Podcast Summary: Helping Kids Navigate Big Emotions with Calm, Connection, and Compassion

Podcast: The Autism Little Learners Podcast
Host: Tara Phillips
Guest: Sarah Habib (Founder, The Calm Caterpillar)
Date: November 25, 2025

Overview

In this insightful episode, Tara Phillips welcomes Sarah Habib, founder of The Calm Caterpillar, to discuss concrete strategies for supporting young autistic and neurodivergent children in managing big emotions. The episode explores how consistent, fun, and sensory-friendly mindfulness tools—used both at school and at home—can foster emotional regulation, independence, and compassion in early learners. Sarah shares the evolution of her program, emphasizes neurodiversity-affirming practices, and highlights the importance of modeling self-regulation for children.

1. Introducing Sarah Habib & The Calm Caterpillar (00:02–04:50)

• Sarah’s Background: Founder of The Calm Caterpillar, dedicated to equipping kids with emotional regulation skills that are portable and accessible ("skills to take with them on the go").
• Program Origins: Started with Cincinnati Public Schools, distributing Calm Corner Kits to preschool families to create consistency between school and home.
• Text-Based Parent Support: Gained high engagement (86% response rate) by texting parents bite-sized strategies instead of relying solely on booklets.
• Key Insight:

  “We need to meet people where they are and people are on their phones. So we said we’re going to text them.” – Sarah (03:12)

• Early Outcomes: Data showed reductions in classroom disruptions and increases in pro-social skills when emotional skills were practiced at home and at school.

2. Sensory-Based Tools for Emotional Regulation (04:51–08:57)

• Development of Products:
  • Weighted Plushies: “Call Me the Caterpillar” offers tactile comfort and stretches like a breathing ball.
  • Bloomy Tool: Combines breathing with a fidget, making abstract concepts like “smell the flower, blow out the candle” tangible for children with varied learning styles.
• Sensory Engagement: Weighted features, fidget options, and concrete actions help children of all abilities practice self-regulation.
• Importance of Tools:

  “We want to help kids. Sometimes you need a tool at first in order to be able to do it on your own independently.” – Sarah (08:26)

3. Predictable Routines Increase Independence (07:15–08:57)

• Routine as Regulation: Both school and home use of the same tools/routines fosters predictability, reducing behavioral disruptions.
• Tara’s Experience: Emphasizes the value of weighted and tactile tools in classroom routines.
• Quote:

  “You create a predictable routine, and it just becomes automatic…” – Tara (07:30)

4. Teaching and Modeling Regulation Skills (09:53–14:03)

• Interactive Tools: Rory the Lion, a plush that guides children through “lion’s breath” with a built-in voice prompt, combining play and mindfulness.
• Teaching in Calm States: Both agree regulation skills must be taught when children are calm—not during meltdowns.
• Traffic Light Analogy for Adults:
  • Green: Ready to learn, practice new skills.
  • Red: Upset—NOT a time for teaching regulation techniques.
• Key Insight:

  “How do you feel when somebody asks you to calm down?” – Sarah (12:19)

• Co-regulation & Adult Modeling: Adults should model calm behaviors, use calm corners themselves, and use visuals to reinforce practices.

5. Techniques for Engagement and Modification (14:04–17:19)

• Buddy Breathing Technique: Involves tracing one’s hand (or a paper hand as a sensory alternative) for interactive co-regulation.
• Modification for Sensitivity: Kids who dislike touch can use visual or tactile alternatives adapted to their needs.
• Personalization: Allowing kids to decorate their own hands integrates special interests for buy-in and engagement.
• Quote:

  “It’s almost like a way to like, share your sense of self through this project.” – Sarah (17:07)

6. Kits, Classroom Application, and Customization (17:19–18:41)

• Calm Corner Kits: Can be tailored to classroom or home use. Core components include a meditation cushion, breathing ball, parent/classroom guide, plus optional posters and books. Add-ons like Bloomy are available.
• Universal Application: Kits and strategies benefit both neurotypical and neurodivergent students.
• Modification Guidance: Built-in flexibility to adjust materials for different sensory needs.

7. Addressing Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) (18:41–25:08)

• Work in Uvalde, Texas: Provided Calm Corner Kits and teacher training after the school shooting to address trauma.
• Focus on ACEs: Calm Caterpillar integrates knowledge of Adverse Childhood Experiences to proactively reduce the impact of chronic stress through mindfulness and social-emotional learning.
• ACES Explained:

  “Having an ACE score of 3 or more is actually equal to 10 years off of your expected life.” – Sarah (22:20)

• Quote:

  “One of the only ways to mitigate adverse childhood experiences is to do chronic stress prevention, which is mindfulness, which is breathing, which is learning to manage your emotions and your feelings.” – Sarah (20:35)

• Advocacy: Sarah calls for wide-scale adoption of mindfulness in schools to support students facing adversity and trauma.

8. Compassion Over Compliance (24:09–25:08)

• Insight from Autistic Adults: Compliance-based methods are often traumatic, reinforcing the shift toward compassionate, connection-focused approaches to challenging behavior.
• Long-term Impact: Trauma-informed, affirmation-based strategies can help mitigate future ACEs for neurodivergent and all children.

9. Connecting with The Calm Caterpillar (25:09–26:19)

• Partnership Opportunities:
  • Collaborates with Head Start and school districts nationwide.
  • Kits and training available for both single classrooms and district-wide implementations.
• Contact Info:
  • Website: thecalmcaterpillar.com
  • Email: sarah@thecalmcaterpillar.com

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Consistency:

  “When we create symmetry between what’s going on in school and what’s going on at home … we’re creating consistency which allows children the opportunity to practice these skills at a much faster rate.” – Sarah (03:45)

• On Adult Modeling:

  “The next time an educator is upset, imagine if they sat in the calm corner. They modeled a breathing technique in the environment that we want kids to do it in.” – Sarah (14:07)

• On Adverse Childhood Experiences:

  “Mindfulness is easy to implement. When done correctly, it is always available to you, because you always have your breath.” – Sarah (21:09)

• On Support Tools:

  “Everything we think about is, how can we make this fun? How can we make this interactive so that kids can learn to use these techniques in day to day life?” – Sarah (11:03)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:02 – 04:50: Sarah’s background and program beginnings
• 04:51 – 08:57: Tools and strategies for sensory-based regulation
• 07:15 – 08:57: Predictable routines and automaticity
• 09:53 – 14:03: Teaching, modeling, and co-regulation for adults/children
• 14:04 – 17:19: Buddy Breathing technique and modifications
• 17:19 – 18:41: Calm Corner kits for school and home
• 18:41 – 25:08: Trauma, ACEs, work in Uvalde, and mindfulness advocacy
• 25:09 – 26:19: How to connect with Sarah and The Calm Caterpillar

Final Thoughts

This episode offers a compassionate, practical framework for supporting young autistic and neurodivergent children with actionable, evidence-based tools. Sarah Habib and Tara Phillips emphasize the critical role of consistency, adult modeling, and trauma-informed care in nurturing children’s emotional and social development. The conversation is uplifting, resource-rich, and highly relevant for educators, parents, and professionals seeking to create more inclusive, affirming environments for all learners.