IEP Transition Goals Bank: Developing Meaningful Goals beyond “Food, Filth and Flowers.”
Parents, you need to take ownership of the IEP transition goals and process for your child. Here’s how to start.
Legal Guardianship for Adults | How to Get Guardianship for Adults with Disabilities
There are many different options for Parents of Disabled Adults, including guardianship, conservatorship, supported decision making and POA.
Best Indoor Water Park in Pennsylvania: Travel Tips for Kalahari Resort in Poconos
Kalahari Water Park and Resort in the Poconos is definitely the best indoor waterpark in Pennsylvania. Here is a sensory friendly travel review.
Not All Hand Flapping is Autism | The Case for Stimming
Hand Flapping when Excited That is not Autism Let’s just get this out there–everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY stims. Yes, we all do it. But what it looks like for each person is different. Hand flapping is just one type of stim behavior. But since everybody stims, not every stim behavior is autism or sensory…
10 Best Fidget Toys | Where to Buy Cheap Fidget Toys for School 2022
Best Fidget Toys I recently participated in a local consignment sale. My youngest son had quite the collection of fidget spinners. That was a short-lived trend, wasn’t it? I’m kinda glad it’s over. For him, anyway. But, for some kids with ADHD, Fidget Spinners and Fidget Toys are therapeutic. I just hope that the trend…
How to Build a Meaningful IEP for Autism | Autism IEP Goals | Sample IEP for Autism
IEP for Autism For almost 10 years, readers have been asking me questions about an IEP and autism. It’s quite common in our Facebook group to have a Mom pop in and say “We were just told we were getting an IEP for autism, what should I ask for?” For 10 years, I have resisted…
How to Get Your Autistic Child to Try New Foods (written by an autistic person!)
A dangerous, yet common, misconception in regard to autistic kids is that they will eat if they’re hungry enough. The reality is that hunger, appetite and sensory input all battle each other. Autistic individuals often have interoception that is quite different from what their parents or the adults in their lives are experiencing. Interoception is…
5 Popular Stim Toys for Autism or ADHD | Cheap | DIY | Chew
Stim Toys Quality stim toys can be hard to find, since fidget toys and chewy jewelry, or chewelry, is trendy. Even the higher priced ones don’t always promise quality, or the ones with great reviews just aren’t within your budget. Several popular stim toys can be made at home from everyday household objects, or using…
How to Redirect Self Injurious Behavior | Autism
Self Injurious Behavior and Autism Self-injurious autistic behaviors do not illustrate why stimming, or self-regulatory behaviors, are bad. Stimming is harmless by default and crucial to autistic individuals’ ability to self-regulate and cope with everything in their life and the world. Instead of seeking to stop autistic stims altogether, self-injurious behaviors can be redirected to…
Autistic Shutdowns
You might have heard about autistic meltdowns, but what about autistic shutdowns? The two terms are often used interchangeably by non-autistic autism professionals, but autism meltdowns and autism shutdowns are two completely different things. Difference between Autistic Meltdowns and Autistic Shutdowns Autistic shutdowns are NOT meltdowns, and recovering from them is not the same either….
Liar
When your Child Lies As I often begin many articles, I state “this has been coming up in the Facebook group a lot lately.” And, it has. I’m going to try to present this issue (lying and ADHD or other disabilities) as succinctly and unbiased as possible. But, to me honest, it’s very triggering for…
Free Visual Schedule Templates for Autism | Picture Schedules for Home Activities | PDF
Visual Schedules and Autism How stressed out are you by daily routines? What about your kids? I mean, it’s something that we do, as a household, every.single.day. Why does it have to be so stressful? Most of us do not use visual schedules at home though many kids use them at school. These free printable…
Poop Smearing | Causes | Solutions | Autism
Feces Smearing One of the most unpleasant parts of parenting is the gross stuff we sometimes have to encounter. It starts out fine, right? A little baby throw up and dirty diapers–no big deal! But what if you, ahem, have some issues long after your child is no longer a baby? What about poop smearing?…
7 Best Noise Cancelling Headphones for Autism | ADHD | Anxiety
Best Noise Cancelling Headphones The world is a noisy place. Heck, sometimes I wish I had noise-cancelling headphones. But if your child has Autism, ADHD or anxiety disorder, being out in noise can be brutal. These various conditions can make it near impossible to process what someone is saying if there is a lot of…
ADHD and Sleep Issues | Best Tips for Everyone to Get a Good Night’s Rest
ADHD and Sleep Have you ever walked into your child’s room to find them sleeping on the floor? I mean, you put them in bed, and you find them curled up on the floor. Or, if you’re like me, you feel like your autistic child is sleeping too much. Raise your hand if you’re a…
Small Time Change, Huge Disruption | Daylight Savings Time and Autism | ADHD | Tips
Daylight Savings Time and Autism It’s just one hour. One.hour. It shouldn’t make us this crazy, right? My son has always struggled with this. If I’m being honest, I do too. And, so do our dogs. It takes us weeks to recover from the Daylights Savings Time change. Both fall and spring. Lots of families…
Following Directions and Learning Disabilities | Accommodations and Strategies for School and Home
Following Directions Many people — kids and adults — have trouble following directions. They don’t seem to “listen” when they’re asked to do a task, whether it’s taking out the garbage or taking care of a pet. Even if there’s a negative consequence, they don’t do what they’ve been asked to do. Too often for learning disabled…
For Parents: Receptive Language vs Expressive Language Disorder | Receptive vs Express Language Skills and Strategies | IEP Goals
Receptive vs Expressive Language If your child is being evaluated for Early Intervention or Special Education Services, you may be introduced to the terms ‘receptive language skills’ or ‘expressive language skills.’ As humans, we all have communication skills. Those skills are either expressive or receptive. If you do not struggle to understand incoming communication or…
Autism Age-Appropriate Interests | What Are Age-Appropriate Interests for a Developmentally Disabled Person
Autism and Age-Appropriate Interests “Who gets to decide what is an age-appropriate interest for a disabled or autistic child?” This is an issue that has been on my mind a lot lately. My son will be 9 this summer, and as I’ve posted many times, he just loves all things Sesame Street. I’m starting to…
How to Make Sensory Bottles | DIY | Benefits | Uses
Making Sensory Bottles Sensory Bottles or Calm Down Bottles are a huge trend right now. And why not? They are great for all ages and abilities, and you can make sensory bottles that match any kid’s interests. A sensory bottle is an umbrella term for any clear bottle that is filled with stuff that is…
Amazon Echo for Disabilities | 8 Alexa Uses for Disabled People | Autism
Amazon Echo for Disabled People Look, I love reading to my kids. But the thing is, it is never enough for them. One book or chapter turns into 2 or 4 or even more. Imagine if you had someone to help you with this task? It sounds robotic, but I want to try it. This…
Best Apps for Autism | Speech | Social Skills
Autism Apps It’s kind of hard to remember life without tablets and smartphones, but it did exist. When the iPad was introduced a little over a decade ago, it was revolutionary. And, the autism community and special education community were some of the pioneers in developing apps. Now, our disabled kids, regardless of their issues,…
Educational Autism | What’s the difference between a Medical and a School Diagnosis of Autism?
Educational Autism I’m sure if this has happened to you, it sure felt like a gaslighting moment. You have a child. The child sees various doctors and specialists, some of whom have diagnosed the child with autism. Then, you go to the school to ask for assistance. And you’re told that your child does not…
25 Amazingly Awesome Dolls with Disabilities | Disability Awareness | Action Figures
Dolls with Disabilities Kids need dolls and toys that resemble them. Sure, it’s great to have toys that you aspire to be, like an astronaut or scientist. But if every astronaut or scientist you see is an able-bodied white male, it changes the way a child thinks. If a child is disabled, they need disabled…
10 Apps for Emotion Regulation and Social Interactions | Social Skills | Free
Social and Emotion Regulation Apps Did you know that there are apps that can help your child rehearse for social situations? Or help them learn to regulate their emotions? There really is an app for everthing. Including social skills apps. I can’t believe it’s been over a decade that we’ve been using apps with Kevin….
When Autism Awareness Materials are Ableist | Why I loathe April.
When “Awareness” is Ableist. Last week, I did a post about a video that was going viral. I said then, and still think, that it’s ableist. Not to pat myself on the back (ok, maybe a little), the well-known activist Alice Wong agreed with me and shared my post. Her group even included trigger warnings…
10 Free Visual Timers for Kids and Autism.
Visual Timers It’s a fancy name for clock. Ha, just kidding. They aren’t all necessarily clocks. Usually a fancy version of a clock if it only had the second hand. Many kids need visual timers. They serve as a sensory or visual reminder of time. What goes around, comes around, right? Analog Clocks are sexy…
{Autism Safety} Products, Kits and Tips to Keep Your Child Safe.
Autism Safety I want my son to increase his fine motor skills. I do not, however, want him to be able to unbuckle a seatbelt. When your disabled child acquires a new skill, sometimes it is a mixed blessing. Particularly if that new skill puts them in danger. They now have the fine motor skills…