#184: It Started in the Hardest Year of My Life: Autism Little Learners

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Today I'm pulling back the curtain to tell you the story of Autism Little Learners and the Autism Little Learners membership. Where it came from, what it actually is, and the thing that surprised me most about it. The community of educators and caregivers who have made it so much bigger than anything I could have built on my own.

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I'm Tara Phillips, and this is the Autism Little Learners podcast with where I share simple neuroaffirming tools to support young autistic children with compassion and confidence.

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I want to start with how this began, because it didn't begin as a business plan. It didn't begin with me wanting to leave the classroom. I had no plans of that. It began with one of the hardest seasons of my life. In 2019, I lost my dad to leukemia. And if you've ever walked through a grief like that, you know it can pull you into the kind of darkness where it's hard to find your footing. I needed something to hold on to, something to pour myself into, something that felt like it mattered. So I started making resources, little tools for the kind of classroom I spent over 25 years in. A communication based classroom for young autistic children. I made things that I wished I'd had on my hardest days, and I started sharing them, quietly at first, with other educators and parents who were in the trenches too. I didn't know it then, but Autism Little Learners was born out of that grief. It became the thing that pulled me back up towards the light, and it grew slowly in genuine passion, helping educators and parents feel less overwhelmed, see real progress and and celebrate the small wins that build on each other. That's the origin, but it's not actually the heart of the story. The heart of the story is what happened when other people showed up. I want to name something that I think a lot of you will recognize because I lived it myself for years. Teaching young autistic children can feel really isolating, like you're on an island trying to figure everything out on your own. The mornings are busy, the days are physical, and your students are often dysregulated and still finding their voices. And early childhood special education is its own unique world. If you know, you know. And here's the part people don't say out loud often enough. We're the forgotten ones. When it comes to professional development. We spend more time collaborating with families than almost anyone. Our work doesn't look like a tidy lesson plan on a whiteboard. And the trainings that get handed to us frequently weren't built for our classrooms or our kids. I felt this constantly. Even as a speech language pathologist, with all my training, I still felt like I was on an island at times, unsure, second guessing, wondering if I was doing enough. And what I've come to believe is that this island feeling is usually where things stall out for educators. Not because the strategy was wrong, but because there's no one around to help them adjust it and keep going. We don't usually quit because we stop caring. We quit because we're alone with it. And that's the problem the Autism Little Learners membership ended up solving. And honestly, it solved it in a way that I didn't fully plan. The members did that part. Let me tell you about one member, because she captures the whole thing. Her name is Laura. Laura was tasked with starting an autism classroom in her district. And she was handed, quite literally, an empty classroom. You've probably been there. Four walls. That was it. And if you have ever been there, you know how overwhelming that is. Where do you even begin? So she did what many of us do now. She went searching on the Internet for support and ideas, and she happened to stumble across Autism Little Learners. She joined the membership. And then, this is the part I love. She took action right away. She set up her classroom much the way mine had been set up. Her district funded furniture and sensory tools and toys and activities, and she chose so many things based on the materials and the setup that I'd shared inside the membership. It was just super fun to see this come into reality. She came to coaching calls. She downloaded and prepped the resources. And by the time her students arrived, her room was ready. And so was she. She felt prepared. And instead of rushing into demands, she took time to build positive connections with each of her students, first getting to know them, earning their trust. And from there, she was on her way. Now, fast forward two years later this year, I got to visit Laura's classroom in person. And I'm telling you, it was the highlight of my year, watching her take everything she had learned and put it into action to build a classroom that honors the way each child communicates and how each child learns. And it was one of the most beautiful things I've gotten to witness in my career. It was a proud mama moment, truly. And the proof is in what comes out of that room. Laura shares so generously in our community, and the wins are extraordinary. A student who took the adapted books she prepped and paired them with his AAC device, growing right alongside them as his skills developed. A child she modeled for with no pressure for weeks, who then just Picked up his talker during a color matching activity and started using it on his own. As Laura put it, even when it seems like they're not watching or listening, they are. They're soaking it all in. She's watched students build sentences on their devices using words she had never modeled Words they discovered themselves. Her takeaway, in her own words, was simple. This is a testament to presuming competence. Never underestimate their abilities. That's the transformation I see again and again. It usually doesn't start with a breakthrough. It starts with an overwhelmed educator, sometimes literally standing in an empty room, who finds support, takes action, stays consistent, and refuses to give up on her kids. The breakthroughs come after. So let me tell you what the membership actually gives you. Because the community is the heart, but it's wrapped around a lot of practical support. At the center is a framework I built called the four foundations. Four simple powerful elements that give you a clear path through your day. Regulate helping your students and yourself manage big emotions with real co regulation and self regulation Tools you can use in the moment. Connect building relationships by following each child's lead and discovering what lights them up. Routines the predictable structure that helps students feel safe and make space for actual learning. And teach practical strategies designed specifically for young autistic children. Because it's not just what you teach, it's how. Around that framework you get tools that save you from starting from scratch. Hundreds of ready to use resources built for three to five year old autistic learners, including children who aren't matching, sorting or labeling on demand video trainings relevant to your specific role so you can stop searching YouTube late at night. One page handouts perfect for training a paraprofessional in a few minutes or sending home to a family. An adapted book library that turns the board books that you already own into hands on learning and a high support needs curriculum built to be neuroaffirming with core vocabulary and AAC woven through. This high support needs curriculum is also crosswalked with boxed curriculums that many of you are required to show alignment with. But here's what I want you to hear. Underneath all of that, the resources are wonderful, the trainings are wonderful. But they're not the reason people stay. People stay for each other. Inside the membership, there's a private community of educators and caregivers doing this work in real classrooms and homes and every single day, not perfectly, but thoughtfully trying, adjusting and making small shifts and seeing what changes. And when you have a hard day, a child who has stumped you or a moment where you just need someone to say, I've been there, there's a place to go, and people who truly get it. This is the part I could have never created by myself, and it's the part I'm most proud of. Because the wisdom in that group, the collective wisdom, isn't just mine. It's hundreds of educators with different students, different needs, different challenges, different classroom sizes, different caseloads, all pooling what they're learning. Someone figured out a transition strategy that's working. Someone has a child just like yours and found something that helped. Someone remembers exactly how that quiet, early AAC stretch feels and can tell you to hang in there. We also gather live for Q and A and coaching so you have a safe space to talk things through, get fresh ideas and brainstorm with people who understand. That's where consistency comes from. That's where the island disappears. When you're surrounded by real educators in real classrooms, real therapists, you stop wondering whether this stuff actually works. Because you're watching it work. So if you've been feeling that island feeling lately, watching more dysregulation than ever, routines that feel like a daily struggle, a device sitting unused because no one has ever showed you where to start, I want you to know two things. You are not alone, and you don't have to keep figuring it out by yourself. The Autism Little Learners membership is open and there's a plan to fit where you are. You can join month to month if you'd like to try it out and keep things flexible. Or join annually and save money if you know that this is your year to build the classroom you actually want. Either way, you get access to everything and you get us, the whole community, right alongside you. If that's calling you, here's your next step. Head to the membership link in the show notes or go to autismlittlelearners.com member and come take a look. See if it feels like home. I think for a lot of you it will. I think about where this started a lot. A grieving daughter making resources early in the morning while teaching full time just to find something steady to hold onto. What I never could have predicted is that the thing that pulled me back toward the light would become a place that does the same for so many other people. Think of Laura standing in that empty classroom two years ago and the classroom she has now. Not because of me, because she found support, took action and refused to give up, and because the whole community stood alongside her when she did it. That's what the membership really is. It's the opposite of the island. It's the people who make sure you never have to do this alone. It's an empty room becoming a place where children are seen presumed competent and given every chance to communicate and learn. Thank you again for spending part of your day with me and for the way you show up for the children that you care for. It is truly my greatest honor to support you while you support them. If this episode resonated, I'd love for you to share it with a teacher or therapist friend who's been feeling alone in this work and come find us at Autism Little Learners until next time. Remember you don't have to do this alone and the small shifts you make supported and consistent are the ones that change everything.

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Thank you for spending this time with me. You're doing important work and the small supports you put into place matter. Keep keep leading with connection and I'll talk to you again next week.