SLP Talk Show: Recent Episodes
Cari Ebert
Real talk with Cari about stuff that really matters. Each bite-sized episode will be filled with happy stuff, heavy stuff, light stuff, and of course some speech therapy stuff as well. Our time together will be fun and informative...and while you might gain a few speech therapy-related nuggets along the way, my primary goal is for you to walk away feeling rejuvenated, motivated, and excited to go to work tomorrow. If you’re a parent, please come along for the ride. There is a place for you in this space as well. But listener BEWARE: All episodes will be delivered with joyful passion! If you’re looking for a traditional interview format, this ain’t the podcast for you (I love using the word ”ain’t” in a written sentence...it feels so wrong!). So buckle up and let’s get this podcast party started!
Cari and Jim discuss why caregiver coaching is such a challenging component of Early Intervention. They explore the mindset shift from treating children to empowering caregivers, explain the powerful M&M analogy, and share practical insights to help providers build caregiver confidence and create meaningful learning opportunities that extend far beyond the session.
Here's the link to learn more about Cari's Coaching with Confidence in Early Intervention course:
https://cariebert.com/coaching_course
Join Cari and Jim for an in-depth discussion about affirming speech therapy strategies to support children when autism and apraxia co-occur.
How we understand disability influences every decision we make as providers. In this episode, Cari and Jim unpack four models of disability and discuss how they show up in practice. You’ll walk away with a clearer lens for reflecting on your values and how they align with your work. If you're a parent or caregiver, this conversation is for you too. Understanding these models can help you make sense of the advice you're given and advocate more confidently for your child.
For many Autistic children, big family gatherings can be overwhelming, unpredictable, and absolutely exhausting. But with the right supports, these gatherings can feel more like a celebration and less like a survival mission.
In Episode 84, Cari and Jim unpack how to support AAC in daily routines, how to build a strong team around the communicator, and why communication is everyone's job—not just the speech therapist's.
In this episode, Cari and Jim explore what makes an AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) system robust. They discuss how robust AAC goes far beyond requesting, giving users the ability to connect, share emotions, and express their full personalities.
In this episode, Cari and Jim break down the basics of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)—what it is, who uses it, and why early access matters. They unpack common myths, discuss practical strategies for modeling AAC in daily life, and remind us that every mode of communication deserves equal respect and celebration. Whether you're a seasoned SLP, an educator, a parent, or just AAC-curious, this episode is for you.
Show Notes:
Click here to start your ableEXPERIENCE through AbleNet
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In this episode, Cari and Jim explore what it means to build a true culture of communication—one that values connection over compliance.
Show Notes:
Communication Bill of Rights
QuickTalker Freestyle Speech Device from AbleNet
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Join Cari and Jim for a lively discussion on the difference between declarative and imperative language in supporting children's communication. They show how constant quizzing with imperatives can feel stressful, while declarative comments create shared attention, spark curiosity, and foster authentic connection.
Click here for "The Declarative Language Handbook" that is reference in this episode.
In this episode, Cari and Jim explore the concept of play schemas...repeated patterns of behavior that reveal how young children learn and make sense of the world.
Defender of Play T-Shirt
In this episode, Cari and Jim bust nine common myths about learning and play. Together, they reframe play as the foundation for growth, creativity, and deeper learning.
Cari and Jim discuss the decline in play, the cognitive hypothesis, and the true building blocks of school readiness for young children. Hint: It's not knowing letters, numbers, shapes, and colors. It's all about executive function skills.
Click here for the book referenced in this episode: How Children Succeed by Paul Tough
Join Cari and Jim for a lively discussion about the school-to-work transition. Because Autistic kids become Autistic adults.
In this episode, we explore why the back-to-school season is one of the most overwhelming transitions for neurodivergent students. From decoding stress responses to building collaborative partnerships with schools, you'll learn practical, compassionate strategies to ease this high-stress season for the whole family.
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https://cariebert.com/mailing-list
Join Cari and Jim for a follow-up to episode 73 as they continue the discussion on supporting Autistic children at mealtime. In this episode, Cari outlines three categories of safe, respectful strategies that prioritize trust, choice, and co-regulation.
If you're enjoying the podcast and want to keep the conversation going, join Cari's email list here:
https://cariebert.com/mailing-list
Cari and Jim discuss the complex relationship that Autistic children often have with food.
One liner for this episode: For Autistic kids, mealtime is about survival, not stubbornness.
Nobody likes to talk about screen time. But we live in the Digital Age, and it's time to start supporting families of young children in creating mindful screen time habits at home. One thing that all children with developing brains and bodies need is VARIED EXPERIENCES! Screen time should be just one of many experiences young children have access to each day. Be sure to stay tuned until the end for a discussion about screen time in children with disabilities.
Screen Time Mindfulness Books for Kids
https://amzn.to/43tpRGh
The Anxious Generation book
https://amzn.to/4kkTDo6
Cari and Jim discuss the bias in autism research and how this affects girls getting an autism diagnosis.
The CDC released the most recent autism prevalence numbers which showed an increase from 1 in 36 kids to 1 in 31 kids. In this episode, Cari and Jim discuss factors contributing to the increase in autism prevalence in the United States including 1) improved understanding of the Autistic neurotype, 2) increased identification of autism in previously under-identified groups, and 3) assortative mating.
Here are the 2 links mentioned in the episode:
1013.full.pdf
The Evidence on Vaccines and Autism | Johns Hopkins | Bloomberg School of Public Health
Join Cari and Jim for an informative discussion about the power of heavy work for young children with developing brains and bodies!
The Anxious Generation
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Cari and Jim discuss strategies for supporting older kids who are constantly putting their hands, toys, and other objects in their mouth or chewing on their hair or shirt. You'll walk away with actionable strategies and activities to begin using immediately!
Shop Cari's Amazon Store - Sensory Tools and Toys
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In the first episode of 2025 Cari and Jim discuss the benefits of playing board and card games with kids of all ages. The primary emphasis of this conversation is about the link between playing board games and building executive function skills. Play-based learning for the win!
Defender of Play T-Shirt - Cari Ebert
Building Brains T-Shirt - Cari Ebert
This is episode 66 (Cari incorrectly refers to it as episode 65...please forgive her error!). In this episode Cari discusses key takeaways from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) national convention that took place in Seattle, WA. Even if you're not a speech-language pathologist, you will enjoy hearing about Cari's learning and networking adventures!
Join Cari and Jim as they discuss what it means to be an ally to the Autistic community and how trauma informed services fit into neurodiversity-affirming practices.
Cari and Jim discuss how to build authentic connections with Autistic children. This is a short but powerful episode that will give you a lot to think about.
Cari and Jim talk about the emotional roller coaster ride of parenting an Autistic child.
In the introduction, Cari misspeaks and calls this episode 62...sorry for the error!
Join Cari and Jim as they discuss Chapter 5 of Cari's book, "The Learning to Learn Program." This episode is all about supporting early language development in Autistic children. AAC and gestalt language processing are a couple of the topics discussed. This is a longer episode, so buckle up for some helpful tips!
THE LEARNING TO LEARN PROGRAM - Cari Ebert
Join Cari and Jim for a lively discussion about supporting Autistic children through play. Cari provides specific strategies from Chapter 5 of her book "The Learning to Learn Program" and reminds listeners that there is no right or wrong way to play!
Links to the books discussed in episode 61:
The Learning to Learn Program
A Moving Child is a Learning Child
In this episode, Cari and Jim discuss Chapter 3 of The Learning to Learn Program. After reminiscing about their son's sensory differences, Cari provides strategies for supporting the sensory needs of young Autistic children.
The Learning to Learn Program
In this episode, Cari discusses Chapter two of her book The Learning to Learn Program. Cari and Jim outline specific strategies for supporting joint attention in Autistic toddlers and preschoolers. Hint: It has nothing to do with eye contact! See below for link to Cari's book.
Learning to Learn Program
In this episode, Cari discusses Chapter one of her book The Learning to Learn Program. Jim provides sports-related analogies while Cari outlines specific strategies for supporting non-verbal imitation skills in Autistic toddlers and preschoolers. See below for link to Cari's book.
Learning to Learn Program
Cari and Jim have an important discussion about how to bring up autism to parents and caregivers without creating a sense of panic and fear.
Cari and Jim discuss the different path that Autistic children take in their development. They share reflections of their Autistic son's developmental differences and convey the message that forward is forward...no matter the speed and no matter the path.
Cari and Jim chat in front of a live audience at the Michigan Division of Early Childhood Conference in Mount Pleasant, Michigan! In this episode we talk about the traits of playful adults and how important they are when supporting the development of young children.
Cari and Jim have a passionate discussion about the difference between autism awareness and autism acceptance. Because our words matter!
Cari and Jim discuss the reasons why Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is an outdated AAC option.
Cari and Jim talk about their journey homeschooling their Autistic child. They discuss the benefits and potential barriers of homeschooling a child with a disability.
Cari and Jim have an animated discussion about the history of play-based therapy, the importance of play-based therapy, and how child-led play differs from adult-directed play.
Cari and Jim discuss strategies for making the holidays merry for children who struggle with changes in routines.
Cari and Jim discuss why transitions can be so tough and provide 13 strategies for making transitions easier.
Link to visual timer discussed in this episode:
Time Timer
Cari and Jim discuss thoughtful strategies for throwing a neuro-affirming birthday party for your autistic child.
While parent coaching is an integral part of early intervention home visits, it's not typically a big part of therapy visits that are done in the clinic setting. Cari and Jim discuss 10 strategies for bringing parent coaching into your clinic-based therapy sessions with toddlers and preschoolers.
Cari and Jim discuss how to create a neurodiversity-affirming Halloween experience for ALL kids.
Free Halloween AAC
Cari and Jim discuss the term neurodiversity affirming. Neurodiversity affirming services. Neurodiversity affirming therapy. Neurodiversity affirming provider. Neurodiversity affirming parent.
Cari and Jim talk about the issues with using food (and other) reinforcers when supporting autistic children.
Join Cari and Jim as they discuss 8 speech therapy tips for use with minimally verbal toddlers.
Cari and Jim outline what parents and caregivers need to know about childhood apraxia of speech.
Cari and Jim continue the conversation about building executive function skills through play-based learning. Please be sure to listen to episode 38 before diving into this one.
Cari and Jim talk about school readiness and the importance of building executive function skills in early childhood.
Cari and Jim discuss what parents go through immediately following an autism diagnosis for their child. Choosing the best therapy journey for their child is a daunting task. This episode provides thoughtful guidance to help parents navigate the process.
What Part C of IDEA says about the natural environment and how this applies to the "magic toy bag" so often used in early intervention visits.
Learn 10 tips for asking the right questions in the right way when doing an initial evaluation.
Reference articles:
2003 article on ethnographic interviewing
2022 article on ethnographic interviewing
Join Cari and Jim as they discuss tips for buying high-quality toys. They also dive into how to manage the toy clutter that happens after the holidays!
Join Cari and Jim as they discuss analytic vs. gestalt language processors.
Be sure to follow @meaningfulspeech and @bohospeechie on Instagram for more information on gestalt language processing.
Cari and Jim discuss all things AAC (augmentative and alternative communication).
AAC Book
This is a spicy episode about the power of play-based learning. Cari and Jim discuss how the cognitive hypothesis has changed society's views on play and learning.
Free download
It's October and that means Halloween is right around the corner. Wearing a costume can be a stressful experience for some children. In this episode, Cari and Jim discuss tips for making Halloween costumes more tolerable.
Cari and Jim provide some insight into writing neurodiversity affirming therapy goals for autistic children.
Cari and Jim talk about one of the most important school readiness skills...learning to wait!
Cari and Jim talk about supporting autistic children who have a deep interest in letters and numbers.
Cari and Jim discuss how sensory differences can affect mealtime experiences. Picky eater, resistant eater, food jags...these are some of the topics that they cover.
Cari and Jim take a temporary break from talking about speech therapy and child development to discuss fantasy football.
If you work in early intervention or are a parent who is receiving early intervention services for your toddler, you won't want to miss this episode! Cari and Jim discuss the importance of embedding strategies into everyday routines to support early child development.
Cari discusses her autism program and outlines the 5 foundation skills to focus on when supporting autistic toddlers and preschoolers.
Cari's Autism Program
Cari and Jim role play through some scenarios about early intervention providers and parents partnering together.
Hey early intervention providers...this episode is for you! Cari makes the important distinction between parent coaching and parent education.
Cari explains the differences between a child-focused approach, a parent-focused approach, and an interaction-focused approach in the world of EARLY INTERVENTION. Birth to 3 providers...this episode is for YOU!
This episode continues the discussion about sensory differences. Cari talks about self-regulation, co-regulation, and dysregulation.
Cari discusses what parents and providers from all disciplines need to understand about sensory processing for young children with developing brains and bodies.
Apraxia talk continues. Did you know that motor planning difficulties can occur throughout the whole body? Cari discusses the importance of treating the "whole" child and not just the "hole" in the head (the mouth!).
Cari and Jim have a lively discussion about the root word of "apraxia" (hint...it's Greek!).
Cari and Jim debate how to say "green beans" (is it GREEN beans or green BEANS?) and then Cari shares some info about simplification patterns that young children use when learning to talk. Oh, and the simplification pattern for "fire truck" is always a knee slapper!
Cari shares her theory on why her autistic son is so passionate about letters and numbers.
Cari and Jim discuss the developmental trajectory of their autistic son and how much therapy he has actually received over the years.
Cari's Apraxia Book
Cari tries to stump Jim with a little movie trivia and then shares 7 strategies for helping children with apraxia of speech become communication risk takers. This episode is filled with the right amount of humor and informative speech therapy nuggets for SLPs and parents alike!
Cari and Jim discuss how animal sounds and apraxia go together like bacon and eggs...like macaroni and cheese...like tacos and margaritas! Speech therapy talk doesn't get more exciting than this!
Cari shares and discusses some favorite quotes that she's come across on Instagram and gives a shout-out to these 5 inspiring accounts:
@autiestories_of_vaanya
@sivan_hong_author
@jessieginsburg.slp
@autismgrownup
@neurocurioustherapist
Join Cari and Jim as they discuss how autism acceptance is society's response to autism awareness. Be sure to listen to Episode 4 first, as this is a follow-up to that discussion.
Understanding Autism Handout
This episode is a spur of the moment topic change in response to a message Cari received requesting more information about autism. So get ready for a 40 minute long info dump about autism awareness.
Cari chats about the differences between a temper tantrum, a physical meltdown, and a sensory meltdown. This episode packs a punch and delivers a powerful message for therapists, educators, and parents alike.
Cari talks about how the four parenting styles can be used to determine one's teaching/therapy style as well. Relationship-based learning stems from the authoritative style of raising, teaching, and supporting the development of children. Cari shares how she remembers the difference between the authoritative and the authoritarian parenting styles (hint: it has to do with potatoes).
Cari introduces the format of her new podcast and shares why April 2nd is such an important date in her life each year. You won't want to miss this inspirational first episode!