Startled, Trapped, & Shamed: How to Stop Accidentally Dysregulating Autistic Kids
with Dr. Gillian Boudreau
10/15/2025
All behavior makes sense, we just have to make sense of it. In this conversation, psychologist Dr. Gillian Boudreau helps us see that underlying nearly any behavior is fear. And so often, the fear is related to a child being startled, feeling trapped, or being shamed. But if you aren’t looking for it, it’s easy to miss. In this conversation we explore the nuance of each of these – especially for PDAers – and Gillian’s exact roadmap for concrete ways to avoid them (complete with clever acronyms for each). This is a must-listen episode to help you understand your clients’ experience in their lives and during your sessions.
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Show Notes
Join Dr. Gillian Boudreau’s Spring 2026 Reflective Practice Group
- Check out Gillian’s online CE course, Calm is Contagious, open for registration through December 16, 2025
- Learn more from/about Gillian at her Website and Instagram: @CalmConnectionPsychology
- Listen and learn from Gillian on:
○ Her podcast, Stance of Curiosity with co-host Joelle van Lent, which covers topics related to kind of school psychology
○ Her podcast, Emotional Physics with co-host Rebekah Tinker, which covers couples therapy and relationships.
○ Stay tuned for the release of a child psychology and parenting podcast, “I Hate You What’s For Dinner” set to drop later this fall!
- Two Sides of the Spectrum episodes referenced:
○ Episode 103 (Re-release): Safety as the Foundation of Everything with Dr. Gillian Boudreau
○ Episode 68: Changing the World with Books, Narwhals, and Letting Kids Say “No”with Lei Wiley-Mydske
○ Episode 37: How Behaviorism Hurts Kids with Greg Santucci