Even though I haven’t crossed the threshold from parent to grandparent, I’ve heard it’s one of the most rewarding roles in a person’s life. But if you are the grandparent of a child with autism spectrum disorder, your role, although equally rewarding, comes with a unique set of challenges. Challenges that you probably haven’t experienced.Continue reading 5 Tips for Grandparents of Autistic Children
Consistency is important for all children, but for autistic children, consistency is a must. Here are 5 ways in which you can create consistency for your child across all environments, from home to school and beyond.Continue reading 5 Tips To Create Consistency For Autistic Children Across All Environments
A few weeks ago, my husband and our 6 1/2-year-old autistic son visited our oldest daughter and her husband for an annual family get-together. They don’t have children, which means they also don’t have a verbal filter. Do you get where this is going?Continue reading Be Careful What You Reinforce: You Just Might Get It
Every family has its own set of challenges, particularly for families impacted by exceptional needs. But experiencing joy shouldn’t be one of them. Continue reading Unlocking the Joy Within Your Exceptional Needs Family
Vacationing with an autistic child can be incredibly challenging, but focusing on what happens before, during, and after your vacation can ensure everyone has a good time. The following tips will help!
Fear of needles (needle phobia) is common for children, however it can even be worse for children with autism. These 5 Tips will give you some great ideas in helping your autistic child tolerate medical procedures involving needles. Continue reading 5 Tips to Prepare an Autistic Child for a Shot
When things become overwhelming for an autistic child, numbers can be used as a coping mechanism.Continue reading Using Numbers to Help Your Autistic Child Remain Calm During Chaos
You’re a parent in 2021, so chances are your child has either been affected by or will be when this happens: COVID cases shutting down classes and leaving you scrambling to figure out how to manage both your job and help your child with virtual school for about ten days. And if your child isContinue reading Virtual School Induced Meltdown
Are you looking for a way to keep your autistic child from unbuckling their car seat? Read on and find out how we kept our son safely in his.Continue reading How to Keep an Autistic Child in Their Car Seat
Moving to a new home can be stressful. Find out how you can make things easier for your autistic child by following these five tips by guest post author, Tilda Moore.Continue reading Five Tips For Moving With Your Child on the Autism Spectrum Guest Post by Tilda Moore
“Neurodivergent” is a relatively new term to describe people with any form of neurobiological variation. It’s a more accurate term for those who don’t fit the typical mold. But awareness isn’t enough – we need action.Continue reading Neurodiversity: Awareness Isn’t Enough
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
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
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 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!
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!
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
Children love their favorite movie and TV characters. By organizing their character-themed toys into interactive bins and engaging in play with your child you can increase their verbal and nonverbal communication, as well as cognitive skills in just 4 easy steps!Continue reading 4 Steps To Make Screen Time Interactive Using Toys
Big Abilities 