#30 - The Autism Little Learners Membership!

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Autism Little Learners Podcast

Episode #30 – The Autism Little Learners Membership!
Host: Tara Phillips
Release Date: August 8, 2023

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the Autism Little Learners Membership, a community and resource hub designed for educators and parents of young autistic children. Tara Phillips, an experienced speech-language pathologist, shares the membership’s origin, components, and the philosophy driving her work. The discussion aims to empower listeners—whether classroom teachers or parents—with confidence, practical resources, and a sense of community.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins of the Membership

• Tara explains her struggle with finding appropriate resources for young autistic learners, frequently having to modify purchased materials.
  • “Whenever I would buy an activity, I always had to modify it in some way to make it a good fit for my students. Have you ever felt the same way? I mean the struggle is real, my friends.” (01:17)
• The loss of her father in 2019 became a catalyst for focusing her energy on creating and sharing her own resources, initially on Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT).
  • “I needed something positive to focus on and that's when I decided to upload my first product on Teachers Pay Teachers and it really did save me.” (02:29)
• The membership was launched in 2021, initially for educators, but quickly parents started joining. Having both groups together “made sense” and strengthened the community.

2. Prevalence and Importance of Support

• Tara references that 1 in 36 children are diagnosed with autism, emphasizing the urgent need for specialized support in educational settings.
• She underscores the importance of a strength-based approach:
  • “We need to presume competence...that assumes autistic individuals and autistic children have the ability to learn, think, and understand.” (04:09)

3. Breakdown of Membership Benefits

Tara details the main components of the Autism Little Learners Membership:

A. Monthly Deliverables (05:05)

• Every month, members receive:
  • A new educational product (resource)
  • A concise training video
  • A handout for distribution to parents or colleagues
  • Access to a monthly group coaching/feedback Zoom call

B. Extensive Resource Library (05:46)

• Members gain access to hundreds of resources suited for young autistic children, notably including visual supports and differentiated activities.

C. Professional Development Trainings (05:59)

• On-demand video trainings (typically 20-30 minutes) with certificates of completion.
• Topics are current and relevant, with Tara welcoming suggestions from members.

D. Office Hours and Support (06:23)

• Monthly Zoom office hours create an interactive space for sharing challenges, experiences, and advice.

E. Themed Resources (06:38)

• Activities are designed around seasons, holidays, and topics relevant to young children.
  • “Resources add an extra layer of fun and engagement to the learning process. I try to make activities that are bright and colorful and highly engaging.” (06:41)

F. Nurturing Community (07:03)

• Exclusive Facebook group for idea exchange, advice, and connection among educators and parents.

G. Adapted Book Library (07:14)

• Members can access a searchable library of adapted books that address diverse literacy needs—a resource to “increase active engagement and work on vocabulary and literacy skills.”

H. Step-by-Step Challenges (07:54)

• Ongoing addition of structured “challenges” focused on specific instructional strategies (e.g., visual supports, adapted books, file folder activities).

4. Philosophy and Impact

• The ultimate goal is to increase educator and parent confidence and reduce stress, allowing more time for personal life.
  • “Maybe you can work your contracted hours and not more and enjoy your time outside of work more fully. Time to hang with your family, love on your kids, read a book, go for a walk, or simply relax.” (08:11)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the origin of the membership:
  • “I say that because it helped me think about something and someone besides myself and my grief.” (02:51)
• On community:
  • “I always say we are one big team when I talk about parents and educators.” (03:14)
• Presume competence:
  • “Presuming competence is a strength-based approach that assumes autistic individuals...have the ability to learn, think, and understand.” (04:09)
• On supporting educators and families:
  • “Let me do the work for you and seek out the newest and most relevant topics and I'll take that off of your plate.” (06:08)
• Philosophy for teachers and parents:
  • “If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” —Ignacio Estrada (09:01)
  • “Children need at least one person in their life who thinks the sun rises and sets on them. Someone who delights in their existence and loves them unconditionally.” —Pam Leo (09:08)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:08 – Tara introduces how she began creating her own resources
• 02:29 – Turning loss into a positive project: launching products on TPT
• 03:21 – Evolution from resource store to membership community
• 04:09 – The importance of presuming competence and prevalence of autism
• 05:05 – Detailed breakdown of current membership components and monthly deliverables
• 05:46 – Accessing the resource library
• 06:23 – Monthly office hours/Zoom support
• 06:38 – Themed engaging resources and adapted book library
• 07:54 – Membership challenges for hands-on guidance
• 08:11 – Emphasis on reducing stress and achieving work-life balance
• 09:01-09:08 – Inspirational closing quotes

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Tone & Final Thoughts

The episode’s tone is compassionate, supportive, and practical, mirroring Tara’s broader approach that centers connection over compliance. She consistently invites both educators and parents into the fold, emphasizing teamwork, affirmation of strengths, and real-world strategies that “work for real kids with real needs.” The Autism Little Learners Membership is presented not just as a resource hub, but as a caring, connected community for anyone invested in the thriving of young autistic children.

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Transcript

[A]

The Autism Little Learners Membership is a dedicated community that provides valuable support and resources and training for parents and educators working with young autistic children. I can't wait to share what you'll find inside of the membership in today's episode. Let's chat more inside the show.

[B]

Hi, I'm Tara and this is the Autism Little Learners Podcast. I am a speech language pathologist with a twist.

[A]

I've run my own communication based classroom.

[B]

For over two decades and I'm so excited to share actionable tips and strategies for supporting young autistic children. My goal is to help you feel more confident and successful when teaching your autistic child or students at the early childhood level. If you are ready to learn some tried and true strategies that really work, this is the podcast for you. Let's get started.

[A]

I am so excited to chat with you today about the Autism Little Learners membership. First, let me share with you how it came to be. For years and years I had created my own materials, but it was just so hard to find resources and activities that were at the right level for my early childhood level. Students students. Whenever I would buy an activity, I always had to modify it in some way to make it a good fit for my students. Have you ever felt the same way? I mean the struggle is real, my friends. So I had been thinking about creating my own materials and sharing them on TPT for a while, but I just didn't get around to it because life was busy. Then In January of 2019 I lost my dad to leukemia and it brought me to my knees. The grief was so much bigger than I ever could have anticipated. I didn't even know how to keep going. I needed something positive to focus on and that's when I decided to upload my first product on Teachers Pay teachers and it really did save me. I say that because it helped me think about something and someone besides myself and my grief. I continued to create resources for the next two years and then in 2021 I decided to take all of my resources and create a membership, essentially a subscription for special educators. What I didn't realize at the time was that so many parents would also join. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that having both parents and educators in the membership just made sense. It would strengthen it. I always say we are one big team when I talk about parents and educators. The membership started out with only products in it. Then about a year ago I gave the membership a glow up and added monthly trainings as well as monthly handouts that can be given to parents, childcare providers or colleagues. And that brings us to what the Autism Little Learners membership looks like. Now, before we delve into the membership and exactly what it looks like, let's take a moment to talk about the prevalence of autism. According to recent data, it's estimated that one in 36 children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. This figure highlights the significance of creating specialized and supportive learning environments for autistic students, ensuring that they're able to thrive and succeed in their educational journey. Some of our students have low support needs and some have higher support needs and and either way, we need to presume competence. Presuming competence is a strength based approach that assumes autistic individuals Autistic children have the ability to learn, think and understand. Now let's chat more about the Autism Little Learners Membership. It's a community dedicated to providing those necessary supports and resources for educators who work with young autistic children. The membership is beneficial for both seasoned educators and those starting in the field. It also supports parents who want to learn more and identify activities that they can do with their child at home. So here are seven things that you get as part of the membership. Monthly Deliverables Members receive four monthly deliverables, which consist of a new product, a training video, a handout, and coaching and feedback in a one hour Zoom call each month. These resources are carefully curated to meet the specific needs of young autistic learners, helping educators and parents create engaging learning opportunities. Number two Access to Extensive Resources the membership grants educators access to hundreds of resources. This allows you to have a vast library of teaching strategies, visual supports, and tools at your fingertips. You'll be able to find activities that are at the right level for your students. Number three Professional Development Trainings Members can watch dozens of video trainings on demand. I know how busy everyone is, so these trainings are typically 20 to 30 minutes. That will make it easier for you to maximize your learning in a short amount of time. A certificate of completion is provided for each training. Let me do the work for you and seek out the newest and most relevant topics and I'll take that off of your plate. I'm always open to suggestions too. I want to help empower educators to stay current, improve their teaching methodologies, and feel confident in doing what they already are doing. Number four Office Hours and Support As a way to connect and work through any issues you're having, the membership offers office hours once a month via zoom. This creates an interactive platform for members to seek guidance from me and from one another as we share experiences and collaborate with like minded educators. Number five Themed Resources One of the highlights of the Autism Little Learners membership is the availability of themed resources. These resources are thoughtfully designed around specific themes such as seasons, holidays, topics of interest of young learners, and the theme.

[B]

Resources add an extra layer of fun.

[A]

And engagement to the learning process. I try to make activities that are bright and colorful and highly engaging. 6. A nurturing community as part of the Autism Little Learners membership, educators gain access to an exclusive and supportive Facebook group. The community serves as a space for sharing ideas, seeking advice, and supporting one another on the rewarding journey of teaching autistic children. Free Adapted Book Library A new bonus that was recently added is free access to the Adapted Book Library for members. These specially designed books accommodate diverse learning needs and make books more accessible to our students and children. Adapted books are an awesome way to increase active engagement and work on vocabulary and literacy skills. Inside the Adapted Book Library, you're able to simply search by title or you can search by theme. Number eight. Another thing I'm working on now is getting all of the past challenges added into the membership. These challenges give further step by step guidance on topics like using visual supports, creating adapted books, creating file folder activities. With all of these aspects of the membership, my goal is to help you increase your confidence when working with autistic children and to reduce your stress by helping you plan and choose resources and activities that meet your students needs. That way maybe you can work your contracted hours and not more and enjoy your time outside of work more fully. Time to hang with your family. Love on your kids, Read a book, go for a walk or simply relax. If you're listening and saying, Tara, I need this in my life, I invite you to join the membership now. You can go to www.autismlittlelearners.com go or click the link in the show Notes. As always, I'm going to leave you with a couple of quotes. If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn. By Ignacio Estrada and the last one Children need at least one person in their life who thinks the sun rises and sets on them. Someone who delights in their existence and loves them unconditionally.

[B]

By Pam Leo I'm sending a big virtual hug your way because you just finished another episode of the Autism Little Learners Podcast.

[A]

Thank you so much for listening. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd.

[B]

Like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post about it.

[A]

On social media or leave a rating and review.

[B]

If you have had success with any of the strategies that you learned about in this podcast, I would love to hear from you. Send me a DM on Instagram or Facebook. Autismlittlelearners don't forget to grab your free visual support stick starter set by going to autismlittlelearners. Com Visuals and always remember to find.

[A]

The good in every day.