Podcast Interview with Barry on his Career: with Tara Phillips, Founder of Autism Little Learners

EPISODE 137
Podcast Interview with Barry on his Career:
with Tara Phillips, Founder of Autism Little Learners

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Show Notes

Tara Phillips, a speech-language pathologist and Founder of Autism Little Learners, interviewed Barry as a prelude to Barry’s keynote address on her podcast for the Preschool Autism Summit, with more than 40,000 professionals, parents, and autistic individuals registered. As Barry was so impressed by this interview, and given that he often receives requests for more specific information about his career path, he asked Tara for permission and she graciously agreed to allow this interview to be rebroadcast on Uniquely Human: The Podcast.

Tara’s comments about Barry’s keynote address after the conference

“Hosting Dr. Barry Prizant at our Preschool Autism Summit was an absolute honor – his presentation was transformative. He masterfully combined decades of expertise with heartfelt stories, challenging outdated perspectives, and championing a uniquely human approach to autism. His message of connection, respect, and hope resonated deeply with attendees, many calling it ‘life-changing’. His passion and compassion left us inspired to see autistic strengths and humanity first, and his deep respect for autistic voices touched everyone and sparked powerful ‘aha’ moments that will ripple through classrooms, therapy rooms, and families for years to come”.

Learn more about Autism Little Learners

Featuring

tara

Tara Phillips

Tara Phillips is a speech/language pathologist with over two decades of experience supporting young autistic children. She founded Autism Little Learners in 2019 to provide practical resources, courses, and a thriving online membership for educators and parents. What started as a small passion project has grown into a global platform serving thousands of educators and caregivers every month. Tara’s work is heart-led and rooted in a connection-first, relationship-based approach, helping others feel confident supporting young autistic children in everyday routines and learning. She continues to create tools and trainings that make an immediate difference in classrooms and homes.

BARRY PRIZANT

BARRY PRIZANT, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Dr. Barry Prizant is a speech-language pathologist with more than 50 years experience as a researcher and international consultant for autistic and neurodivergent individuals and their families. He is an Adjunct Professor of Communicative Disorders at the University of Rhode Island and Director, Childhood Communication Services (a private practice).  Previously, he served as Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry in the Brown University School of Medicine, and held a tenured professor appointment at Emerson College. Publications include 5 books, most notably Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism (2015; 2022) and The SCERTS Model manuals, an educational approach implemented in more than a dozen countries. He has published 150 scholarly chapters and articles and serves on numerous professional advisory boards for journals and professional organizations. Barry has presented more than 1000 seminars and keynote addresses internationally, including two invited presentations at the United Nations for World Autism Awareness Day. His career contributions have been recognized with honors from Brown and Princeton Universities, the Autism Society of America and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Visit Barry’s website here

Uniquely Human, the book (Updated and Expanded edition!)

…and Continue the Discussion

Do you have a book or podcast club? If so, you may use this discussion guide to facilitate a conversation about this episode.

1) Barry and Tara discuss similarities in their beliefs about how autistic children have been misunderstood. What strikes you about this discussion, and do you agree or disagree?

2) Professionals often find their way into service for neurodivergent children, and their families in many different ways. Barry shares his story in this interview. Is this similar to your experience or the experience of those you know?

3) For you, what are the takeaways from this discussion that you already apply, or can be applied to yourself, children you know, or children and families you support?

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Music

Matt Savage, courtesy of Savage Records

Matt Savage is an autistic jazz musician, composer, and bandleader. Matt has collaborated with jazz greats like Chick Corea, the Ellington All Stars, Chaka Khan, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath, Jason Moran, Arturo O’Farrill, John Pizzarelli, Joshua Redman, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Faddis, Jerry Bergonzi. Donny McCaslin, and more. He has recorded more than a dozen records and graciously contributes the music for Uniquely Human.

Production and Sound Design

ELEVATEDSTUDIO

Uniquely Human: The Podcast is produced, engineered, and edited by Elevated Studio in Denver, Colorado. Owned and operated by co-host Dave Finch, Elevated Studio produces digital media assets and content strategies for the electronics, entertainment, and lifestyle industries.