The Autism Little Learners Podcast

Episode #149 – Teaching Protesting With AAC

Host: Tara Phillips
Date: November 17, 2025

Episode Overview

In this engaging and affirming episode, Tara Phillips unpacks the often-overlooked skill of teaching autistic children to protest using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems. Tara emphasizes that protesting is not a behavioral problem but a powerful expression of autonomy, preferences, and self-advocacy. She differentiates between simply acknowledging a child’s protest and truly honoring it, and offers practical strategies—including a signature eight-step process—for empowering young autistic learners to communicate their boundaries effectively.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Importance of Teaching Protesting with AAC

• Communication is more than requests:
  Tara highlights that AAC use is frequently restricted to requests (“I want…”), but that communication also includes saying no, expressing discomfort, and setting boundaries.

  “Protesting isn’t bad behavior, it’s communication. When a child says no, stop, or don’t like on their AAC device, they’re expressing autonomy, preferences, and self-advocacy.” (03:00)

• Protest = Self-Advocacy:
  Refusing, rejecting, or protesting forms the foundation for self-advocacy, self-determination, and autonomy, all of which are crucial for neurodivergent children.
• Research-backed significance:
  Studies show that children communicate more broadly when given the right AAC tools for all communicative functions, including protest. This can also decrease challenging behaviors.

2. Acknowledging vs. Honoring Protests

• Honoring Protest:
  Means pausing, adjusting, or stopping in direct response to a child’s protest.

  “When we’re talking honoring protests, it means pausing, adjusting, or stopping what we’re doing in response to the protest.” (05:15)

  • Examples:
    • If a child taps “stop” during an activity, the adult pauses or changes the activity.
    • If a child pushes away a puzzle and selects “no,” the adult responds, “No puzzle today, that’s okay. We’ll find something else.”
• Acknowledging Protest:
  Sometimes, a situation cannot be changed (e.g., needing to leave school), but the adult empathizes and confirms the child’s feelings.

  “You said no. You don’t want to clean up—that’s hard. I’ll do it with you.” (06:55)

  • Examples:
    • Modeling “don’t like” on the device and saying, “You don’t like this. I get it. I’ll stay close while we finish and then we can take a break.”

3. Why Honoring Protest Matters

• Builds trust and strengthens relationships by showing children their voice matters.
• Prevents escalation:
  Children who can communicate discomfort or refusal are less likely to resort to meltdowns as a communication method.
• Supports autonomy:
  Every child has the right to say no, and honoring this right aligns with neurodiversity-affirming values.

4. Modeling Protest Language on AAC

• Children won’t automatically know protest words—adults need to demonstrate and model usage in authentic contexts.
• Pair modeling with validation:
  Respond respectfully to protests to reinforce that the child’s input has value.

  “If a child protests by saying no on their device, respond respectfully: ‘You said no, I hear you. Let’s do something different.’” (08:20)

5. Eight Steps to Honoring Protests

(Download link provided in show notes as mentioned by Tara)

1. Respect “no” as valid:
   Do not treat protest as a problem to extinguish.
2. Pause and stop:
   When a protest occurs, interrupt the current activity.
3. Model protest language on AAC:
   Use words like “no,” “stop,” “don’t want,” “go away,” “not yet.”
4. Repeat and reflect:
   Restate what the child is expressing (“You said stop. You don’t want to do this right now.”).
5. Provide real choices:
   Offer options that give the child meaningful control. (09:57)
6. Adjust the environment:
   Change sensory input, pace, or type of activity if needed.
7. Allow time to regulate:
   Give the child time to calm before proceeding.
8. Use protest as a guide:
   Let protest inform which activities feel safe and engaging for each child.

“AAC gives autistic children a reliable voice, but that voice is only meaningful if adults teach them all the different ways to use it. Honoring protests is not optional. It’s essential.” (10:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On honoring children’s autonomy:

  “When adults honor ‘no’ or ‘stop,’ children learn that their words matter, and they’re respected. This strengthens relationships and makes future communication attempts more likely.” (06:00)

• On shifting dynamics:

  “These practices shift the relationship dynamic from ‘we expect you to comply’ to ‘you have a voice, and we’ll listen and respond.’” (08:45)

• On protest as essential:

  “Honoring protests is not optional. It’s essential. By modeling those protest words, respecting boundaries, and teaching teams and families to value ‘no,’ we empower autistic children to advocate for themselves.” (10:35)

Key Timestamps

• [00:00] Introduction and framing the topic
• [03:00] Why protest is a communication skill
• [05:15] Difference between acknowledging and honoring protests
• [06:00] Real-life examples of honoring versus acknowledging
• [08:20] Pairing protest modeling with validation
• [09:57] The Eight Steps to Honoring Protests
• [10:20] Final thoughts on the value of protest and AAC

Episode Tone and Takeaways

Tara’s tone throughout is warm, compassionate, and practical, rooting all advice in real-world classroom and home experiences. She affirms that honoring children’s protests is foundational to neurodiversity-affirming practice, relationship-building, and helping autistic children flourish as communicators and self-advocates.

This summary is meant as a resource for educators, therapists, and families seeking a practical, affirming approach to teaching communication using AAC. For free resources and downloads, see the episode’s show notes or visit autismlittlelearners.com.