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.

If the strategies you’re using with an autistic child aren’t working, you’re not failing. You may be missing key information about how the autistic brain processes pressure, motivation, and learning. This conversation explains what’s missing—and what to do instead.