After School Restraint Collapse: aka “We Never See That Here.”
The After School Meltdown, we’ve all seen it. Here’s what to know about after school restraint collapse, and getting your IEP team on board to support your child.
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Autism Masking: How to Get it Addressed on an IEP.
If you’ve ever had a teacher tell you, “We never see that behavior here,” you might already be familiar with masking….even if you didn’t have a word for it yet. Masking is the mental and emotional effort many kids, especially those with autism or anxiety, put into hiding their struggles to “fit in” or “blend…
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Fight, Flight, or Freeze in Autism: What It Means for IEP Behavior Plans
Autistic kids who elope aren’t misbehaving—they’re in fight-or-flight mode. Learn why it happens and what skills your child needs to feel safe and supported.
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30 IEP Strategies for PDA and Masking Behaviors
When I first started out as a Special Education Advocate back in 2010, I was a “right fighter.” If my client had a condition or behavior patterns, and the team wasn’t on board, I’d fight until they accepted it. It was exhausting. PDA totally changed how I advocate. It was my PDA clients who really…
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What is Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)?
PDA or Pathological Demand Avoidance, is something most parents and educators weren’t talking about when I first started working as an advocate 15 years ago. And, like many terms, conditions and trends in our field, I’ve watched it evolve. What started out as “PDA isn’t a thing!” is now being studied and scrutinized by autism…
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Autism and Sundowning: How to Manage Evening Struggles.
Lately we’ve been having a tremendous amount of trouble “managing” K at night. I don’t like to use that word, but don’t know what else to call it. It’s been taking both of us to get through the evening and it’s been very tiring if one of us is at basketball with B. In a…
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Autism and Executive Function Skills: What Parents Need to Know
When it comes to understanding the learning and behavior needs of autistic students, executive function (EF) skills are often overlooked but they can significantly impact a child’s success at school and at home. Whether you’re a parent navigating a new autism diagnosis or you’ve been advocating for years, it’s important to understand how executive functioning…
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If Facilitated Communication Worked, There’d Be Evidence. There Isn’t.
And now there’s a movement in NY to use taxpayer money to pay for it.
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Calm Down Corner Ideas: 15 Budget-Friendly Tips for Classrooms or at Home
When used properly, calm down corners are fantastic. Heck, I want to create one some place in my own home. The problem that I run into frequently, as an advocate, is that they are overused and used as punishment rather than for self regulation. Or, used as a moniker for a seclusion room. When I…
