The Autism Helper Podcast

In this episode, Dr. Becca Tagg discusses comorbid or co-occurring conditions in autistic students, what they are, and how things like poor sleep, GI issues, anxiety, and ADHD can act as setting events that reshape a student's day. We dig into the medical conditions that can hide behind challenging behavior or sudden regression, what teachers should know about medications and their side effects, and how to share classroom observations with families and medical teams without overstepping. If you've ever had a student who just seemed "off," this conversation may change how you look at behavior.
About Our Guest: Dr. Becca is a licensed psychologist with prescribing privileges, doctoral-level behavior analyst, and school psychologist, and the founder and Executive Director of Del Mar Center for Behavioral Health. A national speaker and consultant, she's known for translating complex clinical science into practical understanding and for challenging professionals to see students as whole humans rather than a collection of separate parts.
https://delmarbehavioralhealth.com/
https://thebusinessofbehavior.com/
Episode Transcription.
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Interested in our Year-Long Curriculum Access Subscription? Learn more about it here: https://theautismhelper.com/tah-curriculum-access/
Join the waitlist for our Professional Development Membership: https://shop.theautismhelper.com/pages/membership-waitlist
Want more information about The Autism Helper Courses? Visit: https://theautismhelper.com/courses/
Looking for a specific product or resource? Find it in our new Autism Helper Store! https://shop.theautismhelper.com/
Or visit The Autism Helper store on TpT: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Autism-Helper
Stay up to date on all things Autism Helper by downloading our new, FREE app! Available on both the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-autism-helper/id1557724340 & Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mightybell.theautismhelper&hl=en_US&gl=US
Get all updates from The Autism Helper Podcast by clicking subscribe above. Head over to theautismhelper.com for more info. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest @theautismhelper.

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Executive function is one of those terms we hear all the time, but what does it actually look like in the classroom? In this episode, Dr. Nicole Tibbits breaks down executive function in plain language and shows where it shows up in everyday classroom moments that often go unlabeled. We talk about how EF demands differ for our students compared to their neurotypical peers, why a student might be able to do something one day and not the next, and how to tell the difference between true noncompliance and an executive function breakdown. Dr. Tibbits also shares practical, low-lift strategies you can try tomorrow with no new materials, ways to make abstract concepts like time and planning concrete, and how emotional regulation fits into the bigger EF picture. You'll walk away with a fresh perspective and one key mindset shift that can change how you see and support your students.
Dr. Nicole Tibbits, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist at the Child Psychology Center in Carlsbad, CA, specializing in autism, ADHD, learning differences, and executive function support for kids, teens, and their families. Follow Dr. Tibbits on Instagram @dr.nicoletibbits
Episode Transcription.
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Interested in our Year-Long Curriculum Access Subscription? Learn more about it here: https://theautismhelper.com/tah-curriculum-access/
Join the waitlist for our Professional Development Membership: https://shop.theautismhelper.com/pages/membership-waitlist
Want more information about The Autism Helper Courses? Visit: https://theautismhelper.com/courses/
Looking for a specific product or resource? Find it in our new Autism Helper Store! https://shop.theautismhelper.com/
Or visit The Autism Helper store on TpT: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Autism-Helper
Stay up to date on all things Autism Helper by downloading our new, FREE app! Available on both the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-autism-helper/id1557724340 & Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mightybell.theautismhelper&hl=en_US&gl=US
Get all updates from The Autism Helper Podcast by clicking subscribe above. Head over to theautismhelper.com for more info. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest @theautismhelper.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Factor and use my code factormeals.com/sasha50off for a great deal: https://www.factor75.com
* Check out Talkiatry and use my code talkiatry.com/SASHA for a great deal: https://www.talkiatry.com

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

If your class fell apart this week and September felt fine, you're not doing anything wrong - this is the week it always happens. Novelty wears off around week four or five, students start testing the real limits, and it feels like everything you built collapsed. But the spike isn't failure. It's the predictable next phase, and it's information about where the gaps are.
In this episode, I walk through what to do instead of starting over: expecting the spike so you don't take it personally, reteaching your routines instead of scrapping them, fixing the one time of day where behavior slips most, refreshing stale reinforcement, and holding steady. Don't restart - reteach. The teachers who hold steady through October have the calmest rooms in December.
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Interested in our Year-Long Curriculum Access Subscription? Learn more about it here: https://theautismhelper.com/tah-curriculum-access/
Join the waitlist for our Professional Development Membership: https://shop.theautismhelper.com/pages/membership-waitlist
Want more information about The Autism Helper Courses? Visit: https://theautismhelper.com/courses/
Looking for a specific product or resource? Find it in our new Autism Helper Store! https://shop.theautismhelper.com/
Or visit The Autism Helper store on TpT: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Autism-Helper
Stay up to date on all things Autism Helper by downloading our new, FREE app! Available on both the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-autism-helper/id1557724340 & Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mightybell.theautismhelper&hl=en_US&gl=US
Get all updates from The Autism Helper Podcast by clicking subscribe above. Head over to theautismhelper.com for more info. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest @theautismhelper.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Factor and use my code factormeals.com/sasha50off for a great deal: https://www.factor75.com
* Check out Talkiatry and use my code talkiatry.com/SASHA for a great deal: https://www.talkiatry.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode, we're talking about prompt fading and why the start of the school year is the perfect time to plan for it. Those first weeks are naturally full of support, but the prompts we add in August can quietly become the prompts students depend on all year. We'll do a quick refresher on the prompt hierarchy and share five practical steps to take this month: picking priority routines, finding baselines, writing a simple fade plan, getting your whole team using the same prompt language, and building in wait time. We'll also cover the common pitfalls that stall progress, like hovering and repeated verbal prompts. You'll leave with one small challenge to start building independence this week.
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Interested in our Year-Long Curriculum Access Subscription? Learn more about it here: https://theautismhelper.com/tah-curriculum-access/
Join the waitlist for our Professional Development Membership: https://shop.theautismhelper.com/pages/membership-waitlist
Want more information about The Autism Helper Courses? Visit: https://theautismhelper.com/courses/
Looking for a specific product or resource? Find it in our new Autism Helper Store! https://shop.theautismhelper.com/
Or visit The Autism Helper store on TpT: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Autism-Helper
Stay up to date on all things Autism Helper by downloading our new, FREE app! Available on both the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-autism-helper/id1557724340 & Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mightybell.theautismhelper&hl=en_US&gl=US
Get all updates from The Autism Helper Podcast by clicking subscribe above. Head over to theautismhelper.com for more info. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest @theautismhelper.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Factor and use my code factormeals.com/sasha50off for a great deal: https://www.factor75.com
* Check out Talkiatry and use my code talkiatry.com/SASHA for a great deal: https://www.talkiatry.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Sometimes the off-task behavior, the wandering, the "he just won't listen" moment isn't defiance at all - it's confusion. When a direction is unclear, students don't know what we expect, so they fill the gap with something else, and we read that as a behavior problem. Before long, we're in a power struggle over a direction the student never understood. The fix usually isn't a bigger consequence - it's a clearer direction.
In this episode, I break down how to give verbal directions that are clear, concrete, and focused on what to do instead of what not to do: waiting until you have a student's attention, keeping directions positive and specific, not stacking too many at once, avoiding phrasing directions as questions when the task isn't optional, repeating purposefully instead of rewording, giving real wait time, and offering a quick "why" to earn buy-in.
Before your next consequence, ask yourself: was that direction clear, positive, singular - and did I give it time to land? Sometimes the most powerful thing we can change isn't the student. It's the sentence.
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Interested in our Year-Long Curriculum Access Subscription? Learn more about it here: https://theautismhelper.com/tah-curriculum-access/
Join the waitlist for our Professional Development Membership: https://shop.theautismhelper.com/pages/membership-waitlist
Want more information about The Autism Helper Courses? Visit: https://theautismhelper.com/courses/
Looking for a specific product or resource? Find it in our new Autism Helper Store! https://shop.theautismhelper.com/
Or visit The Autism Helper store on TpT: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Autism-Helper
Stay up to date on all things Autism Helper by downloading our new, FREE app! Available on both the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-autism-helper/id1557724340 & Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mightybell.theautismhelper&hl=en_US&gl=US
Get all updates from The Autism Helper Podcast by clicking subscribe above. Head over to theautismhelper.com for more info. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest @theautismhelper.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Factor and use my code factormeals.com/sasha50off for a great deal: https://www.factor75.com
* Check out Talkiatry and use my code talkiatry.com/SASHA for a great deal: https://www.talkiatry.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy