In the world of special education, communication is the foundation for meaningful growth. ✨

Recently, I worked with a vibrant 5-year-old student named Adam. Although he could vocalize words, he struggled with purposeful communication. His needs for toys, food, and assistance often went unmet simply because he lacked an effective way to express them.

Through the use of Functional Communication Training (FCT), we introduced structured, meaningful alternatives to his communication attempts. By teaching Adam simple, functional phrases paired with visual supports, we opened a door, empowering him to replace frustration with connection.

Functional communication isn't just a strategy; it's a critical step toward autonomy, dignity, and learning.

Today, I’m sharing a glimpse into how FCT can transform a child's world, one request at a time.

Why Is He Always Throwing Things

When I first met Ayaan (name changed), a 5-year-old autistic boy in my classroom, his days were filled with unpredictability, for both of us. He would run to the door multiple times, throw toys across the room, and burst into giggles at seemingly random moments. Verbal instructions didn’t land. He seemed inattentive, overwhelmed, and unreachable.

One morning, as I was picking up the same toy he had thrown for the fourth time, I paused and asked myself: "What if this isn’t misbehavior? What if this is a cry for structure?"

That simple question changed everything.

We started small: a visual schedule with just four steps, a consistent arrival routine, and movement breaks between tasks. Within weeks, he began checking the visual chart on his own. The throwing lessened. He stayed longer at the table. And for the first time, he waited in line during snack time.
It wasn’t magic. It was predictability, and it made his world feel safer.

"He Didn’t Even Look at Me…" ✨

When I first met my 3-year-old autistic student, he didn’t make eye contact, didn’t respond to his name, and didn’t want to sit down for any activity.

He was in his beautiful world — tapping toys, watching shapes pop up and down, occasionally reading things out loud that he had never been formally taught.

There was no schedule, no routine, and no structured learning.
Just a child who taught himself the way he liked, in an environment that hadn’t yet adapted to how he learns best.

I wanted to help him grow, but I quickly realized that before I could teach, I needed to connect.

So I stopped asking him to "sit down" or “do the work.”

I sat beside him and joined his play.
I popped the toy when he popped it.
I echoed his happy sounds.
I gave him his favorite things without expecting anything in return.

Slowly but surely, he began to smile at me.
He brought toys closer to me.
He stayed a little longer in the room.
And that was the start of everything. 💛

Are you familiar with the How We Feel app?!🤩

The How We Feel Project is a scientific non-profit, created in 2020, that went on to develop the app that is now the Social Impact Finalist for the 2024 Apple Design Awards🏆.

The How We Feel app is a FREE application that includes emotional tracking, emotional regulation strategies, daily check-ins, as well as friend sharing❣️💞

Emotional intelligence starts with one’s ability to manage one’s own emotions. It is a skill we all need and do not discuss often enough. Having access to tools that support one’s better understanding of the internal reactions going on within the body enhances our skillsets as humans. Because, if we want to give better to the world, we must start with ourselves.💗

Get to know yourself better by getting to know your moods.✨💫🌟

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/how-we-feel/id1562706384

An ACE score is a tally of different types of abuse, neglect, and other hallmarks of a rough childhood. According to the Adverse Childhood Experiences study, the rougher your childhood, the higher your score is likely to be and the higher your risk for later health problems. You can take the test below:

Take the quiz for yourself and learn what is does and does not mean:
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/03/02/387007941/take-the-ace-quiz-and-learn-what-it-does-and-doesnt-mean

We can better support children’s needs by adopting and actively practicing trauma informed care.

Trauma-informed care recognizes and responds to the signs, symptoms, and risks of trauma to better support the health needs of patients who have experienced negative consequences from dangerous situations. It's a commitment to avoid repeating traumatic experiences and to help people regain a sense of safety, power, and self-worth despite the toxic stress they have been exposed to.

Read more here:
https://www.healthcaretoolbox.org/d-e-f-framework-trauma-informed-care

“Healthy development in the early years provides the building blocks for educational achievement, economic productivity, responsible citizenship, lifelong health, strong communities, and successful parenting of the next generation.”

“This three-part video series from the Center and the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child depicts how advances in neuroscience, molecular biology, and genomics now give us a much better understanding of how early experiences are built into our bodies and brains” -Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

Learn more here:
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/three-core-concepts-in-early-development/

Did you know that exposure to trauma can have lifelong lasting impacts and even result in increased physical health risks as well shortened lifespan?

Former Surgeon General of California & Pediatrician, Nadine Burke Harris, expounds on the neurological impacts of trauma across the lifespan in the TEDTalk entitled “How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime” 💔📈📊🧠

“High doses of adversity not only affect brain structure and function, they affect the developing immune system, developing hormonal systems, and even the way our DNA is read and transcribed.” -Nadine Burke Harris

Watch TED Talk in full here:
https://youtu.be/95ovIJ3dsNk?si=ETLaH0e73Lhbika8

Did you know that childhood is a crucial period for not only speech language development but for building cognitive development?

During times of today when screentime is at an all time high, social communication skills, motor planning, and attention difficulties are being experienced by children worldwide like never before.

This summer, monitor your child’s overexposure to screen time and encourage your child’s participation in routine physical activities.

Scientific studies show, children who are more physically active have increased chances of demonstrating improvement in the following areas:
-focusing capabilities which include joint attention- coordinating one’s attention with others, attuning to stimuli and structured tasks presented for uninterrupted durations of time
-memory recall- retrieving information and/or experiences from the past
-emotional regulation- contributes to one’s ability to respond to the ongoing demands of experiences and process a variety of emotions; monitoring, evaluating, and modifying emotional reactions
-executive functions- contributes to one’s ability to select and monitor behaviors that can facilitate the accomplishment of one’s goals
-social communication skills- interacting with others whether it be verbal and/or nonverbal communication in addition to understanding why and how one communicates

Improvements in all the aforementioned areas can yield to higher academic performance.

I'm curious! What are your thoughts on politics and speech-language pathology? Should we include political discussions in our industry? Why?? What's your take?