About this episode

Tara Phillips discusses the origins and evolution of the Preschool Autism Summit with her teammate Shawna.

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. In This Episode, You'll Learn Why Tara started Autism Little…

People in this episode

Host: Tara Phillips

Guest: Shawna

Topics covered

• autism education
• teacher experiences
• early childhood development
• supporting autistic children
• educational resources

Keywords

• Preschool Autism Summit
• autistic children
• teacher resources
• education
• early intervention

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Preschool Autism Summit, Autism Little Learners

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• #182 Emotional Intelligence in the Classroom with NYT Best Seller Alyssa Blask Campbell · July 7, 2026 · 47 min
• #181: Every Non-Speaking Child Should Have Access To Robust AAC with AAC User, Jordyn Zimmerman · June 30, 2026 · 1h 5m
• #179: The 4-Letter Shift That Changes How You See Behavior! · June 16, 2026 · 17 min
• #178: What If Too Many Questions Are Quieting Your AAC Learners? · June 9, 2026 · 15 min

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