And so for that one hour that you may spend with an individual, you have how many hours of your own in your home. So it is really imperative that families have support and tools to be able to match what that child is receiving in those therapy spaces.

This is Practitioner Perspectives in Autism Care, a Neurosage Hub podcast. Building hope, walking together.

Welcome back to the Neurosage Hub podcast. My name is Justin Barton, and I’m grateful to be the host of this podcast and part of this project that can be life changing for many people, or at least assist greatly in their journey in autism. I’m here with Ashley Tamayo, someone I’ve really grown to appreciate and respect for her insights. Ashley, why don’t you take a second and introduce yourself.

Thank you, Justin. I’m Ashley Tamayo, a licensed clinical social worker supervisor and the Director of Curriculum and Innovation for Neurosage Hub. I’m excited to bring both the practitioner and education perspectives together and create something meaningful.

Thank you for being here. We’ve covered several perspectives already, and today we’re focusing on the practitioner side again. The question is, how can practitioners guide families between visits? Whether it’s a week or a month, how can they support families during that time?

I don’t think people always think about that. You might see a practitioner once or twice a week, then maybe every other week. But for that one hour, there are many more hours at home, at school, and in other environments. That’s why it’s so important that families have support and tools to match what the child is receiving in therapy.

I don’t like to call it homework, but having tangible information and resources is something families can go back to. Giving tools or even a structured program can help. That’s something Neurosage Hub is working to support, helping families learn how to set up their home, respond to meltdowns, and support emotional regulation. Practitioners do families a great service by providing tools they can implement at home.

What are some ways a practitioner can help set up that plan at home to build on what’s happening in sessions?

One approach I use is SMART goals. This is something done collaboratively with the family. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based.

You want to clearly define the goal, make it measurable, ensure it’s achievable, and focus on something relevant to the child’s needs. Then you set a timeframe to check progress.

This helps create accountability and keeps families consistent in supporting their child between sessions.

Let’s walk through an example. Say a child is sensitive to certain clothing. How would a SMART goal look in that situation?

That’s a great example. You would first define the specific issue, such as sensitivity to textures or tags. Then you measure how often dysregulation occurs.

Instead of eliminating the behavior completely, you might aim to reduce frequency. For example, decreasing meltdowns by a certain number each week.

You evaluate whether that goal is achievable, ensure it’s relevant, and set a timeframe like three months to track progress. Keeping logs or journals helps confirm you’re moving in the right direction.

Any additional thoughts for parents working through this?

Even if you don’t always have access to a provider, you can still apply this process. You may have multiple goals at once, and that’s okay.

Parents also need to track their own consistency. If you’re not focusing on something, it’s harder to expect change. Accountability matters.

And just as important is community. When things feel overwhelming, having support and encouragement helps you stay on course.

You mentioned tracking and community, which are big parts of Neurosage Hub. Can you expand on that?

Neurosage Hub provides tools for tracking routines, sleep, exercises, and even nutrition. It can be journaling, logging, or simple note-taking. These tools help families understand progress over time.

On the community side, there are blogs and resources that connect families to broader support systems. The goal is to make sure families don’t feel alone and have access to what they need.

Any final thoughts before we wrap up?

I would just emphasize that what happens between visits really matters. That time in between can make the difference in how we see progress.

Thank you, Ashley, and thank you to everyone listening. We hope this helps build hope as we walk together on a structured path forward in the autism journey. Join us next time.