If you’ve ever had to explain autism to a child, you know it can be very difficult. Autism is very complex. But if you have a child with autism you’ve probably had to do just that. Maybe it was explain autism to your child’s sibling, or a cousin, or a friend.
Raising a child with a developmental disability, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is often overwhelming for parents and caregivers. They need all the help they can get. I know I am one of them.
A few months ago, I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and ran across a post in an autism group that caught my eye. The post was a casting call for for Hear Me, later retitled Mandy’s Voice, a short film about nonverbal autism.
My youngest daughter and I recently attended a disability conference. Seeing her interact with the families of disabled children, as well as disabled youth really showed me the empathy and compassion she’s gained by having a sibling with special needs.Continue reading Having a Sibling With a Disability Changes You – For the Better
When moving to a new location, one of the first things a family with children does is check out the local school system. A school can often be a selling point (or a deterrent) to a family moving to a specific location. Unfortunately, this is understandable because public education often doesn’t look the same fromContinue reading The Frustrating Journey Trying to Find a School for My Autistic Son
Here are five tips on how to keep morning routines consistent and calm for children on the autism spectrum. Continue reading 5 Tips for Keeping Morning Routines Consistent for Children with Autism
In this guest post from Better Speech, the writers discuss the difference between autism presenting at birth versus a regression later in toddlerhood.Continue reading Regressive Autism – Understanding the Causes and How to Help Your Child by Better Speech
If you are the parent of a child with autism spectrum disorder obsessed with their saliva, you must be frustrated! Not only is the world still in the midst of a global pandemic transmitted primarily through respiratory droplets, but playing with saliva is also messy and socially unacceptable. My autistic son is six years old,Continue reading Minimizing a Saliva Obsession in Children With Autism
Hey There! A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of speaking with Leanne Page. If you are a parent, grandparent or work with children in any capacity, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss!
The arts have an incredible ability to facilitate creativity, self-expression, and personal development. Dancing, music, drawing, painting, and theatre are invaluable for healthy child development. More specifically, art-based hobbies have unique and diverse benefits for children with developmental disabilities. Artistic hobbies can help children communicate, reduce stress, and build self-confidence. If you are looking toContinue reading The Benefit of Artistic Hobbies (and How to Get Started) Words by Lillian Brooks
An advocate can be defined as a person who pleads on behalf of another’s cause. Plead can be defined as making an emotional appeal. Lastly, a cause can be defined as a principle for which a person or group is dedicated to fighting for. So, an advocate is a person who makes emotional appeals onContinue reading Being an Advocate for Your Autistic Child
I am honored to be featured in Exceptional Needs Today’s 3rd edition. Building and maintaining friendships both inside and outside the exceptional needs community is vital for us as parents of exceptional children. Not only to find the support we need to be the best parents possible but for our own mental health and well-being.Continue reading The Value of Parental Friendships Both Inside and Outside the Special Needs Community – As Featured in Exceptional Needs Today
Raising a child with exceptional needs is often overwhelming for families. Even if the child receives the services and support they need outside the home, they may still struggle at home. I am excited to announce that I will soon be launching Big Abilities Caregiver Coaching.
Raising a child with a developmental disability such as Autism Spectrum Disorder can have a huge impact on a family’s finances. Families of children on the spectrum often have less income because one parent may need to leave the workforce to be the primary caregiver. In addition, the expenses of an ASD diagnosis can spanContinue reading Top 5 Free Autism Resources in 2021
I speak with parents all the time about optimizing their home environment to help their exceptional needs family thrive. Often I use the children’s book, Sally’s Room, written by M. K. Brown, as an example of why an organized and tidy environment is so important for our children with exceptional needs.
Back in 2017, when my son was first diagnosed with a speech delay, while we waited for speech therapy to begin, I searched for as many resources as possible to help him at home. One of the first resources I found was an app called Speech Blubs.
I recently read a quote, “It’s never the same day twice, but don’t dare change the routine!” If you are the parent of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder, I am sure you can relate!
In this episode, I have a conversation with Meegan Winters. CEO and Co-Founder of Able Eyes, a virtual platform that offers people with disabilities access to virtual tours, of businesses, video modeling “How-To’s”, and social stories. Continue reading Pod 37: Meegan Winters of Able Eyes
If you are the parent of a child with exceptional needs and are using the same techniques your parents used while raising you, or that you’ve used with your children who don’t have exceptional needs, it’s probably not working. But, here are three strategies that will!
Rose is an ASHA certified Speech-Language Pathologist and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She divides her time between a public school and her own private practice- ABA SPEECH. ABA SPEECH provides specialized in person and teletherapy speech therapy services across 10 states including California, Ohio and Florida. Rose is the creator of the Autism OutreachContinue reading Pod 36: My Conversation with Rosemarie Griffin of ABA Speech
Follow my blog with Bloglovin Family’s of children with exceptional needs often spend a great deal of time looking for resources and providers outside the home, and understandably so. However, it is equally important to focus attention on what is happening inside the home as well. The following suggestions can help your exceptional needs familyContinue reading Optimizing Your Home Environment to Help Your Exceptional Needs Family Thrive
Why traditional parenting strategies won’t work with children with exceptional needs and what to do instead.Continue reading Burn Your Parenting Books: Why Traditional Parenting Won’t Work With Children With Exceptional Needs
Young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder can struggle with following instructions, fine motor skills, creativity, color and number recognition, and task completion. Fortunately all of these skills can be improved with one simple and fun activity: coloring by number!
Autism Navigator, created by the Autism Institute at the Florida State University College of Medicine, is for families of children between birth and age eight with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis or at risk, as well as the providers that support them. Autism Navigator provides resources such as online courses, live webinars, and more.
(previously published in The North Lake Outpost) I spent most of my childhood and professional career in Umatilla, Florida. My family moved to North Lake County in 1980, and I joined the staff at Umatilla Middle School in 2005 as Media Specialist and Television Production teacher. I left Umatilla Middle School to be a full-timeContinue reading Former Umatilla Middle School Staff Member Working to Support Families of Children With Exceptional Needs
Jessica Andrews knows firsthand how challenging raising a child with exceptional needs can be for families. She and her developmentally disabled brother, Juan, grew up in the Tampa area. Jessica saw her single mom struggle to get a break, and when she could find respite providers, they were often ill-equipped to properly care for Juan.
Navigating the world of raising a child expectational needs can be overwhelming. This is why Collaborative Corner is offering personalized Client Concierge Services.Continue reading Client Concierge Service at Collaborative Corner for Exceptional Children
A Google search of the phrase “what is autism spectrum disorder” will net you about 46,700,000 results in 0.62 seconds. Many of those results are full of complex medical jargon, paid advertisements, obsolete information, and misconstrued facts. It’s understandable that so many people both inside and outside the autism community do not have an accurateContinue reading What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?
The Premack Principle, often referred to as First/Then or Grandma’s Rule, is a simple behavior modification strategy parents can easily implement to help children overcome challenging behaviors.Continue reading The Premack Principle: How Using First/Then Can Improve Behavior
Had a great Facebook Live with Wendy Valente where we spoke about transforming screen time for sedentary to passive, to physically active and cognitively engaging.Continue reading Toys, Storage, and the Importance of Play with Wendy Valente
