wrong: Rethinking Autistic Social Communication

We Got This Wrong: Rethinking Autistic Social Communication

Autistic social communication is often misunderstood in classrooms, therapy, and everyday life. In this video and blog, speech-language pathologist Staci Neustadt and autistic occupational therapist Susan Golubock explain why eye contact, social skills, and pragmatic language are frequently misinterpreted in autism support. Learn neurodiversity-affirming strategies for parents, teachers, SLPs, and therapists to better understand autistic communication and support autistic ind

May 63 min read

From 'You'll Never Succeed' to Special Ed Teacher: What One Autistic Educator Wants Every Teacher to Know

From 'You'll Never Succeed' to Special Ed Teacher: What One Autistic Educator Wants Every Teacher to Know

From 'You'll Never Succeed' to Special Ed Teacher: What One Autistic Educator Wants Every Teacher to Know

When an autistic student is dysregulated, most educators respond to the behavior. But according to autistic teacher and advocate Becca Engel, that's exactly where we get it wrong.In this episode of Making Sense of Autism, Becca joins SLP Stacy Nustat and occupational therapist Susan Galabach to unpack what's really happening in a child's nervous system during moments of dysregulation — and why the traditional compliance-based approach to classroom behavior may be doing more h

Stories From Autistics

Apr 291 min read

Do Autistic Individuals Really Struggle with Perspective Taking?

Do Autistic Individuals Really Struggle with Perspective Taking?

Do Autistic Individuals Really Struggle with Perspective Taking?

What if autistic individuals don’t lack perspective taking… but experience and express it differently? This blog challenges a long-held belief and offers a more meaningful way to support connection.

Apr 242 min read

I keep trying to engage them — but nothing is working

I keep trying to engage them — but nothing is working

I keep trying to engage them — but nothing is working

You've tried everything. You brought in their favorite topic. You changed the activity. You adjusted your approach, your tone, your timing. You've read the books, attended the trainings, and genuinely care about getting this right. And still — they seem somewhere else entirely. Disengaged. Unreachable. Like nothing you do is landing. Before you question your skills, your patience, or your instincts — consider this: the problem may not be engagement at all. It may be the frame

Apr 173 min read

It's not about the toys....autistic play

It's not about the toys....autistic play

It's not about the toys....autistic play

What If We’ve Been Misreading Autistic Play? You might have seen it…—or experienced it yourself. Doing the same thing over and over.Lining things up.Dropping, spinning, repeating. And somewhere along the way, many of us were taught: 👉 “That’s not functional.” 👉 “We need to redirect that.” 👉 “That’s not how play is supposed to look.” But what if that’s not the full picture? What Looks Repetitive Might Be Meaningful From an autistic perspective, play often has a purpose that

Apr 91 min read

rainbow brain with arms wrapped around, Making sense of autism "you say you accept autism..but?"

rainbow brain with arms wrapped around, Making sense of autism "you say you accept autism..but?"

Autism Awareness vs Acceptance: A Simple Shift That Changes Everything

Autism awareness vs acceptance explained. Learn how behavior is communication and how to better support autistic individuals.

Apr 21 min read

rainbow brain and text "it's not the schedule...it's how we're using it." Making Sense of Autism.

rainbow brain and text "it's not the schedule...it's how we're using it." Making Sense of Autism.

Do Visual Schedules Work for Autistic Kids? (Or Are We Using Them Wrong?)

Learn why power struggles happen with autistic children and how to reduce meltdowns, build trust, and increase engagement using supportive strategies.

Mar 261 min read

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