When our autistic children grow up and enter the preteen and teen years, their needs change. They will require a new approach and different interventions to help them thrive. What may have worked for them when they were younger, may suddenly not work anymore and even annoy them. They may try to communicate their changing …
How to deal with aggressive behavior remains one of the main and most urgent questions teachers and caregivers of autistic children ask, and aggression is also among the most common challenges conveyed by parents and primary carers of children and adolescents with autism. As with all challenging behaviors, it is important to remember that behavior is communication. …
I’m sure it will come as no surprise to learn that during an average morning alone, a mother has to remember up to 26 tasks – sometimes many more! As we approach Mother’s Day, we wanted to take a moment to thank all mothers, but particularly mothers of children with autism, for everything that they …
Receiving a diagnosis of any kind is difficult for parents, and an autism diagnosis can be particularly frightening. The uncertainty about how to best support your child, and the confusion that can follow conflicting treatment advice, can be very unsettling. Hearing that autism is an incurable and lifelong condition tends to only add to the …
Parents and the Autism Diagnosis: How to Accept Your Autistic Child Read More »
Every parent thinks negatively from time to time, but the negative and often fear-filled thoughts parents of autistic children struggle with can be off the charts because they are so different from the typical worries of other parents. Conquering these negative thoughts is not easy, but very important for the sake of your happiness as …
Conquering Negative Thoughts When Parenting Autistic Children Read More »
April 2 is the start of the internationally recognized World Autism Awareness Month. In recent years, many have advocated, and some changed the name to World Autism Acceptance Month, citing that awareness is simply not enough. I could not agree more, and if it were up to me, I’d go a step further, and call it World Autism Action Month. After …
Many children with autism develop special interests and become so entranced with them that they spend much of their time talking about them with great enthusiasm. Initially, it can be astounding to hear an autistic individual share their knowledge and expertise on topics such as dinosaurs, bus routes, video games, insects, and the list goes …
How to Help a Talkative Autistic Child to Talk Less and Listen More Read More »
Teaching Language and Communication to Autistic Children Dr. Temple Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University and internationally renowned autism spokesperson, was one of the first autistic people who wrote about her lack of speech during early childhood. She gave us a rare glimpse into the autistic mind when she wrote, “Not being …
Teaching Language and Communication to Autistic Children Teaching language and communication to autistic children who are non-verbal can be extremely challenging. When it appears that all our efforts to teach them to speak are in vain and no progress is noted, we can be tempted to think that there’s no hope of improvement and that …
Valentine’s Day, the day we celebrate the people in our lives that are most important to us, is just around the corner. Many people spend time with loved ones, and kids will exchange cards and treats with their teachers and classmates, but children with autism may experience the day a bit differently. While they may …
