by Tina Gabel | Jul 28, 2026
That child who waits for you to start every sentence? In this replay I sit down with SLP Alexandria Zachos — founder of Meaningful Speech — to talk about how years of prompting quietly create prompt dependence, and how silence, connection, and a child-led approach... by Tina Gabel | Jul 14, 2026
My non-speaking three-year-old student told me “This is boring” on his AAC device. That moment changed everything for me, because that is communication, and that is competence. It’s exactly what today’s episode is about: presuming competence,... by Tina Gabel | Jul 1, 2026
Imagine understanding every word around you while the adults talk over you like you’re not even there and not having a reliable way to communicate until you’re almost 19. That’s part of Jordyn Zimmerman’s story. Jordyn is an autistic woman who is non-speaking and a... by Tina Gabel | Jun 10, 2026
So many of us were taught to prompt, and it was with the best of intentions, but that can quietly work against us. Because when nearly every interaction becomes a question, a direction, or a cue, communication can actually shrink instead of grow. I’ll walk you... by Tina Gabel | Jun 3, 2026
We’re talking about echolalia, what it really is, what it’s doing, and why so many autistic children communicate this way. For years, many educators and therapists were taught to reduce echolalia or move children “past it.” But research, autistic voices, and deeper...