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 full-time AAC user, and in this conversation she shares, from lived experience, what will change how you show up in your classroom.

Communication is a basic human right. It is never something a student has to earn, and there are no prerequisites for AAC. None.

We talk about why a lack of speech is not a lack of language, what an AAC-rich environment really looks like, the difference between requesting systems and robust language-based AAC, and what "presume competence" actually means as an action, not just a phrase. Jordyn also shares her advocacy work and the simple, powerful truth that every learner deserves a way to comment, question, joke, disagree, and tell their own stories.

A quick heads up before you listen: Jordyn prepared some answers ahead of time and responded to others in real time, so you'll hear pauses between each question and Jordyn's answer. I challenge you to resist the urge to fast-forward through the wait time. Sitting with that silence is one of the most important skills of a good communication partner — in this episode, and in your classroom.

We'll talk about:

• why a lack of speech is not a lack of language — and non-speaking is not non-understanding
• why communication is a basic human right, not something a student earns
• the real differences between PECS, core boards, and robust language-based AAC
• what an AAC-rich environment looks like, and why it's hard to build in separated settings
• what "presume competence" actually looks like in daily practice
• Jordyn's advocacy work — and why there are no prerequisites for AAC

In This Episode, You'll Learn

• What Jordyn wishes the adults around her had understood about supporting AAC users
• Why consistent, individualized access to a communication system matters from the start
• How to build an AAC-rich, language-rich environment that goes beyond the device
• Why PECS is a requesting system, and what robust AAC makes possible
• How autonomy, choice, and agency separate true communication from requesting alone
• What presuming competence means as an action, including offering robust vocabulary from the beginning
• Why we shouldn't limit a student's vocabulary until they've "proven" competence
• Why honoring wait time is a core communication-partner skill

Key Takeaways

• Communication is a basic human right, never something a student earns
• There are no prerequisites for AAC — none
• A lack of speech is not a lack of language; non-speaking is not non-understanding
• Robust, language-based AAC offers autonomy; requesting systems alone do not
• An AAC-rich environment models language in every way, not just through the device
• Presume competence by offering robust language access from the very beginning
• Honoring wait time is part of being a good communication partner

Try This

• Resist the urge to fill silence — give real wait time and let the person respond
• Model language through AAC, not just spoken words, throughout the day
• Offer robust vocabulary from the start instead of waiting for "proof" of readiness
• Build an AAC-rich environment so every child both hears and sees language
• Look for any "prerequisites" in your setting — then work to remove them
• Assume the child understands, and talk with them, never over them
• Make space for commenting, joking, and disagreeing, not just requesting

Related Resources & Links

Jordyn Zimmerman Website

Jordyn's documentary

Preschool Autism Summit + VIP Day (Jordyn returns for a deeper conversation)

No research or framework can teach us what it feels like to understand everything and have no way to say it. When we presume competence, offer robust language from the start, build AAC-rich environments, and honor wait time, we stop asking children to earn their voices and start making sure they always have one. That is the work, and it changes everything.

He was banging his head on the floor, and Tara remembers the tears sliding down her cheeks and the only words she could find: "How can I help you?" That moment, and dozens of others over 25 years in the classrooms, the real origin story of the Preschool Autism Summit.

In this episode, we flip the script. Instead of Tara behind the mic, her teammate Shawna takes over as host and interviews Tara about how the summit actually began, long before it was an annual event with 30 presentations and thousands of attendees.

What started as one teacher making her own resources because nothing existed for three- and four-year-olds has grown into something much bigger than a conference. Tara and Shawna talk about the isolating early years of teaching "back in the 1900s," the students who taught Tara how to teach, and the gut-level "if it feels yucky, don't do it" moments that pushed her away from compliance-based practices and toward regulation, connection, and respect for autistic children.

If you've ever wondered how the Preschool Autism Summit came to be — or why this work matters so deeply — this conversation is for you.

• Why Tara started Autism Little Learners — and how it began with simply making her own classroom materials

• What teaching autistic students looked like "back in the 1900s," before online resources, memberships, or virtual courses existed

• The students who shaped how Tara supports autistic children today

• How the idea for the Preschool Autism Summit was born in late 2023 — and why preschool-specific training was the gap she set out to fill

• What makes the summit different from a traditional conference (no travel, no cold ballrooms, no weird sandwiches)

• How autistic adults review every single presentation to keep the summit genuinely neuroaffirming

• Why Tara moved away from behavioral approaches like hand-over-hand prompting and toward regulation and connection

• What attendees can expect from the 2026 summit, July 12–15

• Change often starts with one small idea. Tara never set out to leave the classroom or build a business — she just wanted to share the resources she was already making.

• Teaching autistic children can feel isolating. Many educators and SLPs are the only one or two doing this work in their entire school. Community is what breaks the "you're on an island" feeling.

• Regulation comes first, connection right beside it. A dysregulated child isn't able to learn — and learning is hard without genuine connection.

• Connection means weaving in what a child loves, not dangling their interests as a reward to get compliance.

• If it feels yucky, don't do it. That gut feeling is worth trusting — and now there are neuroaffirming alternatives that didn't exist decades ago.

• Autistic voices belong at the center. Autistic adults review every presentation, so "neuroaffirming" is a practice, not just a label.

• Small shifts in adult behavior have lifelong impact. A child is autistic — it's part of who they are, not something they carry and set aside.

• This is a movement, not just an event. One free ticket can reach roughly 10 students. Tara's goal: reach a million.

• None of us have to do this work alone.

• Reflect on how your own practice has changed over the years.

• Name one area where you're moving from compliance toward connection.

• Think of a child who reshaped how you see your work.

• Reach out to one educator who shares your values.

• Grab your free ticket and learn alongside thousands of educators, therapists, and families at the 2026 Preschool Autism Summit.

• Preschool Autism Summit Registration — Grab your free ticket to the 3rd Annual Preschool Autism Summit, July 12–15, 2026: preschoolautism.com

• This year's summit features 30+ presentations, make-and-take sessions with Tara, and an All Access Pass option for year-round access plus certificates of completion.

What if behavior isn't something to stop, but something to listen to? In this episode, we're talking about one of the biggest mindset shifts happening in autism education right now: moving from compliance-based teaching toward connection, regulation, and understanding.

Because what often gets labeled as "behavior" in preschool classrooms is actually communication.

I'll walk you through what changes when educators stop asking, "How do I stop this behavior?" and start asking, "What is this child telling me right now?"

This conversation explores the nervous system underneath behavior, the long-term impact of compliance-focused practices, and what regulation-first support can look like in real preschool classrooms.

● why "behavior" is often communication
● the hidden cost of compliance-based teaching
● what dysregulation actually looks like in young children
● why regulation must come before expectation
● classroom examples of regulation-first support
● how relationship-building changes learning outcomes

Because compliance is not the same as learning.

• Why many challenging behaviors are rooted in nervous system needs
• How sensory overwhelm, transitions, and demands impact regulation
• The difference between compliance and genuine engagement
• Why regulation-first classrooms support learning more effectively
• What co-regulation looks like during difficult moments
• Practical ways to support autistic preschoolers without forcing participation
• Why connection creates more sustainable outcomes than control

• Behavior is communication
• Dysregulation is not defiance
• Compliance does not equal learning
• Nervous systems must feel safe before learning can happen
• Regulation-first support benefits all children, not just autistic children
• Co-regulation happens through presence, not pressure
• Flexibility and relationship-building create more meaningful participation
• Educators can support children without requiring perfect compliance

• Pause before responding to a behavior and ask what the child may be communicating
• Look for sensory, emotional, or environmental stressors underneath dysregulation
• Offer lower-demand moments during difficult transitions
• Loosen one classroom expectation this week and observe what changes
• Build in predictable regulation supports throughout the day
• Focus on helping the child feel safe before asking them to perform
• Replace "How do I stop this?" with "What support is needed here?"

💚 Preschool Autism Summit
💚 AAC What Most Educators Miss
💚 Calm Spaces Supports

💚 Autism Little Learners Membership

When we shift from compliance to connection, we stop seeing children as problems to manage. We begin seeing nervous systems asking for support. And once you start looking through that lens, it changes everything about the way you teach.